WELCOME TO THE COOKING PAGE!!!

​Tip: When buying pots and pans, weight matters. Look for pots and pans that are thick, heavy, and don’t seem like they’d dent if you hit them with a mallet. Thin pots and pans will heat food unevenly and tend to cause scorching.
SAMPLE LIST:
  1. (1) Small 2.5-qt Pot with Lid – terrific for making sauces, steaming veggies, or heating liquids.
  2. 1 Large 6-qt Pot with Lid – perfect for boiling pasta or potatoes.
  3. 9×13 Pyrex Baking Dish – a must have for baking or roasting.
  4. 12-Inch Cast Iron Skillet – cast iron cookware is inexpensive and will last a lifetime. On top of that, it cooks evenly, retains heat, and is also believed to keep you healthy by supplying a steady dose of iron to your diet. For more tips on use and care, check out my post from last month!
  5. 12-Inch Non-Stick Skillet with Glass Lid – the non-stick surface makes cleanup quick and easy.
  6. Dutch Oven Style Pot with Lid – enameled cast iron is the best option; however any pot with a heavy bottom will do the trick.  Great for making soups and braising meats.
  7. Grill Pan – a fantastic substitute for a grill.  I prefer cast iron grill pans over the non-stick versions.
  8. Non-Stick Baking Sheet – super cheap, and probably one of my most utilized items in the kitchen.
SAMPLE LIST:
  1. 8-Inch Chef’s Knife with a Sharpening Steel – a chef’s best friend. Don’t go cheap here.
  2. Can Opener – I prefer the manual ones – still never figured out the electronic versions.
  3. Box Cheese Grater – I like these because it provides several different options in one; a slicer, a rough grate, a fine grate, and an extra fine grate for harder cheeses. Choose one with a large base to provide more stability.
  4. Food Processor/Blender – the workhorse of the kitchen. Great for saving time and creating specialized dishes.
  5. Pepper Mill – indispensable for any kitchen. Fresh cracked pepper is worth the extra effort, and this tool makes it easy to always have it on hand.
  6. Measuring Cups and Spoons – these will be absolutely necessary to make sure you are getting the right measurements when following recipes.
  7. Pot Holder/Oven Mitt – because I don’t know anyone who likes to burn themselves. A folded towel will also work.
  8. Spatula – my preference is stainless steel slotted spatulas.
  9. Tongs – great for when you need a more precise touch.​
  10. Vegetable Peeler – fantastic for peeling fresh vegetables or shaving cheeses.
  11. Wine Opener –I prefer the ones that also have a bottle opener. A drill, drywall screw, and pliers will do the trick if you find yourself in a bind. Trust me.
  12. Potato Ricer/Masher – a ricer is a great tool for making silky smooth mashed potatoes. A masher is an even cheaper and more versatile tool that will provide a more rustic consistency.
12. Digital Meat Thermometer – a useful tool to    make sure your meat is always perfectly cooked.
13. Cutting Board – I prefer a large wood cutting board over any other surface. Make sure it has a solid footing, so as not to slide while cutting.
14. Whisks – extremely versatile; fantastic for making vinaigrette, dressings, or even a roux. 
15. Wooden Spoon – heatproof and durable, I like having these in several different sizes.
16. Colander – a must-have for draining, washing, straining, or rinsing.​
SAMPLE LIST:
  1. Flatware
  2. Assorted Serving Plates or Platters
  3. Assorted Mixing/Serving Bowls
  4. Storage Containers
  5. Storage Bags
  6. Plastic Wrap
  7. Aluminum Foil
  8. Wax/Parchment Paper
​These are the things that will come in handy for a variety of recipes or a spontaneous meal idea, and are always good to have on hand.
  1. All-purpose flour
  2. Baking powder
  3. Baking soda
  4. Brown sugar
  5. Honey
  6. Oats
  7. Sauces (Soy sauce, BBQ sauce, hot sauce, etc.) 
  8. Cornstarch
  9. Peanut butter
  10. White sugar
  11. Olive oil
  12. Cans of beans
  13. Diced tomatoes/tomato paste/tomato sauce
  14. Herbs and spices (salt, pepper, Italian & Mexican seasonings, crushed red pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, curry powder, chili powder, basil, cilantro…whatever seasonings you enjoy)
  15. Instant broth (cans or cubes)
  16. Pasta and other noodles
  17. Rice
portion_size_cheat_sheet.pdf
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​How to Read a Recipe

It’s true (and is often said) that all you need to know in order to cook is how to read a recipe. But how do you read a recipe? These tips will up your chances of culinary success.
1. First things first, read through the recipe in its entirety. It’s easy to look only at a recipe’s ingredients before deciding to make something. But when it comes time to prepare the dish, you may find you don’t have a tool or ingredient that may only be mentioned in the directions, or that it’s a lot more complicated than you thought, and a little above your pay grade. If the recipe includes terms you don’t recognize, look them up.

2. Add up how much time it will take. Be sure to check out the “prep time” (slicing, stirring, can-opening) and “cook time” (baking, frying, grilling). Add them up to find the total time needed to complete the dish. If it’s your first time making a certain recipe, it will definitely take you longer than the given time; give yourself an ample cushion.

3. Make sure you have all the ingredients. If you think you might have something already, but aren’t sure, check to see. Also make sure it’s still fresh. Then write a list of all the ingredients you don’t have on hand.

4. Take note of what you need to do before the preparations begin. Before you start slicing, dicing, and mixing, you may need to do things like preheat the oven, soften butter, or defrost meat.

5. Set out all of your ingredients and tools. Line up everything you will need: bowls, pans, and utensils are on the counter, ingredients are measured and ready to go. This will not only make things smoother as you go along, saving you from dashing to and from the fridge and the cupboards, but it’s basically a chance to check off the recipe’s ingredient and supply list one more time; you don’t want to get halfway through your preparations, only to realize you’re ¼ cup short of the required 1 cup of flour.

Measuring IngredientsDry Measurements Versus Wet Measurements

When a recipe calls for a ½ cup of this, and 2 cups of that, the tool you reach for depends on whether the ingredient is dry or wet (if it’s pourable – oil, sauce, milk — it’s wet).
There are two options: wet measuring cups and dry measuring cups. While they technically each hold the same volume, there are reasons why you should choose one or the other for respective ingredients.

A liquid measuring cup has small measurement gradients printed up the side, and the top fill line sits well below the spout, so you don’t spill any liquid when you pick up the cup. When you fill a wet measuring cup, don’t hold it in your hand – put it on a level surface and squat down to make sure the liquid is sitting right at the desired mark.

Dry measuring cups are meant to be filled up to the very top, and then leveled off with a knife. If you filled a dry measuring cup to the very brim with a liquid, you’d be bound to spill some. And if you used a wet measuring cup for a dry ingredient, you wouldn’t be able to level it off.
Here’s how you fill a dry measuring cup with a few common ingredients:
  • Flour — lightly spoon into cup and level off with knife. Don’t tap the cup to settle, or pack in with spoon or fingers.
  • White sugar — scoop directly from bag/container. Level off with knife.
  • Brown sugar – scoop and then press with back of a spoon until the sugar is level with the brim of the cup.
  • Peanut butter/shortening – pack with spatula (spraying the cup with cooking spray before using PB will result in it sliding out easier).
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Tablespoons Versus Teaspoons

A common mistake beginner cooks make is to confuse the tablespoon with the teaspoon, as they are often abbreviated in recipes in different ways, and these abbreviations are very similar. You may see any of the following:
  • Tablespoon: T, tb, tbs, tbsp, tblsp, tblspn. (May be capitalized or lower case)
  • Teaspoon: t, ts, tsp, tspn. (Almost always lower case)
A tablespoon is larger than a teaspoon. In the US, one tablespoon equals three teaspoons.
You can use tablespoons and teaspoons for both wet and dry ingredients. A recipe may call for a level or rounded amount; rounded roughly sits above the rim of the spoon, level is done by scraping off the top with a knife.

Butter
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A stick of butter will have the measurements printed on the wrapper of each stick. Just mark off what you need and cut through the butter, wrapper and all.