Refined Elegance

Add a little salt to everything. Yes, everything.
One editor explains you should even salt dessert: It helps to bring out, accentuate, and deepen all sorts of flavors and will help your sweet treats taste more complex.

Set your timer for a few minutes less than the called-for time.
Not only do all ovens heat differently, but you'll also never really know how yours handles a new protein or veggie at first. That's all to say you can always fix an undercooked situation—there's nothing to be done once you go over.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO SET OFF THE SMOKE ALARM
In the pursuit of the perfect steak, you have to be OK with your kitchen getting a little smoky.

TASTE (AND SEASON) AS YOU GO
You do hours of prep work on an intricate dish, only to be totally disappointed once you taste the final product.