Kitchen Drills

Practice, not homework

Line cooks get good by doing the same thing a hundred times. These are small, cheap projects that let you do it a few times at home, until a technique actually clicks.

Line drawing of the drill laid out: a stainless skillet and a nonstick skillet, a plate of two chicken thighs, a pitcher of stock, small dishes of salt, oil, and shallot, two bowls taped 1 and 2, a pat of butter, half a lemon, a wooden spoon, two tasting spoons, masking tape, and a marker

Kitchen Drill25 minBeginner

Two Pans, One Lesson

Sear the same chicken in stainless and in nonstick, then make a two-minute pan sauce in each. Taste exactly why fond needs the right pan.

Line drawing of the drill laid out: a cast-iron skillet, two salted chicken thighs on a cooling rack over a plate taped 1 and 2, an instant-read thermometer, a small bowl, a dish of salt, a toothpick, masking tape, and a marker

Kitchen Drill30 minBeginner

The Two-Thigh Test

Two chicken thighs, same salt, same pan. One gets salted the night before. About four dollars to taste exactly what a day of dry brining does.

Line drawing of the drill laid out: two skillets, a can of crushed tomatoes, small dishes of cumin, oil, and salt, two bowls taped 1 and 2 with a spoon each, a roll of masking tape, and a marker

Kitchen Drill15 minBeginner

The Bloom Test

One can of tomatoes, one spice, two tiny pans. Fifteen minutes and about two dollars to taste exactly what thirty seconds in hot oil does.

Line drawing of five small bowls of broth in a row, next to a spoonful of coarse salt

Kitchen Drill20 minBeginner

The Salt Ladder

Five cups of the same broth, five levels of salt. Twenty minutes and about three dollars to finally learn what "seasoned" tastes like.

Line drawing of the drill laid out: a bowl of bean stew, a bottle of red wine vinegar, a lemon, four small bowls taped 1 to 4 with a spoon each, a dish of salt, a pat of butter, a roll of masking tape, and a marker

Kitchen Drill25 minBeginner

The Squeeze Test

One pot of something rich, four little bowls, salt in one and acid in the rest. Twenty-five minutes to learn the difference between bland and flat.