Welcome to Back to Basics Week! All week, Chris and his Bon Appétit colleagues are answering listener questions about the fundamentals of cooking, to help level you up as a home cook.

In this final installment, Chris and Shilpa talk about the intangibles of cooking— how to get into the right mindset, manage your time efficiently, and course correct when something goes wrong. They also answer a grab bag of sliiightly more advanced questions to help listeners with everything from salt to the perfect batch of pancakes.

Recipes & Links:
BA's Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Lazy Day Pancakes

Welcome to Back to Basics Week! All week, Chris and his Bon Appétit colleagues are answering listener questions about the fundamentals of cooking, to help level you up as a home cook.

Today, Chris and sauce king Jesse Szewczyk stir up a discussion on the wide world of sauces, dressings, glazes, and more. They dive in to aromatics, making the case for the humble shallot, and discuss the art of making pan sauces and delicious finishers with pantry staples. 

Recipes & Links:
The Five Mother Sauces
Make 'Em Sweat (Veggies, That Is)
It's Time to Stop Making These Garlic Common Mistakes and Start Living
How to Make a Pan Sauce
Orange-Wine-Braised Chicken Thighs
Dark and Stormy–Braised Pot Roast
How to Make a Roux for Mac and Cheese, Gumbo, Gravy, and More

Welcome to Back to Basics Week! All week, Chris and his Bon Appétit colleagues are answering listener questions about the fundamentals of cooking, to help level you up as a home cook.

Why is making stovetop rice so dang hard?! Today, Chris and Kendra Vaculin address the world of grains, including how to make the perfect pot of rice and why the package directions might be the reason behind a bad batch. Plus, Kendra makes the case for her favorite quick grain and dissects when it's time to pull out the colander and just cook your grains like pasta.

Recipes & Links:
The Perfect Pot of Rice
There are 40,000 Types of Rice in the World—Here's How to Pick the One You Need
Do You Need to Rinse Your Rice?
Kokuho Rose Rice
21 Typles of Whole Grains and Pseudo Grains and How to Cook Each One
Bulgur is the Whole Grain for Busy People
One-Pot Salmon and Shiitake Rice
Kendra's Crispy Rice Method

Welcome to Back to Basics Week! All week, Chris and his Bon Appétit colleagues are answering listener questions about the fundamentals of cooking, to help level you up as a home cook.

Animal proteins can be the most expensive part of your dish, and that's a lot of pressure. So today, Chris and Amiel Stanek are here to make perfection attainable, from juicy chicken breast to tender steaks and delicate seafood. Grab your meat thermometer and kosher salt; we're diving in!

15 Ways to Make Your Fresh-Off-the-Grill Steak Even Better
How to Roast a Chicken: The Ultimate Recipe, Tips, and More
The Optimal Temperature for Every Part of a Chicken
Thermoworks Thermapop Thermometer
What Is Salsa Verde? 4 Types to Memorize
How to Make Beurre Blanc (Because Everything Tastes Better with Butter)
Chicken Piccata
Shrimp Scampi
Shrimp and Basil Stir-Fry

Welcome to Back to Basics Week! All week, Chris and his Bon Appétit colleagues are answering listener questions about the fundamentals of cooking, to help level you up as a home cook.

Today, Chris and Shilpa Uskokovic break down how to really read a recipe — and what some common recipe language means. Then, they'll talk about the basic equipment that your kitchen needs... and what to skip!

Recipes & Links:
Samosa-dillas with Cucumber Salad
BA 56 Recipes
S&B Curry Powder (Shilpa's favorite!)

Chef's Knives
Paring Knives
Bread Knives
Kitchen Shears
Nonstick Pans
Stainless-Steel Pans
Dutch Ovens
Carbon Steel Pans
Silicone Spatulas
Sheet Pans
Cutting Boards
Blenders
Kitchen Scales

Join Shilpa and Jesse as they dig into Shilpa's Tiramisu Basque Cheesecake—a delicious, shockingly easy, and decadent bake. They'll discuss the ins and outs of ingredient choices and the recipe development process, plus end with an Ask a Baker segment all about the perfect chocolate chip cookie.

You can find instructions for joining the Club at bonappetit.com/bakeclub - and of course, you can always send your questions to [email protected].

Joy of Baking Pan Conversions
Recipe Walkthrough Video
Jesse's Cookie Book, Cookies: The New Classics
Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

This episode is from our friends at This Is TASTE. Abi Balingit is the author of Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed, a delightful cookbook full of maximalist personality and transfixing sweets, like the adobo chocolate chip cookie. She’s a singular force in the NYC baking scene, and it’s so fun to have her on the show today to talk about what she’s been up to since publishing her first book, her love of kitsch, and more. This Is TASTE is co-hosted by Aliza Abarbanel and Matt Rodbard. You can subscribe to This Is TASTE at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Karen's plan to stay on budget while she's in grad school depends on cooking for herself, especially for lunch — but her dorm kitchen's fire alarm is VERY easy to set off. So Chris & Jesse help her with strategies for no-cook lunches... including leveraging her rice cooker.

Recipes Mentioned:
One-Pot Salmon and Shiitake Rice
Rice Cooker Risotto
Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

It may be Valentine's Day, but this year, Chris, Jesse, and Kendra are turning their attention to the gentle art of cooking for yourself and only yourself. They'll tackle listener questions about stocking your fridge for one and gathering up the motivation to feed yourself day after day - and share how they eat when their partners or kids are out of town.

Recipes Mentioned:
Chocolate Chipless Cookies
Winter Squash and Kale Pasta with Pecan Breadcrumbs
Minestrone Soup with Acorn Squash
Roasted Squash Vampiro Tacos with Cucumber Salsa
Larb with Cabbage Cups
Napa Cabbage and Cucumber Slaw
Cheesy Roasted Cabbage Wedges
Grilled Peruvian Chicken with Green Sauce
Meal Prep Dinner Party Recipes
All-the-Seeds Hamantaschen
Grilled Swordfish with Tomatoes

Shilpa and Jesse are hosting a pizza party — an Incredibly Good Cheese Pizza party, that is. Join the Bake Club co-hosts as they nerd out about breadmaking, reveal Jesse's secret pizzaiolo past, and gab with BA Deputy Food Editor Hana Asbrink, this recipe's #1 fan.

You can find instructions for joining the club at bonappetit.com/bakeclub - and of course, you can always send your questions to [email protected].