Think about the first time you ever tried to perform an especially challenging task, like knitting a sweater or building a birdhouse. Did you just read about how it’s done? Did you have pictures, or even better, someone who physically showed you how to do it?

Any good teacher knows that showing someone how to do something is profoundly more effective than simply telling them how. Cooking demonstration is no different.

Cooking demonstration is simply the act of showing a student or group of students the proper way to prepare a meal or follow a specific recipe. In cooking, demonstration is particularly important; since there are so many factors – how long you might choose to cook something, or the quality and interaction of specific ingredients –  there are more opportunities for mistakes. If a professional chef has shown you how to prepare something, it increases your chances of success when you try the recipe by yourself.

Cooking demonstration is the reason the Food Network is so popular. Everyone loves to eat good food – many of us just need someone to show us the ropes.

Here are just a few things a budding chef can learn from just one cooking demonstration session:

The Right Tools. Maybe you’ve been using the wrong pan to sear meat. Or maybe you’ve been using the most expensive cheese grater on the market when something from the dollar store would actually work more effectively. A good cooking demonstration with a professional chef can help you choose the kitchen gear that’ll make dinner a breeze.

The Right Ingredients. Did you know that sweet onions are actually less sweet than their bolder cousins once they’ve been cooked? The chemical makeup of various types of onions makes them react to heat in different ways – some will lose a substantial amount of flavor while others will sweeten dramatically. A cooking demonstration is a chef’s chance to explain to his students how disparate flavors will interact. He can also explain how to choose a good vegetable or cut of meat.