Bobby Flay Is A Stickler Against One Time-Saving Cooking Technique

Bobby Flay has been in the cooking business for more than three decades. Therefore, up-and-coming chefs should take a page out of his book. The "Iron Chef America" star has one strict rule that new cooks should abide by when being in the kitchen. He advises that people should take their time when cooking and not take shortcuts. By doing so, they can actually save minutes and make sure that their meals come out perfectly delicious. The reality star shared this tidbit of baking wisdom in an exclusive chat with Tasting Table.

He also explained that his method of teaching cooks who are still learning the industry is very hands-on. "I'm never going to tell you how to do something—I'm going to show you. And it's night and day in terms of a chef's growth," he said. Flay then looked back on one of his chefs who worked at one of his restaurants and wondered how the person was keeping up with all of the busy day's orders. "So the next couple of nights, I kept watching him and noticing that he was just trying to take so many shortcuts at Gato [Flay's now-closed NYC eatery] to get the food out. And I said, 'I need you to slow down; that's not what we do here.' I'm a stickler for the fundamentals. A lot of times I will strip new cooks of their 'tricks' for getting food to the plate to make sure every step is taken to get it right," Flay recalled.

Not skipping over steps when cooking may be one of the restaurateur's most significant laws; however, he also has other mandates that he swears by. Another trick that the culinary master suggests home chefs do is to make sure that your skillet is hot when it's on the stove. Flay believes that keeping a heated pan on helps cook foods all the way through, but will also give dishes a succulent crust before transferring them to a plate.

He also recommends using different types of oil for one meal, and not just sticking to a specific kind. When a recipe calls for olive oil, Flay advises using a lighter oil such as avocado oil to sear and brown ingredients, as the olive variety is heavier and burns easily. Once the item has been cooked, add a hefty drizzle of olive oil to the finished dish to amp up the entree's flavor. Flay notes that the meal won't taste too greasy or extremely rich this way.