Jennifer from Savory Simple shares practical tips for cooking like a pro at home. Learn about the five tastes, how to season with confidence, and other essential techniques to improve your cooking.
This episode focuses on straightforward techniques and mindset shifts that make a big difference in the kitchen.
I speak with Jennifer Farley, the creator of Savory Simple, a site full of well-tested, reliable recipes and clear tutorials designed to help home cooks feel fearless. Jennifer trained at L’Academie de Cuisine, graduating from the Culinary Arts program in 2010, and has experience as a line cook, pastry chef and cooking instructor. Before culinary school she worked for a decade at a photography studio, where she learned digital photography and image editing—skills she now applies to food photography.
Jennifer’s cookbook, The Gourmet Kitchen, was published in 2015. She has written for The Washington Post Food Section and been featured on sites such as The Kitchn and Food52. She also teaches food photography workshops and speaks at industry conferences. Jennifer lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Jeff, and their cat, Eleanor Rigby, and works full time as a food blogger.
Throughout the conversation she shares practical techniques every home cook should know. You’ll find tips on seasoning, building flavor, working with fats, and making stock—details that help everyday meals taste more polished.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
This week’s recipe is Greek Lemon Potatoes. They’re small bursts of bright, savory flavor that pair beautifully with chicken or lamb. If you haven’t tried them recently, they’re worth making for a simple, impressive side.
LISTEN IN
Find today’s episode on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify.
Episode 33 – How to Cook Like a Pro
5 TASTES
- Salty
- Sweet
- Bitter
- Acid / Sour
- Umami
UNDERSTANDING HOW TO SEASON
- Seasoning is a skill that improves with practice. When recipes instruct you to “season to taste,” it’s because individual preferences vary—what’s perfectly seasoned for one person may be too bland or too salty for another.
- If a dish tastes flat, it often needs salt or acid. Salt doesn’t always mean table salt—salty ingredients like cured meats, cheeses, or nuts can provide the salt element. Acids such as lemon juice or vinegar brighten flavors and lift a dish.
HOW TO GLAZE / DEGLAZE
- Deglazing uses a small amount of liquid to lift the browned bits from the bottom of the pan after cooking onions or meat. Those browned bits are concentrated flavor and make excellent bases for sauces, stews, or gravies.
SMOKE POINTS OF FATS AND OILS
- Choose fats with higher smoke points for high-heat cooking—good choices include grapeseed oil, regular olive oil, and ghee (clarified butter). Using the appropriate fat helps prevent off-flavors and preserves texture.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK
- Make stock with raw chicken bones when possible. The collagen released from raw bones during a long, gentle simmer gives homemade stock deeper flavor and a pleasant, slightly viscous mouthfeel that enhances soups and sauces.
LINKS DISCUSSED
The episode references several of Jennifer’s guides and recipes, including her posts on the five tastes, how to season to taste, caramelized onions, making a pan sauce, and smoke points for oils and fats.
WHERE TO FIND JENNIFER
- Website: Savory Simple
- Instagram: savorysimple
- Facebook: savorysimple
MORE EPISODES
Visit our show page for more episodes and additional resources to help you cook with confidence.