One big difference that separates the professional chef from the home cook is the understanding of the principle of carryover cooking. After food is removed from heat, it continues to cook an additional five to fifteen degrees, a fact that most people are not aware of. This leads to dry food which is both nutritionally and flavorfully lacking. A good tip on cooking like a professional chef would be to take your food off the stove or out of the oven several minutes before you would normally, and you'll be rewarded with juicier chicken and crisper vegetables that haven't lost most of their nutritional value in the cooking process.

Try the following shrimp recipe and you'll see what I mean. Trust me!