English version translated by AI, see below.
怎么做出一桌尽可能好的菜，除了熟悉食材技巧，更多是思维的问题。下面是我学习过程中的一些拙见，也是自己的记录，不一定对每个人有用。
我将做菜分为 3 种
- 日常凑合吃，随便做熟即可。
- 练习学习：每个环节都以正式上菜的要求练习，犯错后思考，以不断改进。
- 正式出品。
练习与准备
- 练习学习：自己一个人做几遍，尝一尝，不断改进。
- 练习学习：不是每个网络教学都靠谱，有些非常草台班子，中看不中用，自己多试。
- 练习学习：一个菜就是可以有众多版本都好吃，不要太追求哪一版。
- 练习学习：对这世间已有成品的菜，原则上吃过才会做得好；没有吃过、不熟悉的做法 or 食材的话，没做好的话，不要 push 自己。
- 在家想要出品好，要舍得，器具买够，食材买够。比如很多菜酒店都是过油的，家里要舍得用宽油。
- 食材宁愿买多，不能买少；做饭时差东西就不好了。
- 正式出品时，食材有问题，觉得一点点奇怪，不像你熟悉的样子，都不要使用；宁愿少做一个菜，也不要出现问题。
- 处理食材的时，敢于舍弃边角料（指不好看的辣椒头之类，土豆最后切剩下的薄片等等），会让最后的成品更好看。
- 配比非常重要，宁愿剩下来多余的配菜，也不要想着一锅做完。
- 把食材捡出来和放进去一样重要，比如花椒、姜、大料。
- 没自己做成功过的菜，给他人做饭时不要上桌，或者声明是练习试菜。
- 由于我不是每天做菜，所以要复习、总结好菜谱才行，列出来每一道菜的流程。
- 任何加热的菜，低于 10 mins 时一直守着火，不要节约时间做别的；稍稍过熟，菜都会不好。
- 准备好所有的食材，先洗好菜，配比好每个菜，包括调料碗，然后才能开火。
- 准备阶段都是铁具、不锈钢具，上菜才用瓷器。
- 都要热盘子。
- 餐具有审美，餐具不好看，菜好吃也没用。
- 大多数人做菜不好吃的情况，都是由于调料放多了，而不是放少。
-
合理安排蒸、炖、卤、凉菜，利用烤箱温菜。
- 头一天：上午就规划好所有的菜，一定要列出来（不然漏买，麻烦）；下午好买菜；晚上泡、解冻。
- 正式做一桌菜时，没必要为一个细节，差一味香料、少一次复炸，多费很多功夫；保证整体的味道好吃是最重要的。特别是菜多时，无法每一个细节做到单独练习那个菜的峰值水平，而是要保证每个菜在水平线上的好吃。
- 正式出品时，对不熟悉的食材，一定不要临时自创不熟的做法。比如有一次口蘑，一般都是要煎或者炒；直接煮，量多了会有腥味。
- 总之遵守计划和自己列的食谱，尽可能不要临时更改计划，或者临时决定多做很难的菜；做多了，手忙脚乱，不好吃。
收尾与复盘
- 练习时，每一个菜都要总结写下来，每一步过程都写好。
- 尤其是出现过的问题，反思记录好，证伪才能学习。
- 每个菜要认真拍照，便于回忆总结。
How to make a table of dishes as good as possible is not only about knowing ingredients and techniques — it is even more about mindset.
The notes below are some of my personal thoughts and lessons learned during practice. They are simply a record for myself and may not be useful for everyone.
Three Modes of Cooking
I divide cooking into three categories:
- Everyday cooking — just make it edible.
- Practice mode — treat every step as if you were serving it formally, but allow mistakes. In fact, mistakes and reflection are encouraged to improve.
- Final serving — actual dishes served to others.
Practice & Preparation
- Practice: cook the same dish multiple times on your own, taste it, and keep improving.
- Not all online tutorials are reliable. Some look good but are impractical — test things yourself.
- A single dish can have many good variations. Don’t obsess over finding “the one”.
- For established dishes, you generally cook them better if you’ve tasted them before. If you’re unfamiliar with the dish or ingredients, don’t push yourself too hard if it doesn’t turn out well.
- If you want good results at home, don’t be stingy: invest in proper tools and enough ingredients. For example, many restaurant dishes use generous amounts of oil — you need to be willing to do the same.
- It’s better to buy more ingredients than too little. Cutting corners will hurt the result.
- Always check your ingredients. If anything feels even slightly off or unfamiliar, don’t use it.
- Ratios matter a lot. It’s better to have leftovers than to try to make everything in one pot.
- Removing ingredients is as important as adding them (e.g. Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, spices).
- Once the heat is on, stay focused. Even slight overcooking can ruin a dish.
- Don’t serve dishes to others that you haven’t successfully made before — or clearly label them as experiments.
- Since I don’t cook every day, I need to review and document recipes carefully — write down the full process for each dish.
- For dishes that cook in under 10 minutes, stay at the stove the entire time. Don’t multitask — even slight overcooking will ruin it. Induction stoves burn easily. Don’t get distracted.
- Prepare everything before turning on the heat: wash, portion, and measure all ingredients, including sauces.
- Use metal or stainless steel tools during prep; switch to ceramic when serving.
- Always preheat plates.
- Tableware matters. Even great food suffers if presentation looks bad.
- When preparing ingredients, don’t hesitate to trim off imperfect edges — it improves the final presentation.
- Most of my failed dishes come from over-seasoning.
- Keep a fixed setup for tasting: one plate, one pair of chopsticks, one spoon.
- When preparing a full table, don’t over-optimize every tiny detail (e.g. missing one spice, skipping a second fry). Focus on overall quality instead of perfection in each dish.
- For unfamiliar ingredients, don’t improvise unfamiliar techniques. For example, button mushrooms are usually pan-fried or sautéed — boiling them in large amounts can create a strong odor.
- Stick to your plan. Don’t suddenly add more dishes — it leads to chaos and worse results.
- Plan ahead: decide all dishes the day before (write them down), shop in the afternoon, and soak/defrost at night.
- Coordinate cooking methods: steaming, braising, marinating, cold dishes — and use the oven to keep dishes warm.
Finishing & Reflection
- After cooking (especially in practice), write down every step for each dish.
- Pay special attention to mistakes. Reflection and correction are how you improve.
- Take photos of every dish to help with future review.