This cooking class material is BASIC. It does not presume you have mastered any skills. But it is not patronizing. You decide if you want to review the fundamental information provided in the "ABC's of..." series of fundamental information on each topic.
Most conventional cookbooks are far too complicated for most of us. They are almost of the "cocktail table genre". Some years ago I received such a book as a gift.
I eagerly browsed the book for several hours, and gradually enlightenment came. Many of the ingredients were unknown to me, the cooking utensils a mystery to me, the French names unpronounceable by me, and the number of ingredients in most of the recipes exceeded my attention span.
I cleverly gave the book away as a gift and returned to the basics. The basics are what this site is all about. The recipes we have included are here because they are EASY to prepare, -and they produce great results. You need not be a chef, nor do you need all the utensils of a chef to prepare these dishes.
Most of us are going to have three meals a day. Everyone should know enough about the basics of cooking and food preparation to be able to obtain excellent results in the kitchen. No one thinks anything about looking at reference material to determine how to roast a turkey. What about cooking an egg? There is a right way to cook an egg, but how would you know how to do it if you were not taught?
I know some very intelligent professional people who are at a complete loss to cook anything. They panic at the idea of hosting a dinner party. No one ever taught them anything about cooking. They can easily pick up the basics here.
We have also included menus and recipes for holidays and special events. In these case we provide all the recipes in one place with suggestions on how to make it easier. For example, if you are attempting your first Thanksgiving dinner for guests, use the shortcuts suggested.
Don't neglect our, "The ABCs of..." series of informational pages. This series will tell you "the abc's of cooking eggs, bread, appetizers, breakfast, lunch, pork, poultry, etc., etc. This is your source for fundamental information. Good cooking and good eating!
