1. Don’t use your microwave; i.e. re-heat all things with a stovetop (or other means) instead.
2. Get a really nice chef’s knife (or sharpen current one) and take the time to learn proper knife technique.
3. Develop a system to stay organized in your kitchen. Spend time thinking about what works and doesn’t, whether a mental one or by simply setting up your space with intention
4. Keep a diary! Since we eat what we make, it can be easy to forget that thing we noticed or learned while cooking in the moment.
5. "Nothing goes to waste"

It’s been a journey for me to collect the puzzle pieces of my personal and work aspirations and find myself pursuing food and, more especially, cooking. I’ve been reflecting on the many things that led to my ‘a-ha!’ moment (and plan to write about it here soon) but some of the reasons come down to process.

These five small things not only made me a better cook more quickly, but they helped me both slow down enough to enjoy the process while also, eventually, helping me move more quickly to thus enjoy the process even more.

A little more on each:

1

Without a microwave, it becomes much easier to learn your heat source. Need to heat up that coffee that went cold? Use a pot. That frozen din cause you’re exhausted from work? Use a pan. With even passive activities like this, you begin to think and learn what you need from your heat in that moment, more often than not, and this eventually translates to when you’re actually going to cook and thinking, how hot should this pan/pot/oven etc, be?

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2

This was big for me. I didn’t realize just how absolutely incredible it can be to have a sharp knife. It will make prepping for a meal all the more fun (and eventually, a faster process as well), and you’ll also be able to do a wider array of cuts, which makes cooking more fun, in my opinion. Research different knives online, or if possible, go to a knife shop and ask away. In Manhattan, I go to Korin. They have wonderful staff that always answer all of my questions patiently, and were the folx that helped me pick out my first Santoku.

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3

This is straightforward, but a system makes it easier to visualize and execute even before ya start cooking. This might not be the case for everyone, as I’m someone who visualizes all manner of tasks daily (I tend to visualize everything from my whole day while I’m still in bed to the route I might take to a store). Still, cooking can feel, at times, like a task with lots of clutter. There’s groceries, spices, cleaning, organizing, and so on. Having a clear system makes for a clear head, which helps for clear and easy cooking.

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4

The written diary can be less necessary but just as helpful as anything else on this list. We’ve all seen the memes where it’s like "Two hours of cooking for 10 minutes of eating D: why!?" But when we write down what we ate or what we learned, it helps for us to continually document our adventures in the kitchen and thus later see the progress we've been making. Then, we might see that the dish that took us two hours two months ago might now be taking us only 45 minutes.

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5

Nothing goes to waste is something I believe in generally as a humble little person living through life. I’ve worked in many seemingly disparate career paths, figuring out my way and place, but never has one opportunity gone to ‘waste’, ever. There is always something that can be related to the next thing, or that does in fact connect one field to the other. To me, this is the most fun way to learn, to see how the world is in fact so (inter) connected, always. The same goes for cooking and cooking experiences. No experience and no food ever goes to waste if you’re paying attention and take the time to learn. Burn something? Well, why? With every second spent in the kitchen there is something to learn, and nothing goes to waste!

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