# Small (But Incredibly Useful) Tips That Can Improve Your Cooking

### Slice and pound chicken breasts first to ensure consistent cooking.
When it comes to cooking chicken breasts, one of the challenges is that a tapering piece of meat will always cook unevenly. If you're working with a large chicken breast, cut it in half horizontally with a very sharp knife. Once your parts are done, carefully pound them to a thickness of 14"-12" to ensure they are of the same thickness.

### Flatbread is simple to make from scratch, requiring only three ingredients: wheat, salt, and water.
Even the salt isn't entirely required. Sprinkle flour on a clean countertop, make a small well in the center, then slowly stir in water with your hands until a dough forms. Form the dough into a flatbread and place it on a hot surface.

### Always have some food basics on your hands, such as canned goods, non-perishables, and frozen foods.
Stock your refrigerator and pantry with long-lasting items that can be separated and frozen in single-serving sizes.

### When it comes to cooking with spices, the order is crucial.
Add herbs and spices before adding liquids, whether you're sautéing onions, carrots, and celery for soup or browning ground beef for Bolognese. This allows your spices to "bloom" directly in the fat, enhancing the flavor of your food.

### When you remove food from a heat source, it continues to cook.
When you turn off the grill or the cooktop, foods like steak, pork, chicken, and even scrambled eggs continue to cook. So remove them from the heat long before they achieve the appropriate consistency.

### More ingredients do not automatically imply more excellent flavor.
Keep it simple. A dish with three or four elements that work well is preferable to one with twelve ingredients that conflict.

### Don't assume a dish needs additional salt just because it tastes bland.
If salt isn't helping whatever you're cooking, acid is most likely missing. Lemon juice or vinegar can completely change a dish. Instead of adding more salt, squeeze in some citrus.

*Read more: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahloewentheil/beginner-tips-for-home-cooks*