We can’t all be world-class chefs when it comes to meal prepping and cooking dinner every night. For many, cooking is a nuisance, and takes up valuable me-time after you get home from work. For others, cooking is enticing, but they don’t know how to cook properly or correctly.

If you’re determined to master your kitchen, here are 5 good cooking habits that anyone can adopt to become a real cook:

• Salt: Yes, too much salt is a bad thing. But, just enough salt can help enhance literally every flavor. Don’t be afraid to salt up your veggie stir-fries and lighter meats like chicken so they have some actual flavor to them.
• Hot Oil: It’s important to heat up your oil before you drop in your items. The hotter the oil, the crispier your sauté when it's all said and done. Plus, you don’t want your food to just sit in the oil and soak it up.
• Broth & Water: If your pain dries up in the middle of cooking, don’t be discouraged. A few drops of water or chicken broth can bring the meal back to life and keep you from permanently damaging your pan.
• Taste It: Like all famous chefs, you need to taste your creation as you make it. How can you know if it tastes good if you haven’t sampled it for yourself?
• Acid: Acid really brings out the flavors in dishes, which is why vinegar and balsamic-based items can be a really nice finish on your meals. Not to mention, lemons and limes can pretty much complement any kind of dinner today.

Whip out your broth, oil, salt, and lemons the next time you cook.