Daily practice doesn’t happen by blocking out an hour to do some big, novel thing. That’s a great way to never practice at all. Instead, practice within a habitual context like making dinner or a snack. Decide that you’re going to practice something in particular, say, sautéing onions, and then consider that your practice, even if you’re actually making something else. Here’s an example of what a 15 minute practice might look like:
Heat a pan with some oil over medium. Throw in some sliced onions. Observe them as they wilt, turn translucent, and start to brown. Don’t obsess over stirring constantly or avoiding stirring. Instead, focus on the sounds, smells, and visuals. For a concrete 15 minute practice, sauté a small amount of onions, then pull them out. Immediately sauté another small amount. Your second batch should be easier to manage because your senses are attuned to the pan.
A typical error is to turn the heat up to speed things along. This will cause you to burn the outside of the onions while leaving the insides raw, resulting in bitterness rather than sweetness. If you get dark spots before the onions are soft, turn the heat down and wait longer. Another error is to fill the pan with too many onions. This will trap moisture and cause the onions to steam rather than brown. With fewer onions, the moisture will evaporate, allowing the onions to properly caramelize and giving them a better flavor. It will also provide you with clearer feedback on heat.
When you plateau, only change one variable at a time. Either the same heat with less onions, or the same amount of onions with less heat. This will help you avoid confusion about what’s actually causing your problems. If you’re still unsure, taste the onions at various stages of doneness. Pay attention to how the texture and sweetness change. Let your palate guide you. It will help you learn when things are going right even before you see browning.
After a few days of daily practice, you’ll have a sense of timing that no recipe can provide. You’ll know by the sound of the sizzle and smell of sweet onions exactly when to stir, wait, or remove the pan from heat. And that daily practice, tiny as it seems, will be a hard-won skill that improves sauces, fillings, and everything else. Daily practice is better than a big weekly or monthly push.