Chef Thomas N. England - Idiots Guides: Cooking Basics

Cooking
Basics

by Chef Thomas N. England

A member of Penguin Random House LLC

Introduction

Ive been teaching basic cooking classes for 10 years, and during that time Ive seen great changes in the ways people think about cooking. Not too long ago, meals were largely consumed outside the home and treated more as convenience foods. Today, people are headed back into the kitchen to once again enjoy making meals that are healthier and made from scratch, and sharing them with friends and family. This evolution has created a need for new cooks to understand basic cooking techniques.

This book was written especially to help the inexperienced cook get off to a good start in the kitchen. The first chapter explains the basics of setting up a well-stocked, organized, and safe kitchen, and then defines some terminology and techniques the new cook will encounter in this book. The subsequent chapters begin with important general information about each food group and explain how theyre raised or grown, where and how to buy them, and how to store them safely. Each chapter then contains delicious recipes for some of the most common dishes for each food group.

The recipes presented in these pages are building blocks you can use to be creative while developing your own kitchen repertoire. I teach you how to use different ingredients and methods to make variations of many of the dishes, so as you practice and grow, you can come up with your own variations.

Learning basic cooking skills is not as complicated as you might think. This book teaches you the fundamentals youll need to know and use throughout your cooking experiences. With this foundation you can enjoy creating and sharing glorious meals that start with making the easy recipes contained in this book.

Acknowledgments

There are several people I would like to thank for their help. Without their guidance and support, it would not have been possible for me to write this book.

First of all, thank you to Karen Mangia for her constant love, support, and patience. She is the person whos ever present to encourage me and make sure that all my needs are taken care of. When writing deadlines were due during the busy holiday season, Karen stepped up and made the holidays happen as usual.

A special thank you to Donna Bricker, who helped produce and arrange the foods for the pictures in this book. With hundreds of pictures taken, Donna always made sure every piece of onion was where it belonged.

Writing is truly a team effort. A huge thank you to the team at Alpha Books who make these words seem effortless. The team of editors who have scoured the book and art editors who make it look good are the people who really made this book happen.

My mother and brother, Joanna and Tony England, are the reason I followed my passion for food and drink. They have always encouraged me to follow my nose.

the basics

In this chapter, youll learn all the basics of the kitchen. From recipe terminology to basic equipment to safety precautions to take while working in the kitchenits all covered. Its recommended that you read this chapter before moving further into cooking.

The Fundamentals of Cooking

My years of teaching basic cooking classes have given me a good understanding of what inexperienced cooks want to know when theyre beginning to learn to cook. The knowledge any aspiring cook needs can be narrowed down to the following few categories:

1. Understand what fundamental cooking terms mean. This was illustrated very well when a student told me she was in a grocery store for an hour looking for the roux called for in a recipe. She didnt realize roux is simply flour and fat cooked together to make a thickener.

2. Know what you need before you start cooking. I was invited to attend a dinner party one evening, and the host had not read through his recipes entirely. Little did he realize that one of the recipes called for the food to marinate for two hours before it was cookedor that the recipe called for basic pantry items he did not have. It was after midnight when we finally sat down to the entre.

3. Know proper weights, measures, and ratios. I once was judging a cookie baking competition on live television when I bit into a chocolate chip cookie that had baking soda measured in tablespoons instead of teaspoons. Needless to say, a cookie baked with three times the amount of baking soda called for can elicit a pretty sour face for the camera. Using the correct measurements makes the difference between a delicious creation and a total disaster.

4. Always be sure to work safely in the kitchen. Safety should be the primary concern in any kitchen, private or commercial. Youre always working with potentially hazardous foods, sharp knives, and burning hot stoves and pots. Without a basic knowledge of safely handling these dangers, you or someone you cook for could become injured or very sick.

You will learn all of these important fundamentals in this chapter. You may need to return to this foundation many times as you learn to cook. You can use this chapter as a reference to look up the definitions of important terms, purchase necessary supplies for your pantry, understand the proper use of tools, and find the right cookware and equipment for your kitchen.