The art and skill of cooking are all about learning and honing your craft.

And like all things in life, some of the best lessons come from others around you.

So, redditoru/Sleepyaviiasked, “Whats something that someone has said thatmade you a better cook?”

A pair of hands stirring a drink in a glass with a spoon on a wooden counter next to a bowl of chopped vegetables

Here’s what people said.

“If you think something might need more salt but are unsure, try acid first.

It’s a game changer.”

A hand uses a spoon to baste sauce over sizzling pieces of fish fillets in a frying pan on a stovetop

“Never pick up something hot without knowing where you’re going to put it down.”

u/toastasks

3.

“Salt and butter are not bad things.

Two chicken breasts being cooked in a frying pan. One piece is being handled with tongs

Use them both wisely.”

“Just follow the recipe first as it’s written, then make changes.”

u/Dakota3766

5.

A frying pan on a stovetop with a semiliquid batter cooking, showing bubbles forming on the surface, indicating it's being cooked

“Massively improve the quality of your proteins with fond.

Fond is the dark brown stuff that sticks to your pan when you’re cooking.

It’s not burnt unless it’s black.

Onions being sautéed in a frying pan, stirred by a wooden spatula held by a person's hand

Different proteins work best with different alcohols.

In it, he mentioned to keep cooking roux until it smelled like pie dough.

“Clean as you go.

A fork holding a bite of Caesar salad above a plate filled with lettuce, croutons, radishes, and chicken

u/galactic-disk

8.

‘Cook the onions longer,’ said my wife for years.

I finally caved, and by god…it really is better!”

A person's hands sprinkling salt over a bowl of salad with sliced bread on the side on a wooden table

u/BrandonPHX

10.

“Dress the bowl, not the salad.

This distributes the dressing evenly.

A person sprinkles seasoning onto kale cooking in a pan on a stove, with a pot containing another dish visible in the background

This ensures every leaf is seasoned.”

“Just leave it the f*** alone for a minute.

This applies to most of my cooking thats not scrambled eggs or stir fry.

A plate of sliced heirloom tomatoes is surrounded by a small bowl of pepper, a bowl of salt, fresh basil leaves, and a bottle of olive oil on a decorative table

u/chiller8

15.

“Most of cooking is prep work, so have all the ingredients and necessary utensils handy.”

“Read the directions first.

A person takes a tray of five freshly baked cookies out of the oven using a pair of cloth towels

u/der_titan

17.

“If your cookies look totally done when you pull them out, they are already burnt.”

It’s so simple, but I had never really thought about it until that moment.”

A person is serving spaghetti from a frying pan into a white plate, with utensils and additional cookware visible on the stove and countertop

u/EggsandCoffeeDream

19.

“For thick and nice pasta sauces, use the starchy water that you boiled your pasta in.”

u/Raellissa

21.

A close-up view of a steak being cooked in a cast-iron skillet, with a hand holding a spoon to baste it with melted butter and herbs

“The amount of garlic flavor depends on WHEN you add the garlic.

Add it early for light flavor; add it late for bold flavor.”

“Unless you’re baking, always go by taste rather than the exact measurements of a recipe.”

Close-up of a person drizzling dressing on a salad with various greens, tomatoes, and cheese on a wooden board with a lemon and a bottle of olive oil

u/XoX_K_XoX

23.

“Treat olive oil as a condiment it’s great as a garnish but terrible to fry with.

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.