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“What’s Something In [A Person’s] Kitchen That Immediately Tells You They’re A Good Cook?”
If you’re observant, you can tell apart a master of their craft pretty easily. A lot of the time, it’s not just about what they are doing, but rather how.
If you’re watching someone cook and you see them casually dicing vegetables very quickly without losing any fingers (very important), you already know.
From loads of spices to organized-but-chaotic kitchens, today we’ve got loads of little hints for you to tell apart someone who is a true chef, preparing a delicious meal for you.
More info: Reddit
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If they know where all their spices are, even if it's disorganized
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They have a pan on the stove because they use it too much to bother to put it away.
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For home cooks, if it’s clean and organized but cluttered and seemingly chaotic at the same time. It’s a sure sign that it gets used a lot.
I feel the same way about auto mechanics, research labs, and woodworking shops.
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Their kitchen is otherwise very clean and orderly, but their baking pans look like they've been to hell and back with polymerized oils.
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You don’t find knives in their dishwasher.
I flinched when I read this and thought "what kind of a monster does that!!!!!"
I've been called a good chef, but nobody taught me this :c I didn't learn this til I was in my mid 20s
I hate those 3 level dishwashers pictured above, too cramped for plates
We have one, but the shelves are adjustable, so we can raise the middle shelf to accommodate the plates and other tall items.
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Guess I’m not a good cook then. Everything goes in the dishwasher. 🥳 Even baking trays, pots and pans… and knives! 🥳
I just shuddered so hard at the idea of knives in a dishwasher machine I woke the cat in my lap.
Dishwasher? I don't have one and definitely wouldn't put a knife in it
Only if they wash them with the dishwasher. For things like knives I use my dishwasher as a drying rack. Wash by hand, set in dishwasher for a while to dry. Sometimes I hand dry of course but if I'm cleaning up as I cook a meal it is often easier to just let them air dry on the dishwasher rack.
When I was younger I had to put it in the dishwasher because if I handwashed it I would cut myself. also my parents didn't trust me
No, silverware knifes have a different alloy than spoons and forks. They can start to corose in a dishwasher
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Oh, I hate this! I had a really nice beautiful chef's knife that I repeatedly told an ex roommate to 1; not use cause they didn't use it right and 2; do not EVER put it in the dishwasher. Well, they didn't listen and when I came back from visiting family, it was ruined. She tried to sharpen it and ended up chipping it really bad somehow.
There is not a low enough circle of hell for someone like that ;-)
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Cooking isn't surgery. HOT water, sink and dish soap are the way to go. The dish washer permanently ruins the knife edges.
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Speaking on huge cutting boards, someone was giving away a s*****y painted 7 foot dual pedestal wood table so I rescued it, stripped the finish, applied beeswax, and now the entire table is in play for a cutting board, prep area, pastry board, etc.
![“What’s Something In [A Person’s] Kitchen That Immediately Tells You They’re A Good Cook?”](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/pexels-pixabay-277253-64edf1d49565d__700.jpg "“What’s Something In [A Person’s] Kitchen That Immediately Tells You They’re A Good Cook?”")
Spices being in an intuitive or very easy access place
The most used are on my counter by the stove. The rest are in a cabinet, within reach.
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The best cook I’ve known had the smallest, messiest kitchen I’d ever seen. Before I knew her, I wouldn’t have guessed a kitchen like that could produce such amazing food.
Try working on a private yacht with a galley kitchen having to feed 15 + people 3 times and more per day ; you have to be organised and chaotic at the same time, it's quite a skill set to have.
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They growl if I try to touch anything.
I don't growl, but the wife says I do have a expression whenever she walks in the kitchen, like I'm in physical pain but trying to hide it .
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If I see fresh herbs growing, I know
Herbs are the only thing I can grow. I tried vegetables but no fencing kept my dogs from enjoying the salad bar
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The absence of a blunt set of s****y knives in a knife block
I try to get mine sharpened annually (which for some reason autocorrected to anally, which is NOT how you sharpen knives)
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Properly seasoned cast iron skillets.
The way my dad reacts if you soap his skillet is enough to prove how much he uses them.🤣 Don't touch Dad's skillet.
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Cutting boards that aren't glass. Mostly available counter space for prep/no useless items on prep space. Bonus if their default pan is stainless steel rather than nonstick.
Edit: cast iron or carbon steel also are good. I should have said just anything but nonstick.
Never, ever use glass cutting boards !!!! Use them to smash up as stress relief by all means but never use them to cut stuff on !!! Also, Carbon Steel (Black) pans are definitely the way forward, especially if you are shallow / medium pan frying or braising.
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Can't tell by the kitchen appliances strewn about.
It's all just anecdotal at that point.
I'm sure it's not the intent but sounds almost elitist like you cant be a good cook unless you have this accessory.
You just can't tell, lots of people have great gear but can't cook for s**t.
I don't have the counter space for the appliances. They are on a bookshelf in a corner of my kitchen
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Quart containers labeled with masking tape and pen. They're giving professional experience vibes.
Bonus points if they have some random projects around (drying morrels, fermenting kimchi, etc)
Labels are for wimps! Chuck it in and to hell with the consequences. Salt? sugar? who cares, it's white and grainy, how much difference could it really make...
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Like 5+ pairs of tongs.
This is a no for me. We used tongs to play blocks and we broke them so Mom had to use other utensils instead.
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The smell.
Not fair! I've been working hard and I wanna eat before I have a bath.
![“What’s Something In [A Person’s] Kitchen That Immediately Tells You They’re A Good Cook?”](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/43500299654_98478ae528_c-64edf2a0a2f6b__700.jpg "“What’s Something In [A Person’s] Kitchen That Immediately Tells You They’re A Good Cook?”")
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I had a chef over once and he saw a shallot on my counter. He said thats how I know you know
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A good sharp chefs knife that gets used a lot. I feel like I've been in a lot of boomer and gen x kitchens that have like 12 knives in a block and none of them are sharp, let alone a decent chefs knife. Often they're all serrated for some reason.
Repeated from above: A knife block where all (at least most) of the knives are different brands. A block where the knives are identical was probably from a wedding registry and most are likely useless.
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Messy kitchen. Means that actually cook, vs staging.
Mortar and pestle, tortilla press, salt cellar, large (at least 18x24) wooden chopping board with scars from use. Grease on hood over the stove.
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Quality of Pans or Knives and a stove top that has seen some use (grates have some color and/or the glass top has some real use)
My range cooker has scratches on it from when my wife forgot to turn off the gas and rested the empty washing basket on it. I saw the flames from the bottom of the garden, ran into the kitchen, put it out and then tried my best to scrape molten plastic from the burners and surface. She was not in my good books.
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A well stocked pantry with seven different vinegars.
You only really need 4. Malt, distilled white, balsamic & apple cider. The rest are replaceable.
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Herbs growing in the garden. Nice knives. Microplane handy. Quality cookware, not some cheap s**t you get at Wally World. Nice cutting board that seems like it’s permanently on the counter. Slightly condescending attitude when the topic of food comes up.
I keep my microplane well hidden so no one can put it in the dishwasher. I also hide all the good knives and cast iron pans when people are staying
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For me it would be having all the heating appliances in only one side of the kitchen, they used it enough to feel the heat when everything is turned on, and planned a better kitchen.
A well-planned kitchen uses footsteps. How far from the prep area to the fridge, stove and sink. And in between those.
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If I see a meat press of some kind or a thermo pen thingy, chances are they know a thing or two...
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A box of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
When they call their kids for dinner, the kids don't groan.
Yes! My 10 year old sprints to any food announcements made by me. Her friends go wide eyed in surprise, and usually ask to come back again for dinner.
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The measuring spoons and cups are heavier metal and occupy hooks next to the everyday coffee cups for quick access and the recipe books look like they've at least had a wrestling match with some food instead of being pristine, soft edges from constant use or from casual reading My late MIL used to get irked at me, she'd give me wonderful recipes of hers - but I'd always have to figure them out myself, she had changed them so much over time, but in her mind that was the recipe and the changes were just normal thought process for her
I'm only guessing, but I think it's to do with gender, such as "a mans" or "a womans " kitchen.
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The thing is, "good" cooking is in the mouth of the receiver. I've had supposedly good food elsewhere, and it's awful. Just because people have good equipment and like to play in the kitchen, doesn't mean the end product is good. Maybe their family is just indoctrinated into believing it's good. LOL
i dont know. I have the best organized spice rack in the world but also use a 30 euro knife.
When they call their kids for dinner, the kids don't groan.
Yes! My 10 year old sprints to any food announcements made by me. Her friends go wide eyed in surprise, and usually ask to come back again for dinner.
Load More Replies... The measuring spoons and cups are heavier metal and occupy hooks next to the everyday coffee cups for quick access and the recipe books look like they've at least had a wrestling match with some food instead of being pristine, soft edges from constant use or from casual reading My late MIL used to get irked at me, she'd give me wonderful recipes of hers - but I'd always have to figure them out myself, she had changed them so much over time, but in her mind that was the recipe and the changes were just normal thought process for her
I'm only guessing, but I think it's to do with gender, such as "a mans" or "a womans " kitchen.
Load More Replies... The thing is, "good" cooking is in the mouth of the receiver. I've had supposedly good food elsewhere, and it's awful. Just because people have good equipment and like to play in the kitchen, doesn't mean the end product is good. Maybe their family is just indoctrinated into believing it's good. LOL
i dont know. I have the best organized spice rack in the world but also use a 30 euro knife.
