Good food doesn't have to be complicated. There are lots of simple techniques and tricks to incorporate into your cooking that will give you a professional result in preparation, presentation and flavour.

This is such a simple, even obvious, hack but you’ll be amazed at how many of us don’t do it. Invest in a quality set of knives and sharpen before each use. It makes cooking easier and safer and only takes a minute.

To cut onions quickly and efficiently cut the top off then cut in half and peel, leaving the root intact. Take half and place on its flat side, press down gently and cut horizontally in 1cm sections, up to the root. Then slice vertically lengthways towards the root, holding the onion to secure it. Finally, slice again vertically widthways to create little squares. Discard the root end. Repeat with the other half.

This is a brilliantly easy hack – and one of loveFOOD readers' top baking tips. When baking take any ingredients that are being stored in the fridge and let them come up to room temperature before using. It means that the food will cook evenly, and at the temperature and time stated in the recipe.

It’s not unusual for chefs to marinade meat up to two days in advance. A marinade acts as a tenderiser resulting in wonderfully soft and juicy meat. Not sure where to start? We've compiled a list of the best marinades for every type of meat and fish.

Mise en place is French for 'everything in its place'. No decent chef cooks surrounded by mess. Organisation, preparation and cleanliness are essential: have your ingredients and cooking utensils at the ready and a bowl for waste. It saves time (no more regular trips to the bin) and simplifies the cooking process.

Any chef worth their salt knows that scoring meat and fish allows marinades to be better absorbed and speeds up the cooking process. If you're cooking a duck breast (pictured) it also prevents the skin from shrinking and pulling away from the meat.

There are numerous ways to peel cloves of garlic but Gordon Ramsay’s is one of the best, if not the most energetic. To peel a whole bulb, separate the cloves, press down quickly on each one with a large knife then place in a bowl with a lip. Place another bowl on top so the cloves can't escape and shake the bowls vigorously for 10 seconds to remove the skin.

Great chefs agree that steaks benefit from being cooked in a smoking-hot, thick pan, preferably cast iron. Oil and season the steaks (not the pan) then cook – the amount depends on how you like yours but it’s usually between 1½–4½ minutes each side for a 3.5cm thick steak, less for a thinner steak. Always rest the meat for 5–10 minutes, covered loosely in foil, before serving. We've compiled more top tips for cooking steak right every time here.

If you like a light but flavorful sauce or jus with your meat then do as the pros do and use the juices and food particles in the pan that are left over from your cooking, in a technique known as deglazing. Heat the pan, add some wine (or stock if you prefer) and warm until the liquid is bubbling nicely, stirring and scraping to incorporate sticky bits into the sauce. Cook for around five minutes, seasoning and tasting as you do. You can also whisk in some butter or olive oil for a richer result.

Mario Batali’s Twitter feed is full of useful tips, including this one for restaurant-style fish with crispy skin. First, use a non-stick ovenproof pan and start on a low heat with the skin down. Then increase the temperature and cook until the fish is 80% done. At this point, flip the fish and toss in a 500°F [260°C] oven for 1–2 mins.

Whether you’re cooking meat, fish or vegetables, overcrowding a pan is a big no-no – doing so lowers the heat and generates moisture. Browning doesn’t occur and the food cooks unevenly.

Adding cold water or stock while making soups, stews, risottos and the like slows the cooking process and can affect the result. Use warm or hot liquid – chefs know this, and now you do too.

Dried herbs enhance flavour and fresh herbs lighten a dish. Adding tarragon to chicken, basil to tomato sauce, sage to pork, or rosemary to lamb can make a big difference, while many Asian dishes aren't complete without the likes of fresh mint, coriander (cilantro) and Thai (sweet) basil. These are the herbs and spices that should always be in your kitchen. 

Wash and dry your herbs before chopping or they'll turn to mush. Soft herbs such as mint and basil can be torn by hand or rolled up and sliced to make thin ribbons, while coriander (cilantro) and parsley can be chopped with their thinner stems intact as they're full of flavour. For hardier herbs such as thyme and rosemary, strip the leaves from the stems (discard the woody stems) and chop the leaves finely.

When rustling up tomato sauce or salsa, chefs know to discard tough tomato skins. Here’s how: score an X at the stem of each tomato, drop in boiling water for 15–20 seconds, remove and put straight into iced water until cool enough to work with, then pull the skin away in strips.

Roux serves as a thickening base for gravy, stews and sauces such as béchamel (white sauce). It's made in a pan with equal amounts of melted butter and plain flour mixed vigorously together before liquid is added. Chefs will work on perfecting this method as it comes up time and again in the kitchen.

Kitchens work to tight margins and won’t throw away produce that can be used in some way. For example, fresh tomatoes on the turn will be cut widthways, seasoned and splashed with oil and slow roasted in the oven at about 200°C (390°F) for a couple of hours. These can then be used for pasta or pizza dishes or in salads.

If a dish tastes bland salt will enhance flavour. Professional cooks don’t just add salt and pepper at the end of cooking, they add it throughout, tasting as they go.

It may seem counter-intuitive to add sugar to savoury dishes but it acts as a seasoning, like salt, to balance out the sharpness of acidic ingredients such as vinegar or tomatoes. Alternatively, a dish that’s a little sweet or bland will benefit from acidity from citrus juice, vinegar or Worcester sauce.

A common trick in kitchens when a dish has been over-salted is to add a raw, peeled potato during cooking. It's said to absorb excess seasoning, and according to Raymond Blanc, it really does work.

Chefs ensure their stock is rich and flavorful and this is the reason why many home-cooked dishes don’t taste as good as restaurant ones. A mix of slow-roasted and raw meat and/or poultry bones make the best stock, along with fresh vegetables or scraps (onions, carrots, celery), seasoning and a couple of bay leaves, and lots of water. Bring to a boil in a large pan then simmer on a low heat for a few hours – four or more isn’t unusual. If you're vegetarian, don't despair: homemade vegetarian stocks can lift your dishes just as well (try this recipe).

Blanching involves cooking vegetables in boiling water for a few minutes (depending on the variety) before plunging them into an ice bath. This method stops the vegetables overcooking, they’ll retain their crispy texture and colour, and it removes bitterness from certain varieties. Blanching also seals in flavour and vitamins. The blanched vegetables can then be cooked more or warmed later, if necessary, and even frozen.

A quick way to test whether vegetables are cooked through is to use a metal skewer that you’d use to see if a cake is baked. If it goes through with ease the vegetables are done.

Homemade mash doesn’t live up to restaurant mash? Yours probably has half the calories but tastes half as good. Chefs have differing methods but generally agree that potatoes should be brought up to heat for even cooking (don’t add them to boiling water); liberal amounts of butter or cream (or both) are necessary; and mash should be hand-whisked (don’t overdo it). Don’t forget to season as you go.

Master chopstick skills to look like a pro when making Asian food. Chopsticks are used in many Asian restaurant kitchens to turn or move around stir-fried foods during cooking. (They can also be used to pick out eggshell pieces that have dropped into the mix.)

Mangoes can be a pesky fruit to prep but professionals know how to do it without fuss or waste. Cut the mango in half (on each side of the stone), slice grids into each half then invert the fruit. Mango cubes pop up – these can then be sliced off.

Master one omelette recipe and you can use it as the base for endless variations. Jamie Oliver’s perfect omelette method starts with a 7-inch non-stick pan on a medium heat, with enough olive oil and butter to coat the bottom. Then whisk three eggs, season and add to the pan. For the first 20 seconds or so fold in the mixture from the sides. Move the liquid around so the bottom of the pan is covered then leave to cook on a low heat for no more than a minute. Shake the pan gently to dislodge the omelette, fold each side in with a spatula, and put on a plate.

Chefs don’t become professional overnight. They practice and practice, making mistakes along the way. Most of all they’re prepared, use the right ingredients and utensils, and don’t change or add to a recipe until they’ve perfected it first.