{"product_id":"9780767902793","title":"How to Cook Without a Book: Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart","description":"\u003cp\u003ePam Anderson grew up watching her parents and grandparents make dinner every night by simply taking the ingredients on hand and cooking them with the techniques they knew. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTimes have changed. Today we have an overwhelming array of ingredients and a fraction of the cooking time, but Anderson believes the secret to getting dinner on the table lies in the past. After a long day, who has the energy to look up a recipe and search for the right ingredients before ever starting to cook? To make dinner night after night, Anderson believes the first two steps—looking for a recipe, then scrambling for the exact ingredients—must be eliminated.  Understanding that most recipes are simply \"variations on a theme,\" she innovatively teaches technique, ultimately eliminating the need for recipes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOnce the technique or formula is mastered, Anderson encourages inexperienced as well as veteran cooks to spread their culinary wings.  For example, after learning to sear a steak, it's understood that the same method works for scallops, tuna, hamburger, swordfish, salmon, pork tenderloin, and more. You never need to look at a recipe again. Vary the look and flavor of these dishes with interchangeable pan sauces, salsas, relishes, and butters.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBest of all, these recipes rise above the mundane Monday-through-Friday fare.  Imagine homemade ravioli and lasagna for weeknight supper, or from-scratch tomato sauce before the pasta water has even boiled.  Last-minute guests? Dress up simple tomato sauce with capers and olives or shrimp and red pepper flakes. Drizzle sautéed chicken breasts with a balsamic vinegar pan sauce. Anderson teaches you how to do it—without a recipe. Don't buy exotic ingredients and follow tedious instructions for making hors d'oeuvres. Forage through the pantry and refrigerator for quick appetizers. The ingredients are all there; the method is in your head. Master four simple potato dishes—a bake, a cake, a mash, and a roast—compatible with many meals. Learn how to make the five-minute dinner salad, easily changing its look and flavor depending on the season and occasion. Tuck a few dessert techniques in your back pocket and effortlessly turn any meal into a special occasion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere's real rhyme and reason to Pam's method at the beginning of every chapter: To dress greens, \"Drizzle salad with oil, salt, and pepper, then toss until just slick. Sprinkle in some vinegar to give it a little kick.\" To make a frittata, \"Cook eggs without stirring until set around the edges. Bake until puffy, then cut it into wedges.\" Each chapter also contains a helpful at-a-glance chart that highlights the key points of every technique, and a master recipe with enough variations to keep you going until you've learned how to cook without a book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Clarkson Potter\/Ten Speed","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47025890263280,"sku":"9780767902793","price":27.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780767902793_p0.jpg?v=1763656397","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780767902793","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}