When surgically treating chronic ear disease, the physician strives to accomplish several surgical objectives. Chief among them is to achieve a safe ear. This article discusses specific techniques that the surgeon can employ to reach these goals, whether he or she is performing tympanoplasty, atticotomy, intact canal wall mastoidectomy, or an open-cavity procedure. The author has found that the techniques discussed in this article are useful, and sometimes even essential, to achieving surgical objectives and maximizing outcomes.