Cooking Basics and the Mistakes Worth Avoiding

Recipes say "sauté" and "roast" like everybody agrees what those mean. Mostly we do, but it helps to have the heat and timing written down in one place, along with the handful of habits that separate a decent dinner from a gray, steamed one.

What the words mean

Method	Heat	Typical use
Sauté	Medium-high	Proteins, 2-3 minutes per side
Pan-fry	Medium, with oil or butter	3-5 minutes per side
Simmer	Low-medium, gentle bubbling	Sauces
Boil	Rolling boil	Pasta, rice, vegetables
Bake	350-375°F	Most dishes
Roast	400-425°F	Vegetables and meats
Broil	High	2-4 minutes to finish a dish

The difference between baking and roasting is mostly heat. Roasting runs hotter so the outside browns while the inside cooks, which is why vegetables go in at 400°F and not 350°F.

Timing the usual suspects

Food	Stovetop	Oven
Chicken breast	6-8 minutes per side	20-25 minutes at 375°F
Ground beef	8-10 minutes, until browned	—
Vegetables	5-7 minutes sautéed	15-20 minutes roasted

The air fryer has its own set of numbers, and they're on the Air Fryer Cheat Sheet.

The mistakes

None of these are dramatic. They're small, and they add up.

Before you start

• Read the whole recipe first. Finding out at step six that something marinates overnight is a bad way to learn.
• Prep everything before the heat goes on. The French call it mise en place; everyone else calls it not burning the garlic while you chop the onion.
• Cut vegetables to similar sizes so they finish together.
• Let meat sit out briefly to take the fridge chill off before it cooks.
• Don't wash vegetables until you're about to use them. Wet produce spoils faster in the fridge.

While it cooks

• Don't overcrowd the pan. Crowded food steams instead of browning. Two batches are faster than one soggy one.
• Don't flip meat over and over. Leave it alone and let the crust form.
• Don't blast chicken on the highest heat. It dries out before the middle is done.
• Keep the oven or air fryer door shut. Every peek dumps heat.
• Clean as you go, so the cleanup after dinner is a few plates and not the whole kitchen.

After

• Let meat rest a few minutes before cutting, so the juices stay in the meat and not on the board.
• Taste and season at the end. Salt added at the finish reads brighter than salt that cooked in for an hour.

Tip

A meat thermometerinstant-read thermometerA probe thermometer that gives a reading in a couple of seconds. Poke it into the thickest part: chicken is done at 165°F, ground beef at 160°F.More: Air Fryer Cheat Sheet ends most of the guessing. Recipe times are estimates; the internal temperature is the answer.

Cheap dinners from a short list

A few staples go a long way: ground beef, rice, eggs, canned beans and corn, and frozen mixed vegetables. From those, plus a few extras:

Meal	Built from
Ground beef and rice	Ground beef, rice, sautéed vegetables
Chicken and pasta	Chicken, pasta, canned tomato sauce
Bean tacos	Canned beans, tortillas, toppings
Egg fried rice	Eggs, leftover rice, frozen vegetables
Baked chicken thighs	Chicken thighs, roasted potatoes

Egg fried rice is the one to lean on when the fridge looks empty, and it's the same method as Shrimp Fried Rice minus the shrimp. For the beans, the One Pan Burrito Bowl puts a can of black beans and a can of tomatoes to work in one skillet.

Note

Buying in bulk only saves money if it gets eaten. How Long Food Keeps has the fridge and freezer times for the ground beef you split into portions.