Dan Kaplin Cooks

06/07/2026

I love Mexican cuisine, so I use a lot of dried spices like cumin, coriander, various chilies, and Mexican oregano. Side note, Mexican oregano is way different than standard oregano. If a recipe calls for Mexican oregano, don't replace it with oregano, just omit it. The best thing to do (and it will also save you money) is to buy a spice/coffee grinder, buy whole spices and grind them yourself. You'll get better flavor, you can grind what you need, and it will be cheaper. The whole spices will last way longer than pre-ground spices in the little expensive bottles. I have a bag of whole Mexican oregano from years ago and it is still good. Pro-tip: You can also toast the spices before you grind them to give you even better flavor. Just heat them in a dry skillet over med heat until you can smell them getting fragrant, then pour them in a bowl to cool. I do this all the time. You can also do this with your whole peppercorns- I hope you are all using whole peppercorns in a table grinder and not pre-ground pepper- that stuff has no flavor and is a waste of money. When buying a spice grinder (they are reasonably cheap) make sure the inside grinding cup and blade have no plastic parts, they will retain the taste and smell of previously ground spices, all metal ones won't. I speak from experience on this point.

05/25/2026

Salting tips: 1) Use flaky salt- not iodized salt. Diamond Crystal in the red box is the industry standard. Mortons Kosher salt works too. A flaky salt is easier to gauge how much you have in your fingers.
2) Salt from a height around 10 inches over your food for even distribution.
3) Instead of buying popcorn salt, put salt in a pepper grinder to get that fine consistency.

05/23/2026

Here we go- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Holy crap! Yes, there are a ton of olive oils. Here are the basics. If you are using olive oil to low temp fry or sauté, then supermarket Bertolli, Colavita, and California brands are fine. If you want raw plus best cooking type, then Graza Sizzle is the go-to. The top drizzle olive oils that are expensive are (to me) a waste of money (unless that's your thing- then Graza Drizzle and Lucini are it). Graza sizzle is my top of the line in my home kitchen. Bertolli and California are my workhorse EVOO's. Always buy olive oils in dark bottles and store in a dark place- it hates light. Plus, look for a harvest date on the bottle- not a sell by date. You want the freshest harvest date.

05/23/2026

Topic: Cutting boards. Wood ones are the best. Hard woods like Maple, Walnut, etc. Plastic is okay, but you will have microplastics in your food. Contrary to some beliefs, scientifically wood is better than plastic to kill bacteria. The best wood ones are made with end grain wood, not lengthwise planks. Always dry them after cleaning and condition them with food grade mineral oil every week and they will last for decades. Never use glass, titanium, or bamboo. They will kill your knives.

05/23/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XALaSzkUro

The essential guide to all things knife skills.Get My Cookbook: https://bit.ly/TextureOverTasteAdditional Cookbook Options (other stores, international, etc....

05/23/2026

05/23/2026

Tip #2) (Should have been #1) The most important skill as a cook is knowing how to season your food. That means using salt. The one reason why restaurant food tastes better than home cooking is how they use salt (they use more than you want to know). Season (salt) throughout the cooking process, don't wait until the end to salt everything. You can adjust and add some salt at the end (especially flaky finishing salt), but the majority of seasoning happens during the cooking process.

05/23/2026

Topic: Knives. Get a really good chef's knife. It doesn't have to be crazy expensive, but a good chef's knife should last you many years and will be worth the investment. Make sure it is very sharp and hone it before every use. A dull knife is a dangerous knife. My most expensive ($450) knife is my sushi single edge from Japan. My favorite is my Miyabi chef's knife. It's beautiful and was a graduation present from culinary school. You don't need it, but if you want to splurge, that's the one. I admit I have a knife problem😉 My workhorses are from Shun. They are thin and light, but you have to have some skill so you don't chip them. Dalstrong are my be**er knives. Well made from China, they hold an edge and are tough. If you want a more in-depth personal recommendation to your needs, feel free to message me. I'm really into this subject and love talking about it.

05/23/2026

The best tomatoes to buy from the supermarket are Campari tomatoes. They are the only ones I buy until I can get locally grown tomatoes.

05/23/2026

Tip #1) I juice a decent number of lemons and limes at home with a hand juicer. Here's the tip- cut your fruit in half and juice the one side, remove and juice the other side, then put back the first side and juice both at the same time. You'll get a lot more juice this way.