If you cook these 10 cuisines at home, you're more skilled than 98% of home cooks

I cook almost every single day. It's part of my routine, and honestly, it's how I make sure my family eats well without relying on takeout or processed meals. When Matias and I first moved to São Paulo, I realized pretty quickly that cooking at home wasn't just about saving money. It was about control, creativity, and keeping our little household running smoothly.

Over the years, I've experimented with different cuisines. Some were easier to master than others. Some required ingredients I'd never heard of before moving to Brazil. And some pushed me way out of my comfort zone in the best possible way.

Here's the thing though. Not all cuisines are created equal when it comes to skill level. Some require techniques that take years to get right. Others demand patience, precision, and a willingness to fail a few times before you nail it.

If you've managed to cook any of these ten cuisines well at home, you're operating at a level most home cooks never reach.

1. Japanese cuisine

Japanese cooking is all about precision and restraint. You're not covering up flavors with heavy sauces or spices. You're letting the ingredients speak for themselves, which means everything has to be perfect.

Take sushi, for example. Getting the rice right alone is a challenge. The texture, the temperature, the seasoning. It all matters. Then there's the knife work. Slicing fish for sashimi isn't something you can fake. One wrong angle and the texture is ruined.

Even simpler dishes like miso soup or tempura require more skill than people think. The broth needs balance. The batter needs to be light and crispy, not heavy or greasy. Japanese cuisine is about subtlety and respect for the ingredient. If you rush it, you lose everything.

I've tried making gyoza from scratch a few times. The folding technique took me weeks to get right, and I still don't think mine look as clean as the ones I see in restaurants. But that's the beauty of it. There's always room to improve.

2. French cuisine

French cooking has a reputation for being fancy, but it's really about mastering foundational techniques. Once you understand those, you can cook almost anything.

The five mother sauces are a good example. Béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato. These aren't just random recipes. They're the building blocks of countless dishes. But making them well requires attention to detail. Too much heat and your hollandaise breaks. Not enough whisking and your béchamel gets lumpy.

Then there's the patience factor. French cooking doesn't reward shortcuts. A proper beef bourguignon takes hours. Puff pastry is a full-day commitment. Even a simple coq au vin needs time for the flavors to develop.

I remember the first time I tried making a soufflé. It collapsed the second I took it out of the oven. I was so frustrated. But I kept trying, and eventually, I got it right. That's what French cooking teaches you. Stick with it, respect the process, and the results will come.

3. Indian cuisine

Indian food is all about layering flavors. You're not just throwing spices into a pot and hoping for the best. You're toasting them, grinding them, blooming them in oil, and building complexity step by step.

The spice blends alone are intimidating. Garam masala, curry powder, panch phoron. Each one has a purpose, and using them incorrectly can throw off an entire dish. Then there's the technique. Tempering spices in hot oil. Making your own paneer. Getting the perfect texture on a biryani.

I've been to a few Indian restaurants in São Paulo, and I'm always blown away by how much depth they achieve in their dishes. When I try to recreate them at home, I realize how much skill goes into balancing heat, sweetness, and acidity.

One of my girlfriends is vegetarian, and she introduced me to dal makhani. It's a lentil dish that sounds simple but takes forever to get right. The lentils need to be cooked low and slow until they're creamy. The spices need to be perfectly balanced. It's a dish that rewards patience, and if you rush it, you can taste the difference.

4. Thai cuisine

Thai cooking is all about balance. Sweet, sour, salty, spicy. Every dish is trying to hit all four notes at once, and getting that balance right is harder than it looks.

The ingredient list alone can be overwhelming. Fish sauce, tamarind paste, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, Thai basil. Some of these aren't easy to find, and if you substitute them with something else, the dish won't taste the same.

Then there's the heat. Thai food is spicy, but it's not just about dumping chili peppers into everything. It's about knowing which peppers to use, how much to add, and how to balance that heat with sweetness and acidity.

I made pad Thai once and thought it was going to be easy. It wasn't. Getting the noodles to the right texture without them sticking together was a challenge. Balancing the tamarind, fish sauce, and palm sugar took multiple tries. And the garnishes? They're not optional. They're part of the dish.

Thai cooking forces you to taste as you go and adjust constantly. There's no "set it and forget it" here.

5. Mexican cuisine (traditional, not Tex-Mex)

Authentic Mexican cooking is so much more than tacos and burritos. It's about complex sauces, fresh ingredients, and techniques that have been passed down for generations.

Take mole, for example. A traditional mole can have 20 or more ingredients. Dried chilies, chocolate, nuts, seeds, spices. Each one needs to be toasted, ground, and cooked at the right time. The sauce simmers for hours, and the result is something rich, layered, and completely unique.

Then there's the masa. If you're making tamales or tortillas from scratch, you need to know how to work with masa harina. The dough needs the right consistency. The tortillas need to puff up on the comal. It's a skill that takes practice.

I've tried making carnitas a few times. The pork needs to cook low and slow until it's tender, then you crisp it up at the end. Getting that balance between tender and crispy is tricky, but when you nail it, it's worth the effort.

Mexican cuisine also varies so much by region. What they eat in Oaxaca is completely different from what you'd find in Yucatán. Understanding those regional differences and mastering even one style is a huge accomplishment.

6. Chinese cuisine (regional styles)

Chinese food is incredibly diverse. Cantonese, Sichuanese, Hunanese, Shanghainese. Each region has its own techniques, ingredients, and flavor profiles.

Cantonese cooking focuses on fresh ingredients and delicate flavors. Sichuanese food is all about heat and numbing spice from Sichuan peppercorns. Hunanese cuisine is bold and smoky. And Shanghainese dishes are often sweet and savory at the same time.

Mastering even one of these styles takes serious skill. Stir-frying, for example, seems simple but requires high heat, quick movements, and perfect timing. If your wok isn't hot enough, the food steams instead of frying. If you wait too long to add the sauce, the vegetables overcook.

Then there's dim sum. Making dumplings from scratch is an art form. The dough needs to be thin but strong enough to hold the filling. The pleats need to be consistent. And the steaming needs to be timed perfectly so the wrapper doesn't tear or get gummy.

I've tried making mapo tofu at home, and getting the sauce right was harder than I expected. The balance of spicy, numbing, and savory is delicate. Too much doubanjiang and it's too salty. Not enough Sichuan peppercorns and you lose that signature tingle.

7. Italian cuisine (from scratch)

Everyone thinks they can cook Italian food because pasta and pizza are everywhere. But making authentic Italian dishes from scratch is a completely different level.

Fresh pasta is a good example. Mixing the dough, rolling it out, cutting it into shapes. It's simple in theory, but getting the texture right takes practice. Too much flour and it's tough. Not enough and it falls apart. And don't even get me started on filled pastas like ravioli or tortellini. The filling needs to be balanced, the sealing needs to be tight, and the cooking time needs to be precise.

Then there's risotto. You can't walk away from it. You have to stand there, stirring, adding broth little by little, until the rice reaches that creamy, al dente texture. If you rush it, the rice is crunchy. If you overcook it, it's mushy.

Pizza dough is another thing people underestimate. Getting it to rise properly, stretching it without tearing, and baking it at the right temperature to get that crispy, chewy crust. It's not as easy as it looks.

Italian cuisine is about simplicity, but that simplicity only works when your technique is solid and your ingredients are high quality.

8. Middle Eastern cuisine

Middle Eastern cooking is all about spices, slow cooking, and making the most of simple ingredients. It's comforting, flavorful, and requires more patience than you'd think.

Dishes like lamb shawarma or chicken kebabs need to be marinated for hours. The spices need time to penetrate the meat. The cooking method matters too. Grilling over charcoal gives you that smoky flavor you can't replicate in an oven.

Then there's the bread. Fresh pita or lavash isn't something most people make at home, but if you've done it, you know how finicky it can be. The dough needs to be soft and elastic. The oven needs to be screaming hot so the bread puffs up properly.

And don't forget about dishes like kibbeh or stuffed grape leaves. These take time, precision, and a lot of practice. The filling needs to be seasoned just right. The wrapping needs to be tight but not too tight.

I love making hummus from scratch. It sounds easy, but getting it smooth and creamy without a food processor takes effort. Peeling the chickpeas one by one is tedious, but it makes a difference.

9. Korean cuisine

Korean cooking is bold, fermented, and layered. It's not just about throwing gochujang into everything and calling it Korean food. There's technique behind every dish.

Kimchi is the obvious example. Making your own kimchi requires patience. You have to salt the cabbage, rinse it, mix it with the paste, and then let it ferment for days or even weeks. The flavor develops over time, and you need to know when it's ready to eat.

Then there's Korean BBQ. Marinating the meat properly, grilling it at the right temperature, and serving it with the right banchan (side dishes). Each element matters.

Dishes like japchae or bibimbap seem simple, but they require a lot of prep work. Every vegetable is cooked separately and seasoned individually. The egg is fried to perfection. The sauce ties everything together.

Korean cooking is about building layers of flavor through fermentation, marination, and careful seasoning. It's not fast food, even when it looks simple.

I made bulgogi once and realized how much the marinade matters. The balance of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and sugar is crucial. Too much sugar and it's cloying. Not enough and it's flat.

10. Moroccan cuisine

Moroccan food is aromatic, slow-cooked, and built around spice blends that take years to master. Ras el hanout alone can have up to 30 different spices in it, and every family has their own version.

Tagine is the most iconic dish, and it's harder than it looks. You're layering meat, vegetables, dried fruit, and spices in a cone-shaped pot and letting everything cook low and slow. The result is tender meat and a sauce that's sweet, savory, and deeply spiced.

Then there's couscous. It's not just boiling water and adding grains. Traditional Moroccan couscous is steamed multiple times and fluffed by hand to get the right texture. It's labor-intensive, but the result is light and fluffy in a way instant couscous can never match.

Bastilla is another dish that requires serious skill. It's a sweet and savory pie made with layers of phyllo dough, spiced meat, eggs, and almonds. Getting the phyllo to stay crispy while the filling stays moist is tricky.

Moroccan cuisine also relies heavily on preserved ingredients like preserved lemons and olives. If you're making those from scratch too, you're adding another layer of complexity.

Final thoughts

Cooking is one of those things where the more you learn, the more you realize how much you don't know. Every cuisine has its own techniques, ingredients, and traditions. Mastering even one takes time, patience, and a willingness to fail a few times before you get it right.

If you've cooked any of these cuisines well at home, you've put in the work. You've learned the techniques. You've respected the process. And you've probably made a mess of your kitchen more than once.

That's what separates a home cook from someone who just heats things up. It's the curiosity to try something new, the patience to stick with it, and the satisfaction of knowing you made something from scratch that tastes incredible.