Years ago, I was taking cooking lessons from a Basque Chef via WhatsApp. As he eased through dinner service at his restaurant, never missing a step, he issued a sequence of instructions to me 1100 miles away: “Mince ½ onion”, “sear the chops”, “sweat the mirepoix, no color please”, etc. Step by step, we tackled sophisticated dishes like Bacalao a la Viscaina, Chipirones en su tinto, and Gateau Basque. In many cases, I had never tasted the lesson of the day. I was flying completely blind. I didn’t question the sequence of tasks because, as a Michelin-trained Chef, it was his job to effortlessly manage the many sequential and simultaneous tasks of a highly complicated meal. As the student, it was my job to listen, do what I was told, and hone my skills. This division of labor worked well until he typed out a command like “Add a tablespoon of minced garlic to the pan.” With my knife skills being what they were back then, it would take me 5 minutes to gather, peel, and mince the garlic. Inevitably, mid-way through my mincing, Chef would chirp, “Are you still there?”

This scenario would never happen in a restaurant kitchen because the early staff’s mise en place efforts provide an abundance of pan-ready minced garlic during service. Even more likely, the prep cooks would have used a couple tricks in preparing this minced garlic that are unknown to most home cooks. With these tips, fresh pungent minced garlic will never be a cooking detour again. Indeed professional tricks of the trade are game changing for a home cook – putting food on the table in less time, with less stress and better results.