Top women chefs offer kitchen secrets....read more here!

It's the holidays! And who doesn't want a little extra help in the kitchen? Top women chefs from across Arizona offer up some of their own kitchen secrets (hint: Tricia Guerrero might have the best idea yet.)

Don't forget - you can ask these great women chefs for more tips and ideas all afternoon this Saturday, November 20, when they present Getting Our Just Desserts at The Art Institute of Phoenix. Tickets are just $35 for a full afternoon of sweet and savory nibbles - and lots of great ideas for the holidays.

Go tohttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Getting-Our-Just-Desserts/127049954000526?ref=ts) for details - and then go towww.blacktie-arizona.com/rsvp - event code justdesserts10 for tickets!

Barbara Fenzl, CCP, Honorary Chef for Just Desserts Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Once you’ve seen Jacques Pepin’s technique for cutting a perfect parchment paper circle, you’ll never cut it another way.”

Heidi Lee, Into the Soup Favorite kitchen “trick:” “You don’t need a complete recipe if you know the techniques and a flavor profile.”

Renae Hannum, Regional chef, Quorum Hotels & Resorts Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Adding a little salt to a sweet, like caramel. Salted caramel sundaes, for instance, are wonderful.”

MaryAnne Moody, owner, Bueno Burger Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Taking a deep breath to remind yourself it's a job you love, it's why you're there and you can still have fun with it."

Julia Baker, CEO & executive chef, Julia Baker Confections Favorite kitchen “trick: ” “Everything looks better with sugar flowers on it. Also, always have a Plan B – and a smile.”

Dezirea Elizondo, Sous Chef at Posh Restaurant Favorite kitchen “trick:” “I like to deglaze a pan with white wine. That smell is unexplainable – and unforgettable!”

Therese Hills, Pastry Chef, Troon Private Golf and Country Club Favorite kitchen “trick:” “For some desserts, I like to use salted butter to bring out flavor. For instance, with fruit cobblers, salted butter can bring out (all of) the flavors of the fruit.”

JoAnn Ayres, The Art Institute of Phoenix Favorite kitchen “trick:” “I think for many, students and other cooks, it comes down to something really simple: read the recipe first. There’s always a little something that could make a difference!”

Country Velador, Pastry Chef, Cowboy Ciao Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Brown butter. The taste is so good, so nutty and still creamy. We make a brown butter ice cream that I can’t imagine taking off the menu.”

Asta Pedersen, American Healthcare and Culinary Consultants Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Smoking. Smoking meat, fish, cheese and even other foods give a whole new dimension and adds new and complex flavors.”

Francine Marz, The Art Institute of Phoenix Favorite kitchen “trick:” “You know what’s cool? Molecular gastronomy. I’ve started using things like meat glue. It can make something look like a glass mosaic; (With these techniques) the possibilities are endless.”

Victoria Babbitt, The Ritz Carlton, Phoenix Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Really getting to know your ingredients, knowing what might go together and being ready to try different methods and matches.”

Julie Grandon, co-creator Torched Goodness Favorite kitchen “trick:” “If you cover your eggs completely with water, bring it to a boil and let it boil for five minutes, then turn the heat off, cover the pan and let it sit for 15 minutes more, you will have perfect hard-cooked eggs with no discoloration around the edges.”

Tasha Slatton, Il Terrazzo, The Phoenician Resort and Spa Favorite kitchen “trick:” “When you have multiple tasks to accomplish in the kitchen, or you’re working with a long list of ingredients, write it down. A list of what you need and what you need to do will help you stay cool and collected.”

Sascha Levine, sous chef, FnB Favorite kitchen “trick:” “Get your pan really, really hot before you add any oil. And then let that get hot before you add anything else to the pan. Oh, and don’t take shortcuts or fake your way through anything.”

Joan O’Connor, co-owner/chef, Honeymoon Sweets Favorite kitchen “trick:” “We use a painter’s guard to spread frosting really flat and smooth on cakes.”

Chelsie Higgins, Scottsdale Community College Favorite kitchen “trick:” “I really like the fusion of sweet and savory. What’s really interesting to me is the amount of very good fresh, local fruit. I’ve been playing with dehydrating it. It gets a very pure, intense flavor.”

Julie Fiedler, Iron Chef Competitor Favorite kitchen “trick: “I really like using non-stick pans, like the Salton grills; we use them a lot in competition. I also love the sous-vide machine.”

Charleen Badman, co-owner and chef, FnB Favorite kitchen “trick: “I like wood burning stoves, cooking with mesquite and charcoal. It gives a really good flavor to (almost any) food.”

Lisa Dahl, co-owner and executive sous chef, Dahl & DiLuca and Cucina Rustica Favorite kitchen “trick: “My favorite trick in the kitchen is what I call hooks. They are creating compounds and herbal oils that can be used as short-cut flavor enhancers that are natural but not only save time but have diverse applications.

Tricia Guerrero, East Valley Institute of Technology Favorite kitchen “trick:” “As a dining room manager, my favorite trick in the kitchen is to find a great group of chefs to cook for me!”