TELEVISION

About
Great-tasting meals begin with an understanding of the fundamentals of cooking. Now, in this 12-hour course taught by a professional chef-instructor from The Culinary Institute of America, you can learn the foundational culinary skills you need to turn out delicious and impressive meals. Gain an expert chef's insight into tips, tricks, and secrets that will elevate any dish from good to great.
Related Subjects
Episodes
1. Cooking-Ingredients, Technique, and Flavor
30m
Begin the course with a fascinating look at the science of taste and how it acts as the gateway to better understanding-and enjoying-the food you eat. Through engaging taste experiments involving melon, radicchio, and a few simple seasonings such as salt and lime juice, you'll come to see just how intricate and subtle your taste buds are.
2. Your Most Essential Tool-Knives
30m
What do you need to have the perfect kitchen-one that makes cooking more relaxing and enjoyable? Find out in this lesson as Chef Briwa reveals which knives you should always have on hand, how to find the right cutting board, how to chop and dice vegetables and herbs, and how to use your newfound skills to make delicious meals.
3. More Essential Tools-From Pots to Shears
30m
Continue learning about how to create the perfect kitchen setup (mise en place). First, learn how to make sense of a range of different pots and pans. Then, find out the importance of hand tools such as whips, tongs, spatulas, box graters, and meat thermometers. Finally, see some of these tools at work as you go step-by-step through a recipe for vegetable ratatouille.
4. Sauté-Dry-Heat Cooking with Fat
30m
Begin strengthening your cooking techniques with a close look at using the right pan, the right amount of fat, and the right temperature to make crispy and delicious sautéed foods. As you explore the ins and outs of sautéing, you learn how to make a delicious (and simple) dish: Chicken Marsala.
5. Roasting-Dry-Heat Cooking without Fat
30m
Roasting can seem to be a frustrating task. But it doesn't have to be when you know what you're doing-and how to do it. Here, demystify this dry-heat cooking technique and learn how to make the perfect roast chicken and potatoes. You'll also get tips on how to determine doneness, how to make gravy, and how to carve your bird.
6. Frying-Dry-Heat Cooking with Fat
30m
In this lesson, find out everything you need to know to fry food like a pro. Which oils are best for pan frying and deep frying? What safety precautions should you take when frying in your kitchen? How can you tell when your food is done? Learn about this and more as Chef Briwa fries up a veal cutlet, fish and chips, and parsnips.
7. From Poach to Steam-Moist-Heat Cooking
30m
Turn to a popular method of moist heat cooking: poaching. You'll see how deep poaching works to gently cook a piece of salmon (accompanied by a simple sauce). Then, you'll compare that cooking method with shallow poaching a piece of monkfish and using the leftover liquid as the basis for an accompanying sauce.
8. Braising and Stewing-Combination Cooking
30m
Try your hand at combination cooking, which combines two different techniques: braising (typically reserved for larger cuts of meat) and stewing (usually for smaller cuts of meat). Using the example of a delicious pot roast and a springtime lamb stew, you'll uncover the secrets of these cooking techniques and vastly expand your kitchen skills.
9. Grilling and Broiling-Dry-Heat Cooking without Fat
30m
Marinating and seasoning meats. Making sure your indoor or outdoor grill is at the right temperature. Getting perfect grill marks. Finding out when your meat or fish is done. Master these and other tricks of grilling and broiling with recipes for grilled steak, lamb chops, fish, vegetables, and even fruit.
10. Stocks and Broths-The Foundation
30m
Stocks and broths are some of the most basic preparations you'll find in kitchens. What's more: They're easy to make, easy to store, and extremely versatile. In this lesson, follow along as Chef Briwa makes several stocks and broths using different ingredients and methods of preparation to give them outstanding flavors.
Extended Details
- SeriesGreat Courses
- Closed CaptionsEnglish