Bittman Basics
My 5 Golden Rules of the Kitchen
Here’s how to increase your odds of success
1. Anything you cook at home will be good.
Start with real ingredients and anything you make will taste better than anything from a box, bag, jar or fast-food joint. And if you mess up, so what? Even the worst mistakes will probably still be edible. Chalk them up to experience and move on, knowing that you’ll improve exponentially with just a little bit of practice. Really, you will.
2. Read the recipe through before starting.
Old-school advice, still valuable. Familiarizing yourself with a recipe before your start cooking allows you to gather all the equipment and ingredients you need ahead of time and prevent any unwelcome surprises. Until you get the hang of the pacing of cooking, it will also help if you prepare (chop, measure, etc.) all your ingredients before you start to cook — this will, initially, at least, help you relax at the stove and be able to focus on the task at hand.
3. It’s OK to serve dishes warm or at room temp.
No rush. No pressure. Keep this in mind when your pasta dishes really must be served hot. That said, if you’re trying to…
