“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.
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If they know where all their spices are, even if it's disorganized
Oh... I HATE when the spices are just tossed back in the cupboard!
Load More Replies...This is a good one. My mom's spice cupboard is a wreck most of the time, but she has no trouble finding what she wants.
This, and I have a travelling bag of spices to take to parents to supplement their cupboards :-)
My husband once put all my spices in alpha order. I thought I was going crazy because I wasn't reaching out for the correct spices. He had to start over again, with me telling him exactly where they went. This picture is only ~half my herbs and spices. Photo-pice...846c78.jpg
They have a pan on the stove because they use it too much to bother to put it away.
My Castiron skillet is used every day. Stupid to put it anywhere else.
Mine is a cast-iron wok that people think came with the stove!
Load More Replies...Right! I wish I could get my husband to STOP putting my pan in the sink. It's NOT dirty and I'm just about to use it.
My big cast iron frying pan lives on top of the stove, but I’m not a good cook. I’m just lazy.
Off grid and only use casties. My tea pot and flat castie never leave the cooktop
I don't claim to be a good cook, but if you walk in our kitchen you can bet there will be at least one cast iron skillet on the stove.
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.
Great! I have organized kid stamp of approval chaos too 😎
Load More Replies...My grandpa's garage exactly. Total chaos to the untrained eye. But he can sit in his chair and tell you the quarter inch lock washers are in the third drawer on the left had side of the chest behind the drill press.
whats happening in this picture? What are they cooking? What are the black things that look like mines?
Their kitchen is otherwise very clean and orderly, but their baking pans look like they've been to hell and back with polymerized oils.
True - never, ever wash a baking pan / Yorkshire pudding / Muffin tin. Wipe gently by all means, soak overnight then wipe out if stuff sticks but never wash.
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.
Load More Replies...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
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.
My large endcut hardwood cutting board turns 26yo next month. Buy a good one because it'll last forever if you care for it properly.
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.
i was mad because i couldn't find a certain spice one night, so at 2 am i decided to organize the spice cabinet, the most used ones (the little ones) are on a mini shelf on the bottom shelf, the bigger ones are to the left, and the ones we don't use often are on the higher shelf
Mason jars labeled with the lids screwed to the bottom of the cabinets. So easy for me to find what I need
Oils and liquids are on the counter and spices in the spice cupboard
with an arms reach. Boyfriend made fabulous shelves agains the wall underneath the cabinets. My favorite thing in my kitchen, best spice rack EVER
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.
Kitchen: It's not the size, it's what you do with it. Living room: It's the size, not what you do with it. Bedroom: It's the size AND what you do with it.
I have a very small kitchen with very limited counter top space. Pulled out drawers come in very handy sometimes to place something like the cutting board after use or a pan or bowl (never meats or eggs to prevent contamination)
Plenty of kitchens around the world would not be considered "clean" or "organized" by many people's standards, yet fully seasoned pots and pans are key equipment for some truly great food prepared indoors or out.
When I built my tiny house I designed a galley kitchen with full size appliances which is 1/3 of the entire house
Invited to a Sunday meal on the Maine coast in the mid 1960’s. Everyone pitched in! Me, on the porch shucking corn. No knowing the folks at all, made sure it was silk free. While shucking, drinking a homemade concoction created by the host. The call came, it’s on the table. 10 people pull chairs close to the table, let the feast begin! All this from a wood fired stove in a kitchen, Superman would have found more confining than a telephone booth!
oh ok so your kitchen CAN be messy. Good. Also, totally love the kitchen on this picture!
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 .
I just don't like people getting in the way or trying to "help". I just need free range of motion without worrying about someone in my way. And I don't really growl; maybe once in a while
Honestly, I'll keep an eye if you touch my pans, you can touch the glass and spoons, but if you go near my knives. . . hackles activated. I actually have a spare set of cooking knives for guests. My knives are weighted for me and were purchased one by one with my first pay checks.
Especially my decent knives - if you even think about trying to sharpen one of my Damascus Steel knives be prepared to whimper and weep under my verbal onslaught !!!
Four dogs have lived in my house in the past 26 years (two pairs, because I always have two dogs). Each one has learned the meaning of "get out of my kitchen".
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
I've seen bathroom fungus on Bored Panda, so time for an expansion perhaps?
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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)
I have a designated knife drawer. The only thing allowed in it aside from knives is Gracula (he's my garlic crusher and yes he is actually shaped like a vampire.)
My wife bought me a Horl 2 for our anniversary, I bought the sharpening set to go with it. Honed all my knives to their maximum sharpness and immediately cut my finger on first. I will however say, it's a marvelous sharpener, easy to use (trying to get 15° on a block is impossible), also, I didn't notice I'd cut my finger until I saw the blood and it was a ridiculously fine cut which healed really quickly.
Got a new knife two days ago - have a fair number of tiny cuts!
Load More Replies...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 likely useless.
I only have three shallow drawers in my kitchen, so I have to use a knife block on the counter. All the knives are mismatched. I use what I like.
Load More Replies...I sharpen mine before I dry them, then put them in the block. I like having fingers. :P
We have a grocery store where the meat department will sharpen your knives overnight.
You open their freezer and see their homemade stock game is on point
We have big ailfoil trays and my partner just takes chunks off as he needs them!
Load More Replies...I currently have beef, chicken, ham, and veg stock in my deep freeze. It costs nothing to make except time, but it's a HUGE game-changer in home cooking.
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.
I generally do not use soap, but.. You can indeed use modern soap and your cast iron will be just fine. Soap used to be made with lye which will strip the seasoning right off. Todays soaps are much more gentle.
Load More Replies...Hate cast iron, as it is a b***h to clean after my brother leaves it sit dirty for 4+ hours.
A jar of bacon grease
No, you lose the subtle flavours of everything else.
Load More Replies...I'm Canadian and I use bacon grease to fry my eggs and home fries in. Nothing like breakfast, that has a hint of that smokey, bacony flavour to everything. 🍁
Load More Replies...I divide it using an ice cube tray lined with plastic wrap, then freeze it alongside the tallow, lard, and schmaltz. Ice cubes of fat, ready to add flavor to any dish.
Blocks of cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese.
MSG
Because we have things called GRATERS !!! pre shredded, lazy and amateurish.
Pre shredded cheese is covered in corn starch to keep it from sticking together. Your finished product will have to incorporate that cornstarch. It's not good stuff. Get a grater. Keep it fresh.
There is a big difference between being a GOOD cook and one with too much energy! I make amazing meals but due to illness, use pre-shredded of pre-cut ingredients. Nothing wrong with that 😏
I have multiple severe disabilities, one of which is Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (symptoms identical to arthritis, just with a different cause.)
I low key panic when I have fewer than 3 types of cheese in my fridge (not counting parmigiano reggiano and pecorino romano which I always have). Currently working through a huge block of Cabot's Seriously Sharp cheddar, a lovely smoked gruyère, and a creamy Monterey Jack with bits of chile. (All made locally here in New England...for those of you who think the US doesn't have real cheese. The best gouda I ever had is made on a dairy farm near me.)
Who the f**k gets pre shredded cheese what is this excuse for a society
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.
Glass cutting boards are pretty. I use them for charcuterie boards or to serve cakes and muffins.
Load More Replies...I hate glass cutting boards. My mom's ex husband would use on every night while cooking dinner. He wasn't a bad cook. In fact, it was hearty, good eating. But the sound would echo all throughout the large house. Never seen one break, though. I had one for a time because I'm paranoid about bacteria collecting in the ridges and causing contamination. But it's not the best thing to use. Worst I would have to say is plastic cutting boards.
My boards are silicone with non slip backing. I change the set when it starts to wear .
I love my end grain cutting board. I almost had to sell a kidney to buy it (!!!), but it's worth every penny.
Even the thought of a glass cutting board hurts both my ears and my hands. Pans... Yeah... I have three cast iron, three non-stick, two carbon steel, a cast iron wok, a ceramic coating wok and a carbon steel wok... If I absolutely had to have one pan only, it'd be one of the non-sticks – it's not superb at anything, but can handle everything adequately.
I have a glass cutting board, but it's a gift. And it's just more like a display piece, if anything.
Most people don't realize the fibre/celluoise of the wood cutting boards kills bacteria - they think glass and other materials are easier to keep clean. Another case of lack of education.
Those aren't cutting boards, though; they're cheese boards. Cutting boards should be end grain, not across the grain.
Food service-size can-jug of olive oil
Don't use it that often. Do use truffle oil to cook mushrooms and steak. Walnut for a dribble when baking.
100%. I can't be hauling out the 3 liter tin just to make food!
Load More Replies...I won't downvote, but olive oil burns easily and can ruin the taste of some things. I never use it for cooking, just cold recipes or add after cooking for a specific flavor.
Load More Replies...Olive oil is vile. Step up your game and get locally sourced sunflower oil.
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
Does anyone have counter space? I like to leave a few square feet for food prep.
Load More Replies...I bake and literally the only appliances I use are measuring stuff, spatulas and a rubber whisk so my ears dont die every time i do anything. Beyond that idk
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...
I've done that with cayenne pepper and paprika. That was... fun to find out the error of my ways.
Load More Replies...If you don't know the difference between salt and sugar, you're no good in the kitchen.
Permanent marker or none for me. It's not like you can't smell the difference between salt and sugar or starch and flour.
Tarragon vodka - sharpie writing on the glass - am working on a cocktail with lemoncello and cream - is awesome as savory with chicken so can't see a problem with making it sweet :-)
I like to buy my spices from the bins. Better value and you can get the amount that you want.
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.
I had 12, gave some to a friend that had just gotten their first apartment.
Sometimes you need to be further away from the heat, sometimes you need metal rather than silicone tipped!
Meh. I had several pairs, got rid of most of them because I rarely need them. IMO more tongs are needed if you are using them to let other people serve themselves - which can be good cooking / bad cooking / or you ordered KFC delivered. I don't need a lot of tongs in the actual kitchen.
The smell.
A Dutch Oven.
I am so immature I giggled when I read "dutch oven" Anyone else out there have terrible brothers when growing up?
My oven is Italian. Philips is the only Dutch company I can think of that makes ovens.
For those not in the know: a Dutch Oven is a cast iron kettle with a lid (for once the pic matches), not an actual oven. They've become quite popular recently (I'm German, had never heard of them five years ago despite being interested in cooking) and you can get lots of additional gear for them. Great for camping, because you can put it directly onto glowing coals, put some more on the lid and leave it mostly unattended for stewy/bakey/roast dishes that need a prolonged cooking time.
Just like cast iron skillets never soap them. Degrease them with a piece of paper, wash them out real quick with hot water only and rub them with olive oil.
I had a chef over once and he saw a shallot on my counter. He said thats how I know you know
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.
I was fortunate enough to inherit my knives from a passionate home cook, my uncle. I still dream of his boeuf bourgignon. He spent a lot of money for high-end knives. Oh! And a dear friend of mine works at a local knife manufacturer and gave me a bunch of "seconds" which didn't make the QC standards but are perfectly functional. Brands range from Henckels to Victorinox to Wüsthof to Zwilling to Lamson. Needless to say, I treasure them.
Load More Replies...I caught my son cutting a frozen pizza with my precious chopping knife. He didn’t understand why I freaked out. I said it was the equivalent of me using his XBOX controller to hammer a nail into the wall. It took me years to afford them—don’t ever touch my knives!!
A well equipped kitchen will include at least one tool for sharpening knives, and preferably two. For top quality blades - especially Japanese - there will be a set of top quality whetstones.
Good knives are not serrated. (Bread knife is an exception) and I sharpen them almost every time I use them.
Don't you mean hone the knife after every use? If not i hope you're knives are ok i.i
Load More Replies...Congrsts on you're knives! Only have a single kushi chef knife myself. Very pricey
Load More Replies...I have one knife that everyone in my family know they musn't touch. If they want a knife there are some sharp knifes in drawer which they can use.
Mt favorite 2 knives a $10 knife from kmart bought 30+ years ago, and a cheese knife...but I don't use it for cheese, it's my paring knife. Both sharp and used daily
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.
I'm waiting until I have enough to scrape off and sell. /S
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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.
A well stocked pantry with seven different vinegars.
You only really need 4. Malt, distilled white, balsamic & apple cider. The rest are replaceable.
Rice wine vinegar, red wine vinegar.
Load More Replies...This really depends on what kinda cooking you do. I don't think I've ever seen my mom use vinegar to cook at all, cuz some culinary just doesn't use vinegar. This is like me saying a good job always has soy sauce and oyster sauce on hand... True for Asian cooking, not so much if you cook Western style
I actually have three soy sauces and two oyster sauces... and two fish sauces. I like to be able to make almost anything depending on my mood. From bbq to curry, fried rice to carbonara... never know what sounds good.
Load More Replies...Or they do Hello Fresh which requires you to have your own olive grove and 16 different vinegars
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
Kudos to you. I hide my chef's knives as well :-P
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Those towels with the blue stripe on the side
my towels are all red or pink with different designs. My kitchen is red. I like color. No white.
You mean a Chef's cloth. If you use a pair of those ridiculous oven mitts to get stuff out of a hot oven you are a). Showing the World that you really have no clue about cooking and b). Endangering yourself and others in your kitchen - you will never get a correct grip on whatever you want out of the oven (trust me on this, my Mother, bless her used these bloody things all the time and the amount of dropped cakes / casseroles / Loaves over the years was astonishing - she was an accomplished cook btw)
I guess your mom had a s**t grip never been a problem in my family, also kind of strange to gatekeep on something so trivial.
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if the fridge looks like a walk-in ie date labeled deli containers
that just means you have a big kitchen. I have a small European fridge and even tinier freezer.
The comment is not about the fridge itself, but about the labeled containers…
Load More Replies...Why label fridge items? Shouldn't you remember within a short span how long they've been there? That said, freezer item definitely get labeled.
def label or mark things like milk and soymilk, and juice etc.
Load More Replies...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.
Try that in a small 50's era kitchen and you would never survive. You work with what you have and adapt. Thank god our mothers were versatile and patient.
Many of us don't get a choice in the layout of the kitchen. In ours, there's really NO way to actually rearrange the major appliances without literally tearing down half the house to get at electrical and ducts and s**t.
My parents' kitchen was obviously designed by someone who has never cooked a meal in their life. Fridge behind the door, right next to the oven, if the door was shut we had to knock to check the fridge or oven wasn't open. The hob was across the kitchen, plate rack next to the hob so everything got greasy. Mum and I took great delight in redesigning it!
If I see a meat press of some kind or a thermo pen thingy, chances are they know a thing or two...
Meat press? You mean like a burger press? And thermo pen, as in a decent thermometer?
No good cook uses a burger press as they turn out c**p burgers. Gently hand form your burgers.
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A box of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
Not all salt tastes the same. Some types of salt like Diamond Kosher salt has larger flakes and is more "mellow" compared to a regular table salt.
Load More Replies...Kosher salt is distinguished from other salts by two crucial characteristics. First is the large size of the grain. Second is that it is never iodized. Ever. If your salt has any iodine added, it is not kosher. The combination of these two qualities means that kosher salt is absorbed differently by food than table salt *and* that a different chemical reaction takes place between: the salt and the food OTOH, the food and your tongue on the other.
The brand of salt makes ZERO difference. It's how it's processed and packaged. The salt for your dishwasher is often the same as you put on your food*.
*Can't speak for the USA, because they have some weird a**e food laws.
Load More Replies...Huh? Salt flakes and table salt. Do everything from cure to season & flavour. What is Diamond Crystal kosher salt? What magic does it impart?
Me being a saltaholic, i will share my wisdom on this. Regular table salt versus Diamond kosher salt in my experience has a much less salty flavor. If you use for example Mortans table salt and Diamond you always cut the Mortans by 3/4 to still impart the much needed salt w/o over salting. That is why if you watch cooking shows they don't mention the name but always say good kosher salt, imo this is what they are most likely referring too.
Load More Replies...You can’t kosher a chicken or turkey without kosher salt. The result is poultry perfection!
Big salt crystals are actually dangerous. You have a lot less surface area and hence a smaller taste sensation for an unreasonable high salt intake. You should use salt "powder" like very fine ground salt instead
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
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
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.
