Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- Foolish Assumptions -- Icons Used in This Book -- Beyond the Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part 1 Getting Started with Cooking -- Chapter 1 Cooking with Confidence -- Creating a Cook-Friendly Kitchen -- Declutter your countertops -- Let there be lighting -- Organize your pantry -- Introducing Major Appliances: Friends, Not Foes -- Stovetop and oven -- Microwave ovens -- Refrigerator -- Freezer -- Dishwasher -- Garbage disposal -- Kitchen Safety 101 -- Now Get Crackin'! -- Chapter 2 Investing in the Essential Tools -- Collecting Your Cookware Basics -- Picking Pots and Pans -- Doing some comparison shopping -- Buying the essentials -- Getting fancy -- Selecting Tools for Mixing and Baking -- Considering Small Appliances -- Graters and Mashers and Peelers, Oh My! -- Chapter 3 The Bare Necessities: Stocking Your Pantr y and Fridge -- Dry Goods: The Pantry's Backbone -- Stocking Up on Baking Supplies -- Spicing Up Your Life with Herbs, Spices, and Seasonings -- Working with herbs -- Studying spices -- Peanut Butter and Beyond: Bottled and Canned Goods -- Cooling It with Refrigerated and Frozen Staples -- Squeezing the Melon: Buying and Storing Fruits and Vegetables -- Where to purchase produce -- Going organic -- Selecting, Buying, and Storing Meat, Poultry, and Fish -- Beef -- Chicken -- Fish and other seafood -- Part 2 Know Your Techniques -- Chapter 4 The Cutting Edge: Working with Knives -- Buying Knives for All Occasions -- Investing in the three essentials -- Adding to your knife block -- Shopping wisely -- Caring for Your Knives -- Storing and washing -- Sharpening twice a year -- Honing before each use -- Using Knives Correctly (and Safely) -- Chopping, Mincing, Julienning, and More -- Chopping and mincing -- Julienning -- Cubing (or dicing).

Halving tough-skinned vegetables -- Slicing -- Paring -- Carving Poultry and Meats -- Showing a turkey or chicken who's boss -- Cutting a pot roast -- Slicing a leg of lamb -- Handling a ham -- Chapter 5 Boiling, Poaching, and Steaming -- Water, Water Everywhere . . . Now What? -- Making Hard- and Soft-Cooked Eggs -- Giving Your Veggies a Hot Bath -- Parboiling, blanching, and steaming veggies -- Boiling and steaming a dozen fresh vegetables -- Making vegetable purées -- Poaching and Steaming Seafood -- Chapter 6 Simply Sautéing -- Knowing When to Use Oil or Butter -- Combining Sautéing with Roasting -- Making Great Sauce from Bits in the Pan: Deglazing -- Getting Versatile with Your Sautéing -- Vegetables -- Firm, rich fish -- Chicken and turkey -- Beef -- Chapter 7 Braising and Stewing: Slow and Seductive -- Cooking in Liquid -- Browning before braising -- Taking time to stew -- Braising greens -- Keeping Herbs and Spices in Check -- Chapter 8 Roasting Poultry, Meats, and Veggies -- Roasting the Right Way -- Seasoning your roasts -- Brining to retain moisture -- Searing meat before you roast -- Basting during cooking -- Taking a rest -- Roasting Times and Temperatures for Poultry and Meat -- Putting Poultry in the Oven -- Mastering Roasted Meats -- Beef -- Pork -- Ribs -- Ham -- Lamb -- Remembering (to Roast) Your Veggies! -- Chapter 9 Coals and Coils: Grilling and Broiling -- Mastering Your Grill -- Charcoal grilling -- Gas grilling -- Grilling with wood chips -- Marinating for Flavor -- Perfecting Your Grilling Technique -- Making Each Dish Delicious -- Burgers -- Chicken -- Vegetables -- Steak and pork -- Seafood -- Chapter 10 Baking Basics -- Don't Wing It: Measuring with Care -- Measuring dry ingredients -- Measuring wet ingredients -- Measuring other types of ingredients -- Working with Eggs -- Breaking with care -- Separating an egg.

Folding, Whipping, Kneading, and More: Getting the Techniques Right -- Perfecting Your Pie Crust -- Making Cakes and Quick Breads for a Sweet Treat -- Part 3 Expand Your Repertoire -- Chapter 11 Conquering Breakfast -- Starting the Day with the Incredible, Edible Egg -- Understanding the grade, size, and color of eggs -- Deciding whether to splurge on specialty eggs -- Cooking Perfect Eggs -- Simply scrambled -- Frankly fried -- Perfectly poached -- Beautifully boiled -- Craftily folded omelets -- Oven-worthy frittatas and stratas -- Making Mouth-Watering Breakfast Meats -- Breaking the fast with bacon -- Spicing it up with savory sausage -- Steak-ing your claim (to breakfast!) -- Taking a Tour of Breakfast Breads -- French toast -- Pancakes and waffles -- Blending Your Way to a Healthy Breakfast -- Chapter 12 Super Soups and Savory Salads -- Mastering Essential Soup Skills -- Sautéing meat and vegetables first -- Thickening your soup -- Skimming soups and stocks -- Enriching store-bought stocks -- Peeling and seeding a tomato -- Showing garlic, onions, and herbs some respect -- Trying Your Hand at Puréed Soups -- Stimulating Your Palate with Fresh Salads and Dressings -- The soul of the salad: Crisp, fresh greens -- Skipping the greens but keeping the salad -- So many dressings, so little time -- Ten easy salad ideas -- Chapter 13 From Sides to Mains: Great Grains and Pastas -- Sprucing Up Standard Rice -- Checking Out Other Grains -- Canoodling with Everyone's Favorite: Pasta -- Don't sweat the fresh stuff: Dried versus fresh pasta -- Pasta tips and tricks -- Name that pasta: Pasta types and cooking times -- Topping Your Pasta with the Perfect Sauce -- Chapter 14 Making Sensational Sauces: Fear No More -- Starting with the ABCs of Sauces -- Deglazing for Delicious Pan Sauces -- Whirling Light Blender Sauces in Minutes.

Sweetening Things Up with Delectable Dessert Sauces -- Chapter 15 Delectable Desserts -- Creating Creamy Chocolate Sweets -- Finding the Indulgent Side of Fruit, Fresh from the Oven -- Collecting Cookies: All You Need Is a Glass of Milk -- Taking on Tiramisu -- Part 4 Now You're Cooking! Real Menus for Real Life -- Chapter 16 Taking It Easy with One-Pot Meals -- Slow Cookers: Small Input, Big Output -- From Oven to Table: Simplicity in a Casserole Dish -- Chapter 17 Making More (and Better) for Less -- Creating Big Dishes for Small Bucks -- Crowd-pleasing chili -- Stir-fry for pennies -- Dressing Up Your Meals with Super Sidekicks -- Root vegetables -- Seasonal vegetables -- Dried beans -- Chapter 18 Going Global with Asian and Mediterranean Dishes -- Discovering the Asian Pantry -- Stocking up on Asian staples -- Starting with the basics: Asian noodles -- Getting it right with Asian rice -- Exploring the World of Mediterranean Cooking -- Meeting popular Mediterranean meats -- Goat cheese and feta cheese -- Olives -- Preserved lemons -- Chapter 19 Quick Picks: Cooking with Fewer Ingredients -- Whipping Up Dinner with Convenience Foods -- Keeping Things Simple and Delicious -- Chowing down on cheese -- Serving more-substantial meals quickly -- Seeing the Pasta-bilities! -- Chapter 20 Summertime Soirees -- Planning the Menu -- Mixing Fruity Drinks for Thirsty Crowds -- Preparing in Advance for a Stress-Free Party -- Chapter 21 Feeding Holiday Hordes: Festive Winter Menus -- Planning the Menu -- Getting Yourself Organized -- All about Turkey -- Teasing the Palate with Fresh Dips -- Scrumptious Stuffings and Sides -- Last Man Standing: Holiday Desserts -- Warming Up with Holiday Libations -- Part 5 The Part of Tens -- Chapter 22 Ten Ways to Think Like a Chef -- Know the Basic Techniques -- Use Only the Freshest Ingredients -- Get It Together.

Understand Flavor Combinations -- Think about Your Plate -- Plan Your Menus in Advance -- Be Thrifty -- Don't Be a Slave to Recipes -- Simplify -- Above All, Have Fun -- Chapter 23 Ten Common Cooking Myths -- Marinating Meat Tenderizes It -- Searing Meat Traps in the Juices -- Basting Chicken Creates Crispy Skin -- Adding Oil to Pasta Water Keeps It from Sticking Together -- Using Quality Olive Oil Is Important for Sautéing or Pan-Roasting -- Using a Garlic Press Extracts More Flavor -- Soaking Dried Beans before Cooking Improves Flavor and Texture -- Adding a Potato to an Oversalted Soup or Stew Reduces the Saltiness -- Cooking with Wine or Spirits Burns Off All the Alcohol -- Rinsing Raw Mushrooms Causes Them to Absorb More Water -- Appendix A Glossary of 100 (Plus) Common Cooking Terms -- Appendix B Common Substitutions, Abbreviations, and Equivalents -- Index -- Supplemental Images -- EULA.