The difference between average home cooks and five-star chefs? Skill. But what exactly makes a chef’s cooking so special? The ability to taste the difference between an expensive bottle of wine and an inexpensive one? The talent to chop an onion into tiny pieces in the blink of an eye? No, it’s none of these things—it’s all about technique.
Are you passionate about cooking and want every meal to taste like it’s the best in the world? Michelin star, 5-star chefs?
The key to cooking like those chefs are figuring out their techniques, and the way they like to cook food, and then emulating exactly how they do it. Learn how to cook like you’re a 5-star chef with these tips and tricks from professionals who know their way around both cutting boards and pots and pans.
The Best Tips to How to Cook Like You’re a 5-Star Chef?
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Keep your mise en place ready at all times
As a culinary student, you'll learn a lot about how to put everything in its proper position.
In a commercial kitchen, it's the easiest method to maintain your composure.
As a chef, you spend a lot of time prepping your ingredients for use in a dish. If you're not prepared, you'll be overwhelmed and, in the weeds, which usually means your chef will shout at you a lot as well.
A more organized kitchen means less stress and more time spent in the kitchen.
If you want to learn about kitchen organization you can read this book.
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Get to know your spices
You must experiment with various spices and understand which ones work best together if you want to elevate your cuisine to a new level.
Don't be afraid to experiment and try new things; a dash of nutmeg or cumin may do wonders for your cuisine.
Why not make slow-roasted duck legs with spices and orange sauce for a gourmet dish?
Even the most discerning gourmet eater will be impressed by this dish's nuanced flavors and touches of citrus and cinnamon.
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Make use of high-grade fats and oils
Using high-quality safflower oil or olive oil may convert a meal from mediocre to excellent in a matter of minutes, according to several top chefs.
Butter, lard, and duck fat are other common fats used in gourmet cuisine since they enhance the flavor and texture of food, while extra-virgin olive oil from Crete is always a safe bet.
Wagyu beef tenderloin with sesame oil and ginger comes to mind when thinking of a gourmet entree to wow dinner party attendees.
With its tender Wagyu beef and mouth-watering sesame oil glaze, this beautiful entree is excellent for special occasions.
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Take the time to thoroughly prepare your ingredients before using them in your recipes
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Chefs, on the other hand, realize that appropriate preparation is essential if you want to produce genuinely great meals.
This includes everything from peeling fresh tomatoes and seeding them to chopping veggies properly and meticulously cutting meat.
Preparation is key.
A gourmet recipe for lobster thermidor is a great meal to practice your ingredient prep on. It's important to know how to cook and shell a lobster before you can use it in this delectable recipe, but once you do, you'll be on to a winner.
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Use a cooktop with a high-temperature setting
Even if you don't like cooking at high temperatures, you won't be able to properly cook a steak if you don't cook it quickly enough.
There are times when you need to crank up the heat, but you shouldn't be scared to do so.
To put it another way, how do you know whether to cook on medium or high?
Think about the final result's texture.
A roast will be more tender if cooked slowly over low heat rather than over high heat. The deeper the crust, the more heat is needed.
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Create your stocks
To save time, most home chefs opt for the canned or boxed kind when calling for beef, chicken, or vegetable stock.
However, handmade stock and broths taste better and add more flavor to the completed meal than store-bought stock and broths.
To ensure that they have enough stock on hand, most commercial chefs cook a big quantity at least once a week.
You don't need to spend a lot of money to make your stock, and it's a lot simpler than you would think.
Bones from the meat you've cooked over the week, as well as any scrapes, ends, or spare bits of fruit, may all be used. Put everything in a saucepan, add water, and bring to a boil for an hour or two.
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Salting
If you don't season your dish till the very last, it will taste salty rather than seasoned. Instead, season as you go. Add a little sprinkle of salt to the onions while they sweat. Add a little teaspoon of salt and pepper to the meat before cooking and a last tiny bit after deglazing. Your dish will be elevated to a new level of taste complexity by the time you're done cooking.
No one said cooking at home would be easy, but with these four tips, you'll never have to worry about following complex recipes or feeling like you're missing out on your favorite dishes ever again. I can't help but feel inspired each time I take a moment to look up some cook-like chef recipes online. With so many options of dishes to pick from, it can get overwhelming trying to decide which ones are worth attempting this week.
Take your time, save some dish ideas for next week (if you're not already), and make sure that this week's experiment is an informed one by considering the following four tips before you whip up a homemade masterpiece. One way to ensure your culinary creations live up to their 5-star potential is to think about how you cook when preparing food for guests.
If something takes less than five minutes, don't waste any more time thinking about it--give it a try and see what happens! Who knows? You might end up adding another flavor profile to your repertoire in the process.
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Before using, lightly toast the spices to release their flavor
You can never have too many spices on hand, but using them towards the end of the cooking process might be a bad idea. If you don't activate their essential oils and aromatic ingredients, they might come out dry and chalky in flavor.
Toast the entire spices in a dry pan before grinding them.
Alternatively, add the ground spices for a minute or two before deglazing the pan after sweating the onions in oil.
To learn more about spices I highly recommend you to read this book on Chef's Guide to Herbs & Spices.
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Everything should be browned in butter
Butter is often cited by chefs when discussing what separates restaurant meals from home cooking. Unlike olive oil, which has a lower smoke point, this oil offers a far broader taste range.
Sauces benefit from the smooth, creamy texture that butter provides, as well as the additional flavor and depth it imparts. If you're still unsure, do a little test on your own.
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The importance of visual appeal cannot be overstated
It doesn't matter how much time you put into preparing the finest components; if you don't think about how they will appear on the plate, you're losing out.
Take your time and think about how you may best exhibit your components in terms of color, arrangement, and presentation. You'll do yourself and your work a lot of good.
And lastly, don’t forget to use the commercial grade chef knife set to properly cut/chop fruits and vegetables. I just love how it feels in hand and can’t recommend it more highly.
If you want to cook like you’re a 5-star chef then you would need to learn proper knife skills as well. You can learn it from one of the best-seller books on Amazon.
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Final thoughts
Cooking like a 5-star chef isn’t easy but it’s possible.
And if you follow the above tips from this article on how to cook like you’re a 5-star chef, you’re well on your way.
Here’s a recap of those tips:
- Keep your mise en place ready at all times.
- Get to know your spices.
- Make use of high-grade fats and oils.
- Take the time to thoroughly prepare your ingredients before using them in your recipes.
- Use a cooktop with a high-temperature setting.
- Create your stocks.
- Preparation of the salt.
- Before using, lightly toast the spices to release their flavor.
- Everything should be browned in butter.
- The importance of visual appeal cannot be overstated.