Curious about cooking? High-pressure culinary school requires a lot of time and money. We asked present and former culinary students for their No. 1 "ah-ha!" moment or takeaway from class so you can benefit from what they learned — without enrolling.

Culinary Student: Rupa Bhattacharya, Food and Beverage Editor

Confession: Never apologize for your food. I learned very quickly that no one but the chef ever notices any but the most egregious errors. So when everyone’s enjoying the dinner you made, there’s no need to list out the various ways you think you messed up, or how the dish could have been better. When someone compliments your cooking, all you have to say is “thank you.”

For more on the high-pressure ups and downs of culinary school, tune in to The Freshman Class every Monday at 10:30pm ET