In another lifetime, I went to culinary school. Well, it really was only about four years ago, but it seems like another lifetime because I was single, living in New York City, and experiencing a minor career crisis in which I thought that maybe becoming a chef would be a good move.

Well, a requisite six-week externship at a fine-dining restaurant cured me of my aspirations of becoming the female Bobby Flay. But I won't say that culinary school was a complete waste of time and money-after all, it did make me a better cook.

I told you in my first edition of Food for Thought [0]that one of my goals in the kitchen was to become more efficient. Let me spare you the 9 months of classes and the staggering student loans and share the top five things I learned in school that make my meal preparation faster, easier and tastier:

1. Mise en Place: If you've watched the Food Network for any length of time, you've probably noticed that the TV chefs have all of their ingredients cut up and measured, and at the ready. This is what's known as mise en place, or roughly translated, "everything in place." Sure, Mario's mise en place is probably put together by a bunch of underpaid lackeys behind the scenes, but assembling everything you need to prepare a recipe beforehand will save you plenty of time and heartache. After all, how many times have you gotten halfway through a recipe only to discover you're missing a key ingredient? Plus, if you're making something where time is of the essence, such as a stir-fry, you don't want to risk overcooking or even burning the food in your pan while you're frantically chopping some scallions.
2. The Garbage Bowl: At our work stations at school, we all had big metal bowls in front of us that we'd use to put vegetable peels, scraps, eggshells, wrappers and other trash, to avoid having to run back and forth to the garbage cans. I've since adopted this practice at home, particularly when I'm chopping up a bunch of veggies. It's so much more convenient to peel a carrot over a bowl than over the trash, and saves me countless steps back and forth between the counter and my trash can. Plus, if that potato you're peeling accidentally slips into the bowl, you probably can rescue it. Not so if it falls into your trash with yesterday's coffee grounds and the cat's leftover kibble.
3. Proper Sautéing: The jury's still out on whether nonstick pans are bad for the environment, but since culinary school, I really only use my Teflon frying pan for making omelettes. Whether or not nonstick coatings are toxic [1] (and why risk it?), knowing how to sauté a chicken breast in a regular stainless steel pan is a good skill to have. You really only need enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and you'll develop a delicious brown crust on your food that can't really be achieved on a nonstick surface. The secret: use medium-high heat, let the pan heat up for a few moments on its own, then add the oil (grapeseed or canola is best since they have a high flash point), and tilt the pan to spread the oil. Place your meat into the pan and just leave it for a few minutes-initially it'll stick to the pan, but don't worry, it will release itself when it's ready. A chicken breast might take four or five minutes, and when it's browned on the underside and it releases easily, turn it over once and cook the other side. Voila! A perfectly sautéed piece of meat...and the crisp brown bits left in the pan will make a flavorful base for a perfect pan sauce. But that's a subject for another blog.
4. Butter and salt aren't evil: I probably consumed enough butter and salt to give myself a heart attack while I was in school. But man, did everything taste good! I've since cut back on how much butter and salt I use to cook with, but I've gotten good at using it judiciously and to its full potential. For instance, if you sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt on grilled vegetables or a salad, you'll get the flavor and crunch of the salt much better than if you stirred even a larger amount into the dressing. And stirring in a teaspoon of butter to a sauce just at the end, or tossing steamed vegetables with a tiny pat of butter will serve the same purpose-you'll get all of the flavor without using a lot.
5. Use quality ingredients: This was probably the biggest lesson I learned-and one that I actually learned at the restaurant where I did my externship. I was preparing a salad for the staff meal when the chef walked by. He plucked out a couple of leaves from my salad that were wilted and browning. "Why are you using these?" he asked in a tone that never failed to make me quake a little. "It's okay, it's only for staff meal," I said. "I don't care!" he responded. "Do it over!" Since then, I've picked through my baby lettuce leaves for browned pieces, I've spent a little extra on organic [1] produce, and I've gone a little further to the market that has the freshest fish. And my meals have been the better for them.

In My Kitchen
Between the Fourth of July holiday and visiting friends, I confess I didn't cook all week long. But stay tuned for next week—Chip and I are attempting to go an entire week without eating meat or fish.