Recipes

Created for the "Reluctant" Home Cook

COOKING TECHNIQUES

"It's my belief that the best way to become a good cook is to learn these basic cooking techniques."

Once you learn how to handle these fundamental techniques, you will be able to handle most recipes. Cooking is not just about recipes....it is about how to take ingredients and make them taste as good as possible.

Recipes are great road maps to show us how someone else got there, but one of the joys of cooking is to find your own paths. Knowing these techniques is like taking the car out for a spin in a new location. You're not sure where you are going to end up, but getting there will be fun.

saute

Saute

learn to sauté properly and you will be able to create hundreds of dishes without a recipe.
cooking pasta

Cooking Pasta

quick tips on cooking your favorite pastas
roasting

Roasting

who doesn't love a roasted chicken or Sunday roast beef.
braising cooking technique

Braising

may be my favorite way of cooking.

 

grilling technique

Grilling

it's what us guys do best....at least that's what we think

Brining

It's what we should be doing before grilling but don't
mis en place

Mise en Place

in my opinion, one of the most important steps in cooking
and one most often not done.
sauce recipes

 

Sauces

How to Make Incredible Sauces at Home?
pan roasting

Pan Roasting

How professional cooks do it. A little pan searing. A little oven roasting.
stir fry

Stir Fry

quick, easy, nutritious, and a lot of fun
deglazing

Deglazing

an essential part of learning how to sauté.

How to Cut an Onion

Learn this simple but effective method for cutting an onion that I learned from a professional chef.

How to Buy and Cook Sweet Corn

A quick lesson in buying and cooking sweet corn this summer.

How to Grill Corn

Learn how to grill fresh sweet corn whenever it is available.
 

free recipes

LATEST
BLOG ENTREES

Where Do I Shop Online?

 

Knife Skills Illustrated

SIGN UP FOR MY FREE RELUCTANT GOURMET NEWSLETTER