Chris Kimball's top 5 kitchen tips

5. Ignore cooking times
They are utterly worthless. Your oven and mine might be off 100 degrees from one another. Your skillet might be lousy at retaining heat, whereas mine holds it nicely. When using the oven, check halfway through the published cooking time and constantly thereafter. On the stove top, use your eyes, nose, and fingers to check food, not your timer.
Globe story Perfection, Inc.: Inside Christopher Kimball's kitchen empire
5. Ignore cooking times They are utterly worthless. Your oven and mine might be off 100 degrees from one another. Your skillet might be lousy at retaining heat, whereas mine holds it nicely. When using the oven, check halfway through the published cooking time and constantly thereafter. On the stove top, use your eyes, nose, and fingers to check food, not your timer.
John Burgoyne illustration from Cook's Illustrated

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