America's Test Kitchen Cooking School

One of my goals for the time Ryan is deployed is to become a better cook.  I want to do it by working through America's Test Kitchen's Cooking School cookbook.

The book is divided by types of food, and each chapter includes "Getting Started," "Core Techniques," "Recipe Tutorials," and "Recipe Library."  The recipes in the library look like the most fun, but my plan is to work through all the recipe tutorials.  That way, I will have covered the basics of every technique. 

Here are the tutorials:

Chapter 2: Eggs

68 Eggs Benedict
72 French Omelet
76 Cheese Soufflé

Chapter 3: Vegetables

111 Scalloped Potatoes
114 Eggplant Parmesan
118 Vegetable Curry
Extra: 122 Roasted Broccoli

Chapter 4: Pasta

148 Macaroni and Cheese
152 Baked Manicotti
156 Egg Pasta
160 Pasta Bolognese
164 Fettuccine Alfredo

Chapter 5: Grains, Rice, and Beans

192 Risotto with Chicken
196 Cuban Black Beans and Rice
200 Hearty Tuscan Bean Stew

Chapter 6: Meat

241 Slow Roasted Beef
244 Pepper-Crusted Filet Mignon
248 Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli
252 Modern Beef Burgundy
256 Classic Pot Roast
260 Maple-Glazed Pork Roast
263 Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder
Extra: 283 Juicy Pub-Style Burgers
Extra: 274 Glazed, Spiral-Sliced Ham

Chapter 7: Poultry

304 Breaded Chicken Cutlets with Parmesan
308 Pan-Roasted Chicken Breasts
312 Chicken Provencal
316 Crunchy Fried Chicken
320 Holiday Turkey

Chapter 8: Seafood

358 Classic Fish Meuniere
362 Cod Baked in Foil with Leeks and Carrots
366 Poached Salmon
Extra: 381 Pan-Seared Scallops
Extra: 384 Steamed Whole Lobsters
Extra: 385 Paella

Chapter 9: Grill

398 Grilled, Glazed, Bone-In Chicken Breasts
402 Grilled Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce
406 Grill-Roasted Beef
410 Memphis Barbecue Ribs
414 Grilled Salmon with Olive Vinegarette

Chapter 10: Stocks and Soups

444 Chicken Noodle Soup
448 Tortilla Soup
452 Beef and Barley Soup
456 Silky Butternut Soup
Extra: 463 Best French Onion Soup

Chapter 11: Salads

483 Caesar Salad
486 Cobb Salad
490 French Potato Salad
Extra: 503 Classic Chicken Salad
Extra: 504 Best Tuna Salad

Chapter 12: Quick Breads

520 Blueberry Scones
524 Banana Bread
527 Multigrain Pancakes

Chapter 13: Yeast Breads and Pizzas

556 Olive-Rosemary Bread
561 Sticky Buns with Pecans
566 New York Style Thin Crust Pizza
Extra: 579 Focaccia with Caramelized Red Onion, Pancetta, and Oregano

Chapter 14: Cookies

596 Chocolate Chip Cokies
600 Glazed Lemon Cookies
604 Almond Biscotti
608 Turtle Brownies

Chapter 15: Cakes

648 / 672 Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes with Creamy Chocolate Frosting
652 Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake
656 New York Style Cheesecake
660 French Apple Cake

Chapter 16: Fruit Desserts

690 Baked Apples
693 Berry Fool
697 Individual Pavolvas with Tropical Fruit
Extra: 667 Spiced Carrot Cake with Vanilla Bean-Cream Cheese Frosting

Chapter 17: Pies and Tarts

730 / 745 Triple Chocolate Chunk Pecan Pie
734 Deep Dish Apple Pie
738 Classic Fresh Fruit Tart
Extra: 747 Key Lime Pie
Extra: 753 Chocolate Truffle Tart

Chapter 18: Custards, Puddings, and Frozen Desserts

763 Chocolate Mousse
766 Individual Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes
770 / 780 Coffee Crunch Ice Cream
Extra: 777 Classic Crème Caramel
Extra: 778 Lemon Panna Cotta
Extra: 782 Coconut-Ginger Caramel Sauce

So there are 64 recipe tutorials in total to be spread over 24 weeks.  That means that I need to knock through about 3 of these per week, which seems doable.  I added 16 things that I'd like to try from the recipe library to round out the lessons.

There are 25 recipes for sweets and 55 recipes that are more savory and meal appropriate.  That means that I need to do one dessert and 2-3 other recipes per week to be done before Ryan gets home.  I like the idea of writing / blogging about it.  It's not as ambitious as Julie and Julia, but hey, Julie Powell didn't seem like a very nice person, anyway.

Let the games begin.