PART ONE

COOKING BASICS

"WHEN YOU COOK, YOU NEVER STOP LEARNING. THAT'S THE FASCINATION OF IT."

–JAMES BEARD

If you're an experienced cook, pat yourself on the back as you go through this section, secure in the knowledge that you already have the basics under your belt. Reading it will reinforce the skills you've already mastered and affirm that we're approaching the stove from the same perspective. You'll discover the hows and whys behind the techniques and methods you've picked up over time, just as I did in cooking school. Understanding cooking on this level is rewarding and gives you the surefooted confidence you need to cook with new ingredients and create new recipes.

If you're a less experienced cook, this section will provide you with an elementary understanding of cooking, including the hows and whys of twelve basic cooking methods, divided into two primary categories, moist heat and dry heat. Armed with this knowledge, you'll be able to figure out why your Chicken Cacciatore (page 202) could come out tender and moist one time and dry and tough another, or how to ensure that your flank steak always develops a flavorful crust when you grill.

Along with cooking techniques, in this section, you will find information on kitchen equipment, knife skills, how cooking affects the flavor and texture of foods, using your senses when you cook, seasoning to taste, and more.

EQUIPMENT MATTERS

I'm not exactly what you'd call an equipment junkie, but over the years a few favorite pots, pans, tools, and gadgets have found their way into my kitchen — and into my heart. Teaching in cookware stores, cooking schools, and private homes across the United States has provided me a terrific opportunity to test-drive other cooks' knives, colanders, and cutting boards. Here's my short list of basic equipment you'll need to prepare the recipes in this book.

COOKWARE

Sturdy, dependable pots and pans are a necessity, and just about every line of cookware can be purchased in a set. But, before you invest in someone else's idea of the perfect set, do two things: First, be sure you have plenty of room to store all the pieces. Second, ask yourself if you'd be better off buying just a few of the pieces you really need as open stock (single purchase) and putting any money saved toward something else.

How do you know what type of cookware to choose? Sometimes, as with glass-top ranges or high-BTU-output cooktops, the features of your particular stove dictate the type of cookware that will work best for you. Considering heat conduction alone, copper, cast iron, and aluminum all perform well. But each of these has drawbacks. As a surface on pots and pans, aluminum has fallen out of favor due to its link with health conditions such as hardening of the arteries. However, it's not unusual to find cookware with an aluminum core, where the metal is sandwiched between copper and/or stainless steel. Many cooks (count me among them) are enamored of copper and cast-iron pieces, but each requires a commitment to upkeep that some people aren't willing to make. Here are the specific sizes and brands of pots and pans I find particularly useful.

POTS

If you like the performance of cast iron, an all-purpose, porcelain-enameled, cast-iron 8-quart Le Creuset (pronounced luh crew-zay) Dutch oven can't be beat for braising or making soups. In fact, recipe testers who made the short ribs on page 237 in a Le Creuset Dutch oven unwittingly shaved off as much as a half hour of cooking time, thanks to its even heating and heat-retention properties. This line is easy to clean, too. On the downside, Le Creuset pots are superheavy, and I wouldn't recommend them to children or to people with weak wrists or arthritis in the arms or hands. One-third of their weight is in the lid, so it's possible to lighten the load significantly if you don't put the lid on until you get to your destination, be it the oven or storage cabinet.

For cooking pasta, nothing I have beats the old, thin, lightweight, copper-bottomed 6-quart Revere Ware pot I've been using since grad school. I'd never choose a heavier pot over this old friend for pasta because the water takes so much longer to boil in those behemoths.

SAUCEPANS

All-Clad saucepans are both dependable and a cinch to clean. They're dishwasher safe, too, which comes in handy after you've melted sugar. I particularly love the curved bottom on All-Clad's saucier pans (see illustration, page 104), a shape ideal for risottos, sauces, and puddings, as there's no corner to trap food (see Sources for buying All-Clad seconds online). I constantly reach for my 51/2-quart saucier. When it comes to saucepans, it's good to have a 1-quart pan for small jobs, such as poaching an egg or two, and at least one all-purpose 3- or 4-quart pan for cooking vegetables and the like.

STIR-FRY PAN

Urged on in an article in Fine Cooking magazine by the late Barbara Tropp, I bought a lightweight, nonstick, unlabeled 14-inch stir-fry pan at a restaurant supply warehouse (see Sources). I was won over before I even cooked in this pan once I saw how easy it is to wash, especially compared to my dear, old round-bottomed wok. Its flat bottom allows it to sit directly on the burner of my gas stove, in contact with the flame, and the pan is so light I can easily flip food as I sauté or stir-fry. (We'll get into this more fully in a few pages, but flipping is the most efficient way to sauté.) This inexpensive (less than thirty dollars) stir-fry pan is fun to use, too.

SKILLETS AND SAUTÉ PANS

Skillets have sloping sides and are usually sold without a lid. Sauté pans have straight sides and most come with a lid. I'm not a snob when it comes to skillets. You'll need two workhorse pans, one 6 or 8 inches and another 10 or 12 inches. (Skillets and sauté pans are measured across the top; baking pans are measured across the bottom.) When you're just starting out, stay away from anything larger than 12 inches, unless it's to supplement these two.

Choose a heavy-duty material, such as stainless steel on the outside and aluminum in the core, for a sauté pan. I like All-Clad's sauté pans. Since this pan is frequently used to brown foods, or to prepare an à la minute dish that includes a quick pan sauce (see Turkey Piccata, page 177), it's important to have even heat distribution, which the stainless steel and aluminum combination provides. Also, I prefer a conventional finish, rather than nonstick, on a sauté pan, so the flavorful pan drippings will stick to the bottom of the pan, developing the foundation for a flavorful sauce.

Nonstick skillets are great when it comes to easy cleanup, but spend your money on those made by a company specializing in nonstick cookware such as Scanpan from Denmark. The other major cookware companies that sell both conventional and nonstick skillets emphasize the heavy-duty, solid construction of the pan, which means the pan is heavier in your hand. A heavy pan is less conducive to flipping, which is important when sautéing small foods. Keep in mind that you pay dearly for the heavy-duty core of those nonstick pans. As Julia Child confided in me once, I, too, swear by a little Wearever nonstick skillet. My hat's off to them for etching the pan size right into the bottom of the pan, too. If only the other cookware companies would follow suit.

INDOOR GRILLS AND GRILL PANS

If you're a fan of indoor grilling, as I am, consider investing in a cast-iron stove-top grill, either a flat model or one with raised sides to deflect splattering and a handle for easy maneuverability. If you go with the flat one, the rectangular double-burner size is more versatile than the square, single-burner model. For small jobs, you could always heat just one end of the larger grill, but there's hardly enough room for a flank steak on the smaller one. Many home cooks who tested recipes for this book swear by their portable, electric countertop grills such as the George Foreman brand. I haven't tried one, only because my fairy godfather installed an indoor gas grill when I remodeled my kitchen. When I teach in other cooking schools, I rely heavily on the Le Creuset stove-top grill. One caveat: Don't even consider indoor grilling unless you have excellent ventilation.

BAKING PANS AND DISHES

Emile Henri has a terrific line of baking dishes made from a particular French clay that is prized for its heat retention properties. These pieces — some with lids — come in a range of sizes, shapes, and vibrant colors, and feature an easy-to-clean finish. I use these dishes for everything from lasagna to savory corn pudding to chocolate bread pudding. They're attractive enough to take right to the table. If money is a consideration, Pyrex tempered-glass baking dishes and ramekins do a respectable job, and have the advantage of being clear, so you can monitor how the outside edges of a crust are browning. For baking cakes, look for pans with straight sides, rather than slightly flared ones. They make frosting layer cakes a piece of ... well, you know.

KNIVES

When it comes to knives, I'm as flexible as I am about cookware. More than with any other piece of equipment, knife selection is personal. Knives must be comfortable in your hand; you should feel safe and in control when using them. I prefer knives made of a carbon stainless steel alloy, as they hold an edge well and, as the name implies, are virtually stainless. The most important — and versatile — is your chef's knife. A good chef's knife is like an extension of your hand. The blade should be as long as you're comfortable wielding. Shop for knives at a knife shop or cookware store where the staff is knowledgeable and will help you compare several different sizes and brands. If you know the store has a kitchen for cooking classes, bring along a few carrots and ask if they'll let you test the knife before you buy it. Look for a thin blade and a solid handle that's comfortable for you to grip or balance. People with smaller hands seem to like Japanese-made Global knives. They hold an edge well, but you must use a diamond steel to hone them. (The sharpening steel should be made of a surface that's harder than the blade material.)

Choose a paring knife you can comfortably cradle in your hand. It should be relatively lightweight, so as not to cause hand fatigue when you're trimming lots of vegetables. You don't have to spend a lot of money to get a good paring knife with a thin blade.

Other knives I reach for often include:

• A fillet knife for cutting paper-thin slices and removing fish skin.

• A cheese knife for cutting sticky cheeses such as Brie or Taleggio.

• A boning knife for boning — and carving — poultry and meats.

• A Granton edge carving knife — identifiable by its dimpled blade — for cutting thin, even slices of meat.

• A sturdy serrated knife for cutting bread and tomatoes, shaving off the crusts of bread for fresh bread crumbs, and shaving chocolate for melting. Look for an offset serrated knife that allows room for your knuckles.

If you invest in good knives, be sure to keep them sharp and to give them a good home. Whether you choose an in-drawer knife rack, countertop knife block, or hanging magnetic bar, store your knives so that the blades aren't touching.

CUTTING BOARDS

A good knife deserves a firm, solid cutting board or two. Ideally, it's good to have at least one plastic board you can put through the dishwasher, so you don't have to worry about cross contamination. Buy the largest board you can accommodate in your sink. This way, you can prep ingredients for a stir-fry in separate corners of the board, then transfer them with a metal bench scraper (another tool I find indispensable) to the stir-fry pan without dirtying lots of bowls. Trudeau makes plastic (polypropylene) boards with rubber gripper corners (see Sources). Otherwise, place a damp kitchen towel or a piece of skid-proof plastic shelf liner underneath your cutting board to prevent it from sliding around as you chop.

THERMOMETERS

I couldn't function in the kitchen without an instant-read thermometer. These days, chef coats are even designed with two narrow pockets on the arm: one for a pen, the other for an instant-read thermometer. They come in digital and traditional dials. To avoid having to change the battery frequently, I prefer a digital thermometer that turns off automatically after a few minutes. I use my instant-read thermometer most often to check the doneness of meat and poultry, but I also reach for it when I want to be sure a sorbet mixture is cool enough to pour into the ice-cream maker.

When roasting meats and poultry, nothing beats a probe-type instant thermometer. This device features a long probe, which you stick into the roast. The probe is attached to a wire-mesh cord, which gets inserted into a timer device that rests on the countertop (or sticks magnetically onto a nearby surface — great for outdoor grills). The oven door gets closed right on top of the cord, and you never have to open the door to check the internal temperature: the display window on the timer device tells you the exact temperature at all times.

A deep-frying thermometer is one of those single-use gadgets that makes a big difference to fine cooks, whether you're heating a couple of inches of oil for frizzled leeks or considerably less for eggplant parmigiana. Clipped on the inside of the pot, it lets you know just when the oil is ready, while also providing a constant indication of the oil temperature so you can regulate the heat promptly as you fry.

SMALL ELECTRICS

It's great to have a food processor with at least an 11-cup capacity. But if money is a consideration, you can make do with a stand blender. An immersion — or stick — blender works well for puréeing soups and sauces directly in the pan without dirtying another vessel or having to transfer hot liquids. For safety, I recommend the cordless, rechargeable immersion blender over the electric model with its long cord. A handheld or stand mixer is necessary for creaming butter and sugar for cakes, and makes easy work of whipping cream and egg whites.

SMALL WARES

You'll need a sturdy slotted spoon for transferring foods and stirring liquids (the holes prevent splashing). A bulb-shaped balloon whisk is useful for combining dry ingredients and for whipping air into heavy (whipping) cream and egg whites. Don't overlook measuring spoons, dry measuring cups, and a liquid measure or two. Measuring cups specifically designed for liquids have a pouring spout. It's nice to have them in 1-, 2-, and 4-cup increments. You'd be amazed at the versatility of both 4- and 8-cup Pyrex liquid measures. You can use them to melt butter and chocolate in the microwave, and then stir in the other ingredients for one-bowl brownies. I use an 8-cup measure for rising dough. It allows me to see precisely when the dough has doubled in size.

Other important kitchen equipment includes a set of three to six stainless-steel, glass, or plastic nesting bowls for mixing, washing produce, and even serving. Fine- and medium-mesh strainers are invaluable for straining and draining foods. I favor a hand-operated food mill for puréeing canned tomatoes and for making applesauce without having to peel, seed, or core the apples. A Microplane is unparalleled for its ability to zest citrus fruits without a trace of pith; it does double duty admirably as a grater for hard cheeses.

You'll see other, nonessential tools mentioned throughout this book, including a mandoline, V-slicer, or Benriner slicer; a Chinese strainer, or "spider"; a heatproof rubber spatula (actually made of silicone); and a Silpat (or other brand) silicone baking liner.

Among the favorite gifts I've received are spoons and utensils made of hardwoods such as olive, cherry, and maple. They feature smooth, rounded handles that are comfortable for long stirring sessions. Because these hardwood utensils are less porous than inexpensive softwood spoons, they tend not to absorb odors, which is particularly important if you reach for the same spoon to stir saffron risotto one day and chocolate pudding the next. I also find that the softwood spoons tend to splinter and break long before their smooth, hardwood cousins develop a patina from steady use.

A swivel-blade vegetable peeler is something I couldn't live without. You may be surprised at how reasonably priced these peelers are. Select one in a bright color that will be easy to spot in your equipment drawer.

Over the years I've come to the conclusion that, with cookware, you get what you pay for. Often it's worth waiting for what you really want to go on sale (or looking online for bargains on seconds), rather than buying a poor-quality alternative.