Featured Recipes
Recipe: Carrot and rosemary soup
By Kathleen Flinn This savory and sweet soup can be served at any temperature, but it’s excellent chilled. Immersion or “stick” blenders are great for soup because you can plunge them … [Read More...]
Recipe: Go with the Flow Lentil Soup
I fell in love with lentil soup out of a sense of obligation. On a cold winter day on an early trip to Paris, I stepped inside a small bistro to get out of a frigid winter mist. Why ever did I book a … [Read More...]
Ramen Soup Revisited: A Flexible, Healthier Strategy
It’s hard to beat the guilty pleasure of instant ramen. The first step to making it a more healthy dish? Throw out the flavor packet, which is little more than an artificially flavored salt lick. … [Read More...]
“Minestrone” Soup like My Mother’s
Recipe by Kathleen Flinn In my first book, The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry, this recipe was known as "Potage 'Minestrone' a la Ma Mere," since all the recipes had French names. This is … [Read More...]
Featured Basics
Recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu
Let’s set the record straight: The Paris-based cooking school has nothing to do with this dish. The specific origins remain a bit of a mystery, but the original (with veal) is likely a cousin in … [Read More...]
How to Roast a Chicken
You don’t need a fancy roasting pan, just any kind of oven-proof pan, skillet or sauté pan with sides one inch or higher in which the chicken fits comfortably will work. A rack is nice, but you … [Read More...]
Soup 101: The Basics of Simple Soup (video lesson)
Simple soups are an inexpensive, low-fat meal solution. They can be a kid-friendly source of vegetables plus a great way to use leftovers. Soup needs adequate time and salt; try to avoid skimping on … [Read More...]
How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken
After reviewing dozens of videos on this subject, we decided to include this one from Gourmet to demonstrate what's arguably one of the most valuable lessons a home cook can master. Why is it … [Read More...]
Earlier Lessons from The Year of Cooking Fearlessly
How to Outfit a Kitchen on a Budget or 14 Things Every Kitchen Needs
People have been quite successful making a lot of food in the past centuries with little more than a pot, spoon, bowl, knife and cutting surface. I’ve put together a very general guide that I’ve used for events aimed at college students, and you’ll find the list below. A Good Chef’s Knife Don’t waste money [...]
Vinaigrette Basics [video lesson]
Do you have so many bottles of vinaigrette and in your fridge, that when you open the door it sounds like wind chimes? Vinaigrette is one of the first things that any home cook should master for a couple of reasons. One, it’s expensive to buy and tends to be loaded with ingredients. I did [...]
How to do a Comparative Tasting and Why You Should
Salt to taste. If you’ve ever read a recipe, you’ve probably seen that line. Though common, it’s also a common source of confusion for home cooks. “Whose taste?” some ask. The answer, your taste, often leads to more questioning: “What is my taste?” or “What if my taster’s no good?” Salt to taste just means salt [...]
Knife Skills – The Basics [video lesson]
I’ve interviewed dozens of home cooks and hands down (pun intended), the most valuable thing a home cook can do is to get a decent chef’s knife and learn how to use it. Below, you’ll find a quick video lesson. After that, you’ll find basics on buying and caring for a chef’s knife. A good [...]
How to make Cajun seasoning
I generally don’t add salt to my seasoning mixes; instead I add it separately when cooking. A recipe that specifies a commercial blend assumes it has salt, so adjust accordingly. Be sure to use garlic powder and onion powder, not the salt form of either. 2 teaspoons cayenne, red chili flakes or a combination 2 [...]
