The basics: seasoning

If there's one thing I've learned from the Food Network (back when it had real chefs cooking real food rather than such culinary luminaries as Sandra Lee), it's that you need to season your food. Also, how often do contestants on Top Chef get blasted by Tom Colicchio for not seasoning their food properly?

Salt and Pepper

While lots of people use basic iodized salt, it tastes like s**t. One of the easiest things you can do to make your food taste better is to use kosher salt or sea salt instead. I use kosher salt (Morton coarse Kosher salt, specifically) because its coarse size allows you to sprinkle it from about a foot above your food and feel like a celebrity chef. Actually, the size does make it easier to distribute over food. And, it's not that much pricier than plain iodized salt and tastes much better.

Next, use fresh cracked black pepper instead of pre-ground. Pre-ground pepper is flavorless and sad. The pungent, biting taste of freshly cracked pepper is what you want for your food. Starting with whole peppercorns, use a pepper mill or crush them manually by putting them in a ziplock and pounding them with a rolling pin or heavy pan for a coarser texture. A mortar and pestle also works. I use a Unicorn Magnum Pepper Mill (an unfortunate name) that churns out a ridiculous amount of ground pepper with every twist.

In summary, amaze your friends and loved ones by using nicer s+p (I heart you, Rachel Ray).

P.S. I definitely do not heart Rachel Ray.