Keys to Good Cooking

When I was a sophomore in college I lived in an apartment with two of my friends. I think this really marked the first time I was really and truly independent. Well, mind you, I was still completely dependent on any number of people, but I was independent in terms of caring for my day to day concerns. I think the first thing I did in that kitchen was to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I'm sure I used the recipe on the back of the Nestle bag, and they were good, but not great. And every subsequent batch of cookies I made in that kitchen  was also a little off. I could never figure out why my cookies weren't very good, they were always either too puffy or too flat. By the end of the year I figured out that my measuring spoons were waaaaay off in terms of proper measuring! I was adding far too much leavening and salt. And years later I know enough to guess that my butter was probably always the wrong temperature, and more than likely I overworked the cookie dough. I couldn't help but remember that apartment kitchen and the chocolate chip cookie debacles as I watched this video of Harold McGee discussing the importance of measuring ingredients. I have had a kitchen scale for just about a year, and let me tell you, it will change your life! I got the scale because it's really helpful when you're making/baking bread, but it's so liberating to cut measuring cups and spoons out of your life.

I wrote a post about Keys to Good Cooking back in August. I was so excited about this book, and I have to say, now that I've had a chance to read the book in its entirety, it exceeded my expectations. I love to cook, but I there are so many things I don't know how to do in the kitchen. Until now it was usually my practice to reach for The Joy of Cooking when I needed to figure out how to cook something. And you might be surprised -- or perhaps not -- to learn that 9 times out of 10 I need some guidance when I cook rice, a baked potato, or hard boil an egg. They're simple things to do, but I still need a lot of help in the kitchen! Keys to Good Cooking covers it all -- from vegetables to candy making to coffee. I loved every chapter, but I think I'll spend quite a bit of time in the "sugars, syrups, and candies" chapter -- I need all of the help I can get. In the meantime, I'm delighted to have this book on my shelf. I need all of the help I can get! It has already proved to be an invaluable resource in my kitchen, and I can think of several people in my life who will be receiving this book for the holidays.