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1. Keep Your Pantry Stocked With the Basics

When your pantry has the right essentials, you can whip up a meal at any time. Stock staples like olive oil, canned beans, pasta, rice, broth, onions, garlic, and spices you actually use.

Bonus: Having go-to ingredients on hand saves you from those “what the heck do I make?” moments.

2. Taste As You Go (Seriously, Do It)

Want to know the biggest difference between a home cook and a pro? Pros taste as they go — constantly. Salt, acid, spice… it all changes as food cooks.

Tasting along the way helps you catch mistakes early, adjust seasoning, and make your food taste really good by the end.

3. Learn 3 Recipes You Can Make Without a Recipe

Memorizing a few go-to meals will change your life. You don’t have to think, you just do. Try a one-pan pasta, a stir-fry, and a sheet pan dinner.

Once you know the steps, you can swap ingredients in and out based on what’s in the fridge.

4. Prep Before You Cook (a.k.a. “Mise en Place”)

Sounds fancy, but it just means getting everything ready before you start. Chop your veggies. Measure your spices. Know what you need next.

This simple habit makes cooking smoother, less stressful, and less messy. It also prevents that “oh no, I forgot to defrost the chicken” moment mid-recipe.

5. Use a Sharp Knife (and Learn How to Use It)

A dull knife is not only frustrating — it’s dangerous. Invest in a decent chef’s knife and learn how to chop safely (watch a 2-minute YouTube video if you have to).

You’ll feel faster, more confident, and way less likely to slice a finger.

6. Clean as You Go

No one loves finishing a great meal only to turn around and see a war zone in the kitchen. Cleaning a bit as you go — wiping counters, rinsing dishes, tossing scraps — keeps things manageable.

Plus, it makes the whole experience feel calmer and more enjoyable.

7. Don’t Be Afraid to Use Salt, Butter, and Acid

Flavor doesn’t just happen — it’s built. Salt brings food to life. Butter adds richness. Acid (like lemon or vinegar) brightens everything.

If your dish tastes bland, it probably just needs one of those three.

Pro tip: A splash of vinegar or lemon at the end of cooking can totally wake up the flavor.

8. Upgrade Your Cookware (Just a Little)

You don’t need a $400 skillet, but having a few quality tools can make a world of difference. A solid non-stick pan, a sturdy cutting board, a good knife, and a medium-sized saucepan will take you far.

Cheap tools break, burn food, and make cooking harder than it needs to be.

9. Try One New Ingredient a Week

Cooking the same meals over and over gets boring fast. So make it a game: pick one new ingredient each week and find a recipe that uses it. Maybe it’s tahini. Maybe it’s ginger. Maybe it’s lentils.

You’ll build confidence, expand your flavor range, and maybe even find a new favorite.

10. Give Yourself Permission to Keep It Simple

Not every meal needs to be a masterpiece. Scrambled eggs and toast? Perfectly fine. Roasted veggies with rice and sauce? Delicious.

Some nights you’ll be in the mood to try something new and exciting. Other nights, you just need something fast. That’s okay.

Cooking is a skill, not a performance.

Final Thoughts

Getting better at cooking doesn’t mean becoming the next MasterChef. It’s about feeling confident in the kitchen, making food you like, and maybe even starting to enjoy the process.

Focus on small wins: a perfectly seasoned soup, a dinner that didn’t come from a box, a meal your kid actually ate without complaining.

Build momentum by practicing, experimenting, and not beating yourself up when something flops (because it will, and that’s normal).

Start with one or two tips from this list. Before you know it, you’ll be cooking more often, wasting less food, and maybe even looking forward to what’s for dinner tonight.