Simple Cooking

The Edwardian kitchen was the domain of the cook, and a gentleman of that era might have been no more expected to roast a chicken than to shoe his own horse. Most modern households make a different arrangement: the person who intends to eat must know how to prepare at least a few meals in a kitchen of whatever adequacy happens to be available.

Five or six dishes, learned properly and executed without panic, will carry a household through most ordinary occasions. Begin with eggs at low heat, a roast chicken, one soup, a simple pasta, and a piece of fish cooked in a pan. None requires rare talent, though each improves only when repeated often enough to teach the hand what a written recipe cannot.

The necessary equipment is modest: a sharp knife, a chopping board, a heavy frying pan, and a pot large enough for soup or pasta. The price of the knife matters less than its edge, and a drawer of specialised gadgets is poor compensation for being unable to dice an onion safely.

Learn the behaviour of heat, since many failures begin with a pan which is either too hot or insufficiently warm. High heat is useful for searing, medium heat for much ordinary frying, and low heat for scrambled eggs and sauces which require patience. When oil smokes or the outside burns before the centre is cooked, reduce the heat; there is seldom any deeper mystery.

Timing follows from attention. Let meat rest after cooking, taste pasta before the stated time has elapsed, and inspect roasting vegetables before their edges have passed from brown to black. Talent is less important here than remaining in the kitchen and noticing what is happening in the pan.

Food safety is less picturesque and more important. Wash your hands before cooking and after handling raw meat or eggs. Keep raw meat and its utensils away from food which is ready to eat. Use a food thermometer for poultry and egg dishes; the centre should reach 74 C. Refrigerate perishable food and leftovers within two hours, sooner in a hot room, and discard food whose storage is doubtful. Smell is not a reliable test of safety.

Keep the knife sharp, cut upon a stable board, and turn pan handles away from the edge of the stove. These precautions require little ceremony and prevent a disproportionate amount of trouble.

Further guidance

• Meat, poultry, fish and seafood safety, Health Canada
• Egg safety, Health Canada