So you have decided to take control of you health and your finances by preparing your own food. Good for you! If you don't already own a good basic cookbook, buy yourself one, that way you will always have a ready reference at your fingertips.

1. Basic Recipes
2. Tools
3. Cooking Terms
4. Weights & Measures

Roast Chicken with Lemon

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 lemon
• salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the chicken from the package and reach into the cavity to remove neck and giblets and set aside. Rinse chicken inside and outside with cool water, pat dry. When working with raw chicken, be sure to clean your hands and any surface the chicken touched with hot soapy water and wipe kitchen surfaces with a disinfecting agent to kill any lurking salmonella.

Place the chicken breast side up in a roasting pan. If you have a rack, place the chicken on it, otherwise don't worry about it. Poke 4-5 holes in the lemon and place inside the chicken's cavity. Sprinkle salt all over the top of the chicken and place pan with chicken in the oven. If you want to make gravy, place a whole onion, peeled and sliced and red bell pepper in the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. How long it takes, is determined by the size of the chicken. Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) cooks at a rate of approximately 30 minutes a pound at 300 degrees. Most whole chickens are in the 2-3 pound range, so check the weight on the label before tossing into the garbage. You know it's done when you jiggle the leg and there is no resistance. Don't forget to use your nose! I always know that food is done by the smell, but poultry can be tricky since it gives off a delicious aroma long before it is done. When done, remove from oven and cover with foil to keep the heat in while it is resting. When cooking roasts and chicken, it is important to allow them to rest for 20 minutes before carving. Why? Resting helps the meat hold its moisture, resulting in juicer more tender meat. When a chicken is carved too soon, the juices end up all over the pan or platter instead of inside the chicken where they belong.

Carve the chicken, then serve. There is no wrong way to carve a chicken, but here is my favorite way: Slice off the drumstick, first by cutting into the back of the joint, then the front. Remove the thigh by slicing down between the thigh and the breast, then grab the thigh and bend back at the joint while slicing through the joint. Make sure to slice the bit of meat that wants to stick to the back! The breast is best removed whole, then sliced across the grain, this results in more tender pieces of breast meat. Cut straight down on one side of the breastbone, turn the knife to scrape along the ribs until the breast is free. If your chicken is completely cooked, carving is easy because the chicken just falls apart. If you are having difficulty cutting your chicken, it may not be completely cooked. Use the carcass and the neck and giblets to make homemade broth.

Gravy

For those of you out there who need their gravy "fix", here is how to make it. Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and allow to rest, covered with foil or a lid.

• If you added onion and bell pepper, remove from pan and mince, set aside.
• Pour out the pan drippings into a glass bowl or measuring cup. The fat will rise to the top. If your drippings are all fat, measure out 2 Tablespoons into either the roasting pan or a skillet. Otherwise, skim off the fat, saving 2 Tablespoons for the gravy and set the drippings aside.
• Use the roasting pan if there are browned patches of drippings stuck to it. Making gravy in the roasting pan helps clean it and the brown patches add great flavor and color to the gravy. If you used a pan not suitable for use on the stovetop, then scrape as much brown stuff as you can into the gravy pan.
• Heat the fat in a skillet over moderate heat, and slowly sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour into the fat while whisking the fat and flour together. If you don't have a whisk, use a fork. The goal here is to incorporate the fat and flour together (this is called a roux) into a smooth paste with no lumps. Allow this mixture to bubble while stirring.
• Add 2 cups of broth (including the fat-free drippings) milk or wine can be used instead of broth. Stir.
• Add minced onion and bell pepper (if using) to the gravy and heat through.
• Add salt (to taste).
• The gravy should bubble and thicken quickly, and if it gets too thick, add an additional 1/4 cup of liquid. If gravy is not thick enough, turn up the heat a little and stir until the mixture thickly coats the whisk (or fork).
• Taste the gravy before serving. Sometimes the gravy just tastes "flat". To fix this, add 1/2 Tablespoon of rosemary or thyme and 1/2 teaspoon of granulated garlic or grate a clove of fresh garlic into the gravy. Stir and taste, add salt if needed.
• Serve.

The fat-flour ratio is important for great gravy: One part fat to one part flour. If you put too much fat in your gravy it will be too greasy. A cold dry lettuce leaf is good at removing extra grease from gravy, just skim the gravy with the lettuce leaf, turning the leaf over to pick up more fat. Discard leaf.

Basic Chicken Stock

• chicken carcass, neck and giblets
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced into 2" pieces
• 1 onion, sliced into 1/2" slices (if using a yellow onion, keep skin on to add color)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into 1" pieces
• salt - 1 teaspoon or to taste
• water to cover

Optional Seasonings:

• 2 bay leaves
• 4 black peppercorns
• rosemary - use 3" fresh sprig, or 1/2 Tablespoon dried
• sage - use 3" fresh sprig, or 1/2 Tablespoon dried
• thyme - use 3" fresh sprig, or 1/2 Tablespoon dried

Place all ingredients into a stock pot, add water to cover and bring to a boil. Turn heat down to simmer and cook until broth is reduced by two thirds. Strain the solid pieces from the broth using a colander over a bowl in the sink. The broth can be used immediately, or frozen for later use. I like to freeze my broth in ice cube trays then place the cubes into a freezer bag, that way I can access small or large amounts depending on the recipe I'm using. Broth can also be made overnight in a crock-pot set on low. Place the crock-pot under your kitchen fan and allow broth to cook overnight. Strain and freeze in the morning.

Simple Ways to Prepare Vegetables

Baked Potatoes: Clean and pierce 4-5 times with a knife. Place in the oven with the chicken. Potatoes take about an hour, so place then in the oven about a half hour after the chicken. The potato is done when you can squeeze it and it yields to the pressure.

Mashed Potatoes: If you are making gravy, why not make mashed potatoes? Peel at least one medium potato per person. Dice into 1" cubes. Fill 3 quart saucepan with water until 3/4's full, add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Add cubed potatoes and cook for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain water out and allow potatoes to dry in the hot pan for a minute or so. For every potato used, add 2 Tablespoons of milk, cream, or broth. Mash with a potato masher or a clean wine bottle. Add more liquid if potatoes are too dry. If using a hand mixer, do not over-mix, or potatoes will become gummy. Add butter to hot potatoes and mix in. These can be fat free potatoes, or add as much cream or butter as you diet allows. Mashed potatoes made with heavy cream are heavenly! Additions: Fresh minced chives or parsley, parmesan cheese, minced roasted red bell pepper, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, etc.

Roasted Garlic: Place whole bulb of garlic on the rack in the oven while the chicken is cooking. Roast for 20-45 minutes until soft when squeezed. Remove from oven and cool. Break apart and squeeze or peel garlic to eat by itself, or added to mashed potatoes, spread on bread, or used in gravy.

Green Beans: Cut the stem end of beans and wash. Bring water to a boil in a saucepan and drop the clean trimmed beans into the water. Boil for about 5 minute, test with a fork, the bean should be a little crisp and bright green. Remove beans from water and immerse in cold water or run cold water over them to stop cooking. Drain excess water. Mix 2 Tablespoons good quality vegetable oil (olive, walnut, safflower, mustard, etc.) with 2 cloves of garlic, grated, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of balsamic or apple cider vinegar. Pour oil mixture over green beans in a bowl and toss. Beans can be served cold, or used in salads.

Ginger Carrots: Peel and slice carrots into 1/2" slices. Parboil (see green bean recipe above but do not immerse in cold water). Place drained hot carrots into a bowl and add butter (1 teaspoon or more, to taste), 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger (or 1/2 t ginger powder), 1 teaspoon of honey, 1 Tablespoon diced chives or green onion, and salt to taste. Mix and serve. If you don't have fresh ginger, substitute grated garlic, or any fresh herb: parsley, dill, basil, oregano, rosemary, tarragon, etc.

Baked Zucchini: Slice small (5-8") zucchini in half lengthwise. Make shallow cuts down the length of each piece starting on the cut side creating a criss-cross pattern. Do not cut through, you want the piece to stay together. Place in a baking pan or on foil and sprinkle olive oil, garlic powder, and parmesan (or romano) cheese on cut side and bake (or barbecue) for 20 minutes (at 350 degrees F) or so until tender. Serve.

Greens: Any kind of greens can be used here, spinach doesn't take as long to cook as other greens and must be rinsed at least three times in the sink prior to cooking. I fusing kale, chard, or collard greens, remove the stems before chopping. Wash, and chop one bunch of greens (2 bunches if using spinach). Heat 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil in a large fry pan over medium high heat. Brown 3 whole cloves of garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the oil, add 2 dried whole red chilies and quickly stir. Add greens, if there is still water on the leaves that is fine, just watch out for oil splattering out of the pan. Stir greens until coated with oil. Turn the heat down to medium. Add 2-4 Tablespoons of broth and cover, allowing the greens to steam in the evaporating broth. After about 5 minutes, remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium high to allow the remaining broth to evaporate. Serve.

See my other cooking articles for more recipes. 

Go into any kitchen store and you will see an endless array of things for your kitchen. But, you really don't need all those things to prepare a good meal. I have prepared feasts over a campfire with a few basic tools. First, take stock of the tools you already have, before going out to buy any additional items. Tools for cooking should be as multi-purpose as possible. For example, a rectangular baking pan can be used for casseroles, bread, cookies, cakes, as a serving dish, and for storing leftovers in the refrigerator.

In a pinch your silverware, cups, and glasses can serve as measuring and mixing tools.

• Two knives crossed across each other can cut up butter or shortening for pie-crusts and biscuits.
• Tablespoons, and teaspoons can be used to measure (just be sure to run a knife across the top of dry ingredients to take of the excess).
• Forks can be used to cut butter into flour, stuck into citrus fruits to help squeeze the juice out, or to mix batter.
• Cups and glasses can be used as measuring cups, make sure that you know if it is a 4 ounce (1/2 cup), 6 ounce (3/4 cup), 8 ounce (1 cup), 12 ounce (1 1/2 cup), or 16 ounce (2 cup) glass or cup.

When you get into cooking more, you can always add more pans, gadgets, and tools to your kitchen. The following is a list of the basics:

Pans, at the very least you need

• a skillet/frying pan
• a saucepan with lid
• baking pan

What size you need depends on how many people you are cooking for, and what kind of food you like to make. If you only cook for yourself, you probably want small pans: a 6" or 8" skillet, a 2 quart saucepan with lid, and a 9" x 13" rectangular baking dish. If you are cooking for a family, you will want to get a 12" skillet, a 4 quart saucepan with lid, an 8 quart stock-pot, and a 4 quart rectangular baking dish. What is the best pan? Well, you will find many differences of opinion on that, but here is what I have found:

• Cast iron is a traditional choice that many people will wax nostalgically about. My first set of pans was cast iron, and to this day, a cast iron Dutch oven is my preferred choice to cook pot roast in. I like to take a big cast iron skillet when I go camping (car camping, not backpacking!). They distribute the heat well, can be used in the oven (as long as they don't have a wood handle!), on the stove, barbecue, or over a campfire. Most cast iron pans are seasoned when you buy them now, however you should occasionally season them once in a while. When the rich black color gets tinged with grey, it is time to re-season the pan. To season a cast iron pan, you must use an oil with a high "smoke point" my first choice is sunflower oil. You can also use peanut oil, but this is an allergen, and should be avoided. If you choose to use another oil, chances are the pan will give off a bad smell, and you will not enjoy cooking with it. Start with a clean, dry pan and generously rub oil all over it, inside, outside, and handle. Place in a 250 degree oven for 30 minutes. Take out and allow to cool at room temperature, then wipe off any excess oil, and store. Cast iron, once seasoned properly has an excellent cooking surface.
• Stainless steel pans are the ones I use everyday. My pans have thick walls, a reinforced bottom, and riveted handles. They can be used in the oven or on top of the stove and spread the heat well. They are durable and clean up is easy. When something is really stuck on (because the heat was on too high!) simply run hot water into the pan and add a drop or two of dish soap. Let it soak, and it wipes clean easily. Be careful with any pan when washing it, allow the pan to cool off before immersing in water, or it will warp. Cleaning off the season that builds up on the outside of the pan is easy, mix together some salt and baking soda with some water to make a paste. Dip a dishrag into the paste and scrub off the buildup and rinse with water.
• Aluminum pans have come a long way since they were first introduced. I have several Allclad pans, and I love them, when I marry a rich man, I will get a whole set. But, in the meantime, I really enjoy the two that I own. They are stainless steel with an aluminum core. The aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat and will heat your food more evenly, no soggy crusts, or soupy middles! I have used hard-anodized aluminum pans and have been pleased with their performance in the oven, but they didn't hold up well for use on the stovetop. The skillet became severely nicked by pancake turners and other tools. However, their performance in the oven was phenomenal! One of my daughter's favorite things are "Dutch Babies" or German pancakes. This is a very eggy pancake batter, which is poured into a pan that has been heated in a very hot oven with melted butter, and then baked. It should puff up like a soufflé. Once, I made three at one time, I used a cast iron skillet, a stainless steel skillet, and an anodized aluminum skillet. The Dutch Baby in the aluminum skillet was twice as puffed up as the two others, and had a more even brown crust than the other two.

Essential Utensils

• 6” utility knife – This is a good all around knife, it can be used for most chopping and slicing chores.
• Paring knife – Great for fruits and vegetables, sandwiches, garnishing, and anytime you need a smaller knife.
• Cutting board – I have always been a fan of wood cutting boards, however the hard white plastic boards sanitize better. With the growing problem of Salmonella in our food supply, sanitizing your cutting board is very important. Wine, vinegar, or a small amount of bleach will sanitize wood or plastic boards.
• Pancake turner/metal spatula – Ideally you should have two, one rectangular one about 4” x 5”, and a long narrow one with slots. Both of these should be thin and flexible.
• Vegetable peeler – Fruits and vegetables can be peeled with a paring knife, but a vegetable peeler is faster and there is less waste. It can also be used to remove the “zest” from citrus fruits.
• Tongs - A great multipurpose tool, it can be used for repositioning foods while cooking, taking baked potatoes out of the oven, tossing salads, serving, and more.
• Long handled spoon – Used for mixing, stirring hot liquids, taking cooked eggs or potatoes out of hot water, and so forth.
• Grater – A grater isn’t just for cheese, it can be used for vegetables and fruits (including garlic), bread, for breadcrumbs, and for zest from citrus fruits.
• Colander – Pasta, or anything else cooked in hot water is strained much easer with a colander. The lid of the pan can be used to hold back food while pouring out the hot water, but something inevitably slips out, or the steam/hot water can cause burns. It can also be used to rinse and drain greens.
• Rubber spatula – This will get the last bit of batter from the bowl, or clean out the mayonnaise jar. It can also be used to fold egg whites into the batter.
• Mixing bowls – These usually come in nested sets, from small to large sized, and are made of a variety of materials. Stainless steel bowls can be dropped on the floor and are easy to clean. Glass and ceramic are heavier and can break, but have the advantage of going in the oven, and in some cases the microwave, and for serving bowls. Melamine bowls often come in pretty colors and are fun to use as serving and mixing bowls. If you are outfitting your kitchen for the first time, on a tight budget, scrounging in thrift stores for your equipment, then get a medium and large sized bowl.
• Measuring cups and spoons – At the very least you need a nested set of dry measuring cups, a 2-cup glass measuring cup, and a set of measuring spoons. Dry measuring cups come in groups of 1/8, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2 and 1-cup sizes, make sure you are getting a full set.
• Foil - Foil can be used as a lid or to cook in.

Additional Basic Utensils

• Rolling pin – For rolling out dough, piecrust, and crushing crackers or breadcrumbs. In a pinch a clean wine bottle with the label removed and filled with water can be used as a rolling pin.
• Additional measuring cups and spoons – I like to have two sets of spoons, one for dry ingredients and one for wet. A one quart glass measuring cup is very handy for those times when you need more than a cup of something. And a one-cup measure is great when you are working with smaller amounts. The calibrations on the side are easer to read. A two cup dry measure is great if you get into baking bread.
• Electric mixer - I have a stand mixer, and I love it. If you cook for a lot of people, bake, or spend a lot of time in the kitchen, I highly recommend getting one. If you know you want to bake occasionally, but aren’t sure yet how serious you are about it, buy a hand mixer.
• Food Processor - This appliance is a real time saver: You can slice, grate, shred, and puree with the touch of a button. I love to use mine for making pesto, herb butters, shredding cheese, and making pie crust. It is a multifunction item that really can save you prep time.

A good cookbook will have a glossary of cooking terms, so I will just go over the most common ones here.

Baste - the addition of liquid during baking to as moistness and/or flavor. Most often done when roasting meats. The liquid can be pan drippings, butter, broth, or sauce.

Blanch - placing food into boiling water to loosen skin or precook. Blanched almonds are simply raw whole almonds that have been placed in water, then the nut easily pops out of the skin.

Boil - cooking food in water heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius). At this temperature, bubbles rise to the surface of the water, then break. A rolling boil is where the bubbles form quickly all through the water (and usually spill over the top of the pan!)

Braise - slow cooking in a tightly covered pan with a small amount of liquid. This is the ideal way to cook tough cuts of meat like chuck roast.

Broil - usually used for browning. To cook under the broiler in an over is to expose your food to direct 500 degree F heat, if not watched carefully, you food will burn, so be careful!

Caramelize - when referring to cooking onions, they are cooked in a bit of fat and left undisturbed so the sugars in the onion turn a light brown or caramel color. When referring to sugar, the sugar is melted very slowly over low heat until it becomes light brown in color.

Chop - when you cut food into pieces about 1/3" in diameter.

Coat - like putting on a coat, the food is covered with: bread-crumbs, herbs, butter, etc.

Dice - cut food into small uniform pieces, between 1/8 and /4 inch.

Fold - must be done more carefully than stirring. Use a rubber spatula to cut down the middle of the mixture, across the bottom of the bowl, then up and over. This is a motion that is quick and brings the contents of the bottom of the bowl to the top and vice versa. When beginning to fold you should see separate layers of ingredients slowly become one, without loosing their loft.

Julienne - this is like a mini french fry. The food looks like matchsticks.

Knead - the process of pressing and folding dough to develop the gluten in the flour and to force out air bubbles in the dough. Think of it as "food massage" and never, NEVER do this to cookies or pie crust!

Mince - cutting food into very small, but irregularly shaped pieces.

Puree - mashing the food until is a paste, can be done with a food processor, blender, or food mill. It should not have any chunks or identifiable pieces mixed in, but a uniform, smooth paste.

Reduce - boiling a liquid mixture until it thickens or is reduced in volume. This is important to do with homemade stock to concentrate the flavor.

Roast - cooking uncovered in an oven without liquid.

Saute - cooking or browning food in a small amount of hot fat on the stovetop.

Simmer - cooking food in a liquid over low heat (185 - 210 degrees F). Bubbles form slowly and burst before reaching the surface.

Stir - mixing ingredients by making a figure 8 motion with the spoon in a mixing bowl.

Stir Fry - cooking foods in a small amount of hot fat, stirring constantly.

Whip - a whisk or beaters are used to beat food quickly, incorporating air into the mixture to increase its loft and volume.

3 teaspoons = 1 Tablespoon

2 Tablespoons = 1/8 cup

4 Tablespoons = 1/4 cup

5-1/3 Tablespoons = 1/3 cup

8 Tablespoons = 1/2 cup

10-2/3 Tablespoons - 2/3 cup

12 Tablespoons = 3/4 cup

16 Tablespoons = 1 cup

16 ounces = 1 pound

8 fluid ounces  = 1 cup = 1/2 pint = 236.6 milliliters

16 fluid ounces = 2 cups = 1 pint = 473.2 milliliters

32 fluid ounces = 4 cups = 2 pints = 1 quart = 946.4 milliliters

1 liter = 1.06 quarts

128 fluid ounces = 16 cups = 8 pints = 4 quarts = 1 gallon = 4.24 liters

All contents (including photographs) of this article are the sole intellectual property of MarilynDuPont and cannot be duplicated in any form without the express written consent of MarilynDuPont.