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Nov 07, 2023

“What’s Something In [A Person’s] Kitchen That Immediately Tells You They’re A Good Cook?”

Not your original work? Add source If you’re observant, you can tell apart a master of their craft pretty easily. A lot of the time, it’s not just about what they are doing, but rather how. If you’re

Not your original work? Add source

If you’re observant, you can tell apart a master of their craft pretty easily. A lot of the time, it’s not just about what they are doing, but rather how.

If you’re watching someone cook and you see them casually dicing vegetables very quickly without losing any fingers (very important), you already know.

From loads of spices to organized-but-chaotic kitchens, today we’ve got loads of little hints for you to tell apart someone who is a true chef, preparing a delicious meal for you.

More info: Reddit

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If they know where all their spices are, even if it's disorganized

EveryDayAnotherMask , Viktor Smith Report

Yes! And don't move them!!

They have a pan on the stove because they use it too much to bother to put it away.

caseybvdc74 , Klaus Nielsen Report

Hey, that's me!!

For home cooks, if it’s clean and organized but cluttered and seemingly chaotic at the same time. It’s a sure sign that it gets used a lot. I feel the same way about auto mechanics, research labs, and woodworking shops.

kumquatrodeo , Kunno Jayson Report

Aw. You think my chaos means I cook decent. Thanks 😊

Their kitchen is otherwise very clean and orderly, but their baking pans look like they've been to hell and back with polymerized oils.

MsRachelGroupie , Tanya Gorelova Report

That's just well used .

Speaking on huge cutting boards, someone was giving away a s*****y painted 7 foot dual pedestal wood table so I rescued it, stripped the finish, applied beeswax, and now the entire table is in play for a cutting board, prep area, pastry board, etc.

peepee_dancer , Ksu&Eli Report

Well done you !!!

You don’t find knives in their dishwasher.

typhoidfrank , cottonbro studio Report

Knives in the dishwasher?! Sacre bleu!!

The best cook I’ve known had the smallest, messiest kitchen I’d ever seen. Before I knew her, I wouldn’t have guessed a kitchen like that could produce such amazing food.

prunepicker , Charlotte May Report

Try working on a private yacht with a galley kitchen having to feed 15 + people 3 times and more per day ; you have to be organised and chaotic at the same time, it's quite a skill set to have.

Spices being in an intuitive or very easy access place

keenieBObeenie , Pixabay Report

The most used are on my counter by the stove. The rest are in a cabinet, within reach.

They growl if I try to touch anything.

PurpleWomat , Twilight Kenya Report

I don't growl, but the wife says I do have a expression whenever she walks in the kitchen, like I'm in physical pain but trying to hide it .

If I see fresh herbs growing, I know

VeryPogi , cottonbro studio Report

Herbs are the only thing I can grow. I tried vegetables but no fencing kept my dogs from enjoying the salad bar

The absence of a blunt set of s****y knives in a knife block

BCF13 , Ketut Subiyanto Report

I try to get mine sharpened annually (which for some reason autocorrected to anally, which is NOT how you sharpen knives)

You open their freezer and see their homemade stock game is on point

rowteeme , Jessica Rossi Report

THIS. 100% will trust the person's cooking.

Properly seasoned cast iron skillets.

Eogh21 Report

The way my dad reacts if you soap his skillet is enough to prove how much he uses them.🤣 Don't touch Dad's skillet.

A jar of bacon grease

toxic_pantaloons , Polina Tankilevitch Report

Or goose or duck fat, I think the bacon grease is very regional.

Blocks of cheese instead of pre-shredded cheese. MSG

Darwin343 , Pixabay Report

I eat the cheese so much ,neither lasts long enough.

Food service-size can-jug of olive oil

PrettyFIacco , Ron Lach Report

Can confirm.

Cutting boards that aren't glass. Mostly available counter space for prep/no useless items on prep space. Bonus if their default pan is stainless steel rather than nonstick.Edit: cast iron or carbon steel also are good. I should have said just anything but nonstick.

pruo95 , Yousaf Abbasi Report

Never, ever use glass cutting boards !!!! Use them to smash up as stress relief by all means but never use them to cut stuff on !!! Also, Carbon Steel (Black) pans are definitely the way forward, especially if you are shallow / medium pan frying or braising.

Can't tell by the kitchen appliances strewn about. It's all just anecdotal at that point. I'm sure it's not the intent but sounds almost elitist like you cant be a good cook unless you have this accessory. You just can't tell, lots of people have great gear but can't cook for s**t.

Unhappy_Guarantee_69 , Mike Bird Report

I don't have the counter space for the appliances. They are on a bookshelf in a corner of my kitchen

Quart containers labeled with masking tape and pen. They're giving professional experience vibes. Bonus points if they have some random projects around (drying morrels, fermenting kimchi, etc)

HobbesDaBobbes , monicore Report

Labels are for wimps! Chuck it in and to hell with the consequences. Salt? sugar? who cares, it's white and grainy, how much difference could it really make...

The smell.

Illegal_Tender , Ion Ceban @ionelceban Report

Not fair! I've been working hard and I wanna eat before I have a bath.

Like 5+ pairs of tongs.

BlendinMediaCorp , ROMAN ODINTSOV Report

This is a no for me. We used tongs to play blocks and we broke them so Mom had to use other utensils instead.

A Dutch Oven.

edith-bunker , Virginia State Parks Report

I am so immature I giggled when I read "dutch oven" Anyone else out there have terrible brothers when growing up?

Messy kitchen. Means that actually cook, vs staging.Mortar and pestle, tortilla press, salt cellar, large (at least 18x24) wooden chopping board with scars from use. Grease on hood over the stove.

sfomonkey , fauxels Report

Grease on the hood, clean that sh*t.

I had a chef over once and he saw a shallot on my counter. He said thats how I know you know

BD_Swinging , Hans Braxmeier Report

I forgot to plant and spent over an hour looking for shallots today. Didn't find any. Good news is I have planted now

A good sharp chefs knife that gets used a lot. I feel like I've been in a lot of boomer and gen x kitchens that have like 12 knives in a block and none of them are sharp, let alone a decent chefs knife. Often they're all serrated for some reason.

Lankience , Pili Toro Report

Repeated from above: A knife block where all (at least most) of the knives are different brands. A block where the knives are identical was probably from a wedding registry and most are likely useless.

Quality of Pans or Knives and a stove top that has seen some use (grates have some color and/or the glass top has some real use)

smithflman , Dmitry Zvolskiy Report

My range cooker has scratches on it from when my wife forgot to turn off the gas and rested the empty washing basket on it. I saw the flames from the bottom of the garden, ran into the kitchen, put it out and then tried my best to scrape molten plastic from the burners and surface. She was not in my good books.

Herbs growing in the garden. Nice knives. Microplane handy. Quality cookware, not some cheap s**t you get at Wally World. Nice cutting board that seems like it’s permanently on the counter. Slightly condescending attitude when the topic of food comes up.

JackyBoy0257 , Jill Wellington Report

I keep my microplane well hidden so no one can put it in the dishwasher. I also hide all the good knives and cast iron pans when people are staying

A well stocked pantry with seven different vinegars.

StinkypieTicklebum , Ron Lach Report

You only really need 4. Malt, distilled white, balsamic & apple cider. The rest are replaceable.

Those towels with the blue stripe on the side

UncutEmeralds , Tima Miroshnichenko Report

I never knew there was such a thing as a side cloth and I have always used oven mitts.

if the fridge looks like a walk-in ie date labeled deli containers

jaquan123ism , Alex Qian Report

To me that means nothing but money. When I lived in Brazil I had a friend with a grandma in a rural area who had this half-width full-height fridge with labeled on the bottom and veggies on the top. Freezer was small separate chest. She was 'amazing'...❤️

For me it would be having all the heating appliances in only one side of the kitchen, they used it enough to feel the heat when everything is turned on, and planned a better kitchen.

RandomPucker Report

A well-planned kitchen uses footsteps. How far from the prep area to the fridge, stove and sink. And in between those.

If I see a meat press of some kind or a thermo pen thingy, chances are they know a thing or two...

HighQualityH20h , Hannah and Simon Report

"thermo pen thingy" - the new name for my instant read...

A box of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.

ppr1227 , monicore Report

Is both pretentious and costly and tastes of ....... SALT !!!

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Larsas is a Bored Panda writer, finishing his New Media Language bachelor's diploma with competencies in Educology at the Kaunas University of Technology. Interested in topics ranging from theology to deep space exploration, microhistory to operatic science fiction, Larsas enjoys researching anything and everything and talking ears off of his friends and colleagues about his findings.

Saulė is a photo editor at Bored Panda with bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design. The thing that relaxes her the best is going into YouTube rabbit hole. In her free time she loves painting, embroidering and taking walks in nature.

When they call their kids for dinner, the kids don't groan.

Yes! My 10 year old sprints to any food announcements made by me. Her friends go wide eyed in surprise, and usually ask to come back again for dinner.

The measuring spoons and cups are heavier metal and occupy hooks next to the everyday coffee cups for quick access and the recipe books look like they've at least had a wrestling match with some food instead of being pristine, soft edges from constant use or from casual reading My late MIL used to get irked at me, she'd give me wonderful recipes of hers - but I'd always have to figure them out myself, she had changed them so much over time, but in her mind that was the recipe and the changes were just normal thought process for her

A zester and some citrus fruit. Nothing ups a game more than adding the zest of limes, lemons, or oranges to a recipe. Also makes the kitchen smell delicious.

When they call their kids for dinner, the kids don't groan.

Yes! My 10 year old sprints to any food announcements made by me. Her friends go wide eyed in surprise, and usually ask to come back again for dinner.

The measuring spoons and cups are heavier metal and occupy hooks next to the everyday coffee cups for quick access and the recipe books look like they've at least had a wrestling match with some food instead of being pristine, soft edges from constant use or from casual reading My late MIL used to get irked at me, she'd give me wonderful recipes of hers - but I'd always have to figure them out myself, she had changed them so much over time, but in her mind that was the recipe and the changes were just normal thought process for her

A zester and some citrus fruit. Nothing ups a game more than adding the zest of limes, lemons, or oranges to a recipe. Also makes the kitchen smell delicious.