Travel widely. Cook authentically. Teach generously.
Welcome
Whether you’re just learning to cook or have years of experience, this section is designed to teach the techniques, ingredients, and kitchen habits that make cooking easier and more enjoyable. Every lesson is based on what I’ve learned over more than thirty years of cooking, traveling, and constantly trying to improve.
This School Never Closes
One of the joys of cooking is that there’s always something new to learn. I’m still learning every time I travel, read, experiment, or step into the kitchen.
Because of that, this Cooking School will continue to grow. I’ll be adding new lessons, techniques, ingredient guides, and practical cooking advice on a regular basis. My hope is that each visit gives you another idea, another skill, or another bit of confidence to take back into your own kitchen.
Bookmark this page and check back often—new lessons will be added regularly.
The food photographed here is the food I eat.
Want to know which cookbooks shaped the way I cook? Visit my Essential Cookbooks page, where I share the books that influenced my cooking over the last 40 years and explain why each earned a permanent place on my shelf. Essential Cookbooks
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Getting Started
If you’re new to cooking, begin with these articles.
Essential Kitchen Tools for Home Chefs
Top Quality Ingredients for Cooking Success
Mirepoix, Trinity, and Battuto: Flavor Foundations
Stocks, Sauces and Fundamentals
Learn the foundations that make great cooking.
Homemade Chicken Stock: A Step-by-Step Guide
Ultimate Guide to Beef Stock: Ingredients and Preparation
Demi-Glacé: The Workhorse of the French Kitchen.
Ultimate Seafood Stock for Southeast Asian Dishes
Types of Roux: From White to Dark
Where I go for the best Ingredients
For spices, I’m a big fan of the Spice House in Chicago, https://www.thespicehouse.com
For top quality Italian pantry items, https://www.gustiamo.com
For French pantry items, https://www.simplygourmand.com
The best Sichuan Chinese pantry items, like sauces and chilies etc. https://www.themalamarket.com
And for Indian pantry items, https://www.iShopIndian.com
And or course for fresh items, support your local grocers.
Italian Cooking
Learn the ingredients and techniques that form the foundation of authentic Italian cooking.
The Secrets of Premium Italian Pasta: What Makes It Different?
Stocking Your Italian Pantry: Essential Ingredients for Authentic Italian Cooking
Mastering Authentic Risotto: Tips and Ingredients
Mastering Simple Risotto: A Step-by-Step Guide
Best Ways to Freeze Tomatoes for Cooking
Sicilian Marinara Sauce-Workhorse of Nonna’s Kitchen
Authentic Sunday Sauce: A Step by Step To Create A Family Tradition
Asian Cooking
Discover the pantry staples and techniques that form the foundation of authentic Chinese, Thai and Indian cooking.
Building an Indian Pantry: Essential Ingredients
Essential Ingredients for Authentic Chinese and Thai Cooking
Authentic Thai Dipping Sauce Recipe
Ultimate Guide to Making Chili Oil for Delicious Dumplings
Exploring Thai Curries: Where Do I Start?
A Sichuan fundamental sauce, Yu Shiang Eggplant-Fish Fragrant Eggplant
Twice-Cooked Pork: From Joyce Chen’s 1961 Kitchen to Today’s Sichuan Pantry
Learn how to make braised Thai chicken, Gai Tung – Thai Braised Chicken with Aromatic Spices
• Fish Sauce Guide (Coming Soon)
French Cooking
Discover the techniques and classic dishes that define French cuisine.
Coq au Vin: A Bistro Favorite Made Simple
Perfectly Cooked Steak au Poivre Recipe
Beef Bourguignon, Classic French Beef Stew with Red Wine
Traditional Bouillabaisse-French Seafood Stew, Step by Step.
Delicious French Chicken Fricassee: A Simplified Recipe
Le Bernardin’s Famous Salmon Rilette Starter
Kitchen Fundamentals
Small changes in technique can make a big difference in your cooking.
• Choosing Knives (Coming Soon)
Essential Guide to Storing Cooking Oils Correctly
How to Stop Bananas from Overripening Quickly
• Caring for Cast Iron (Coming Soon)
• Fresh vs Dried Herbs (Coming Soon)
Food & Travel
Exploring Grenada: The Spice Island’s Bounty
History and Recipe of the Vesper from Duke’s
What would you like to learn?
If there’s a technique, ingredient, or cooking question you’d like to see covered in The Pasadena Chef Cooking School, let me know. Many of the future lessons will be inspired by readers’ questions. Just reach out, Contact