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Essential recipes

Luther_Kroman_2778

I'm curious to hear what people think are "Essential recipes," or in other words. Just basic things everyone needs to know how to cook. Roast chicken make your list? A tomato sause? What are the things everyone needs to know?

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robert.c.brown15

I like Peterson's book as it is so comprehensive, but I don't always go to it right away as it is so large and full of so much. I really like Ruhlman's 20 as it goes through various techniques rather quickly and gives a small variety of recipes of each technique. The hollandaise sauce, scallops with asparagus puree, and weeknight coq au vin are things I can think of from the top of my head that I enjoyed a lot. I haven't done a ton from the book but really like it and although I haven't done a ton of recipes, the techniques from the recipes I did do have stayed with me.

For a little background, 2 and a half years ago I wasn't sure what the best way was to heat up pre-made tomato sauce and cook a chicken breast. Seriously, I burned tomato sauce and always ended up microwaving chicken because it wasn't cooked enough. Then I just got bored and started experimenting. I started stuffing chicken breast with whatever I had. Apples, ham, cheese, and I would "stitch" the breast together with nails out of a toolbox I had on hand. I also tried to get alcohol involved somehow in every dish.

Eventually I because very interested with french cuisine (drunk and Julie and Julia was on TV) and Thomas Keller. Now feel comfortable enough cooking almost everything out of his French Laundry Cookbook and have cooked plenty from it, Ad Hoc at Home, Bouchon, and various other "restaurant" cookbooks. I even put on a 7 course dinner for my family and friends this pass July.

I would echo jointing a chicken. Make coq au vin with the legs, do whatever with the breast, freeze the carcass. Do it again. Then make homemade chicken stock and from that make homemade soup. I did TK's Chicken and Dumpling soup from scratch one (long) day and I'm still remembering things I did during that process in terms of techniques and refinements. If you choose a "complicated" recipe that is always concentrating on doing everything the right way and the refined way, it translates to your cooking of anything.

Not sure any of this helps, but I had fun. Just fucking go for it.

Jack_Mayer_85396

@Martin - I agree, Peterson's books are all very good. And for a beginner, his Cooking would be an excellent choice. I have it and refer to it often ...

DiggingDogFarm_65362

I think that a good thorough book by someone who's a good teacher (to avoid picking-up bad habits from the start) would definitely help.

I think that James Peterson's "Cooking" is pretty good.

Peterson focuses on the 10 Basic cooking methods and much more!!!!!

Roasting

Braising

Poaching

Sautéing

Steaming

Frying

Grilling

Smoking

Barbecuing

Boiling

It's "all" there really...600 recipes and 1500 photos...he can pick and choose what HE wants to make.

ren_74229

Here's my list of basic/practical dishes to get you off takeout food:

spaghetti with meat sauce

rice

fried rice

eggs

steak

braises/stews

hot pot

pho style soups (flavorful broth ladled over various prepped ingredients)

porridges

salad

potatoes

baked saucy dishes

breaded fried stuff

and vegetables in every which way...

really though, you could choose any core group of recipes you want...then, if you can think of them structurally instead of as set dishes, and you'll have a huge springboard for variety. (pho style soups is a huge example of that)

Luther_Kroman_2778

Tim, I suppose you did a better job of articulating what I was looking for. I am a solid home cook, no expert, but I hold my own, and a cousin of mine was just wondering some basic stuff that would get him off frozen pizza and Chinese food. When he's around I'll help him out, but was just looking for ideas of go to stuff that is a good, solid foundation, and can build on that (or not) if he likes.

Although, generally, I would agree with what is being said here, that technique and basic food knowledge will prove more valuable than a recipe book.

timdebnyc

For me it would be, what-does-a-person-need-to-know-to-feed-themselves-on-a-daily-basis-when-not-living-with-their-parents. Think what your Grandmother or Great Grandmother for the younger generation, did every day (the war for my grandparents was WW1, all were born over 100 years ago).

Practical

how to roast meat and vege;
how to make a stock/broth/soup;
how to braise;
how to saute;
how to cook grains/legumes;
how to handle leftovers.

Theory

food safety;
nutrition;
menu/meal planning.

Brendan_Lee_56950

I agree, techniques and general ratios are more important than knowing specific recipes because recipes are just specific uses of techniques and ratios for a particular set of ingredients. I feel like for me, thinking in this way helped me get out of the "google a recipe, replicate, repeat" rut and start making things from scratch on my own. It's pretty freeing and helps you learn a lot and hone your instincts.

Matt_67991

@LutherI think most people here would say techniques are more important than recipes. Like, it isn't necessary to know

http://www.chefsteps.com/activities/chocolate-and-mustard-stew

but it is full of good techniques for making something like a stew. You could adapt it to a chili or whatever.

Have you had a look at Michael Ruhlman's books Ruhlman's 20 and Ratio? I think they would point you toward a good toolkit of basic western recipes. But what do you need them for? I wouldn't say classical French cuisine is most suited to a single person living on a budget. Indian vegetarian food is probably better suited for that.

Samuel_68313

I personally don't think there are any essential recipes as such, and if there are they probably vary from culture to culture.

Are you trying to teach someone to cook?

Luther_Kroman_2778

These are all very good points, but I was sort of going on the assumption that basic cooking and kitchen skills are under control. recipes was maybe not the right term, but more the same idea of knowing jazz standards.

Samuel_68313

Is making a mayonnaise really necessary for a home cook? I agree with the rest though.

com-chefsteps

I might add

-making a mayonnaise

-basic grain cookery (rice, oatmeal, bulgur)

-basic seasoning with salt, acid and piquancy (many would say "black pepper," but I'd include all chiles)

-basic egg cookery (if I could only choose one area, it'd be custards, which are useful for fundamental sweet recipes and several savory ones)

and I would _not_ include a roast chicken. While chicken is a very common meat in the US, the techniques are only applicable to a roast bird. Plus, it's two very different types of meat glued to one ridiculously ungainly and blobby scaffolding, making it super-vulnerable to the idiosyncrasies of the cook's kitchen. Every Thanksgiving, I suggest to my non-cook friends, "if you only cook once a year, don't do a bird. Do something you can make delicious without experience - ham, venison, duck breast."

seijoed

You get really far with that list, maybe doing a roux thickened sauce and you can pretty much make most things you need...

Samuel_68313

Are we talking for a home cook?

If so I would rather see essential skills than just essential recipes, something like:

- Jointing a chicken, filleting fish, and some standard butchery skills

- Searing meat

- Tomato sauce as a base

- Understanding basic food hygiene

- Roasting and blanching vegetables

- Making a vinaigrette

- Basic chopping/knife handling skills

I think most of this stuff should be taught in schools to be honest, I remember cooking at school and it was around 95% cakes/cookies.