Knowing your stuff

From Michael Ruhlman:

I repeat, a few of the best ways to improve your skills in the kitchen is, one, to use really sharp knives, two, to buy grapefruit in February, and three, to know why you buy grapefruit in February.

What I love most about this--as with a lot of things that Ruhlman writes--is the focus on technique, the right (simple) tools, and knowing your stuff.