When you follow a recipe to a disappointing outcome, you probably say, "well, that didn't cook right." What you don't realize is that the actual cooking is usually the least important factor in culinary success. In fact, most issues start right in the beginning with inadequate knife skills. Professional chefs know this, but they rarely share this simple truth with the public, which leaves very frustrated cooks out there, who are looking for answers. So, what is the essential cooking instruction that all home cooks need to know?

It turns out that proper preparation is the foundation to all good cooking. This is why professional kitchens are inspected for safety and cleanliness standards and why most professional chefs spend their first year or two in the kitchen doing nothing but cutting and honing their knife skills. "When you want to learn to play the guitar, you don't start by buying sheet music," says Chef Todd Mohr, host of the Internet cooking series "Cooking Coarse", which focuses on teaching viewers to cook by learning basic cooking methods instead of relying on recipes for cooking instruction.

Learn Knife Skills.

Why would you need good knife skills when every day there's a new kitchen gadget on the market, promising to save you time and do it for you? Well, you don't ever see professional chefs using the chopper dicer, do you? This is because learning basic knife skills and knife "shortcuts" make it easier AND faster to prepare most dishes. Mastering how to cut the most common household fruits, vegetables and meats is essential to being a successful home cook. Fortunately, anyone can learn basic knife skills quickly, and, with a little practice, can be chopping like a pro in no time!

The Only Cooking Pans You Need

How many cooking pans are currently in your kitchen cabinets right now? What about cooking tools. I'll bet you have a lot of them, but I Would also bet that you are missing some of the essentials. Don't worry - you are not alone! Most home cooks make the error of commission (over-buying and wasting money) or ommission (under-buying and their cooking suffers). Neither outcome is ideal. here are five cooking pans that every kitchen must have. Many kitchens have much more than five but are still lacking one or two of the necessary ones.

Kitchen Safety is not Just for Professionals.

Home kitchen safety is important. Just because your kitchen is not inspected for safety - as is a professional kitchen, it is still important to make sure it is a safe and sanitary work space for cooking. In a worst case scenario, you could be unknowingly serving unsafe food to your family and friends. But even bacteria that cannot hurt you, can damage the results you are trying to achieve in your cooking. Learning to identify fresh from spoiled food and understanding the difference between "clean" and "sanitized" is important for ensuring the best possible cooking outcome.