Keep a few things in mind as you embark on your kitchen adventure. Firstly, take your learning slowly. It’s better to get your prep methods right and give yourself a platform to tackle lots of dishes. Prepare to fail so you don’t fail to prepare. Cooking really isn’t hard (most of the time). If you find stirring pasta sauce on the stove as intimidating as doing your own taxes, we’ve got some step-by-step instructions that will wean you off frozen dinners. Let’s make cooking less taxing, shall we? Knowing your onions isn’t the same as knowing how to put them to work. Build your home cooking library and pump out brilliance. The great thing about cooking is that you can surprise yourself every day, and you’ll only have to change the ingredients to generate a completely new experience.
Pasta is actually as easy as 1-2-3, boil water with a few pinches of kosher salt. (Why? Adding salt during the boil seasons the pasta internally as it swells in the water. Neat!) Pour in pasta, give it a stir, and cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta in a colander and douse it with a little olive oil to prevent sticky noodles. With less water in the pot, your stove is on for less time, and less water is poured down the drain. If you and your roomies try it this way from now on, your energy bill might be smaller next month. But it’s also possible to use too little water. If you’re left with a sticky mess of noodles, that means there was too much starch for the amount of water you used, so add more water next time.
Pasta is actually as easy as 1-2-3, boil water with a few pinches of kosher salt. (Why? Adding salt during the boil seasons the pasta internally as it swells in the water. Neat!) Pour in pasta, give it a stir, and cook according to package instructions. Drain pasta in a colander and douse it with a little olive oil to prevent sticky noodles. With less water in the pot, your stove is on for less time, and less water is poured down the drain. If you and your roomies try it this way from now on, your energy bill might be smaller next month. But it’s also possible to use too little water. If you’re left with a sticky mess of noodles, that means there was too much starch for the amount of water you used, so add more water next time.
style="float: right;">The dressing is important both before leaving the house and while nailing a salad. It can transform a pile of greens into an appetizing and rewarding dish that fills you up to the brim with awesome nutrients. Put down the bottle of ranch and DIY your salad dressing to heck and back. A simple vinaigrette is a mixture of oil and an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice. Salt, pepper, and herbs often season the mix. To get the dressing to emulsify (translation: not separate into weird oily bubbles and balsamic), stick with a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part acid. Add a spoonful of mustard as well — this helps keep the smooth dressing from breaking.
The simple vinaigrette is a gateway dressing. Knowing this technique means you can get fancy with other emulsifiers and seasonings, such as:
If your idea of salad is balsamic over lettuce, it’s no wonder you’ve romaine-d skeptical about chomping on a salad at lunch. But if it’s good enough for these guys, it’s good enough for you too. Get creative, starting with different greens (Arugula! Spinach! Shredded kale, and Brussels sprouts! Expelliarmus!). Add raw or roasted veggies, maybe a handful of nuts or seeds, and even a few slices of fruit. And since you’re now the world champion of making vinaigrette, why not drizzle it over your salad? See? It all comes together.
The simple vinaigrette is a gateway dressing. Knowing this technique means you can get fancy with other emulsifiers and seasonings, such as:
Cooking chicken is probably the simplest skill on this list. Who doesn’t love a tender cut of chicken? We’re big fans of pan-searing since it doesn’t require preheating the oven. But if baking is more your bag, you need only the following steps:
There’s nothing like a pile of roasted veggies to make you feel infinitely full and cozy. Heat your oven to 400ºF (about 200°C) and start chopping. Douse the veggies with oil, salt, and pepper. Bake until tender and just starting to brown. That’s literally it. You can make every meal more delicious with minimal effort (aside from the chopping).
Cooking can be as simple or difficult as you prefer. But regardless of the skill it takes, it also takes a skillet. And a wooden spoon. And a measuring cup. And…you get the idea. An ill-equipped kitchen means you’re not armed for the war against burning and blandness. If you’re just getting started in the kitchen, you’ll need some basic gear.
Once you learn your way around a kitchen, you’ll be able to provide joy and nourishment for your friends, your family, and yourself. The basics are easy. Not Instagram every single dish is the hard part. If baking is something you want to conquer instead (and who doesn’t?), here’s our guide to nailing it.