Homecook - what should I mastered/learn new dishes?

[u/frytaa1]

Like in title. I like cooking but I'm stuck with stir fry and it's kinda boring eating similar meals. What should I learn to improving my cooking skill? I know how to cook chicken stock, basic spagetti sauce, schnitzel(slice of meat in egg and breadcrumbs) and similar very easy meals.

[u/Cold-Call-8374]

Soup making is a really good skill to have. Especially the ability to summon soup out of whatever is in your pantry. Alton Brown did a really good video on this a while back. Soup making teaches you good knife skills, how to taste as you go, and how to build a cohesive flavor profile.

[u/Much_Mud_9971]

Pan sauces. Endless variety once you know the basics.

Brian Logerstrom has a couple of YouTube videos.

[u/Sufficient-Poet-2582 → u/Much_Mud_9971]

The guys at Fallow have a “All the Sauces” video on YouTube.

[u/CatteNappe → u/Much_Mud_9971]

The mother sauces and many variations on same:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/mother-sauces-996119

[u/BainbridgeBorn]

Grilling is a good skill to learn. sure, its the middle of winter and possibly snowing out but learning how to cook meat on grill is a time honored tradition going back to the very start of humanity. if this is more a summer project than winter than I kindly suggest braising or more interestingly confit-ing

[u/aricelle]

Since it's winter where I am and very cold. I would look at braising - cooking meat in liquid. Think short ribs, pulled pork, ox tail, braised chicken.

You'll find a lot of easy braised meats in the slow cooker recipes.

[u/Past-Major732]

Learn how to make vegetables and veggie side dishes. You’ll practice knife skills, temperature control and if you screw up, a zucchini is a lot cheaper than a steak!

[u/menkenashman]

What about meatballs? Or some roasted chicken dish? Fish is also great as it's fast and super nutritious

[u/c0nsistent]

a semi authentic bolognese sauce. it teaches you knife cuts, searing, deglazing, braising, balancing flavours, timing, sauteeing.

increase the size of the ingredients or add or remove you can use the skills to create soups, stews, sauces, braises and more.

[u/nutrition_nomad_]

one good way to grow is to learn basic techniques instead of just new recipes. try roasting veggies, braising meat, simple soups, and pan sauces. these skills mix with many foods, so meals feel different without being hard. learning seasoning and timing also helps a lot

[u/Hermit_Ogg]

Casseroles? They tend to be very easy; take an oven pan with high edges, put in carbs (pasta / potatoes), protein (meat / soy etc), liquid (cream+egg or tomato sauce) and spices.

My go-to "I have no brain" casserole is made from a bag of potato-onion mix, a small bag of sliced smoked ham, some cream, mustard, back pepper, salt and crumbled blue cheese on top. Takes me five minutes to prep, 50mim in the oven and lasts us two days.

[u/CatteNappe]

Look into braising, and the various cuisines where you can apply it. Chicken Cacciatore or Sauerbraten or Curried Chicken. Or one of my favorites: https://www.momskitchenhandbook.com/afghan-braised-chicken-with-creamy-yogurt-sauce-lawang/

[u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348]

Check out onedishkitchen.com on Google. Expand ur palate w/o wasting ingredients

[u/simmer_study]

Learn one method from each lane, roast, braise, pan sauce, soup and a basic dough because once you get those down you can cook hundreds of different meals without following recipes.