3 Cringey Cooking Mistakes & How To Fix Them, From A Trained Chef 

We always say food is medicine, but food is so much more about the nutrients that fuel your body. Food is connection, it's love, it's identity—and as Kimbal Musk, professional chef, philanthropist, entrepreneur, and author of The Kitchen Cookbook, declares, food is a gift. 

Scrambling eggs sounds easy enough—but according to Musk, it's actually one of the most difficult meals to make. "It is total meditative focus. There is no multitasking," he says. "I know if I take my eye off the ball for one second, it won't be what I want it to be." 

As a general rule: Cook your eggs low and slow, with constant agitation from the spatula. And focus! "I use it as an opportunity in the morning to have this meditative way to start the day," he adds.

You'll also want to practice your egg-making skills—yes, really. "Of all of the things out there, eggs are one of those [meals] that you've got to practice," he says. You may have cooked eggs a thousand times before, but have you actually thought about the intentional techniques you're using? 

Contrary to popular belief, "You don't have to do much to vegetables," says Musk. Their natural flavors are what we commonly crave, and pulling out all the stops can often backfire. "The major mistake people make with vegetables is overcooking [them]," says Musk. 

That's not to say you shouldn't season your veggies at all—a little salt goes a long way, depending on each vegetable's natural flavor profile. 

For example, squash naturally contains a lot of sugar, so "it actually needs more salt than broccoli. Broccoli needs very little salt," he says. "Carrots and asparagus need quite a lot of salt to balance out the sugars, and you don't want to cook it too long, or it becomes a little mushy." 

When it comes to cooking steak, Musk has one rule: Don't touch it. 

Simply rub with salt and pepper on both sides, bring a pan with olive oil to a medium heat, and lay the steak down once it's hot. "And you don't move it. You don't even touch it—depending on how you like your steak—for five to 10 minutes," he says. 

Once it develops a golden brown crust on the outside, carefully flip the steak without jostling it. Then once it's done, gently take the steak off the pan and let it rest for another five to 10 minutes before you touch it. 

"What you're doing with the steak is trying to avoid the juices from running out, so that when you eventually eat it, it [doesn't have] that dry texture," he explains. "Anyone who has cooked steak, including me, has made the mistake of cutting the steak too soon. All the juices will just run all over your cutting board, and you want the least amount of that as possible."