Over the last few days, I've been thinking about some basic cooking tips I thought I'd share:

• Always read the entire recipe well in advance. It constantly amazes me, but recipes are often poorly written. In the third paragraph, you'll find instructions for a step that should have been accomplished before what is described in the second paragraph! Reading in advance also prevents the last minute discovery that something needs to chill for an hour before mixing with something else.
• Gather all of your ingredients before you start cooking. You don't want to be halfway through a recipe only to find out that you are missing an ingredient or half to leave off stirring a sauce to find a necessary tool.
• Don't be afraid of the occasional loud noise and/or smoke. Searing a piece of meat can be smoky and noisy, but it makes a roast so much juicier!
• Cooking is a balance between speed and patience. When a recipe is coming together, things move quickly. You need to have everything at hand and to move with determination. At the same time, you have to take your time. It can take longer than you expect for flavors to develop and blend. A dish may need to rest a while before serving (especially any roasted meat).
• Practice your knife skills. The more consistent the size of what you cut, the more evenly it will cook. You don't want some pieces of onion half raw and other pieces burnt.
• Always saute aromatics (onions, garlic, etc.) in oil before adding meat or other ingredients (bacon being the exception). the aromatics will infuse the oil and intensify the flavor. Add fresh herbs last to maintain the freshness.

That's all kind of random, but just my elf hints.