News What Chefs Know Best: 30 Lessons from the Pros Our Best New Chefs consistently amaze us with their kitchen wisdom. Here, past winners share their expertise with mini lessons on everything from how to make the ultimate panini to how to stock the perfect pantry.Researched by Kristin Donnelly, Emily Kaiser, Megan Krigbaum and Jen Murphy By Ratha Tep Ratha Tep Ratha Tep is a freelance journalist based in Dublin, Ireland, who has covered travel, food, art, design, and culture for print and digital publications such as Afar, Travel + Leisure, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times Style Magazine. She was an editor at Food & Wine for seven years where she wrote and edited features. Ratha is a frequent contributor to The New York Times. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 31, 2015 Share Tweet Pin Email Lesson 1: Outstanding Bacon Lesson 2: Top Country Ham Lesson 3: Buying Fish Lesson 4: Cooking Like a Latino Lesson 5: Buying Chiles Lesson 6: Using Butter Lesson 7: Dukka Lesson 8: Tuna and Gruyère Panino Lesson 9: 10-Minute Tomato Sauce Lesson 10: Dressing a Salad Lesson 11: Choosing a Knife Lesson 12: Sharpening a Knife Lesson 13: Storing Cheese Lessons 14–17: Using Great Inexpensive Tools Lesson 18: Red Snapper Ceviche Lesson 19: How to Prepare Whole Fish Lesson 20: How to Prepare the Perfect Steak Lesson 21: Prepping Party Food Lesson 22: Creating a Wine Registry Lesson 23–25: Making Quick Desserts: Port-Mulled Cherries with Ricotta (plus two recipe variations) Lessons 26–28: Matching Wines Lesson 29: Tender Meat: Roast Chicken with Bread Salad Lesson 30: Tasty Broth Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit