“Prep School” – Basic Essential Techniques to Know

While we can’t all be Julia Child, we should all know how to make basic recipes for when we are tired of constantly ordering food and ready to throw our aprons on and get cooking. You don’t have to be a master chef in order to make great dishes. Here is a list of 10 basic essential techniques we think you should know. 

Grilled Cheese

Grilled Cheese is one of the easiest and tastiest things to make. Just butter the outsides of each piece of bread and place whatever cheese you’d like in between the two buttered slices and sear it on a pan over the stove! After one or two flips with your spatula, you have a tasty and quick meal that will pair well with tomato soup.

Roasted Chicken

Roasted chicken is truly a staple meal, and everyone should know how to make it. You only need a few simple ingredients – chicken, granulated garlic powder, kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and olive oil.
Let your chicken warm to room temperature, add your seasonings, toss it with olive oil, and then sear the chicken in a pan. After it’s a golden-brown color, finish cooking the chicken in the oven until the internal temp is 165 degrees Fahrenheit, then it’s ready to take out and enjoy!

Roasted Veggies

Toss your chopped vegetables in kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and olive oil, and place on a pan with plenty of space between the pieces; you don’t want to overcrowd the vegetables, or you’ll end up steaming them. Roast on a high heat in a convection oven, starting at 425 or 450 degrees Fahrenheit and roasting until they’re golden brown & fork tender. The only tricky part is knowing which veggies will take longer to roast. Harder veggies typically take more time, so cut those into smaller pieces. 

Seared Steak

They say steak tastes better when you make it yourself, and we have to agree. All you have to do to make the perfect seared steak is pat it dry, season it with salt, pepper and steak seasoning, cook it over very high heat after lining the pan with butter, and then letting it rest after it has been seared to your liking. To make sure it is done, use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the steak.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chips Cookies is an essential recipe to know. All you need for this recipe is flour, baking soda, unsalted butter, packed light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and semisweet chocolate chunks instead of chips. You can find the full recipe at Food Network.

Simple Scrambled Eggs

There is no such thing as a hearty breakfast without eggs. All you need to do is crack however many eggs you want into a bowl, add milk, and whisk them together before mixing in your seasonings. Pour the mix into a pan that is lined with melted butter on low heat and use your spatula to move the mixture back and forth until it is solid and scrambled. The trick to eggs is not to look away; continue to mix and then they’ll be fluffy. If you let them sit, it turns into a frittata. Wait to add your favorite cheese until in the pan or on the plate.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are easy and are one of the easiest things to make. Start by washing and peeling potatoes, cutting them into large chunks and placing them into a large pot with water and salt. Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes can be pierced easily with a knife, usually around 20 minutes. Let the potatoes rest in the sink after you have drained the water. Combine butter and cream in a pot, cook over low heat and stir until the butter melts and the cream is hot. Turn off the heat, add in the potatoes and use a potato masher to mix everything together until it is fluffy. Season with salt and pepper. See the full recipe here.

Chicken Noodle Soup

 Knowing how to make Chicken Noodle Soup on days when you are sick is a true blessing. The soup can be ready in 30 minutes and has all of the comforting qualities you want in classic chicken noodle soup. To save some time, use leftover chicken or ready-made rotisserie chicken from the store. 

Ingredients include:

• Olive oil
• Carrots
• Celery
• Yellow onion
• Minced garlic cloves
• Low-sodium chicken broth
• Bay leaves
• Fresh thyme
• Dried oregano
• Pepper
• Egg noodles
• Shredded cooked chicken
• Flat-leaf parsley leaves
• Lemon juice
• Salt

See the full recipe here. 

These are just a few of the basic recipes we think you should know to get a kick start on becoming an excellent cook. Still not confident on your baking skills? Contact Made by Meg to help with your next event.