Most people are not aware of the many skills that are required in a kitchen. If they have ever worked in a commercial kitchen they know the difference is immense. Some things that you learn in a commercial kitchen are transferrable to the home kitchen.

Some of the skills that I picked up when I worked in a commercial kitchen are as follows:

Knife handling– Proper care for a knife and how to use it. They teach you safety protocols for when you are in a crowded kitchen. Some knife skills like how to sharpen it and the differences between knives. I see people using paring knives to cut vegetables and a part of my soul cries with the onions.

Hygeine– In a good commercial kitchen some methods are used to make maintaining hygeine easy. For example- cutting and prepping meat and vegetables are done on separate color coded cutting boards. They are never mixed up that way. A good kitchen uses either wooden or bamboo cutting boards. At home one can follow the protocol of cutting vegetables first, rinsing the board and then cutting the meat and then thoroughly cleaning the board with dish soap.

The floors are wiped after every rush. The utensils are cleaned after every use. An indication of a good restaurant are the toilets. If the toilet is clean the restaurant is good and probably has good food. Hygeine at home is easier to maintain. Floors must be clean, counters must be clear, cabinets must be organised and the stoves and appliances must be cleaned regularly. Some kitchens have weekly/monthly deep cleans scheduled to maintain a pest free environment.

Techniques matter– Flavour is essential but even more than that it is necessary to master techniques. Some basic techniques one should practice in a home kitchen are- searing, grilling, sauteéing, stewing, stir frying, steaming, frying and baking. These are fundamental to cooking and really bring out the flavour when done correctly. If you master these you also save a lot of time when cooking. Techniques are universal and can be applied across different cuisines.

Preparation work– I see that a lot of home cooks start cutting onions when their skillets are heating up on the stove. It might seem efficient but the fact is that they are simply wasting energy and time. The bills go up because of that. In a commercial kitchen prep is done first. Sometimes even the night before. This point applies mostly to new cooks who are not as experienced in a kitchen or people who are not interested in spending too much time cooking.

Preparing for a recipe saves time and it builds intent. You check and double check if you have all the ingredients. You do a grocery haul before you start cooking. I have seen cases where people start cooking and they forget they are out of some ingredients and they walk out of the house leaving the stove on to get the ingredients. Prep saves you from so much non sense.

Low and slow is the name of the game– almost all foods can be cooked at low temperatures, slowly. The idea is to reach the point of Maillard Reaction. This is a chemical reaction where the taste of the food being cooked changes and the indication of it is a change in smell. The smell is appealing and can make you crave the food. You may have noticed this reaction when you sauteé onions or fry garlic. The change in smell is almost immediate for those, but the time varies for different ingredients.

Almost all meats taste good when cooked slowly at a low temperature. When cooked correctly the internal temperature of the meat determines doneness and if the meat is ready to be taken off the heat. Overcooked meat gets hard to chew and this happens a lot when cooking stews/curries.  Low and slow cooking also maintains the nutritional value of the food.

Fresh food is best– At home, time can be an issue if you are a working professional so it is best to keep things prepared in advance in order for the food to be prepared fresh. Prep is the main thing, bringing the recipe together is the easy part. Instead of meal prepping, do recipe prepping.

Flavour– This is mostly subjective. One rule is that you can add more salt after but you can’t take out salt once added. In a commercial kitchen the solution to flavouring food is to season food at every step.

For example: If you are stir frying vegetables, you add oil to a pan, once the oil is hot you add onions to caramelise. Season the onions with a pinch of salt, this helps the onions shed water and brown faster while incorporating a flavour of its own. This is repeated when you add the vegetables to the pan. You can add herbs and spices as you go. This helps in building up the flavours. Taste as you go to make sure the flavour is correct (keep a spoon handy and wash it after each taste test). This technique takes very little practice and is fool proof. Your flavour game will change forever. One more thing about flavour is that you cannot underestimate the power of smell. Smell determines taste so make sure you learn to build flavour based on smell. If it smells good it probably tastes good.

Safety– A kitchen is a dangerous place but there are many ways you can deal with this. Heat is the biggest concern in a kitchen. Proper ventilation for the smoke is crucial. Using a chimney helps. Move the handles of pots and pans which are on the stoves sideways. This way nobody bumps into them and gets burned by hot oil/water which has spices in it. If the oven is hot, place an oven mit on top to indicate that its hot. If you are frying make sure all liquids are kept away from the hot oil. If there is a fire do not use water to put out the fire. Use a lid to cover the fire and cut out the oxygen supply. It is absolutely necessary to stay relaxed in a kitchen. If there is something you can’t handle call for help. If you are not experienced in the kitchen ask for help. Learn basic fire safety and knife safety skills.

A few burns are bound to occur and there is nothing you can do to avoid them. This is part of the learning process. The rewards far outweigh the risks.

Have fun and experiment! I believe anybody can cook and can be a good cook. It is such an essential skill for life. If you know how to cook you can live anywhere and adjust to any environment. For me cooking is a passion and it may not be the case for others. But learning some amount of cooking is beneficial for long term health so it is never a bad idea to cook at home. There is so much variety and everyone has at least one favourite thing they like to eat. If not for yourself you can cook for someone else.

I get annoyed when people say food is fuel or its all going to go in the stomach anyways. While that is true it is not limited to just that. Food has a very innate connection to the mental state. It relaxes you, engages your senses and really challenges you if you are trying something new for the first time. Cooking is one of those skills that requires you to use both physical and mental abilities. It forces you to be situationally aware. So it is really good for your brain. Never underestimate food or give it bare labels. Cooking is not a menial skill and must be respected.

There is something very satisfying about putting in the work and reaping the rewards of a good recipe. The pay off is huge especially if you are sharing the meal with someone. I believe cooking should be taught at schools as part of physical education. Nutrition keeps us going and there is always something new to learn with this skill. If you are new to cooking start small and build up to being better at it. I have faith in you. Happy cooking!