"Frankly, don’t cook anything without being fully dressed; I gave myself a nasty burn on my stomach draining pasta in a sports bra. One second of distraction led to many hours of pain."

"A bigger pot, too. You can tip some water out of a bigger pot. If your smaller pot is too crowded and starts to boil over, though, it’s going to take precious seconds and minutes away from your other tasks."

Salt in layers, not just at the end; makes everything taste more 'full'.

Don’t overcrowd the pan; food steams instead of browns.

Taste as you go; recipes are guides, not rules.

High heat = colour, medium heat = control.

Acid fixes flat food; lemon or vinegar at the end can save a dish.

Prep before you cook; makes everything way less stressful after work.

Let things sit; meat especially cooks better if you don’t keep moving it.

Once you get these down, even simple meals start tasting way better."

"People tend to love making adjustments, skipping steps, figuring out ingredient substitutions, and other stuff so they feel like they’re 'actually cooking.' If you’re just starting out, just follow the recipe. Use your measuring cups, don’t eyeball things, don’t get creative; just focus on basic techniques and getting your dish to turn out as written.

You’ll be more encouraged to continue cooking if your meals turn out well. If you’re making random adjustments or following a half-baked 'recipe' without past experience, there’s a high chance it’ll turn out poorly, and you’ll feel like you wasted time and money and won’t want to try again."

"Learn to clean and cut your vegetables, how to cut your meats, and how to store these after purchase. Learn about herbs and spices. Learn about kitchenware: pots and pans, knives, spoons and forks, and any graters and blenders. Learn how long everything will 'keep' and how long you can store leftovers, and in what way. Cooking is a learning process, start small."