Some people seem to have been born with a talent for cooking, a love for experimenting with flavors and textures, and a keen intuition in the kitchen. Others admit they don’t have a lick of culinary sense but still harbor dreams of creating delicious meals for themselves and the ones they love.
Regardless of where we fall on that spectrum, there is now so much cooking advice available to us — from online recipes to Food Network shows to TikTok reels — that we can feel overwhelmed before we even open up our refrigerators.
What are the most essential skills we need to learn? What gear do we absolutely need to have in our kitchens? How much do we need to spend to make something tasty? We want the secrets and we want them now!
Luckily, we — Raj Punjabi and Noah Michelson, the co-hosts of HuffPost’s “Am I Doing It Wrong?” podcast — recently convinced celebrity chef and restaurateur Jet Tila to spill some of his best tips and tricks, so that we — and you — can become better cooks.
“Knife cuts are the most fundamental core skill that affects every part of your cooking,” Tila told us. “If you cut something inconsistently, it doesn’t cook right ... You cut a piece of meat too big and you apply, let’s say, a recipe’s worth of heat to it, but if it’s too big, it’s going to be raw in the middle.”
Practicing is key if you want to get good, and that means cutting and chopping a lot.
“I think people know me as the fastest knife on Food Network and that’s basically repetition,” Tila said. “I’m only good because I’ve done it for 30 years, and I took it really seriously and I had really mean chefs [as bosses] who demanded perfection.”
The good news is, we don’t need an armory of knives in order to hone these crucial chopping skills.
“You only need two knives in your kitchen,” Tila said. “Everyone needs a tapered chef’s knife — it’s a standard knife that’s bigger at the handle and tapers to the tip. Six inches to 10 inches — that’s your number one knife.”
The other knife he says he can’t live without is a serrated knife to cut bread, tomatoes and ripe fruit.
“Ninety percent of the average cooks are not going to be deboning a side of animal,” Tila noted. “You can filet a fish with these knives — you can do 99% of the work [you need to do] with these knives.”
So, do we need those $1,000 knives we see fancy chefs on TV wielding to make something delicious?
“Absolutely not,” Tila said. “You only need to invest in a knife A) if you’re vain and want to look cool or B) ... You’re getting married and you’re registered [for gifts] and you want something to display. A $10 aluminum knife from the Asian market, latin market or ethnic/global market, when it’s sharp, is going to do the same work as that $5,000 handmade knife.”
Myth busted. Minds blown. Bank account saved.
Instead of splurging on expensive equipment, Tila said we should invest our time in improving our skills.
“I will crush any person with a $5,000 knife with a $10 knife. They’re tools,” Tila claims. “I’m not going to lie — when I’m on TV, I’m using really, really fancy knives. But that’s no different than taking the time to get a nice wardrobe ... You’re [on TV], you’re projecting an image ... But you don’t need it.”
What we do need, according to Tila, no matter how much — or how little — we spend on our knives is to keep them sharp.
“Please, everyone, buy a steel,” Tila advised. “You don’t need to sharpen a knife, but you need to hone a knife. As a 30-year chef who is decently accomplished, I don’t sharpen my own knives. My best friend, chef Tad Weyland, sharpens my knives once a year. But my job is to keep them honed and the edges straight — that’s all that long thing [a knife steel] does.”
Chef Jet also revealed what kind of salt we should be using, the kitchen gadget he wouldn’t want to live without, and much more.
After you’ve had a listen to the full episode above or wherever you get your podcasts, subscribe to “Am I Doing It Wrong?” so you don’t miss a single episode, including our investigations of the ins and outs of tipping, how to score the best deals on airline tickets, how to apologize or vanquish your credit card debt, how to find love online or overcome anxiety, online shopping, tips for taking care of your teeth, pooping like a pro, secrets to booking and staying in a hotel, how to deal with an angry person, and more.
For more from Jet Tila, visit his website and find him on Instagram, X and Facebook.
Need some help with something you’ve been doing wrong? Email us at AmIDoingItWrong@HuffPost.com, and we might investigate the topic in an upcoming episode.