In addition to a well-stocked kitchen with quality cookware, you can improve your cooking in several ways. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced home cook, these tips will help you create delicious and memorable dishes for the whole family.
The short answer: prepare everything before you start, use quality ingredients and cookware, control your heat, understand how ingredients behave, taste as you go, rest your meat, don't overcrowd the pan, and look after your tools.
1. Why is preparation the key to better cooking?
Preparing and measuring every ingredient before you turn on the heat makes cooking smoother and stops you from feeling overwhelmed.
Before you begin, read through the recipe thoroughly. Gather all your ingredients, measure them accurately, and chop, slice and prep everything before you start cooking.
Chefs call this mise en place — a French kitchen phrase meaning "putting in place" or "gathering". It refers to the discipline and organisation a good chef shows in the kitchen.
2. Why do quality ingredients matter?
Quality ingredients are the foundation of any great dish, your food can only taste as good as what goes into it.
Look for fresh, seasonal produce, high-quality proteins, and aromatic herbs and spices.
3. How does quality cookware make you a better cook?
Quality cookware is second only to quality ingredients: it heats predictably, gives you better results and teaches you to manage heat and oil properly.
Well-made cookware holds and distributes heat in a way you can learn and rely on. Unlike synthetic-coated pans, which can encourage bad habits, solid wrought iron and stainless steel cookware gets you thinking about managing heat and oils correctly.
4. What heat should you cook on with iron and stainless steel pans?
With iron and stainless steel cookware, medium heat is usually your best friend.
Learning to control heat is one of the most important skills in cooking. Too much heat can burn food or cause sticking.
- Preheat gradually
- When it's hot add oil
- Then add your food
- Adjust the heat as needed.
5. Why should you understand your ingredients?
The more you understand how ingredients behave under heat, the more control you'll have in the kitchen.
Different ingredients need different cooking techniques. Learn the Maillard reaction — the browning that gives seared meat and roasted vegetables their rich flavour — and how to achieve it. Understand the difference between sautéing, pan-frying and braising.
6. Why should you taste as you go?
Tasting at every stage lets you adjust seasoning — salt, acid and spice — before it's too late, and it's one of the most impactful habits a cook can build.
Don't wait until the end to taste your food.
7. Why should you let meat rest after cooking?
Resting lets the juices redistribute through the meat, so it stays moist instead of running dry on the board.
Cutting into meat straight off the heat causes those juices to run out, leaving you with dry meat.
- Steaks: rest for at least 5 minutes
- Roasts: rest for 15–20 minutes
8. Why shouldn't you overcrowd the pan?
Too much food in the pan drops the temperature quickly, so food steams instead of browning.
Cook in batches if necessary so everything gets proper browning and caramelisation.
9. How should you clean and care for your cookware?
Good cooks look after their tools — well-maintained cookware performs better and lasts longer.
- Iron pans: dry thoroughly after washing, apply a light coat of oil, and store in a dry place. See our iron pan care guide for more.
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Stainless steel pans: hand wash when possible and dry immediately to prevent water spots otherwise if that doesn't really bother you, pop it in the dishwasher!
Cook on pans that teach you to be a better cook.
Solidteknics AUS-ION™ wrought iron and nöni™ stainless steel cookware is made in Sydney from one seamless piece of metal, with no coatings, built to help you cook better for generations.
FAQ
What is mise en place in cooking?
Mise en place is a French kitchen term meaning "putting in place" — preparing, measuring and organising all your ingredients before you start cooking. It makes cooking smoother and less stressful.
What heat should I use with a wrought iron or stainless steel pan?
Medium heat is usually best for iron and stainless steel cookware. Preheat gradually and adjust as needed — too much heat can burn food or cause sticking.
Why does my food steam instead of brown?
Food steams when the pan is overcrowded, because the temperature drops too quickly to brown it. Cook in smaller batches to get proper browning and caramelisation.
How long should you rest meat after cooking?
Rest steaks for at least 5 minutes and roasts for 15–20 minutes. Resting lets the juices redistribute so the meat stays moist.
How do you care for a wrought iron pan?
Dry a wrought iron pan thoroughly after washing, apply a light coat of oil, and store it somewhere dry. Regular care protects the seasoning and keeps the pan performing for decades.
