Cooking Basics For Dummies

Description

Get started cooking now with Cooking Basics For Dummies, 5th Edition! Are you looking to dig yourself out of microwave dinners and learn the ropes of home cooking? Cooking Basics For Dummies, 5th Edition takes the intimidation out of cooking and helps you start cultivating your culinary prowess in no time. From learning fundamental cooking techniques like dicing, chopping, and saut?ing to creating delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, you'll discover how to cook up crowd-pleasing meals the whole family will enjoy—all without breaking a sweat! Even if you've never cracked an egg, this friendly, practical guide gives you all the ingredients to become a superior home cook. In plain English, it explains step-by-step how to master popular cooking techniques, such as dicing vegetables, hard boiling an egg, making quick and delicious sauces, planning menus, stocking your pantry, and so much more. Packed with more than 150 easy-to-follow recipes for every meal of the day, from mouth-watering mains to sumptuous sides to delectable desserts Helps you master grilling, slow cooking, baking, roasting, pressure cooking, and more Includes tips on adapting meals to meet the latest dietary trends, such as low-sugar, low-sodium, low-fat, plant-based, and vegetarian diets Covers shopping at farmer's markets and buying organic foods Cooking Basics For Dummies, 5th edition is for every beginner cook or polished chef looking for a refresher on breathing new life into home-cooked meals. Title Page......Page 3 Copyright Page......Page 4 Contents at a Glance......Page 5 Recipes at a Glance......Page 7 Table of Contents......Page 12 About This Book......Page 19 Foolish Assumptions......Page 20 Icons Used in This Book......Page 21 Where to Go from Here......Page 22 Part I: Getting Started with Cooking......Page 23 Chapter 1: Cooking with Confidence......Page 25 Creating a Cook-Friendly Kitchen......Page 26 Let there be lighting......Page 27 Organize your pantry......Page 28 Stovetop and oven......Page 29 Microwave ovens......Page 31 Refrigerator......Page 33 Dishwasher......Page 34 Kitchen Safety 101......Page 35 Now Get Crackin’!......Page 37 Chapter 2: Investing in the Essential Tools......Page 39 Collecting Your Cookware Basics......Page 40 Doing some comparison shopping......Page 41 Buying the essentials......Page 42 Getting fancy......Page 46 Selecting Tools for Mixing and Baking......Page 48 Considering Small Appliances......Page 51 Graters and Mashers and Peelers, Oh My!......Page 54 Chapter 3: The Bare Necessities: Stocking Your Pantry and Fridge......Page 57 Stocking Up on Baking Supplies......Page 58 Working with herbs......Page 60 Studying spices......Page 63 Peanut Butter and Beyond: Bottled and Canned Goods......Page 64 Cooling It with Refrigerated and Frozen Staples......Page 67 Squeezing the Melon: Buying and Storing Fruits and Vegetables......Page 68 Where to purchase produce......Page 71 Beef......Page 72 Chicken......Page 74 Fish and other seafood......Page 76 Part II: Know Your Techniques......Page 79 Buying Knives for All Occasions......Page 81 Investing in the three essentials......Page 82 Shopping wisely......Page 83 Sharpening twice a year......Page 85 Honing before each use......Page 86 Chopping, Mincing, Julienning, and More......Page 87 Chopping and mincing......Page 88 Halving tough-skinned vegetables......Page 90 Slicing......Page 91 Paring......Page 92 Showing a turkey or chicken who’s boss......Page 94 Cutting a pot roast......Page 95 Handling a ham......Page 96 Water, Water Everywhere . . . Now What?......Page 97 Making Hard- and Soft-Cooked Eggs......Page 98 Parboiling, blanching, and steaming veggies......Page 100 Boiling and steaming a dozen fresh vegetables......Page 101 Making vegetable purées......Page 103 Poaching and Steaming Seafood......Page 104 Chapter 6: Simply Sautéing......Page 111 Knowing When to Use Oil or Butter......Page 112 Combining Sautéing with Roasting......Page 113 Making Great Sauce from Bits in the Pan: Deglazing......Page 114 Vegetables......Page 115 Beef......Page 116 Chapter 7: Braising and Stewing: Slow and Seductive......Page 127 Taking time to stew......Page 128 Braising greens......Page 129 Keeping Herbs and Spices in Check......Page 130 Seasoning your roasts......Page 141 Searing meat before you roast......Page 142 Taking a rest......Page 143 Roasting Times and Temperatures for Poultry and Meat......Page 144 Putting Poultry in the Oven......Page 148 Beef......Page 150 Pork......Page 151 Ham......Page 152 Lamb......Page 154 Remembering (to Roast) Your Veggies!......Page 155 Chapter 9: Coals and Coils: Grilling and Broiling......Page 171 Charcoal grilling......Page 172 Gas grilling......Page 173 Grilling with wood chips......Page 174 Marinating for Flavor......Page 175 Perfecting Your Grilling Technique......Page 176 Chicken......Page 177 Vegetables......Page 178 Seafood......Page 179 Chapter 10: Baking Basics......Page 189 Measuring dry ingredients......Page 190 Measuring wet ingredients......Page 191 Breaking with care......Page 192 Separating an egg......Page 193 Folding, Whipping, Kneading, and More: Getting the Techniques Right......Page 194 Perfecting Your Pie Crust......Page 197 Making Cakes and Quick Breads for a Sweet Treat......Page 200 Part III: Expand Your Repertoire......Page 209 Starting the Day with the Incredible, Edible Egg......Page 211 Deciding whether to splurge on specialty eggs......Page 212 Frankly fried......Page 214 Beautifully boiled......Page 215 Craftily folded omelets......Page 216 Breaking the fast with bacon......Page 217 Steak-ing your claim (to breakfast!)......Page 219 Blending Your Way to a Healthy Breakfast......Page 220 Mastering Essential Soup Skills......Page 233 Thickening your soup......Page 234 Peeling and seeding a tomato......Page 236 Trying Your Hand at Puréed Soups......Page 238 The soul of the salad: Crisp, fresh greens......Page 239 So many dressings, so little time......Page 245 Ten easy salad ideas......Page 249 Sprucing Up Standard Rice......Page 263 Checking Out Other Grains......Page 265 Canoodling with Everyone’s Favorite: Pasta......Page 267 Pasta tips and tricks......Page 268 Topping Your Pasta with the Perfect Sauce......Page 270 Starting with the ABCs of Sauces......Page 285 Deglazing for Delicious Pan Sauces......Page 287 Whirling Light Blender Sauces in Minutes......Page 288 Sweetening Things Up with Delectable Dessert Sauces......Page 289 Creating Creamy Chocolate Sweets......Page 301 Finding the Indulgent Side of Fruit, Fresh from the Oven......Page 302 Collecting Cookies: All You Need Is a Glass of Milk......Page 303 Taking on Tiramisu......Page 305 Part IV: Now You’re Cooking! Real Menus for Real Life......Page 319 Slow Cookers: Small Input, Big Output......Page 321 From Oven to Table: Simplicity in a Casserole Dish......Page 322 Creating Big Dishes for Small Bucks......Page 335 Dressing Up Your Meals with Super Sidekicks......Page 336 Dried beans......Page 337 Chapter 18: Going Global with Asian and Mediterranean Dishes......Page 345 Stocking up on Asian staples......Page 346 Starting with the basics: Asian noodles......Page 348 Getting it right with Asian rice......Page 349 Meeting popular Mediterranean meats......Page 350 Olives......Page 351 Preserved lemons......Page 352 Whipping Up Dinner with Convenience Foods......Page 367 Keeping Things Simple and Delicious......Page 368 Chowing down on cheese......Page 369 Seeing the Pasta-bilities!......Page 370 Planning the Menu......Page 379 Mixing Fruity Drinks for Thirsty Crowds......Page 381 Preparing in Advance for a Stress-Free Party......Page 382 Chapter 21: Feeding Holiday Hordes: Festive Winter Menus......Page 393 Getting Yourself Organized......Page 394 All about Turkey......Page 395 Teasing the Palate with Fresh Dips......Page 397 Scrumptious Stuffings and Sides......Page 398 Last Man Standing: Holiday Desserts......Page 399 Warming Up with Holiday Libations......Page 400 Part V: The Part of Tens......Page 413 Use Only the Freshest Ingredients......Page 415 Think about Your Plate......Page 416 Don’t Be a Slave to Recipes......Page 417 Above All, Have Fun......Page 418 Searing Meat Traps in the Juices......Page 419 Using Quality Olive Oil Is Important for Sautéing or Pan-Roasting......Page 420 Cooking with Wine or Spirits Burns Off All the Alcohol......Page 421 Rinsing Raw Mushrooms Causes Them to Absorb More Water......Page 422 Appendix A: Glossary of 100 (Plus) Common Cooking Terms......Page 423 Appendix B: Common Substitutions, Abbreviations, and Equivalents......Page 431 Index......Page 437 About the Authors......Page 457 Supplemental Images ......Page 459