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PDFTune in for a year-long series of online lessons in the basics of cooking. Each month, we’ll have a theme and lessons and recipes on that theme with one or two posts a week, plusa giveaway related to that theme.
April: Basics II
This month we’ll have a variety of video lessons from leading culinary figures on some of the most basic skills. The prize this month: an omelet pan. To enter, fill out this very quick survey.
Lesson 22: How to Make a Perfect Omelet
Jamie Oliver shows you how to make a great omelet. (video lesson)
March: Chicken, Part I
It’s the No. 1 search term on recipe sites such as Epicurious.com, Allrecipes.com and Foodista.com. On Google, worldwide traffic for “chicken recipes” dwarfs requests for beef, fish or vegetarian recipes. Americans consume an average 60 pounds of chicken annually, edging out beef as the nation’s preferred meat.
This month, we’ll explore how to cut up a whole chicken, saute it, and how to stretch your grocery dollars with this kitchen favorite. And we’ll include several suggestions to help expand your recipe repertoire.
March’s prize: This Cuisinart roasting pan.
Lesson 14: How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken
On average, a whole chicken costs about the same as a package of boneless skinless chicken breast. Knowing how to cut up a whole one will save you money and leave you bones for chicken stock, stretching your dollar even further.
Lesson 15: How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup
A straight-forward recipe that can be adapted to whatever you might have in your house when a flu or a cold appears. Includes a heavy portion of garlic, which is thought to have medicinal benefits.
Lesson 16: How to Roast a Chicken
A foolproof guide to roasting a whole chicken or pieces, with 10 ways to flavor your bird
Lesson 18: How to Braise Chicken
A classic recipe for mustard braised chicken, from The Sharper Your Knife
Lesson 19: How to Make Salt-Free Poultry Seasoning
A versatile, simple spice mix that can be used for any chicken-centric dish
Lesson 20: Braising Chicken in Wine
The classic Coq au vin sounds fancy, but it’s really just a different way to slow-simmer chicken
Lesson 21: How to Pan-Fry a Chicken Breast by making Chicken Piccata
Learn this valuable technique via a recipe for the classic caper and lemon sauce
February: Soup School
My mom always said, “If you can boil water, you can make soup.” This month, we’ll go into the fundamentals of making soups, stocks, gumbo and so on.
This month’s prize: A professional quality 12-quart stock pot, the same one I use in my kitchen. To enter, simply comment on any of the pages listed under the February content. I’ll select one commenter at random.
Lesson 8: How to Make Gumbo (out of almost anything)
Just in time for Mardi Gras, learn the keys to making this classic dish, and how to customize it to your tastes and what you’ve got on hand.
Lesson 9: Everyday Soup, The Basics
In this video lesson and accompanying base recipe, you’ll learn the fundamentals of making soup from just about anything.
Lesson 10: How to Make Stock
Great stock equals great soup, and making it at home is inexpensive and simple.
Lesson 11: My Mom’s Minestrone Soup
My mom used this catch-all soup to soak up leftovers, and you can do the same.
Lesson 12: How to Make French Onion Soup
Quality ingredients are essential for this simple French staple
Lesson 13: How to Make Lentil Soup
The better the lentils, the better the soup. A perfect way to warm up when cold winter days get you down.
January: The Basics
This month, let’s go over some basics. Call it remedial cooking or a review, depending on your own skill level. Here are 10 fundamentals that all cooks should know. We’ll cover how to craft a vinaigrette, make no-knead artisan bread, a primer on herbs and spices in your pantry and more.
January’s prize: An eight-inch classic Wusthof chef’s knife. The winner was TK.
Lesson 1: How to Use a Chef’s Knife
A video lesson on knife basics, plus tips on buying and caring for your knives. Hands down, the most useful lesson you can learn is how to use a knife.
Lesson 2: How to Make a Basic Vinaigrette
A video lesson that shows if you’ve got a jar, a bit of oil and a lemon, you can forego the expensive bottled stuff. The basic ratio and sample recipe, you’ll find a half dozen other examples.
Lesson 3: Herbs & Spices – A Primer
What’s the difference between a spice and an herb, anyway? Does spending more on spices make a difference? How should you store them and when do you pitch them?
Lesson 4: How to Make No-Knead Artisan Bread
A video lesson that shows how you can make homemade loaves with four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast.
Lesson 5: How to Outfit a Kitchen on a Budget
Fourteen things every kitchen needs, plus some great additions in the comments!
Lesson 6: How to Read a Nutritional Label
The experts weigh in on what your food labels really say.
Lesson 7: How to Do a Comparative Tasting – and Why You Should
Get the most from your grocery dollars by choosing the best flavors, whether its olive oil, tomatoes or tuna fish
Want more right now?
You can also sign up for a set of lessons to go with The Kitchen Counter Cooking School. For just $39.95, you can get a set of 11 hand-selected lessons from Rouxbe.com
