20 Kitchen Secrets That Make Food Taste Restaurant-Quality
Discover 20 expert kitchen secrets to elevate your home-cooked meals to restaurant-quality perfection.
- Chris Graciano
- 4 min read
Cooking restaurant-quality food in your home kitchen isn’t as hard as it seems. Knowing the correct methods and ingredients is all you need to know. This article reveals 20 secrets that professional chefs use to transform dishes. Whether you’re hosting a dinner or just cooking for yourself, mastering these tips will help you bring out the best flavors in your food.
1. Season as You Go
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Don’t just add seasonings when you’re plating your dish. You need to season it with salt and pepper throughout the cooking process, which enables you to add more depth to your food.
2. Use Fresh Herbs
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Fresh herbs give your dish a much more vibrant and refreshing taste that dried herbs can’t match.
3. Master the Art of Deglazing
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After browning meats or veggies in a pan, deglaze it with wine, broth, or vinegar. Doing so lifts the flavor of your sauces.
4. Embrace Acidic Ingredients
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Adding a dash of lemon juice or vinegar right at the end enhances the flavors of your dish. Here’s a secret: chefs do this to make the taste of the dish pop.
5. Invest in a Good Cast Iron Skillet
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If you want to achieve restaurant-quality dishes, a cast iron skillet is all you need. These pans provide a superb sear on meats and veggies and make them look like they came from a restaurant.
6. Finish with a Pat of Butter
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Here’s another secret: add a pat of butter to sauces and soups to give them that velvety, luxurious texture.
7. Use High-Quality Salt
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Seasoning with salt can elevate the flavors of your dish. However, investing in high-quality salt like sea salt or kosher salt offers bolder flavors and a more refined taste.
8. Create a “Mise en Place”
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If you’re unsure what that means, mise en place is just the French phrase for set up. This technique involves preparing and organizing all ingredients before cooking. This makes for a smoother and faster cooking experience.
9. Balance Sweet and Savory Flavors
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Adding some sugar balances the flavors of savory dishes. With desserts, putting a pinch of salt deepens the flavors.
10. Sear at High Heat
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Searing meat and vegetables in high heat seals in all the juices and creates a rich crust, which enhances the overall flavor.
11. Marinate Proteins
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Marinating meat or even vegetables not only infuses them with flavors but also tenderizes them.
12. Use Garlic and Onions Liberally
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Garlic and onions are staples for any dish. Sauté them at the start to add flavor.
13. Let Meat Rest
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When you’re done cooking your meat, let it rest, which is essential. This redistributes the juices in it, making it more tender and flavorful.
14. Toast Spices
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Toast your spices in a dry pan to release essential oils and deepen their flavors. When you add them to your dish, they give it a rich, aromatic taste.
15. Cook with Wine or Stock
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If you want to enhance the flavor of your next meal, replace water with wine or stock. When infused with your dish, they add another layer of flavor.
16. Use a Microplane for Zest and Aromatics
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A microplane grater helps release intense flavors from ingredients like citrus zest, garlic, and ginger, adding brightness and depth to dishes.
17. Experiment with Umami-Rich Ingredients
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Umami is simply the savory taste that adds extra richness to food. To achieve that, don’t be afraid to use ingredients like soy sauce, miso, or mushrooms.
18. Finish with Fresh Cracked Pepper
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Freshly cracked pepper tastes a lot better than pre-ground pepper. It also adds a hint of spiciness to your food, elevating it instantly.
19. Incorporate Compound Butters
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The difference between compound butter and regular butter is that compound butter is infused with herbs. If you have hands on one, melt it and pour it on your food before serving.
20. Practice Plating and Presentation
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Lastly, plating your food properly and neatly can instantly make it more appetizing and elevate your dining experience.