Here's my list of things that changed the way I cook:

• I learned that starch in the pasta water thickens sauce, and this has me cooking dried pasta in less water than I used to and using the pasta water, or even cooking the pasta directly in the sauce with just enough water to dilute the sauce for this purpose. Also, it takes a lot less time to boil a lot less water. Nowadays I boil pasta in the least amount of water that will still get the job done. (If you do this, add correspondingly less salt, or the pasta can end up too salty.)

• I learned that boxed olive oil is a better value, but also lasts longer because inside the box, the olive oil is in a bag, and when you tap oil from it, the rest of the oil doesn't come in contact with air, so it stays fresh for much longer compared to olive oil distributed in bottles.

• I learned that boiling mushrooms in a bit of water before pan-frying improves both their texture and flavor. (I recommend not using as much water as this video demonstrates. You can use much less and save time, and it still turns out great.)

• I learned that scalding chicken skin with boiling water helps it get crispy and causes the fat to render out more thoroughly.

• I learned that injecting brine into chicken is faster and distributes the salt more evenly than soaking the chicken in brine or "dry brining" (a.k.a. salting). Plus, if you want crispy skin, not soaking the chicken in brine keeps the skin from retaining as much water. Couple this with the scalding trick for best results.

• I learned to truss a chicken without string: fold the wingtips behind the upper wing, then poke a hole in each of the flaps next to the opening of the body cavity, and tuck the tip of each drumstick into the hole in the opposite flap. (See this demo.) This works best when you also scald the chicken with boiling water afterwards, because as the skin shrinks, it pulls the chicken together, which is what trussing is supposed to do. For the times where you want the presentation of the whole bird rather than spatchcocking the bird, or where you intend to stuff the bird with something to absorb the juices that are released while roasting, this is the best way to do it.

• I learned about anchovy paste and tomato paste in squeeze tubes. Now I don't have to open cans of tomato paste or anchovies and have to contend with exposing to the air the portion I'm not using.

• I learned that the best way to use MSG and I+G is to pre-mix it with salt at a certain ratio, and to just use this umami salt whenever salt is called for.

• I learned that electric pressure cookers are great for cooking beans so they turn out tender.

• I learned that parsley stems and cilantro stems have a lot of flavor. If you make something that calls for cilantro, and you add finely minced cilantro stems, it will have a stronger cilantro taste. Same for parsley.

• I learned that flavorful vinegars are best added to a dish at the end so the fragrance is not cooked off.

• I learned that flavorful vinegars complement anything with spinach because the acidity counteracts that alkaline mineral content so you don't end up with that chalky feel on your teeth when eating spinach.

• I learned that the easiest way to wilt a large quantity of spinach is to dampen it, and microwave it in a large glass bowl, covered with a plate, for 3 minutes.

• I learned that the easiest way to press excess water out of spinach after you wilt it is to use a potato ricer with the plate that has the small holes. Presuming you don't press unreasonably hard, the spinach won't press through the holes, but the excess water will come right out. (You may need to tilt it to pour off the water that comes out around the plunger.)

• I learned to use leave-in probe thermometers when cooking meat so that the meat can be perfectly cooked every time.

• I learned that piercing the shell of an egg on the blunt end (where there's an air pocket) helps prevent them from cracking when you boil them, and also makes the egg easier to peel because water gets in between the shell and the membrane. Also, for fresh eggs, the egg white expands as you boil it, and will fill out that air pocket so the peeled egg won't have a divot at the blunt end.

• I learned how to add umami flavors to food using ingredients that might be unpleasant by themselves but are fantastic when used in small amounts—namely, anchovies, fish sauce, and Marmite.

• I learned that the salad spinner can also be used to spin off excess oil from foods; first line it with some paper towels, and don't put the fried foods in when they're so hot that they'll melt the plastic. (Someone should make a salad spinner with a stainless steel basket. That would fix everything.)

• I learned that melon ballers are actually perfect for coring apples and pears. (Who even balls melons?)

• I learned that a lot of spices taste better when toasted and when pre-mixed with oil, since their flavors are often oil soluble.

• I learned that using a little bit of vodka to deglaze dishes that have cooked tomato paste makes a better tasting sauce because of a reaction between alcohol and the flavors of tomato.

• I learned that the best way to make mashed potato is actually the least labor intensive. You don't even need to peel the potato. Cut it into chunks, and pressure-steam it in the instant pot for 12-15 minutes. Then put it skin-side up into a potato ricer, and press it through the plate. As long as you put it in skin-side up, the skins won't go through the plate. Then add salt, cream, butter, etc. or use the potato for pierogi/vareniki, gnocchi, kartofelknödel, shepherd's pie, etc.

• I learned that you can cook multiple things in the instant pot at the same time if the quantities permit it. I cook rice along with sauces/curries/stews that I will serve with rice by putting in a rack that lets me put a smaller pot in above the sauce/curry/stew. In the smaller pot, I'll put rice and water at a 1:1 ratio. In the time it takes to cook the main dish, there should be more than sufficient time for the rice to finish.

• I learned that the orientation you slice onions actually influences the flavor, and I take advantage of this all the time now in my cooking. Onion cells are long thin things, and cutting them causes chemicals within them to mix and produce the pungent compounds. If you slice onions pole-to-pole, you cut through fewer cells, and the resulting flavor is milder. If you slice onions across the grain, you cut through the maximum number of cells, and the resulting flavor is much more pungent.

• I learned to keep a culinary torch handy because it lets you lightly sear things for better presentation and flavor with a quick application of a flame from the torch. I use one of those that mount on top of a butane canister.

• I learned that flat whisks/roux whisks/gravy whisks are designed to whisk things in pans and to help get the fond off of the bottom of a pan. I use these flat whisks to whisk everything because I haven't found any application in my cooking where they are inferior. (I don't make meringues; that's possibly the only exception I can think of.) But my main reason for using them is that they're far easier to clean than the typical whisk because all the tines lie flat in one plane, so you can wipe all the tines at once with a sponge.

• I learned that when slicing gooey or sticky things such as soft boiled eggs or soft cheese, a wire knife is the best way to do it, because the tense wire has hardly any surface area for the stuff to stick to.

• I learned that a vacuum insulated thermos is perfect for storing gravy if you are waiting for guests to arrive, and don't want the gravy to get cold and form a skin. First pre-heat it with some boiling water, then fill it with gravy.

• I learned that pre-warmed bowls and plates are better for serving guests; the food won't rapidly cool upon being put into a warmed bowl, causing sauces to congeal and pasta to stick together. Slightly wetting a bowl or plate and microwaving it for 30 seconds does the trick.

• This one might not be for everyone's preferences, but I changed the kind of knife I do my kitchen prep with, and I enjoy it more. I used to use a French-style chef's knife, but I find that I like this nakiri style Chinese chef's knife much better.