My best tips

Read the entire recipe before you start to prepare any meal. This will prepare you for the ingredients you need, the equipment you need and the time you need to prepare. For instance, if you need to marinate something overnight, you have to plan that into your preparation time.

Use an oven thermometer. When I moved from my home in California, away from my beloved Viking range, I moved into a new kitchen with a new oven. My baking recipes were not coming out as they should have. I actually wrote to The Barefoot Contessa, explaining my issues (I was so excited to get a response). Ina said “check your oven temperature”. Sure enough, my new oven was off about 10 degrees, cooler. Knowing this and making the adjustment, changed everything.

Don’t waste money buying a lot of gadgets. But, when you do buy something, get the best quality you can. As you start to cook more you will want to use the best, so save up for the All Clad skillet or Le Creuset Dutch oven, you won’t regret it, and you will cherish those items for years.

Buy the best ingredients you can afford. It will make a difference and you and your friends will notice a difference. In fact, the best ingredients, speak for themselves.

Sugar and spice makes everything nice.

Spices. They come from the dried leaves of plants and petals, or they can be seeds or roots. Even though they are dry, they expire within two years. If you are super organized, you might date them, otherwise, use your sense of smell to determine when the aroma has drifted, then replace. If you have seeds, like cumin, dry roast them for maximum flavor, then grind them. I use a marble mortar and pestle for small quantities. You will notice a difference. I think we all tend to have more spices than we need, usually purchased for one recipe then never used again. A good options is to purchase the small or half size spice containers. If you use a spice a lot, then buy a full size.

Herbs. There are two types of herbs, woody ones, think rosemary and thyme. And, there are delicate herbs, cilantro, parsley, basil. In order to keep the delicate herbs fresh, remove them from the tie closure they come with. Wash them and drain them in a salad spinner, then wrap in clean paper towel. Place them in an airtight plastic bag and refrigerate in the product drawer. You will be amazed at how much longer they last.

Final notes…

Dress the table to be worthy of the work you put into the meal. You spent time, money and probably sweat a little to get a fabulous meal on the table. The table setting should reflect that effort. I always set the table before I start cooking, well before guests arrive, when I still have the energy. My grandfather used to say, that once the table is set, any little glitches that might arise, won’t be noticed because you look ready. The same goes for pulling yourself together before guests arrive. This may sound old fashioned, but you will feel better and your guests will feel extra special, trust me.

If you are calm, nobody will know if there is a problem. When I had my cafes, I would always tell my servers “if you are calm, no one will know if there is a fire in the kitchen”. Our clients would be offered a glass of wine and/or an appetizer with the news there might be a delay. They never let on if the kitchen was having a problem, and never showed panic. I apply this to entertaining at home and at work. As much as I like to plan every detail ahead, sometimes things go wrong. I try to have a back-up plan, but it’s impossible to have one for everything that could go wrong. Whatever does go astray from plan, it’s not going to effect your guests having a great time. With proper planning everything will probably go smoothly, but if it doesn’t just remember to stay calm and carry on!