The small movements
Techniques
A working library of the techniques our recipes assume you know — or want to know. Written plainly, with photographs from real kitchens.
Foundations
A useful set of knife cuts
Dice, chiffonade, julienne, brunoise — what each one is for and when not to bother.
Sauces
Deglazing, and what it is actually doing
The browned bits in a pan are flavor. A splash of liquid is how you collect them.
Meat
Why we rest meat (and for how long)
The math is simple. Five minutes for chicken thighs, fifteen for a steak, thirty for a roast.
Sauces
A pan sauce in five minutes
Stock, butter, acid, a splash of wine — the classical sequence, demystified.
Foundations
What a braise actually requires
A heavy pot, gentle heat, half the liquid you think you need.
Foundations
Roasting vegetables, hotter than you expect
Most of the disappointment comes from too low a temperature and too much oil.
Seasoning
When to salt: a short list
In stages, mostly. We walk through the four moments salt actually matters.
Pasta
The pasta-water rule
Salty as the sea is a useful exaggeration. Here are the actual numbers.
Sauces
Building a stable emulsion
The trick is patience and a small whisk. Mayonnaise, vinaigrette, hollandaise — same idea.