Call Yourself A Cook - culinary skills that everyone should have

by Andrew Barrow, Posted Jul 31st 2006 @ 2:03PM

According to Jill Dupleix, the Times cook, there are several basic culinary skills that everyone should have. If you can't do any of the following then you really can't call yourself a cook!

fry a steak
roast a chicken
cook spinach
boil potatoes
boil rice
make a mouse
bake a cake
mix a martini

Now I don't really class myself as a 'cook' more a follower of recipes; I couldn't bake a cake or make a mouse without following a recipe. But how about you?

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Filed Under: Newspapers, How To
Tags: basic cooking skills, BasicCookingSkills, cooking skills, CookingSkills, food and drink, FoodAndDrink

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Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)

8-02-2006 @12:43PM mella said... I do agree with those who stated that a good cook knows when and how to improvise. That just comes with increasing familiarity with ingredients and techniques. But here's the thing. I don't much like sweet things like cakes and mousses, so I very rarely make them. Thus the need for a recipe to aid my failing memory. I don't think those of us with less than perfect recall are less proficient cooks. Now, to get in a bit more practice on my martinis.........
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8-02-2006 @7:15PM kitchenmage said... Bread. You must also be able to bake a decent loaf of bread.

As for the cultural bias, I'd happily agree to swap a few of the more Euro/America-centric things (steak, for example) for a generic "make three of the top ten dishes associated with your current context" and let people decide what that meant.

But you have to bake bread. And cookies.
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