A Very Basic Guide, If You Really Don’t Know How to Cook
Trust us, you can boil some pasta.
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As a millennial living in New York City, I have plenty of friends who simply don’t know how to cook. Even the idea of frying an egg can feel like a daunting task: set the heat at medium, lift the egg’s edges early to avoid sticking, hold salt and pepper until the end. It’s a process. Never mind that the ability to handle a knife properly isn’t exactly intuitive, which is likely why there are whole classes dedicated to the skill. Many of my friends have never even heard of the word “julienne.”
Instead of offering easy recipes that take no time at all and require only a few ingredients, what I think my friends need the most is how-tos. Understanding basic cooking skills like how to cook an egg, boil pasta, cook chicken breast and even make coffee (yes, really) opens the door to so many opportunities in the kitchen. Learning how to boil pasta and baking a ziti isn’t too far away!
So, if you’re anything like my takeout-loving friends here in the city, consider this a crash course on the basics of cooking.
Eggs
Whether you like your eggs hard-boiled or sunny side up, there’s a method you’ll want to follow. Pick your favorite egg style and never mess up your breakfast again.
Ever wonder how the top of a fried egg gets cooked if it never touches the pan? The secret: A lid to trap the heat.
A plate of tender scrambled eggs is only a dash of milk away.
Poaching eggs can seem intimidating, but a little practice goes a long way.
How to Hard-Boil and Soft-Cook Eggs
It’s all about timing when it comes to boiling your eggs just the way you like ’em.
Ready to add more toppings to your eggs? Prep all your ingredients before you drop any eggs into a pan.
Pasta
Never boiled pasta in your life? Not to fear. Just be sure to salt your water – make it as salty as the sea – bring it to a boil before adding the pasta (this is important!) and cook according to the instructions on the box. Here’s what you’ll need to make a basic pasta dinner.
How to Cook Pasta
Potatoes
Matt Armendariz, 2014, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved
Simple. Filling. A well-seasoned, cooked potato can help tide you over.
How to Boil Potatoes
Once you get this technique down, you’ll be well on your way to making potato salads and mashed and smashed potatoes.
How to Bake Potatoes
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to wrap your spud in foil to get crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside baked potatoes.
Vegetables
You don’t have to live off bags of raw, baby carrots alone. Stay nourished with these easy ways to cook and break down vegetables for sides, sauces and more.
How to Steam Vegetables
If you only learn how to properly (that is: safely and efficiently) cut one vegetable in your lifetime, make it an onion. Onions serve as a base for so many recipes.
How to Mince Garlic
A minced clove of fresh garlic can make the simplest of dishes taste like you got them straight from a restaurant. Say goodbye to that pre-minced jar of garlic. We promise it’s worth the extra bit of work!
Meats, Poultry and Fish
Handling meat can be intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be second nature. Start with less complicated forms of meat – boneless chicken breast, pre-sliced bacon, ground beef, frozen shrimp – and work your way up to, say, roasting a whole chicken.
How to Sauté Shrimp
Coffee
If you’re guilty of buying a cup of joe every day – without fail – on your way to work, here’s how to get your caffeine fix at home. You don’t even need a machine.
How to Make Cold Brew
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