The New Essentials Cookbook

Take your cooking skills to the next level while developing a knockout repertoire of 200 essential dishes that satisfy what our modern palates crave, from simple meals to dinner-party center?pieces. We’ve made improvements to well-loved dishes by incorporating innovative techniques in recipes such as Butter-Basted Rib-Eye Steak and added modern classics such as Vegetable Bibimbap and Olive Oil-Yogurt Bundt Cake. In this book, you’ll find the perfect roast chicken and a killer banana bread but also a Turkish-inspired tomato soup, luscious Chinese braised short ribs, and a set of wholesome grain bowls. A chapter on weeknight dinners offers smart paths to great flavor�from Bucatini with Peas, Kale, and Pancetta that cooks in one pot to a pizza that bakes in a skillet�including plenty of vegetarian options. Other chapters turn up the volume on breakfast and dessert standbys; try the 100 Percent Whole-Wheat Pancakes and Brown Sugar Cookies and you may never go back to the regular versions. We’ll also help you pull off your next�or even your first!�dinner party with recipes guaranteed to impress (and to work), such as Braised Lamb Shanks with Bell Peppers and Harissa, Miso-Marinated Salmon, and Roasted Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna. Most of us�not just newbies�could stand to bone up on certain culinary basics, and our methods may surprise even more experienced cooks, from seeding fresh chiles (we use a measuring spoon) to hulling strawberries (a plastic straw works well). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of what these recipes teach. You’ll discover how to �reverse sear� thick pork chops so they turn out juicy all the way through, grind meat in a food processor for the ultimate burger, and shape fresh corn tortillas without a tortilla press or rolling pin. As you progress through this book, you will also gain a deeper understanding of ingredients, better ?techniques, and the secrets we use in the test kitchen via sidebars called �Think Like a Cook,� which offers insights that can help in your larger culinary life. For example: How to Be an Avocado Whisperer: Squeezing that avocado is just going to bruise it. Learn a better way to tell when it’s ripe. Improvising a Pan Sauce: After searing a steak, chop, or chicken breast, Don’t clean the pan! We show you how to use these browned bits to make a rich, deeply flavored sauce. How Cheese Melts: Learn why some cheeses melt smoothly while others turn greasy�plus a trick to help cheddar melt without breaking. The Egg-Doneness Continuum: See the difference between soft-, hard-, and overcooked eggs and find a foolproof method for nailing it every time (and removing the shells more easily).The New Essentials Cookbook Edition and Publisher America’s Test Kitchen. ISBNs: 9781945256059, 1945256052. The print version of this textbook is ISBN: 9781945256042, 1945256044.