(Part 2) Best products from r/AskCulinary

> Where do you suggest learning this? What do you think of my idea of hiring a culinary student to give me private lessons?

In nearly 10 years of professional cooking I have never met a culinary student with hands. Unfortunately, I cannot explain it more than having the right attitude, with there "always being room for improvement" and "oh he's asian." My first chef and cooking job told me I had "heritage knife skills." You are on the right track with Shun and simply wanting it. I can post some demo videos eventually, when I sober up and have more in my pantry than onions (I work ~80 a week between two kitchens, I don't eat much at home).

> I don't have any friends who work in the food industry, where would you suggest meeting such a person (similar question as above)? I would buy a whetstone, but I have no idea how to use it properly. Also, most of my knives are from Shun, and I know they have a service where you can send them off to get them sharpened for free. I haven't done this yet (knife set is pretty new). Would you suggest this?

Shun is good people, but I resharpen my knifes everyday for use in a professional kitchen, with volume ranging from cutting three bunches of celery to 100 lbs of onions on top of service--I don't like to play with dull knives. And it is a skill you never really lose, though I wore a hole in my finger the last time I sharpened knives, but I sharpened knives for the entire staff and was fairly drunk at the time--maybe you shouldn't be friends with us, unless you like waking up to a pile of dishes and beer cans in the morning... Once again, I would be willing to sharpening technique on youtube, but I'm certain there are videos of it there, "Japanese knife sharpening."

> I enjoy cooking and I absolutely find it cathartic and meditative. However, I have time constraints. I have a job, hobbies, chores, occasional medical problems that sap my energy, and I have to cook ALL my meals. I feel like I spend too long prepping vegetables as it is now. I realize for some recipes that getting perfect cuts is important, but 90% of the time, I would like to just go faster. Do you have any tips for this?

For me, speed come with knife sharpness and monopolizing a single cut. So if you have to julienne a ton of onions, do not try to do one at a time, cut them in half, clean/peel them all, then focus on the julienne so you are repeating the same motions over and over vs attempting different angles and having to move finished product into a container or off the cutting board.

> One major thing I have going for me is that I have great resources in terms of grocery and kitchen options.

>I'm not sure if you are familiar with the Seattle area, but we have an amazing variety of grocery stores/markets here. There is a farmers market every day, Pike Place market, Amazon Fresh (delivery), multiple organic co-ops, Costco, multiple Asian grocery stores, specialty international food stores, Cost Plus World Market, Whole Foods, upscale grocery stores, regular grocery stores, etc. etc. I can get pretty much any ingredient. The problem with most of the produce is that it might be sprayed with the pesticide that I am allergic to. CSAs only work if the produce comes exclusively from certain farmers that don't use this pesticide. When that stuff is in season, I buy huge quantities directly from the farmer and load up my chest freezer.

This makes me happy, but I was happy anyways since I had a few after work. In terms of recommended reading, I suggest looking into pickling assuming you are not allergic to citrus, even so you can probably still use refined vitamin C. Here are three pickling Amazon links: Balls. Can. Ferment, sorry, couldn't resist the urge.

Something else I borrowed off one of my ECs: On food and cooking, Harold McGee.

Another to add to your library: Food lover's Companion

Food is great in that it is a kinesthetic science, a lot of great cooks are also great "scientists" they just don't know it, they are just doing it by "feel, taste and smell." This is where organization and precision come in--know your objective/hypothesis and continue with experiment procedure from there, speed is a measurement: how long, how fast, etc, etc. "If you don't measure you cannot improve." I feel like recipes are more or less, just successful lab reports.

Since you mentioned vegetarianism I feel like I can discuss my on and off relationship with veganity. I do try to build muscle from time to time and so it is hard for me to ignore the nutrient/protein density of tasty decaying animal flesh. But generally in terms of vegetables and fruit there are few exceptions to them having more benefits apart from them being consumed raw: namely Goitrogens.

So this may lead you, as well as it lead me for a time to a "raw/vegan" diet. I dunno though, I get stuck between it and "Paleo" and sometimes just eating raw meat--I cannot tell if I am just becoming lazier as a cook or if I am making strides my personal health.

Back onto topic of sorts:

> My kitchen is already pretty good. I have a nice gas stove, which I feel makes a big difference. We are planning a remodel to enlarge the kitchen.

Hrmm, I am at odds with enlarging for the sake of "bettering," I feel like you can get away with great results with little space and a little ingenuity, but with great precision. I have a portable induction cook-top, a juicer, a blender and a shitty built-in electric range/stove, just missing a dehydrator, PID temperature controlled water bath, a blow torch, vacuum sealer and I wouldn't be too far from a NY test kitchen--I feel like I could feed a hundred people, no problem without using the electric ranges: it comes down to organization. You are one person, trying to feed yourself and your family at any given time, make prep easier for yourself by doing much of it at once or at least eliminating a step or two, prep for half the week or prep for the next step, for example: celery--strip all of it away from the root, throw it in water and save it for later, this keeps it springy and passively washes it; I was taught a long time ago to not drain root vegetables but rather pull them from a bath of water, in that the dirt sinks and stays at the bottom rather than being agitated and back on the vegetables after straining; then you can come back to cut it in any variety you wish. I've kind of made a habit out of bathing veggies vs spraying/rinsing, of course there are exceptions, things that you will peel anyways, that spot of dirt that needs scrubbed and that we need "RIGHT NOW."

The problem I have with recipes is the objectivity in creating "the dish," most of the time, my creations or "specials" come from leftovers or something that is on the verge of being completely useless. Simplicity is king. At my one restaurant we had some black beans that were starting to smell fruity (which is normal, but no one had a planned use for them), a few onions and peppers, some spices, a quick roast then blend with some lemon juice/vinegar and we had a black bean salsa, which I tried to pair with some fish and roasted tomatoes but everyone just wanted the salsa with chips--whatever, I'm Asian, I don't know.

So rather than filling your refrigerator with a dozen half eaten dishes, fill your refrigerator with an endless possibility of dishes: prepped greens for salads; portioned meats for cooking; pickled items for accoutrements, garnishments or just adding that extra acidity; gutted/peeled veggies or fruit--you picking up what I'm laying down?

From there you can experiment with single servings: a celery leaf salad--balsamic vinegar, pickled radish, mustard greens, olive oil, crushed red, salt, julienned carrots, diced red onion and toss in a soft boiled duck egg if you feel the urge. Professional cooking is just a hodgepodge of "stone soup" that everyone has grown to like and accept, everyone has something to add and or learn from.

Restaurant dishes are designed to sell. Try to keep in mind the overt commercialization and not take the small successes you have in just enjoying a simple salad with some boiled eggs, while not getting sick, for granted. Good health tastes great, don't let anyone tell you hard boiled eggs and some celery sticks isn't a meal--"It is until I eat again!"

Speed is just an increase in efficiency in carrying out the procedure. You'll get it, just know what you want and are doing first, then be deliberate. I'll help out best I can.

I was about to list out all my favorite resources, the ones where, looking back, I can point to as being the bedrock of all the cooking knowledge I've cobbled together over the years, and I noticed they have one thing in common: PBS. The cooking shows that air on PBS (and their companion materials) are just awesome. They're not gimmicky, they don't have puppets or catch phrases, but they're reliable. There are other great sources of food knowledge, but if somebody's on PBS, you know they're the real deal.

If I had to learn it all over again starting today, here's what I'd be looking at, in rough order:

Martha Stewart's Cooking School

Martha's got a great new show and companion book to go along with it. The reason I'd start here is because it's structured the way you want it: an emphasis on technique, with clear goals for each lesson. Just about every one of your topics listed above is covered in here, and the recipes are almost secondary. Like, a show or chapter will be about braising, not about boeuf bourguignon. Pretty heavy emphasis on French and European cuisine, but some nice forays into other cuisines, too. Covers all the basics: equipment, stocks, sauces, cuts of meat. Lots of good reference sections, too, like charts on cooking techniques for different rices and grains.

It's mostly pretty traditional stuff. No "hacks" or "science", but she will occasionally throw in some neat updates to a traditional technique. In particular, her hollandaise method is the best I've ever come across. Almost completely traditional, double-boiler and all, but she uses whole butter instead of clarified. Really easy and probably tastes better, too.

Incidentally, most of the substance of the show probably comes from editorial director for food at Martha Stewart Living, Sarah Carey, who happens to have an awesome YouTube channel.

Julia Child

Julia needs no introduction. She made French cuisine accessible to us servantless American cooks half a century ago, and I don't think anyone has done it better since. You'll want to watch every episode of The French Chef you can get your hands on, and also grab a copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

You could start with Julia, but her show seems to focus on the recipe first, followed by the technique. So Julia's episode on boeuf bourguignon will be about boeuf bourguignon. She'll teach you all about technique, too, of course, but I think it's easier to start with Martha if you want a run-through of the basics of a technique.

Jacques Pepin

Probably the most talented cook to ever appear on television. The man elevates mincing an onion to an art form. Probably the best shows of his are Essential Pepin, Fast Food My Way, and Julia and Jacques Cooking at home (which used to be on Hulu, if you have that).

Every show he'll cook through a bunch of recipes, and he'll make these off-the-cuff comments on why he's doing what he's doing. How to peel a carrot. How to puree garlic with a chef's knife. Adding a splash of water to a covered skillet to steam the contents from the top while cooking them from below.

There's also a lot of his older stuff on YouTube that will show particular techniques: parting and deboning a chicken, preparing an omelet, and so on. He's remarkably consistent, so if you just watch enough of his stuff you'll get the spiel on every topic eventually.

Jacques does have a compilation of technique, but frankly I think Martha's is better. The photography in Jacques' book is pretty poor, and he devotes an awful lot of space to techniques that have probably been out of fashion for forty years. That said, there's a lot that's still useful in there, so it's worth at least checking out from the library.

(By the way, while you're at it, you should read My Life in France and The Apprentice, Julia's and Jacques autobiographies, respectively.)

There's a lot more to learn, but if you start with Jacques, Julia, and Martha, you'll have a rock-solid foundation upon which to build. Once you've got the basics down, my favorite new-fangled cooking resources are Serious Eats and ChefSteps.

Happy cooking!

This is going to be the opposite of what you want to hear. But, you asked for it and I respect that. I think that there's no substitute for going about this old school and traditionally. The good news is that you can mostly do this for yourself, by yourself.

If you're disinclined (due to time or for another reason) to enroll in a culinary program get yourself either The Professional Chef or Martha Stewart's Cooking School

I know what you're thinking, "Martha Stewart? What am I? A housewife from Iowa?" Fuck that. I've been fortunate to have met and worked with Martha Stewart she's smart enough to know what she doesn't know and that particular book was actually written by a CIA alum and very closely follows the first year or so that you'd get in a program like that. It starts with knife work and then moves on to stocks and sauces. This particular book has actually been criticized as being too advance for people who have no idea what they're doing so, despite appearances, it may be perfect for you. If you want to feel more pro and go a little deeper, get the CIA text but know that it's more or less the same info and frankly, the pictures in the MSO book are really great. Plus, it looks like Amazon has them used for $6 bucks.

These resources will show you HOW to do what you want and they follow a specific, traditional track for a reason. Each thing that you learn builds on the next. You learn how to use your knife. Then, you practice your knife work while you make stocks. Then, you start to learn sauces in which to use your stocks. Etc. Etc. Etc. Almost like building flavors... It's all part of the discipline and you'll take that attention to detail into the kitchen with you and THAT'S what makes great food.

Then, get either Culinary Artistry or The Flavor Bible (Both by Page and Dornenburg. Also consider Ruhlman's Ratio (a colleague of mine won "Chopped" because she memorized all the dessert ratios in that book) and Segnit's Flavor Thesaurus. These will give you the "where" on building flavors and help you to start to express yourself creatively as you start to get your mechanics and fundamentals down.

Now, I know you want the fancy science stuff so that you can throw around smarty pants things about pH and phase transitions and heat transfer. So...go get Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking THAT is the bible. When the people who run the Ferran Adria class at Harvard have a question, it's not Myhrvold that they call up, it's Harold McGee. While Modernist Cuisine always has a long, exciting complicated solution to a problem I didn't even know I had, when I really want to know what the fuck is going on, I consult McGee and you will too, once you dig in.

Another one to consider which does a great job is the America's Test Kitchen Science of Good Cooking this will give you the fundamental "why's" or what's happening in practical situations and provides useful examples to see it for yourself.

Honestly, if someone came to me and asked if they should get MC or McGee and The Science of Good Cooking and could only pick one and never have the other, I'd recommend the McGee / ATK combo everyday of the week and twice on Tuesdays.

Good luck, dude. Go tear it up!

I'll throw my vote in for a sharpening stone. If he doesn't already have a nice sharpening set, maybe consider getting him something like a nice diamond sharpening stone; I've seen them for $50 or less.

Tools are always nice. Here are some suggestions to think about:
~ microplane grater
~ Japanese mandolines can be fun to have around.
~ Fish spatulas can be a handy tool.
~ Does he have a good quality peeler? Everyone has a "normal" peeler, but I like to have a good quality horizontal peeler, like one of these, to use sometimes.
~ Does he do a lot of baking? If so, maybe some silicone baking mats for his baking sheets, or maybe some parchment paper.
~ Does he like to use fresh citrus juice very much? Does he have a citrus reamer?
~ Does he like to use fresh garlic? Maybe a garlic press?
~ Silicone spatulas?
~ Does he have a pepper grinder for fresh ground pepper?
~ Does he have a set of mise en place bowls or something to use to keep his stuff organized when he's working?
~ Does he have a scale? You can find plenty of options for home-use digital scales that can weigh up to 11 or 12 pounds, and use either pounds, or grams (if he's doing anything metric.)
~ Something like a good quality cast iron pan can be a lifetime investment, because if they're well cared for, he'll be able to pass it on to his grandkids someday.
~ A dutch oven will always be useful to serious home cooks. The enameled cast iron type are very popular, but they come in many different sizes and shapes, so keep that in mind when picking one out.
~ Knives are always nice. Paring knife, utility knife, serrated slicer, etc.

Those are just a few suggestions that popped into mind. Good luck, I hope you find something nice for him.

I can't say enough about how awesome [seltzer bottles] are. I picked up a couple vintage ones from ebay that I use. There are a ton of ways you can go, but making variations on simple syrups is a great approach. A basic simple syrup is equal parts (volume wise) sugar and water. You put it on the stove until it first starts to bubble and then kill the heat. At this point you can add herbs and let them steep for an hour or so and then strain the syrup and press on the herbs. I've had great success with mint, basil, thyme and lavender. You can also use citrus zest; I find a microplane to be essential for this. Ginger is also great for a simple syrup and I use the microplane for this as well.

Another great technique is muddling. You take some fruit and/or herbs and muddle them together. I prefer a plain wooden muddler with flat ends.

Here are some recipes; you have to experiment with quantities, but here are the ingredients:

Basil cranberry soda: cranberry juice, seltzer water and basil simple syrup.

Peach and basil soda: muddle peaches with basil, add seltzer water and basil simple syrup.

Blueberry and thyme soda: for this I puree the blueberries and run it through a strainer and then add thyme simple syrup and seltzer water.

Strawberry and mint soda: For this I chop and macerate both the strawberries and mint (add some sugar to the chopped strawberries and let them sit; it vastly improves the texture and flavor of the strawberries) and then puree it. I've also done this with cardamom instead of mint with the addition of orange zest gathered with a microplane. You then puree this and seltzer water.

Chai soda: I infuse a simple syrup with cardamom, ginger, black tea, cloves, nutmeg and smashed cinnamon sticks. I use four times the amount of black tea I would use to brew a cup of tea. Add seltzer water and you are good to go; a little whole milk can be a great addtion as well. A basic recipe follows:

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

8 bags of lipton tea opened and the tea is then emptied

6 cardamom pods; crushed with a spoon

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon of cloves

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

2 cinnamon sticks; crushed into dime size pieces

Watermelon mint soda: Purreed watermelon, mint simple syrup and seltzer water.

Peach ginger soda: Macerate the peaches, puree them, add ginger simple syrup and seltzer water.

Blueberry lavender soda: Pureed and strained blueberries, lavender simple syrup and seltzer water.

There are a ton of ways you can go with this sort of thing. Sometimes some fresh lemon or lime juice can help balance the acidity. Have fun. Enjoy the fruit that is in season. Create your own fun drinks. Cheers.

Great video.

Growing up, I was lucky that my family owned a "high class" Le Creuset and I cooked with it often.

After college, when it came time to buy my own, I decided to buy the Lodge enameled cast iron off of amazon for ~$60 link.

In this video they talk about how the Le Creuset is best, but to be completely honest with you I cannot tell the difference. Both are great to cook with, and the enamel in both unfortunately got discolored with use. I imagine the warranty on the Le Creuset is better though.

Personally, I'd recommend the lodge (they recommend Cuisinart in the video). I'd assume both are a great value.

In that case, fine. But I'd encourage you to buy at least one inexpensive but good chef's knife.

Get it sharpened and honed and then chop food with it. You'll see that it makes a world of difference. You'll want to keep your knives sharp, and that definitely means keeping them out of the dishwasher.

Not to be crass (okay, I guess it is crass), but it's like the difference of having sex dry or with lubricant.

You like your garlic press, fine. I promise not to bug you about that one. But find a friend who loves to cook and who keeps their knives sharp. Bring your knife over and do a side-by-side comparison. You won't believe it.

Working with dull knives is infinitely more dangerous. And infinitely less fun.

It's like riding a bike with no air in the tires. I mean, you can do it, but it's not going to be a good time.

Jacques Pépin New Complete Techniques

The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Become a Great Cook

The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

From here you can move on to:

Institut Paul Bocuse Gastronomique: The definitive step-by-step guide to culinary excellence

&

Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia, Completely Revised and Updated

These are all great resources. Also look for culinary school text books and always youtube.

The resources are out there and with everyone having a different way to learn and adopt information the variety in options is tremendous. Good luck and keep cooking. If you have any questions please reach out and if I can help I will.

Keep in mind that there's a huge difference between box graters! Most graters are stamped metals, meaning that it's made with machine that takes flat sheets of metal and punches out the teeth so they stand out at an angle. This is your typical grater that you find everywhere.

Unfortunately, the teeth aren't very sharp as a result, and grating something with this grater will ultimately tear, not slice, your food.

What you want is a grater where the teeth have been etched. This process involves chemically photo-etching the surface of the metal into a triangle shape, like that of a knife edge, before the teeth are punched out. It was pioneered in the 1970s, I believe, by a company called Microplane. The result is a grater with super sharp teeth that last many, many years of use.

Microplane makes really good graters. I have this handheld microplane, and this zester. Both great and will easily deliver lots of grater cheese without much muscle power. I use the wider microplane to grate directly over dishes. One of its benefits is that you can rest it on the table, at a slight angle, and use a pushing motion to grate. This requires less muscle power than pushing the cheese down the side of a box grater.

For grating larger amounts of cheese ahead of time, I use this amazing Cuisiart box grater, which also has etched teeth. The Wirecutter has been naming it the best grater for years, simply because it is superb.

A pro-tip: If you're not tall, put the box grater on a chair or something lower than your average countertop. You want to be pushing down. If you put a box grater on a countertop, your arm will have less leverage.

Some people like cranked rotating gadgets. I don't like them, for a couple of reasons. First, these things usually have multiple parts that need to be cleaned — a friend uses one that has three parts (drum, handle and the lever that closes down on the cheese to push it down). It's finicky to clean, and I hate cleaning it.

The second reason is that the action of turning the rotating handle while simultaneously forcing the cheese down is just not good physics — you have one force pushing down and the other pushing laterally. The only way to get good traction is to rest the thing on a table. You can also get table-mounted nut-grinder types of gadgets, but they need to be clamped to a tabletop or similarly sturdy surface.

Finally: Blenders can grate cheese. I don't know about small personal blenders like Nutribullet, but a higher-powered one like a Ninja can certainly grate soft and hard cheeses really well.

I have a stupid simple but really popular soup: 1 part winter squash puree, 2 parts coconut milk with 1-2 T Mae Ploy red curry paste per cup of orange veg puree soup. I like Chaokoh coconut milk, because I can get a return of the oil split when I fry the paste, which is visually pleasing. If I am making enough quantity, I like to use a variety of orange veg/squash, freshly roasted, because that yields the most complex and interesting flavor. With light curry seasoning, it is a real hit for funeral meals or meals for shut ins.

That said, I am interested in tips for cleanly splitting winter squashes for roasting to make the puree. The things are roll-y and tough, no matter how sharp my blacksmith grandson makes my cleaver! My father, God rest his soul, made a starting cut in a vise with a circular saw and I do the same thing if I am quantity cooking them, but there has to be a better kitchen safe answer if I am just feeding a few folks. Helpful thoughts?

If you're interested in learning more about fermenting, Sandor "Sandorkraut" Katz is a name you should search. He's kind of "the" guy for fermenting.

His Website

His most recent book

The books is a great resource and one of my favorites. Very inspiring to try new stuff. I'm actually going to see him at a workshop he's doing in Rhode Island late this month. Should be awesome.

Good luck!

If you really want to explore cooking in depth, getting a pan that can go from stovetop to oven is pretty important.

A basic 10" or 12" Lodge cast iron skillet can be bought VERY cheaply from just about anywhere. Home Depot has a 10" skillet for $15. You'll need to season it but that's pretty easy to do.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Lodge-10-in-Cast-Iron-Chef-s-Skillet-LCS3/301047254

Also think about getting something along the lines of an enameled dutch oven for braising/roasting. You don't have to get an expensive one. Again, Lodge makes them or you can often luck into a used Le Creuset or Staub at a thrift store or even one of those antique/flea markets.

Amazon has this Lodge 6qt for under $50.

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D33-Enameled-Dutch-6-Quart/dp/B000N4WN08

But at the very least I'd start with a cast iron skillet so you can get comfortable both with the stovetop searing/cooking and the moving back and forth between rangetop and oven.

My boss bought me Cook's Illustrated Science of Good Cooking book. I actually liked it so much that I ended up buying the kindle version to read on my commute (now, with the kindle app, it's become my go-to cookbook simply because if i'm at the store i can pull it up on my phone, but that's slightly more incidental)

I liked it because it was very "cooking-focused"--my problem with Harold McGee's book was that I read it and though "ok...and how does that help me for dinner tonight?". The Science of Good Cooking book, on the other hand, made it feel like "ok this is cool, and this is how I can use that knowledge."

I skimmed a lot of the chapters on baking, but now that I'm getting into it I'm going to re-read them.

I have a 7qt oval Lodge, which is holding up well (I've been using lodge enamel cast iron for 4ish years and I only have a couple really minor less-than-pea-sized chips around the lid where I bang my spoon or put the lid down extra-vigorously). I have friends who use and enjoy Tramontina, Cuisinart, and Crofton (Aldi brand) and even (god help me for dropping a bezos link) AmazonBasics.

That being said, if I'm ever rolling in dough I might upgrade for ~!~aesthetic~!~ reasons. Aside from glaze quality, Le Creuset is a little bit lighter and has nice big handles, both of which slightly improve ease-of-use. Who knows.

I find 6-8qt the optimal range. I can make a pound or two of beans, a nice loaf of bread, a big 6-8 person stew all without overflowing. I've used friends 4qt and it's always just a little tight. If you're gonna have just one, 6-8qt seems an ideal size, IMO.

A thing worth noting is that even if your cast iron chips over the years, it's still perfectly food safe (ATK).

• Amazon Basics 6qt: $43
  
• Lodge 6qt: $60
  
• Le Creuset 5.5qt: $300-350
  
  So, you could replace your cheap one 5-7 times before matching the Le Creuset price. Obviously YMMV, but it strikes me at potentially worth trialing an inexpensive one for a couple years first. You know your habits and preferences best, though.

Good on you! My first thoughts in thinking of your budget is a decent food processor, which should be in the $20-$30 range. If she's already got knives, maybe a couple of nice cutting boards. Also, you can never have too many wooden spoons, ;) Seriously though, just look for a pack of bamboo ones, and she will not be disappointed. I recommend a good [meat thermometer](http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X- ProAccurate-Quick-Read- Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2/ref=sr_1_2/188-1708874-0568330?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1381121596&sr=1-2)
As far as herbs and spices go, get her some saffron and vanilla beans. Look into some different spice blends too, according to your own tastes. I hope I helped.
As a wife myself, those are what I would like in my own stocking! Good luck to you!

Everyone here seems to be recommending whetstones, which is fine (great in fact), but I figured I'd post about an alternative to that.

I personally use the Lansky system, which has pros and cons relative to a set of nice stones but is perfectly fine for a single college student like myself, because it's cheap, easy-to-use, basically foolproof, and gives your knife-edge a very steady angle.

I have two books that I'm finding quite helpful for learning techniques. http://www.amazon.com/Martha-Stewarts-Cooking-School-Lessons/dp/0307396444 This one I recently bought and its pretty amazing. And this one http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41BbiuM0IcL.jpg is the one I grew up with that has a ton of help for classic foods.

I actually used the Martha Stewart book last night to learn how to roast veggies to attempt to make a veggie soup. And it tasted pretty good for once!

I have one and I freaking love it. The app has worked perfectly for me too. Meat comes out tender and surprisingly, the steaks are to perfect temp just as the app shows.

I purchased this and this for the lid and container. They work great. I just set it on top of a cutting board so it’s not directly on the counter top and sous vide away.

I like Ad Hoc At Home for relatively simple food done very well. It will help teach you to respect good ingredients while opening your eyes to some interesting flavor combinations.

I also have On Food and Cooking, which is dense but will teach you about food so that when you do pick up a "super fancy" recipe you may have a chance of actually understanding what the chef is doing and why.

And, of course, there's Ruhlman's Twenty, which is also very informative but is much more accessible than On Food and Cooking.

Here's my 2 cents on preventing burnt meat. Get a food thermometer like this: http://www.amazon.com/Polder-Digital-In-Oven-Thermometer-Graphite/dp/B000P6FLOY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1374375316&sr=8-4&keywords=meat+thermometer. I highly suggest this for any beginner cook. It will help ensure you get the proper temperature for meat. My other advice, and it's a obvious statement, don't leave the meat alone.

• Preheat the oven to 350F.
  
  
• Marinate the chicken breast any way you like. I like to use soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and olive oil.
  
  
• Lay it on a cookie sheet.
  
  
• Stick the thermometer probe so that the tip is deep in the meat. Set the thermometer temp to 160F.
  
  
• Place the chicken in the oven. Make sure the plastic thing is outside the oven. The door will close on the wire.
  
  
• When the thermometer beeps. Take out the chicken. Don't remove the probe.
  
  
• Cover the chicken with aluminum foil. Wait 10 minutes. By this time, the chicken's temperature should reach the safe temp of 165F.
  
  
• Once it reaches 165F, it's done!

http://www.reddit.com/r/AskCulinary/wiki/faq

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What I have posted before.

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If you have a TJ Maxx or like minded discount scratch and dent/seasonal store go there. I picked up All clad pans for about 50% to 75% off. That's a $150+ pan for about $70.

Or check out if you have a restaurant supply store near by.

And cast iron is the shit and only $20 to $40 (just don't use with acidic products unless iron deficient). If you find one that works for you. For me I love this one; for my "breakfast" items. It's alot better for me then a frying pan.
http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-Pre-Seasoned-Griddle-10-5-inch/dp/B00008GKDN/ref=sr_1_6?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1374432138&sr=1-6&keywords=cast+iron

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But only buy what you really need right now. Then build up later. You can do lot with just a few items.

Check out this:

http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/01/equipment-the-7-most-essential-pots-and-pans.html?ref=obinsite


And this

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/08/equipment-the-all-clad-vs-tramontina-skillet.html

Well, for a large piece of meat, there are general cooking time guidelines that you would be better off using than a recipe anyway. But like what moikederp said, get one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Polder-Digital-In-Oven-Thermometer-Graphite/dp/B000P6FLOY Your food will end up being much better, and your life much easier. I know it seems a bit like overkill now, but you will be thankful later.

Since this AskCulinary, I am also going to recommend that when cooking you avoid just merely following recipes. Look at the food. Learn by site/smell/feel when things are done. Read more about techniques, so instead of blindly following a recipe that says "Turn a skillet up to medium-high heat, add some oil, then brown chicken breasts for 4 mintues on each side. Take the chicken cutlets out of the pan and add chicken stock" You can understand that you are using a very common technique where you brown the chicken, then deglaze the pan making a gravy.

What are you using it for?

I have this probe thermometer and love it. I know it's not a traditional candy thermometer, but I use it for caramel and deep frying all the time and it's great. My favorite feature is that you can set the alarm to go off at a certain temperature, so you don't have to stand there watching it the whole time.

I believe the Thermapen is the gold standard for a normal instant digital meat thermometer but it's about $90. I bought a $15 CDN thermometer and its been great. My first one went haywire and they replaced it for free with a three year warranty.

http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X-ProAccurate-Quick-Read-Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2

The warped bottom you can't really fix. If you have a gas stove, it probably won't matter much, but it's annoying for sure. The other stuff... you can try some bar keeper's friend, or you can try the boiled salt water again... assuming you actually pay attention to it. What you're doing is basically deglazing the pan. I typically do that every time I cook, makes cleanup a breeze and sometimes is great for an awesome pan sauce.

Tools: another knife, or a end-grain cutting board. Digital scales are always handy. Pressure cookers can be had for under $100 and a water circulator (sous vide machine) will fall slightly above that price range.

Ingredients: Foie gras makes a good gift. I would be delighted to get some high-end pork product. for a gift.

Books: Modernist Cuisine at Home is as much a book as it is a reference guide and set of projects. On Food and Cooking is an essential book for food nerds.

My sister got me Cook's Illustrated The Science of Good Cooking, http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982, for my birthday a few years ago. It's an amazing book that does a lot of what you described, including experiments that test different recipes or methods to see which give the best results. They also do a good job explaining the science behind why certain methods or recipes are preferred over others.

Admittedly, it's not a masters-level food science textbook but it's definitely one of the most scientific cookbooks I've ever seen.

Edit: I should also add, about half the book is the science behind cooking methods while the other half is about baking.

This is what I have always done. It cleans them well. I have also used Bar Keepers Friend and had great results. I have the cheap Orgreenic pans and have been using them for the last three years or so and they still work great. My only real complaint about them is that I wish they were a bit thicker.

I'd suggest getting a ~12qt/L plastic container too (cambro or rubbermaid ) with a lid. Cut a hole in the lid to size for the unit, the cover reduces evaporation (and reduces energy use somewhat). The 12L size is perfect for doing many things up to small roasts or a pork belly or a chicken.

It's nice if the container is foodsafe, but it's not the end of the world if not. You're cooking in bags anyway. Transparent is really nice though, it allows you to see what's in the unit easily.

The Sweet Home highly recommends this one as it is really cheap compared to the Thermapen but works nearly as well.

Now where are my bonus points?

Read about building flavor profiles.

There are a couple of good books on the market: The Flavor Bible and The Flavor Thesauraus. They both have a lot of information on what ingredients go well with each other.

Also, learn by doing. Try things you think may go together well, even if it's not conventional. Even if the things you try don't come together, you can still learn from it. Try to understand WHY it didn't work (cooking method, flavor profile, preparation all have an affect), think about what you can do to correct the mistake, then implement that the next time you try that dish. I don't own a copy of it myself (yet), but Cook's Illustrated Magazine's The Science of Good Cooking would probably help in that regard.

In general, I consider Alton Brown, Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country, America's Test Kitchen, and Julia Child to be very reputable in the information they convey.

For anyone interested in going further with fermentation experiments, I would humbly like to recommend Sandor Katz's The Art of Fermentation. Both his recipes and the philosophy behind what he does are excellent. When the zombie apocalypse comes and there's no more refrigeration and community relationships are twisted and desperate, you'll be glad you own this book.

Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat is so great at teaching you about the whys and hows of cooking instead of just giving you a recipe. It's my favorite one.

How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson is another great one.

​

The CIA is a great place to turn to in situations like this. Here is their book on baking and pastry. As always, turning to the relevant section of The Bible helps to figure out exactly what is happening during the process.

I sharpen at home but my results are comparable to when I used a sharpening service.

This is the thread where I got my info. Like most of the egullet university articles, very high quality.

http://forums.egullet.org/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-sharpening/

And this is the sharpener that I use. I started out with stones, but found that the guides on the Lansky setup make it much easier to set correct angles.

Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone Sharpening System

Both are highly recommended.

thanks, those look great. any idea how they perform compared to something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Enameled-Classic-Enamel-Island/dp/B000N501BK

Lodge Cast Iron Skillets are great but you have to make sure you clean them immediately afterwards.

For something more practical (and cheap), take a look at these guys (depending on what size you are looking for. You can sautee something, throw it in the oven, and when they start to get ugly, take some Bar Keepers Friend and go at it. It will look good as new in no time. P.S., please don't pay $5 for BKF, it is at your grocery store for only a dollar or two.

Edit: Here is a test of this one vs. the expensive All Clad version.

The last time we had this discussion the CDN DTQ450X ProAccurate Quick-Read Thermometer came up as a more affordable alternative. I bought one and have found it not too bad. It only has ice water calibration and it's not quite as quick as you'd ideally like, but otherwise I'm happy with it.

I'm surprised so far no one has mentioned Larousse which is generally my go-to along with The New Best Recipe for more generalized fare.

I generally don't cook from cookbooks, but I do use them for inspiration or fundamentals.

I have to say that I avoided getting a wetstone for a while. I just bout this stone recently and found it was pretty easy to sharpen using it. To be fair, my knives were pretty beat up and dull before I sharpened them. So, I bought a pretty low grit stone. The only thing I'd recommend is getting something at least a little higher. Now that I've sharpened with both the 250 and 1000 sides once, it doesn't seem like the 250 side will be of much use anymore unless I want to change the edge angle entirely which is not likely.

It took about 10 minutes for my 8" chef knife and some other 5" knife that I found under my kitchen stove when I bought my house. :)

I've heard that the Lansky sharpening system is pretty easy to use, but the one common complaint is that it gets a bit tough for larger kitchen knives. There is a stone in it for serrated knives as well.

I recommend Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat. I’ve been cooking at home for a while, but I learned all kinds of new things and got great reinforcement for the things I already knew. It’s already made a big difference in my own cooking.

This right here is your new best friend.

Jacques Pepin's Complete Techniques and Larousse Gastronomique are both great resources for classical dishes and techniques. Much of classical French cooking is based around stocks and sauces (the 5 mother sauces, and their extensions) and finesse in cooking, i.e. precise cuts, elaborate platings, etc. Something like cooking a french omelet, a piece of fish a la meuniere (get real french and do it with skate wing or dover sole), or if you're into pastry, a simple pâte à choux or genoise, are good starting recipes. With those two books and a few recipes to practice should get you started.

if you are looking for a guide to pan seared steak the food lab at serious eats has an amazing one. As far as knives to buy, I have owned premium $100+ knives and IMO the Victorinox Fibrox handle knife is a fantastic knife, and less than $30.

Here's a great book

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of Cooking
http://www.amazon.com/On-Food-Cooking-Science-Kitchen/dp/0684800012

Cooking for Geeks
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Geeks-Science-Great-Hacks/dp/0596805888/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=14FPMEDBMV4EW2MS7PBR

*The Science of Good Cooking
http://www.amazon.com/Science-Cooking-Cooks-Illustrated-Cookbooks/dp/1933615982/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=14FPMEDBMV4EW2MS7PBR

Victorinox. Cheap, sharp out the box, razor sharp after a good sharpening, last long, and you feel like you can use them because they're not £250 knives. Something like this should do nicely

I think the general consensus on those sharpeners is that they don't work really well. From other knife sharpening posts, the products I've heard most about are the swing arm type of sharpeners, like this, stationary angled sharpening stones like this or getting fancy whetstones, like this.

Thomas Keller does something similar to this in Ad Hoc at Home. He has a creamy polenta recipe (if you don't have the book, here's an adaptation of it) that he pan fries once it's cooled. I've tried it, and it's delicious and totally firm. I cut mine in wedges, and it works perfectly.

I would stronlgy recommend Jacques Pepin who is wonderful.

Better than a plain torch is the Searzall Torch Attachment which is designed specifically to provide wide and even heating for cooking purposes.

This is a good complement to sous vide.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB1x0O-bhrw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS5oW_LNbA8

• Start with the guy who wrote a book on techniques. Jacques Pépin.
  
• Expand into an American Master showcasing family americana style food but with high technique Thomas Keller Ad Hoc
  
• Check out the deep science behind food to understand why people do what they do Modernist Cusine at Home
  
• Or if you want someone to explore the science and break it down for you in Alton Brown
  
• Youtube. Check out Gordon Ramsay, American Test Kitchen, Heston blumenthal or Blumenthal again, Thomas Keller, Pepin Videos, There's so many food videos from chefs my reply would be huge if I linked it all

Definitely. If you are interested in the science of cooking:

• McGee, On Food and Cooking
  
• Lopez-Alt, The Food Lab

I have the same problem myself, and all the suggestions here are spot on. One alternative you can try is the Searzall torch attachment: http://www.amazon.com/Searzall-Torch-Attachment-Small-Stainless/dp/B00L2P0KNO

It was developed by the chefs at Momofuku so they could try to perfectly sear a piece of meat without having to use any oil or directly torch a piece of meat. Of course you would have to buy a torch with the attachment, but if you plan on searing a lot in your apartment it may be worth it.

I own Martha Stewart's Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook and found it to be very easy to read and informative. I may have to pick up her baking book as well.

This is a great solution to your problem: http://www.amazon.com/Booker-Dax-Searzall-Blowtorch-Attachment/dp/B00L2P0KNO

I just got one because I work in a kitchen without a broiler and I love it. It sounds like a jet engine too.

I'm fairly new to this myself and was told early on to check out the Victorinox line. Very inexpensive, great balance with a great handle. They come sharp, too.
I own the 10" but will prob get an 8" as well.

Invest the $15 in a microplane. Seriously AMAZING. Garlic minced, lemons zested, ginger grated in an instant!

I bought a comal like this one on a whim a few years ago. It's great for quesadillas and comes in handy for a bunch of other small things.

I have All-Clad. Pick up some Barkeeper's Friend it'll clean up the pans fast!

Also, medium heat for steak is a little low. I have an electric range and end up setting 7 out of 10. Basically, let the pan heat up. Then toss a few drops of water into the pan. If the water dances around on the surface, then it's ready for your oil and within a few seconds of heating up the oil, the steak.

This one is very popular and it's still on sale. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476753830/?coliid=I33BRJN8OJCTRL&colid=2LU4E1DJMSPDA&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

The Larousse Gastronmique is a whole lot of fun to poke through. Tons of information on ingredients, restaurants, and chefs, although it does sway heavily toward French cuisine. The newest edition is pretty expensive, but the Older editions can be had for not too much cash.

I have found The Art of Fermentation very helpful. Link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/160358286X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468466175&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=art+of+fermentation&dpPl=1&dpID=51FvDZZcZ3L&ref=plSrch

I determined a few weeks ago that my knives were too dull and I wanted to sharpen rather than buy new ones. After much research I got this Lansky Deluxe 5-Stone Sharpening System and the Super Sapphire Sharpening Stone to add even more of an edge. I have sharpened 2 really crappy knives (no-name cheap ones from WalMart) with pretty incredible results. They are much, much sharper than new.

The system is very easy to use and ensures that you keep the same angle at all times. the one knife was very very dull and it took about an hour to get it to a point where I felt it was sufficiently sharp. Both knives I have sharpened with this system can easily pass the magazine paper test and can very easily shave hair off my arm.

I use a 12 quarter like https://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-Commercial-Container-12-Quart-FG631200CLR/dp/B000R8JOUC/ w/ a lid that fits around my Annova.

You'll see these knifes recommended around here quite a bit:

Victorinox 10 inch

Victorinox 8 inch

Also got the recommendation from America's Test Kitchen, scroll to the bottom to check the video: http://www.americastestkitchen.com/equipment_reviews/1433-chefs-knives

There's a difference between instant read thermometers and leave in probe thermometers. If there is a plastic/lcd readout directly attached to the metal probe, then no, you cannot leave it in the oven. If the metal probe connects to the readout part via a flexible wire, then yes, it's a leave in probe.

This is an example of a leave-in probe therm:

http://www.amazon.com/Polder-Digital--Oven-Thermometer-Graphite/dp/B000P6FLOY/

This is an example of a non-leave in therm:

http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X-ProAccurate-Quick-Read-Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2

I’ll recommend three books that have upped my research as a home cook; The Professional Chef by CIA, Techniques by Jacques Pepin, and Ratio by Michael Ruhlman.

Of course there are hundreds of books but I often reference these in particular for education.

I've seen a couple I like, but where's La Technique by Pepin. Or more likely, one of the updated versions.

I get your need for speed, so I'll let you in on my trick. Plus, it knocks out another rule of the kitchen: never own anything that performs only one job.

Get yourself a Microplane grater. A coarse one. This one.

Peel your cloves of garlic, then grate them into nothing. Be careful once it gets down to the nub, or you're going to lose some finger skin. Takes five seconds, you have perfectly minced garlic, and you can use it for all kinds of other stuff: mincing ginger or onion, grating cheese, zesting. They come in a bunch of sizes, too.

I've done the same thing and no long term damaged. Clean with Bar Keepers Friend and it will be good to go for many more years.

Larousse Gastronomique

Mastering the Art of French Cooking - Julia Child

Paul Bocuse:The Complete Recipies

On my Christmas list is a copy of Larousse Gastronomique.

https://www.amazon.com/Larousse-Gastronomique-Greatest-Encyclopedia-Completely/dp/0307464911

You're not letting salt do its work, AKA osmosis. Salt your chicken a day in advance. You're seasoning way too close to when you cook, which is drawing out the moisture while it's in the oven making it even drier. If you give salt enough time, it draws out the moisture but then restructures the proteins in the meat so they reabsorb the salty water and retain the moisture. For more check out Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.

Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques.

https://smile.amazon.com/Jacques-Pépin-New-Complete-Techniques/dp/1579129110

And don't get the Kindle version.

While it does have recipes, it also has a ton of pictures and descriptions of a variety of techniques: New Complete Techniques, by Jacques Pepin

Jacques Pépin's New Complete Techniques.

For pickles and other preserves, I tend to refer to Sandor Katz's The Art of Fermentation

I know this doesn't help you now, but what you should have bought is a microplane. Grates ginger, garlic, cheese, and zests citrus fruits.

This is the one I use.

EDIT: Also including a video because you might just be using it incorrectly.

would this be a good one? http://www.amazon.com/Microplane-40020-Classic-Zester-Grater/dp/B00004S7V8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332005436&sr=8-1

Victorinox 10" chef's knife can't be beat for $33 (or $80!).

barkeepers friend is a handy stainless steel polish

Bar Keepers Friend

searzal

Acid is a fundamental building block of cooking and flavor. Some would argue the four elements you must always keep in mind to create a dish are Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat

It's some crappy one from target. I had one of these, it's what they use in restaurants and I liked it. I'll buy another when the crappy target one dies.

http://www.amazon.com/CDN-DTQ450X-ProAccurate-Quick-Read-Thermometer/dp/B0021AEAG2/ref=zg_bs_289809_4