UVA’s Teaching Kitchen

Growing up I was an only child with no neighbors my age and two working parents. Summers were lonely sometimes. I had my dogs, the TV, and no hobbies. That is until I discovered my mom’s cookbooks.

Everyday I would wake up around 9:00 a.m., go downstairs to the big TV, and watch The Chew with Michael Symon, Clara Hall, and Mario Batali. You know when you watch a reality TV show and go down a rabbit hole of learning everything you can about each person and then you find a show you like even more? That happened to me. I started with The Chew and made my way to the Holy Grail of television cooking shows: Masterchef.

When I tell you that Gordon Ramsey scared me… I mean it. I was a young middle school boy watching a grown man scream at contests about the smallest cooking errors on dishes I had never made with ingredients I had never even heard of. I saw that fear as a challenge. That fear turned to fuel for my new hobby: cooking.

Episode by episode I would watch Masterchef USA and do my best to try new recipes, learn new techniques, and learn more about food and culture.

I’ve probably gone through a dozen cookbooks since I started cooking. While I can’t say I watch Masterchef anymore, or any reality show for that matter, I’m glad I went through that era because now I’m able to teach others how to cook.

Tucked away in the Student Health and Wellness building is an impressive facility that has taught hundreds of UVA students culinary skills that they will take with them for a lifetime. This is the UVA Teaching Kitchen. I’ve cooked for over a decade and I’ve taught at the Teaching Kitchen for a year.

Here are my top ten cooking tips:

1. START SMALL — Whether it be adding one ingredient to your kitchen weekly or making a single recipe two to three times a day, start slow. This will allow you to master the basic knife skills, seasoning variations, and nuances of a single dish and quickly transfer those skills to other dishes. 
2. GET THE BASICS — Basics include high-quality steelware and metal cookware. I admit, these are very expensive, but will last an entire lifetime. Overall it’s cheaper to purchase these basics in sets. Two really good sets are linked above. As for knives, you only need one good chef’s knife. I’m no knife expert, but the Aikido brand works well for me.
3. THROW AWAY YOUR PLASTIC — Even ignoring the health effects of long-term plastic use in the kitchen, plastic is just the worst. It can rarely handle high heat, plastic leftover containers stain easily, and the cheap ones melt in the dishwasher. Investing in glass, metal, or wood cookware will save your health and wallet down the road. Admittedly, a good silicone spatula comes in handy pretty often.
4. SALT — Crystal Diamond Kosher Salt deserves its own bullet point. Salt makes the kitchen go ‘round. It’s important to invest in this very cheap and necessary ingredient. You need salt to bake, cook, clean, and function properly as a human being; don’t be afraid of it! If you need to use a fine salt, use Himalayan sea salt.
5. “MISE EN PLACE” — This French term simply means “everything in its place.” If you have any meat, produce, or other ingredients to prepare, then cut them up and portion them out ahead of turning on the oven. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re able to throw everything together in an efficient and satisfying way. 
6. CLEAN AS YOU GO — There’s nothing worse than cooking a delicious meal, enjoying it, then realizing you haven’t done a single dish. Use your downtime to clean! While your water is boiling, wash your cutting board. While your pan is heating up, clean up the counter. If you can reuse a container for some intermediate cooking step, then do that! This will make your life much easier
7. TIME IS MONEY — There’s something special about the amount of time it takes to cook some dishes. Don’t be afraid to let something as simple as chili or chicken slow cook from anywhere from two to ten hours. The flavors will meld and your kitchen will smell incredible.
8. HEAT — Using the right temperature to cook your dishes is an acquired skill. Steak requires high heat while chicken is best at low heat. Charred corn tastes great, but charred cabbage isn’t a lot of people’s favorites. Take advantage of time and simmer, slow cook, and pressure cook your foods. This adds a depth of flavor that no “20-minute dinner” can replicate. On another note, let your pan, oven, or grill heat up to your desired temperature before adding food. This allows for a more evenly cooked dish.
9. ENJOY YOURSELF — Making foods you enjoy keeps the kitchen light and entertaining. If your favorite dish is ramen, try to master a dish that’s just as good as your favorite restaurant ramen. Do the same if your favorite food is pizza; you can make that at home too!
10.  WINE AND DINE — I’m a big wine-and-dine person. I love pouring a glass of Cabernet to make my bolognese or steak. I love a good Sauvignon Blanc to go with shrimp scampi or a Pinot Grigio with roasted chicken. Find something you like to do while cooking whether that’s music, talking to friends on the phone, or drinking wine. Cooking in your kitchen should be the least stressful part of your day.

There you have it—my top ten cooking tips. I taught my last class this past week and I felt a mix of nostalgia and pride for the work we’ve done making the kitchen more accessible for college students. Hundreds of students now know more about cooking and about alternatives to Top Ramen for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In this final class, I watched students go from unsure knife grips to confidently plating meals and cooking over high heat. It reminded me of my own cooking experience, from a bored kid flipping through his mom’s cookbooks to someone who now helps others discover the joy of cooking.

Check out the UVA Teaching Kitchen in the fall and get to cooking!