We’ll finish our look at the basics by looking at some basic cooking techniques you’ll want to master:

Boil: This is cooking food in water that has been heated to 212 degrees so that it bubbles and rolls. You boil pasta, eggs, potatoes, and vegetables. With the exception of pasta, you put the item to be cooked in cool water and heat them with the water. (Seriously, do not put eggs into already boiling water. Learn from my mistake.)

Steam: This method uses boiling water to cook food, but the food is suspended over the water to be cooked by the steam. (Alternatively, you can steam food by cooking it in a microwave with a small amount of water.) You can steam lots of things, but my favorite is veggies. Steamed veggies stay brighter and crisper.

Fry: This is cooking food over high heat in fat. (In deep-frying, the food is immersed in the heated oil.)

Sear: This is how meats get that lovely golden-brown color. You heat oil in a shallow pan to a high heat. Once it’s very hot, you put the meat in. It will sizzle and smoke. Let it sit un touched for about 2 minutes, then turn it over. The goal is that each side of the chicken or roast or steak or piece of fish is in contact with the heat so that it browns. For something like fish, 3-4 minutes on each side will cook it thoroughly. A roast, of course, will still be raw in the center, so you can put it in the slow cooker or oven to finish cooking. It will still have the lovely brown coloring.

Bake: Cooking in an oven at moderate heat.

Roast: Cooking in an oven at high heat with a little bit of oil. My favorite way to make veggies.

Broil: Cooking in an oven at very high heat to finish off or add color or crust to a dish.

Braise: Cooking slowly in liquid. You can do this on the stovetop, in the oven, or in a slow cooker.

If you work on these techniques, you’ll be able to make anything.