23 Surprising Cooking Tips You Learn at Culinary School

Adding too much salt is a very common mistake. If you want to cut the saltiness you can add butter, lemon juice, or vinegar. Or if you don’t want the extra flavor, you can just add water.

Run a knife under hot water right before you cut a cake or any other sticky dessert. This way you’ll be able to make a really clean, smooth cut and won’t ruin the cake. Dip the knife in hot water in between cuts as well.

Sugar works in a similar way as salt. You can add it to cut acidity or to enhance flavor. Sugar helps get the natural sweeteners out and creates a richer flavor.

Toasting nuts and spices releases the oils in them and boosts their flavor significantly. Toast the spices in a dry pan over low heat for a few seconds. If you want to toast nuts, do it in an oven at about 350F for about 10 minutes.

If you don’t want to overcook eggs or make them too dry, cook them over low heat. Your scrambled eggs will be soft, fluffy, and buttery. If you’re making sunny-side-up eggs over high heat, the egg whites will cook long before the yolk. And take the eggs out of the pan before they are completely done. If they are finished in the pan, they will be overcooked on the plate.