15 Kitchen Skills To Master By The Time You're 30

1. How to make eggs three ways.

Take your pick — fried, scrambled, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached — then learn exactly how to nail each version here. Once you've mastered that, experiment with turning eggs into full meals — they're versatile, cheap, and packed with protein.

Recipes: Perfect Scrambled Eggs | Poached Eggs & Avocado Toast | Skillet Sweet Potato Frittata

1. How to cook pasta perfectly.

Three important things to remember:

1. Salt your water! Don't be shy here — this is key, as it will flavor the noodles aka the entire base of your dish.

2. Stir the noodles occasionally so they cook evenly and don't stick together.

3. Drain the pasta at the right time so that it's al dente — not too hard, not too soft.

1. And how to make a killer sauce that isn't straight out of a jar.

Start with a super easy tomato sauce — like this classic version by Marcella Hazan that proves you don't need a laundry list of ingredients to make something rich and delicious. (In this case: only tomatoes, butter, onion, and salt.)

Then move on to more detailed sauces, like an ultimate red sauce spiked with wine, or this fancier carbonara made with creamy squash, bacon or pancetta, and lots of cheese.

1. How to bake incredible cookies from scratch.

Listen, I'm the first to admit that I'll never refuse a fresh batch (or four) of Nestle Toll House cookies. But there's ~also~ something to be said about making your own glorious bites from scratch every now and then. Totally worth it.

Recipe: The Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

1. How to make a damn good cocktail.

These easy ideas for two-ingredient and three-ingredient cocktails are great starting points. (Then move onto these impressive Harry Potter cocktails, these Batman cocktails, or both. Preferably both.)

Recipes: 3-Ingredient Cocktails | The Phoenix Feather | Raspberry Mojito Punch

1. How to store your fruits and vegetables correctly.

Because you can't get really get a jump start on anything else unless your kitchen basics — like food storage and organization — are in check.

More info: This Is Exactly How To Store Your Groceries

1. How to slow cook like a pro.

Confession: I discovered slow cookers during my senior year of college, and haven't stopped using them since. There's something that'll never get old about the ease of tossing ingredients into a pot, doing your own thing for a few hours (whether that's studying for finals or binge-watching Netflix), and coming back to a meal that has basically cooked itself.

Recipes: Spicy Slow Cooker Carnitas | 27 Tasty Crock Pot Recipes You’ll Make Again And Again

1. And alternatively, how to cook fast.

(Because life's too short to be hangry.)

Recipes: 15 Meals You Can Make In 15 Minutes | 17 Tasty Dinners You Can Make In 20 Minutes Or Less

1. How to make healthier swaps when you want to.

Whether's it's quick ingredient substitutions (like trading maple syrup for fruit), or experimenting with better-for-you alternatives when you're craving something sweet (like making soft serve out of frozen bananas) — the more swaps you have in your arsenal, the better.

Info & recipes: 27 Very Easy Ways To Eat Healthier | How To Make Creamy Banana Soft Serve

1. How to cook an entire dinner on one sheet pan.

Any time you can cook protein and vegetables at the same time (and on the same surface, for less cleanup), it’s a good thing. Sheet pan dinners are the oven-ready equivalent of Crock-Pot dump dinners, or one-pot meals — and are perfect for busy weeknights.

Recipes: Sheet Pan Salmon with Crispy Kale | One-Pan Chicken, Potatoes & Carrots | Sheet Pan Hasselback Cheesy Fajitas