The next best thing to having Mark Bittman in the kitchen with you Mark Bittman's highly acclaimed, bestselling book How to Cook Everything is an indispensable guide for any modern cook. With How to Cook Everything The Basics he reveals how truly easy it is to learn fundamental techniques and recipes. From dicing vegetables and roasting meat, to cooking building-block meals that include salads, soups, poultry, meats, fish, sides, and desserts, Bittman explains what every home cook, particularly novices, should know. More than 1,000 beautiful and instructive photographs throughout the book reveal key preparation details that make every dish inviting and accessible. With clear and straightforward directions, Bittman's practical tips and variation ideas, and visual cues that accompany each of the 171 recipes, cooking with The Basics is like having Bittman in the kitchen with you. This is the essential how-to cookbook, with more than 1,000 beautiful and helpful photos of step-by-step techniques and finished recipes Special "Basics" pages cover essentials like equipping a kitchen and stocking a pantry, what to look for when buying produce, how to tell when food is done, and more Tips and variations let home cooks hone their skills and be creative How to Cook Everything The Basics is an absolutely essential beginner's cookbook and an irresistible and invaluable guide for accomplished cooks.

Mark Bittman is one of the country's best-known, most widely respected food writers. His How to Cook Everything books, with one million copies in print, are a mainstay of the modern kitchen. Bittman writes for the Opinion section of the New York Times on food policy and cooking and is a columnist for the New York Times magazine. He is regularly featured on the Today Show in How To Cook Everything Today cooking segments. For 13 years he wrote "The Minimalist" column and now a "Minimalist" cooking show is featured on the Cooking Channel. The How to Cook Everything series is highly respected: the first edition of the flagship book How to Cook Everything won both the IACP and James Beard Awards, and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian won the 2008 IACP award. He is also the author of Food Matters, Food Matters Cookbook, Fish, and Leafy Greens.

Why Cook? ix

Getting Started 1

Breakfast 41

Appetizers and Snacks 69

Salads 107

Soups and Stews 135

Pasta and Grains 171

Vegetables and Beans 215

Meat 263

Poultry 305

Seafood 345

Breads 381

Desserts 419

Making Menus 458

List of Lessons 460

Index 464

Converting Measurements 486