Jennifer from Savory Simple shares practical tips for cooking like a pro at home. Learn about the five tastes, how to season confidently, and other essential techniques.
This episode focuses on practical techniques that help home cooks gain confidence and produce consistently delicious results.
I speak with Jennifer Farley, the founder of Savory Simple, a site dedicated to well-tested recipes and clear tutorials designed to make cooking approachable. Her mission is to help home cooks become fearless in the kitchen.
Jennifer trained in the Culinary Arts at L’Academie de Cuisine (class of 2010) and has experience as a line cook, pastry chef, and cooking instructor. Before culinary school she spent a decade in a photography studio, where she learned digital photography and image editing—skills she later applied to food blogging and photography.
Her cookbook, The Gourmet Kitchen, was published in 2015. She has contributed a weekly cooking column to The Washington Post Food Section, and her recipes and tutorials have appeared on a variety of online food sites. Jennifer also teaches food photography workshops and has presented at industry events and conferences.
She lives and works full time as a food blogger in Washington, D.C., with her husband Jeff and their cat, Eleanor Rigby.
In this conversation Jennifer shares core techniques and mindset shifts that make a big difference in home cooking. Jot down a few takeaways—you’ll use them often.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
This week’s highlighted recipe is Greek Lemon Potatoes. They’re roasted until tender and caramelized, with bright lemon and oregano notes that pair beautifully with chicken, lamb, or a simple Greek salad. They’re small flavor bombs worth making for any weeknight or gathering.
LISTEN IN
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Episode 33 – How to Cook Like a Pro
5 TASTES
- Salty
- Sweet
- Bitter
- Acid / Sour
- Umami
UNDERSTANDING HOW TO SEASON
- Seasoning is a learned skill. When recipes say “season to taste,” it reflects individual preferences—what’s perfect for one person may be too salty or bland for another.
- If a dish tastes flat, it usually needs salt or acid. Salt can come from unexpected sources—salty nuts, soy sauce, cured foods—so think broadly when building flavor.
HOW TO GLAZE / DEGLAZE
- Use a splash of liquid—wine, stock, or even water—to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Those browned bits (fond) concentrate flavor and are the foundation for pan sauces, stews, and braises.
SMOKE POINTS OF FATS AND OILS
- Choose an oil appropriate to the cooking temperature. Oils like grapeseed, regular olive oil, and ghee/clarified butter tolerate higher heat and are useful for searing and sautéing.
HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK
- Make stock with raw chicken bones when possible. Collagen from raw bones simmers into gelatin, which improves both flavor and mouthfeel, giving the stock more body and richness.
LINKS DISCUSSED
The episode references resources on the five tastes, seasoning techniques, caramelized onions, making pan sauces, and smoke points for oils, all helpful for deepening the ideas discussed.
WHERE TO FIND JENNIFER
- Savory Simple website
- Instagram (Savory Simple)
- Facebook (Savory Simple)
MORE EPISODES
Visit the show page for more episodes and additional resources to help you cook with confidence.