Teaching you to cook better by focusing on technique.

Hi, I’m Sandy.
I’m a mom of two who happened to graduate from The Culinary Institute of America and cook professionally for over 12 years. Now my intention is to empower you with knowledge that gives you confidence in the kitchen. I believe it all starts with fundamentals.

Read more…

Subscribe for Free Cooking Tips and Techniques!

Latest Posts

Fall Produce: 10 Foods to try differently

How To Care For Cast Iron

Which Cutting Board is Best?

plantainsandchallah

I teach you to cook better by focusing on
technique + #knifeskills 🔪
Trained at the CIA + Cooked Professionally over 12 years

Meaning, you don’t need to add extra ingredients

Meaning, you don’t need to add extra ingredients or spices to make it taste good because food on it’s own has great flavor. Your job is to bring it out! 🙌🏼

You need these 3 things to have great food:

1-Quality ingredients - This doesn’t always mean the most expensive food, but it means paying attention to blemishes and ingredients past their prime. Also washing them properly. Nothing ruins a dish more than biting into granules of sand or a slimy piece of lettuce.

2-Knife Skills - Food that is cut properly will cook properly. It’s as simple as that. Also, a big part of our enjoyment of our food is how inviting it looks. Proper knife skills help you with that. Get in the habit of practicing this. (You’re cutting food for dinner anyway, try it the right way)

3-Technique- This is a big one. This isn’t just cooking methods, it’s HOW you do anything in the kitchen. Your ingredients don’t actually need recipes; you do. Recipes are for inspiration, ideas, etc. But remember, without technique - there would BE no recipes (Chandler voice, LOL..IYKYK)🤣

Keep these in the forefront of your mind in the kitchen and your cooking will improve!

#cooking #maillardreaction #homecook #foodie #kitchentalk #howtocook #culinaryschool #chefsofinsta #homechef #chefmom #chefdad #knifeskills #cookingtechniques #qualityingredients #parentswhocook #cookingfundamentals

Green vegetables + Acid ❌🙅🏼‍♀️
🍋🥬

Did you know that squeezing lemon on your greens can make them turn murky green? You know, that unappetizing army green color.

Any acid really.

Kale, broccoli, spinach, green beans - all green veggies have chlorophyll which give it that beautiful green color; and acid affects that! (Also cooking too long which can affect the chlorophyll molecules)

The solution to enjoying a little brightness that acid brings is to add it at the end of cooking, right before serving. (And not overcooking) 😉

#greens #acid #chlorophyll #greenveggies #cookinginfo #foodscience #homechef #athomechef #homecooks #foodie #cookingtip #cookingtipsandtricks

Could you continue the way you are cutting now? S

Could you continue the way you are cutting now?

Sure, but you have a higher chance of cutting yourself and your speed won’t increase - which means more time on prep work.

Here are some other reasons why improving your knife skills will help you:

EVEN COOKING: When everything is cut uniformly, it cooks at the same rate and subsequently tastes better.

EFFICIENCY: Of course speed takes practice, but even using the right technique with knife skills will yield more efficient results. Have kids? This is especially important!

SAFETY: Though it may sound counterintuitive, having a dull knife is way more dangerous than a sharp one. That's because you need to put forth more effort and pressure to get through your vegetable, which can cause a really jagged cut. If you use a sharp knife - of course there is that chance that you can cut yourself, but it would be a cleaner cut, hurt less and heal faster.

AESTHETICS: We eat with our eyes right? Knife skills just help our food look more beautiful!

I’m thinking more about course creation and trying to decide which to plan first: knife skills or cooking technique? If this is something that interests you, let me know which you would rather? (or if both, which first?)

#knifeskills #culinaryschool #cheftips #knifeskillvideo #kitchenhowto #knifeskillsmatter #inthekitchen #foodie #homecooks #chefs #chefsofinsta #cookingcourses #knifeskillcourse #chefstalk #cuttingtechniques #julienne #cucumber #hiphopcooking #culinaryteacher #finestrips #chefknife #homecooking #homechefs #chefmom #chefdad #knifeskillz #knifelife #chefmommy #chefdaddy #knifecuts

Potatoes are dense and need to be evenly cooked fr

Potatoes are dense and need to be evenly cooked from the inside out. 🥔

If you drop them in hot or boiling water, not only is it dangerous, but the outsides will cook faster than the insides.

It’s different than pasta where you need a LOT of boiling water. Potatoes only need enough water to cover - just make sure to season well as the potatoes will absorb it! 👌🏼

Share this with someone who needs this info!

#potatoes #spuds #kitchentips #cookingpotatoes #cookingtechnique #cookingskill #cookbetter #learn2cook #learntocookwithme #culinaryschool #culinaryinfo #homecook #momchef #dadchef #momscancook #foodie #lovecooking❤

You can eat the whole kiwi. Yeah, skin and all! Di

You can eat the whole kiwi. Yeah, skin and all! Did you know that?

I’m not a fan though, so I peel them - and a quick way is to use a spoon! 🥄

Back in the day I used to drink Arizona strawberry kiwi drink in a can. LOL. Remember that?

Tag someone who might find this useful 💁🏼‍♀️

#kiwi #goldenkiwi #knifeskills #homecooks #knifeninja #chefmom #chefsofinstagram #culinaryschool #culinaryhacks #fruit #fruitlover #kitchentechniques #tipsandtricks #fruithacks #homecooks #howtovideo #howtocutfruit

Have you ever wondered the difference between garl

Have you ever wondered the difference between garlic powder and granulated garlic?

Or even onion powder and granulated onion? I know this photo is not either 😂

My mom always said garlic and onion “powder” when I would ask her what ingredients she used in her meals, but I think that was a mistake. It was only after my husband once picked up a huge container of onion powder that I realized the difference!

Mainly, the difference is the texture - but there is a slight flavor difference as well. They both start by dehydration.

So, onion and garlic are dehydrated, and then GRANULATED is ground more like cornmeal texture and POWDER is ground to a texture similar to cornstarch.

Keep in mind that some brands are different and may switch the names, so pay less attention to the name and more attention to the texture. Powder has a slightly more intense flavor than the same amount of granulated because it is more tightly packed. Also powder can clump easier.

Personally, I prefer granulated onion and garlic over powder.

Which do you use?

#granulated #granulatedvspowder #spices #cooking #foodandcooking #homecooks #homechefs #learntocook #inthekitchen #onion #garlic #dehydrated #chefmom #chefdad #differencebetweenfoods #eeeats #foodie #culinaryinfo #culinaryschool #spiceinfo #garlicpowder #granulatedgarlic #onionpowder #granulatedonion #ilovefoodtoomuch

“Do you have any tips for vegetarians and vegans

“Do you have any tips for vegetarians and vegans?”

I often get asked this question - and that’s the beauty of teaching you technique. It applies to ALL FOODS!

This beautiful purple cauliflower was roasted with only olive oil and kosher salt and it was so crunchy and satisfying! Even my kids were asking for seconds!

You won’t find “recipes” here-

I teach you how to master techniques like this so your food is that much better!

Would you eat this?

This is a Brunoise cut. [broon-whaz] It’s finer

This is a Brunoise cut. [broon-whaz]

It’s finer than a dice and it technically has some measurements, but as a home cook - who cares! I believe the main point is the precision.

It is not much harder to accomplish once you have your basic knife skills in place. 🙌🏼

The awesome thing about this cut is not just that it looks cool — but depending what you are cutting, and what for - it can have an impact on the taste!

Think about this finely ficed cucumber mixed in with finely diced peppers, pineapple, and maybe some shallot along with lime dressing. The flavors meld together better because of the surface area being smaller and you get more in one bite (on the spoon or fork) and it gives a completely different mouthfeel!

Would you like to learn how to do this?

Load More… Follow on Instagram