One of the greatest inhibitors to cooking happily and well, for me, is feeling like my fridge has suddenly gotten out of hand. What's in the back of the crisper? Are those leftovers still good? It's not good to feel scared of your refrigerator. Take it in hand often, looking for things that need to be used up or eaten. After dinner, as you're putting away leftovers, is a good time to take stock and see if there's something that should be prioritized in tomorrow's meal.

4. Use your hands.

Your hands are your first and best kitchen tool. I use my fingers to mix and knead dough, to prod a piece of meat to check for doneness, and to rub out lumps in sauces before cooking. Your hands are the best tool for mixing a salad.

5. Cut everything the same size.

Knife skills are a big thing that people want to learn, but while the focus can be on fancy cuts or speed, the real mark of good knife skills is being able to reliably cut everything to the same size. Making a chicken stew? Cut the chicken breast into precisely sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. Same goes for roasted vegetables. Practicing precision and evenness in your knife skills will get you farther than being able to dice an onion in 30 seconds.

6. Brown boldly!

When browning meat or vegetables, really let them brown. Don't push the meat around the pan incessantly. Let it sit and sear, and maybe even char a tiny bit. That's the flavor right there. When in doubt, brown a little more. You'll taste it.

7. Don't leave the flavor in the pan.

When you sear meat, cook a pan of chicken in the oven or roast vegetables in a sheet pan, they leave a bit of themselves behind. Don't let that go to waste; add a splash of water, broth, or wine to the pan and scrape it up.

8. Build taste over time.

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