The 100 dishes all cooks should know.

001Seared SteakThe Maillard lesson, and the one dish that makes resting undeniable.Sear Rest
002Fried ChickenBrining and oil-temperature control in one dish.Brine Fry
003Pulled PorkLow and slow — collagen to gelatin, the whole argument for patience.Barbecue Smoke
004Buttermilk PancakesChemical leavening, and why overmixing ruins a batter.Mix Whisk
005Grilled CheeseHeat management with three ingredients and nowhere to hide.Saute
006BLTAssembly and balance — salt, fat, acid, crunch, no cooking skill required.Toast Slice
007Mac & CheeseRoux to béchamel to mornay in miniature.Mix Saute
008Clam ChowderBuilding a soup on rendered fat and aromatics rather than stock alone.Sweat Simmer
009Cobb SaladComposition — a salad as an assembled plate, not a tossed bowl.Chop Season
010Baked PotatoDry heat and steam escape; the humblest lesson in surface versus interior.Bake Score
011Collard GreensLong braise on a tough green — patience as a technique.Braise Simmer
012BBQ SauceReduction and the sweet/acid/salt balance every sauce is graded on.Reduce Caramelize
013Roast ChickenThe single most useful dish in the book — trussing, dry heat, carryover, resting.Roast Truss Rest
014Fish & ChipsBatter and double-frying — two oil temperatures for two different jobs.Fry Mix
015CrêpesA thin batter that must rest — gluten relaxation made visible.Whisk Rest
016Tomato SoupSweating aromatics, then concentrating rather than diluting.Sweat Reduce
017Pizza MargheritaDough hydration and maximum heat — three toppings, nowhere to hide.Proof Bake
018Spaghetti Aglio e OlioPasta water and oil into a sauce — emulsification with five ingredients.Emulsify Saute
019CarbonaraTempering egg without scrambling it. Also a genuine methodological schism worth documenting.Temper Emulsify
020RisottoStarch release by agitation — why the stirring is not superstition.Saute Simmer
021BéchamelMother sauce. Roux ratios unlock a dozen dishes downstream.Mix Reduce
022HollandaiseMother sauce, and the definitive lesson in a broken emulsion and how to rescue it.Emulsify Temper Clarify
023Vinaigrette3 oil : 1 acid. Learn the ratio and you never need a dressing recipe again.Emulsify Whisk
024RatatouilleCooking vegetables separately then combining — why one-pot is sometimes wrong.Saute Sweat
025Chicken TacosDry-spice bloom and fast assembly.Saute Season
026EmpanadasFilled dough — sealing, crimping, and a pastry that must not leak.Fold Bake Fry
027Jamaican Jerk ChickenA marinade with real work to do, and controlled char.Marinate Grill Char
028CevicheAcid denaturation — 'cooking' with no heat at all.Slice Marinate
029Black Beans & RiceSofrito as a base, and a complete protein from two cheap ingredients.Simmer Sweat
030Arroz con PolloOne pot, staged — sear the protein, then cook the starch in its fond.Sear Simmer
031Tres Leches CakeA sponge built on whipped-egg aeration, then deliberately soaked.Whisk Fold Bake
032EloteChar as a flavour, not a mistake.Grill Char
033GuacamoleTexture by choice — mashed versus chunky is a real schism worth naming.Mash Dice
034Salsa RojaToasting chiles and tomatoes before blending — the step most recipes skip.Char Mix
035Mole PoblanoThe most complex sauce in the book, and the best argument for mise en place.Toast Reduce Mix
036GoulashPaprika bloomed in fat — a spice that burns if you rush it.Braise Sear
037PierogiDumpling dough — rolling, filling and sealing.Knead Fold Boil
038Beef StroganoffDeglazing the fond, then tempering sour cream so it does not split.Sear Deglaze Temper
039Cabbage RollsBlanching to make a leaf pliable — a technique with a hundred uses.Blanch Braise
040Potato PancakesWringing water from grated potato — moisture as the enemy of crust.Grate Fry
041SauerkrautSalt, cabbage, time. The most accessible fermentation there is.Ferment Brine
042ShakshukaEggs poached directly in sauce — one pan, precise timing.Poach Simmer
043TabboulehA herb salad, not a grain salad — the ratio most versions get backwards.Mince Season
044Baba GanoushCharring an aubergine to its core — smoke without a smoker.Char Mash
045HummusTahini and water emulsified — the step that separates good from gritty.Mash Emulsify
046Chicken Tikka MasalaYoghurt marinade tenderises; the char is not optional.Marinate Char Simmer
047Dal TadkaThe tadka — blooming whole spices in hot fat and pouring them over at the end.Temper Simmer
048BiryaniLayered and steamed — parcooking two things to finish at the same moment.Marinate Steam Infuse
049Aloo GobiDry-spiced vegetables — two textures cooked to finish together.Saute Season
050Yellow CurryCurry paste from scratch, then bloomed in coconut fat.Mix Saute
051Pad ThaiWok sequencing, and the sweet/sour/salty triangle in balance.Saute Mix
052PhởCharred aromatics and a long, clear broth — clarity as a skill.Char Simmer Clarify
053Bánh MìQuick pickling as the structural element of a sandwich.Pickle Roast
054Spring RollsKnife work on display — there is no cooking to hide behind.Julienne Fold
055AdoboVinegar and soy braise — acid as the primary cooking liquid.Braise Reduce
056Mango Sticky RiceGlutinous rice steamed, not boiled, then dressed in sweetened coconut.Steam Infuse
057Fried RiceThe base of the whole variant system, and a genuine method schism worth documenting.Saute Dice
058RamenBroth, tare and noodle as three separate builds assembled at the last second.Simmer Reduce Infuse
059BibimbapEvery component cooked its own correct way, then combined.Blanch Saute Fry
060GyozaFry then steam in one pan — two techniques, one lid.Fold Steam Fry
061Miso SoupDashi, and why miso must never boil.Infuse Simmer
062Steamed BaoBread cooked without dry heat — no crust, all crumb.Proof Steam Fold
063Cashew ChickenVelveting and high-heat stir-fry sequencing.Saute Dice
064KimchiSalting, then lacto-fermentation — a living ingredient.Brine Ferment
065Stir-fried Bok ChoyStems and leaves are two different vegetables and must enter the pan apart.Saute Blanch
066Teriyaki SauceReduction to a glaze — knowing when to stop.Reduce Glaze
067Butter ChickenTwo halves cooked apart and married at the end: a yogurt marinade that seasons and tenderises, and a base reduced until the tomato stops tasting raw.Marinate Reduce
068LasagnaAssembly as a technique — three separately made components layered so they finish as one thing rather than three.Stew Bake
069GyroSlicing against the grain on meat where getting it wrong is immediately obvious in the first bite.Sear Slice
070Greek SaladA salad with no leaves and no dressing to hide behind, so salt, acid and the knife do all of it.Season Slice
071ReubenThe covered griddle: steam drives heat into a thick filling while the outside is still building a crust.Steam Fry
072PestoAn emulsion built with no heat at all, and the clearest case for why toasted nuts taste of more than raw ones.Emulsify Toast
073Pan GravyThe plainest demonstration that the browned residue stuck to a pan is the point of the pan, not the mess in it.Deglaze Whisk
074Chocolate Chip CookiesWhere overmixing and resting both show up unmistakably in the finished thing, at a scale you can taste side by side.Mix Rest
075Scrambled EggsHeat control with no margin — the difference between custardy and rubbery is about thirty seconds and one degree of attention.Fold Whisk
076French ToastStale bread as a requirement rather than a thrift, and a custard that has to set before the surface is allowed to brown.Marinate Saute
077OmeletteThe one dish judged by gloss rather than colour, and the one you cannot restart once it has begun.Fold Fry
078BrowniesWhere a few extra strokes and two extra minutes decide fudgy against cakey, and nothing else does.Fold Bake
079Banana BreadThe clearest argument in the book for stopping the moment the last streak of flour disappears.Mash Mix
080Fried Chicken SandwichBrining and frying in one dish: why the crust stays attached and the meat underneath stays wet.Brine Fry
081Apple PieWater management — the fruit releases a great deal of it and the pastry has to survive what it releases.Bake Reduce
082Chicken Noodle SoupOrder and restraint: nothing is allowed to boil, and everything goes in at the moment it will finish.Poach Sweat
083Cinnamon RollsAn enriched dough, which develops slower and proofs slower, and rewards patience twice for the same reason.Knead Proof
084Mashed PotatoesThe technique with the most irreversible failure in the library: work it too hard and the starch turns it to glue.Mash Infuse
085HamburgerA crust built in ninety seconds, and the reason the bun is toasted at all rather than merely warmed.Sear Toast
086CheesecakeA baked custard in disguise — gentle heat throughout, and a crack that tells you exactly where it went too far.Temper Bake
087ChiliBrowning first and then time, which is all that separates it from seasoned mince sitting in liquid.Sear Simmer
088French FriesThe double fry, and the sharpest demonstration that oil temperature rather than oil quantity decides greasiness.Fry Rest
089Turkey SandwichConstruction: what goes where, so the thing still holds together by the time it is eaten.Slice Toast
090TiramisuFolding with no oven to rescue it — a deflated mixture stays deflated all the way to the plate.Fold Whisk
091Caesar SaladAn emulsion built by hand in a bowl, and the anchovy that most people believe they dislike.Emulsify Mash
092SconesReplaces a bread that left Chef for Baker Primera.Bake
093ConchaReplaces a bread that left Chef for Baker Primera.Bake
094MuffinsReplaces a bread that left Chef for Baker Primera.Bake
095PB & JFills the start-here path after breads left Chef for Baker Primera.Mix
096Tartar SauceFills the start-here path after breads left Chef for Baker Primera.Mix
097Chicken NachosFills the start-here path after breads left Chef for Baker Primera.Mix
098Southwestern OmeletFills the start-here path after breads left Chef for Baker Primera.Mix
099Patty MeltFills the start-here path after breads left Chef for Baker Primera.Mix
100Diavolo SauceFills the start-here path after breads left Chef for Baker Primera.Mix

Twenty-seven entries were repaired on 2026-07-29 so the path sits inside The 200, and all of them now carry a written lesson. Each dish teaches two techniques — not every technique it uses, but the two it is here for.