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100 Techniques
From Basic to Bucket List
The first book entirely on technique from America's Test Kitchen features 100 innovative techniques that will transform your cooking life, paired with more than 200 innovative recipes that put the techniques into real-world, home-kitchen applications. From making the most tender burger patties to grill-roasting an entire ham; from making pan sauces to dry-aging your own beef; and from griddling the fluffiest pancakes to tempering chocolate, making caramel, and baking French pastry, the test cooks of ATK show you the way.
The first section, "Essentials Every Home Cook Should Know," covers core techniques to improve anyone's cooking. Learn why it's crucial to season with salt properly before and during cooking for fabulous Roasted Bone-In Chicken Breasts and Crispy Salt and Pepper Shrimp. Cook any piece of salmon to silky, golden-crusted perfection through our high-low roasting technique. The second section, "Techniques You Didn't Know You Couldn't Live Without," includes techniques we developed from unexpected angles of discovery. Bake beautifully crusty, golden, bubbly-topped pizza in your home oven by using a skillet. Fry easy, restaurant-quality homemade French fries by starting the potatoes in room-temperature oil. The third section, "The Bucket List," gives you the know-how to make dreamed-about projects come true. Barbecue true Texas Beef Ribs in your standard kettle grill. Cure your own bacon or gravlax right in your refrigerator. Bake, assemble, and decorate a show stopping, sky-high layer cake for any special occasion.
Some of what you'll find in the book:
Essentials Every Home Cook Should Know
This chapter covers all the essential core techniques.
Learn how to...
- Build a two-level grill fire and know how and when to use it
- Sauté perfectly tender vegetables by adding water
- Sear any steak perfectly on the stovetop
- Bake satisfyingly chewy cookies and bars by melting butter
Techniques You Didn't Know You Needed
Get insight into techniques our test cooks developed from unexpected discoveries.
Learn how to...
- Make foolproof hollandaise, béarnaise, and mayonnaise using a blender
- Make "nose-to-tail" vegetable soups using scraps
- Boil and grill lobster without angst
- Make supremely creamy ice cream without an ice cream maker
The Bucket List
Gain the know-how to make dreamed-about projects come true.
Learn how to...
- Smoke genuine Texas-style barbecue in a kettle grill
- Turn your oven into a commercial pizza oven
- Make fresh pasta without a machine
- Flambé without fear
Editorial Reviews
"Cooking-instruction powerhouse America’s Test Kitchen (ATK) brings us the second installment of their ATK 100 series with this book focused on technique... Both cooks starting out on their food journey and experienced chefs looking for new challenges will find this collection helpful. Fans of ATK will recognize the majority of the recipes from other collections but the uniqueness of this book’s presentation makes it a worthwhile addition to your collection." - Booklist
Details
Recipes: 225
Format: Hardcover, Full-Color
Pages: 448
Weight: 3.8 lbs
Item Number: CF25
Shipping
A look inside...
Sear Scallops for Tender, Golden Results
How often have you enjoyed a fabulous seared scallop dish in a restaurant -- one that boasts scallops with caramelized, golden crusts and tender, barely translucent centers--and wondered how to replicate it at home?
For golden-brown and juicy scallops that rival those made on the most powerful restaurant range, we seared them in a smoking-hot skillet, then finished them with a butter baste. Purchase large sea scallops rather than smaller bay scallops, which are far too easy to overcook. We recommend buying "dry" scallops, which don't have STP (a solution of water and sodium tripolyphosphate that chemically treats the scallops to have a longer shelf life and more retained moisture) added.
Step 1
Remove crescent-shaped tendon from each scallop.
Step 2
Place scallops on rimmed baking sheet lined with clean dish towel. Place second towel on top and press gently to blot liquid. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Cook scallops, in batches if necessary, in single layer without moving them in preheated non-stick skillet until well browned.
Step 4
Add butter and flip scallops; cook, tilting pan and basting with butter, until centers are opaque, removing them as they finish cooking. Tent with aluminum foil on serving plate while finishing with remaining scallops.