The Simplicity-First Rule Chefs Know That Home Cooks Often Miss

When it comes to cooking, many of us tend to overcomplicate things, and unfortunately, what we end up with is not just a meal but a project, with far more dirty dishes than anyone wants to deal with. However, cooking a great meal does not have to involve myriad ingredients or a five-hour marathon to get dinner on the table, and most chefs agree on one thing: Simple is better.

Answering a question on Reddit about the thing that many home cooks get wrong, one chef said, "Home chefs struggle with the balance between creativity in a dish and going too far. They end up trying to use too many different flavors or ingredients." A lot of chefs suggest that the best starting point is to cook seasonally and look for ingredients that are at their peak, letting them carry the dish. A great-tasting tomato in the summer is undeniably better than a bland one, regardless of how many different types of seasoning you add to it.

Trying to cook too many dishes at once is also an issue. Not only does that mean having to keep track of several processes, but also making sure they all make it to the table at once. The more steps you need to follow, the more likely you are to neglect some of the most important ones, like not taking enough time to brown your meat. As chef David Tanis explains in this exclusive interview on simplicity and seasonal cooking, "When you're at home, you have to do most everything yourself, even the dishes. In a restaurant, there are usually more hands to accomplish a project."

Chefs on Reddit aren't the only ones who advocate this simplicity-first approach. Ina Garten often says she shies away from making fancy meals at home, favoring a simple yet elevated approach and limiting the number of dishes she makes when hosting. Legendary chef Jacques Pépin's most enduring tip for home cooks follows the same principle: Be frugal with your time, your ingredients, and your effort. 

This rule also applies to equipment. You don't need a fancy new pan that comes in trendy colors to make magic in the kitchen; you just need a few good essentials. Another Reddit chef pointed this out, saying, "The number of people I know with 17k Viking stoves, 500$ chef knives, and crazy expensive pans that can't cook a damn thing is crazy." Most restaurant equipment is not as glamorous as you'd think, and it's usually battered and well-loved. A restaurant tray is unlikely to look shiny and new, and achieving a mouthwatering steak has more to do with technique than with the pan you put your meat in.

Your money is better spent on a couple of good-quality knives and making sure your kitchen is stocked with the essential tools every kitchen must have to make your life easier, like a decent peeler, cutting boards, a scale, and a good set of bowls. It's also better to splurge on a few high-quality ingredients and highlight them with classic cooking techniques than to fill up your pantry with bottles and jars that you will probably use once or twice before they expire or lose their flavor.