These recipes never go out of style, and mastering them will make you a better cook.
by Hannah LoewentheilBuzzFeed Staff
With plenty of time on our hands and many restaurants closed, now is the perfect time to hone your cooking skills and become a better home chef. Here are some simple yet timeless recipes to master.
Sure, you could used the boxed pancake batter, but making these babies from scratch is next-level good. Get the recipe for fluffy homemade pancakes here.
Lasagna seems complicated, but it's actually pretty simple. Layer no-boil noodles, homemade meat sauce, and four cheeses in a baking pan. Cook it in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until the noodles are cooked through and the cheese is melty. Get the recipe for meat lasagna here.
This decadent mac 'n' cheese features a mix of mozzarella and Gruyère seasoned in garlic powder, onion powder, and mustard powder, sprinkled with a healthy dose of panko breadcrumbs for that extra crispy topping. Get the recipe for baked mac 'n' cheese here.
Everyone needs a good homemade meatball recipe on hand. You can make a big batch and freeze them for lazy nights. Get the recipe for easy spaghetti and meatballs here.
This comforting meal starts with a whole chicken or, if you want to reduce the cooking time, chicken parts. Add egg noodles or really whatever pasta you have in your kitchen. Get the recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup here.
You can start with fresh or canned tomatoes for the base of the soup. Simmer with garlic, olive oil, balsamic, sugar, and basil. The icing on the cake is the four-ingredient grilled cheese, made with just bread, mozzarella, sharp cheddar, and butter. Get the recipe for easy tomato soup with grilled cheese here.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner, there's no bad time for this baked egg dish. This recipe calls for caramelized onion, kale, and feta, but you can toss in whatever's in your kitchen. Get the recipe for caramelized onion frittata here.
The secret to this charred exterior and tender inside is letting the steak sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking it. Pat it dry with a paper down and season generously with salt and pepper. Get the recipe for cast-iron skillet steak here.
Making Caesar dressing from scratch requires a little extra legwork, but the result is totally worth it. The key ingredient: Anchovy paste. It might sound fishy, but it's totally delicious and blends right in with the other ingredients. Get the recipe for Caesar salad with homemade dressing here.
Dredged in egg, flour, and breadcrumbs then pounded out until thin and fried in hot oil, crispy chicken cutlets are a dinner hero. Toss them onto a salad, in a sandwich, or on a plate with some grains and veggies. Get the recipe for Italian chicken cutlets here.
It's hard to go wrong with this single sheet pan dinner. Take sliced boneless skinless chicken breast, onions, and peppers and toss everything in a handful of spices like cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Roast it all in the oven and serve in tortillas. Get the recipe for sheet pan chicken fajitas here.
Roasted eggplant gets dredged in flour and egg, breaded, and sautéd in oil, then it's cooked in tomato sauce with mozzarella cheese and topped with chopped parsley or basil. Get the recipe for easy eggplant parmesan here.
One of the ultimate comfort foods, shepherd's pie is an easy, crowd-pleasing meal that you can make in advance and freeze for later. Get the recipe for shepherd's pie here.
You can start with fresh or frozen shrimp. Sauté it in butter and olive oil with garlic and white wine. Then, toss with linguine or your favorite pasta. Get the recipe for shrimp scampi linguine here.
You can use all ground beef or a mixture of ground beef, pork, and veal for an extra moist loaf. The best thing about meatloaf is that it freezes beautifully, so you can prepare it on day and serve it whenever you're feeling too lazy to cook. Get the recipe for classic meatloaf here.
Baked salmon can be prepared with dozens of marinades so it always tastes like a totally new meal. Try coating it in lemon and butter, honey and soy, or mustard and garlic. Get the recipe for baked salmon here.
Bundt cake is the perfect dessert for so many occassions, whether it's a summer picnic, spring brunch, or anything in between. Don't skimp out on the three-ingredient icing made with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Get the recipe for lemon bundt cake here.
Roast meats: Large cuts of meat such as beef, pork, or lamb can take several hours to roast in the oven until they reach the desired level of doneness. Stews and braises: Slow-cooking methods such as stewing or braising can take several hours to fully cook meat and vegetables until they are tender and flavorful.
More than 37 percent of the people living in the Unites Stated (U.S.) declared that they cooked between three and five times per week, according to a survey released by Kitchen Stories during 2019. It also emerged that more than eight percent of the respondents asserted that they cooked less than once per week.
If I am too tired to cook, and can't afford to eat out (which has been most of my life,) I always have peanut butter and bread, yogurt, frozen dinners, canned soups and beef stew, fruits on hand, eggs. A well stocked pantry is the key. I am just as happy with a can of bean soup and some crackers.
Add a small pinch of salt every time a new ingredient is added to the dish, so that flavors have time to build. The earlier you start seasoning, the deeper and more concentrated the flavors will become in the final product. When cooking meats, make sure to salt and tenderize with a fork the night before.
Culinary chefs score highly on extraversion, meaning that they rely on external stimuli to be happy, such as people or exciting surroundings. They also tend to be high on the measure of social responsibility, indicating that they desire fair outcomes and have a general concern for others.
Associate degree programs at culinary institutes or community colleges typically take around 2 years to complete. A bachelor's degree in culinary arts or a related field may take around 4 years. Trade schools can take a year or two and at the other end of the spectrum, you could take workshops that last a week or two.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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