Chefs share their best tricks for making 15 foods that everyone should know how to cook

Perfect some of your go-to recipes with these tips and tricks from chefs. chompoo09/Shutterstock Business Insider spoke with three professional chefs to find out their best cooking tricks . Salt ice water when blanching vegetables and use leftover herb stems to make salad dressings. Make creamier mashed potatoes by boiling potatoes in milk instead of water. Whether you're hosting a feast or cooking yourself a quick dinner, it's important to master a few recipes and have some go-to dishes up your sleeve. Professional chefs know this very well — and many have spent years learning tricks for making even the most common dishes better. So, Business Insider asked three chefs to share their best tips for upgrading 15 foods everyone should know how to cook. Here's what they had to say. Make super creamy mashed potatoes by boiling the potatoes in milk instead of water.