I get a lot of questions all the time from people who are just starting to get into cooking and one of the things we end up talking about the most is pantry staples. Building a solid pantry can take a while if you pick things up as you need them, but then you are left at times without simple everyday ingredients that can really make the difference in your cooking. This post is more about things to include in your pantry than the physical part of how to set up a pantry, but I think its a great resource none the less….

Read More

This is a post all about How to make Meatballs. It breaks it down into easy to manage steps with lots of tips to make the best meatballs ever.

Making meatballs is a very important skill for the home cook. Aside from the obvious the process of making meatballs can teach a number of different cooking skills. For one learning to work with binding agents, such as breadcrumbs and eggs, is a skill that will help you with other recipes such as meatloaf’s, zucchini or potato fritters and many more.  Also working with different types of ground meat with different flavors and fat contents can go a long way in teaching home cooks to adapt their cooking skills. For instance, a meat with a lower fat content has a tendency to dry out when roasting, so it might be prudent to cook them in a liquid or sauce instead or add slightly more liquid (milk or water). All of these lessons can be learned through experimentation, which as always with these cooking lessons, is totally encouraged.

…

Read More

So far in this series, we have learned a lot of basics on terms, tools, different knife cuts, simple cooking methods, and even a few simple recipes. At this point it’s fairly easy to branch out and try a few more complicated recipes, however, there’s one last thing to learn before you can really start, which is how to actually read a recipe.

…

Read More

Ah Pizza, the ultimate comfort food for so many. This dish is one that combines knife skills with baking, and sauce making amongst a few others I’m sure. The real lesson here, however, is in the dough.

…

Read More