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
010Buttermilk BiscuitsCold fat and minimal handling — the lamination principle at its simplest.fold bake
011CornbreadA quick bread with no proofing — proves leavening without yeast.bake mix
012Baked PotatoDry heat and steam escape; the humblest lesson in surface versus interior.bake score
013Collard GreensLong braise on a tough green — patience as a technique.braise simmer
014BBQ SauceReduction and the sweet/acid/salt balance every sauce is graded on.reduce caramelize
015Roast ChickenThe single most useful dish in the book — trussing, dry heat, carryover, resting.roast truss rest
016Fish & ChipsBatter and double-frying — two oil temperatures for two different jobs.fry mix
017CrêpesA thin batter that must rest — gluten relaxation made visible.whisk rest
018Tomato SoupSweating aromatics, then concentrating rather than diluting.sweat reduce
019Sourdough BreadThe long game — wild fermentation, and the only bread that teaches time.ferment proof knead
020Pizza MargheritaDough hydration and maximum heat — three toppings, nowhere to hide.proof bake
021Spaghetti Aglio e OlioPasta water and oil into a sauce — emulsification with five ingredients.emulsify saute
022CarbonaraTempering egg without scrambling it. Also a genuine methodological schism worth documenting.temper emulsify
023RisottoStarch release by agitation — why the stirring is not superstition.saute simmer
024BéchamelMother sauce. Roux ratios unlock a dozen dishes downstream.mix reduce
025HollandaiseMother sauce, and the definitive lesson in a broken emulsion and how to rescue it.emulsify temper clarify
026Vinaigrette3 oil : 1 acid. Learn the ratio and you never need a dressing recipe again.emulsify whisk
027RatatouilleCooking vegetables separately then combining — why one-pot is sometimes wrong.saute sweat
028Chicken TacosDry-spice bloom and fast assembly.saute season
029EmpanadasFilled dough — sealing, crimping, and a pastry that must not leak.fold bake fry
030Jamaican Jerk ChickenA marinade with real work to do, and controlled char.marinate grill char
031CevicheAcid denaturation — 'cooking' with no heat at all.slice marinate
032Black Beans & RiceSofrito as a base, and a complete protein from two cheap ingredients.simmer sweat
033Arroz con PolloOne pot, staged — sear the protein, then cook the starch in its fond.sear simmer
034Tres Leches CakeA sponge built on whipped-egg aeration, then deliberately soaked.whisk fold bake
035EloteChar as a flavour, not a mistake.grill char
036GuacamoleTexture by choice — mashed versus chunky is a real schism worth naming.mash dice
037Salsa RojaToasting chiles and tomatoes before blending — the step most recipes skip.char mix
038Mole PoblanoThe most complex sauce in the book, and the best argument for mise en place.toast reduce mix
039GoulashPaprika bloomed in fat — a spice that burns if you rush it.braise sear
040PierogiDumpling dough — rolling, filling and sealing.knead fold boil
041Beef StroganoffDeglazing the fond, then tempering sour cream so it does not split.sear deglaze temper
042Cabbage RollsBlanching to make a leaf pliable — a technique with a hundred uses.blanch braise
043Rye BreadA low-gluten flour that behaves nothing like wheat.proof bake ferment
044Potato PancakesWringing water from grated potato — moisture as the enemy of crust.grate fry
045SauerkrautSalt, cabbage, time. The most accessible fermentation there is.ferment brine
046ShakshukaEggs poached directly in sauce — one pan, precise timing.poach simmer
047TabboulehA herb salad, not a grain salad — the ratio most versions get backwards.mince season
048Pita BreadSteam-driven puff — a pocket formed by physics, not folding.proof bake
049Baba GanoushCharring an aubergine to its core — smoke without a smoker.char mash
050HummusTahini and water emulsified — the step that separates good from gritty.mash emulsify
051Chicken Tikka MasalaYoghurt marinade tenderises; the char is not optional.marinate char simmer
052Dal TadkaThe tadka — blooming whole spices in hot fat and pouring them over at the end.temper simmer
053NaanA yoghurt-enriched dough cooked screaming hot.proof knead char
054BiryaniLayered and steamed — parcooking two things to finish at the same moment.marinate steam infuse
055Aloo GobiDry-spiced vegetables — two textures cooked to finish together.saute season
056Masala ChaiInfusion under simmer — spices, tea and milk in a fixed order.infuse simmer
057Yellow CurryCurry paste from scratch, then bloomed in coconut fat.mix saute
058Pad ThaiWok sequencing, and the sweet/sour/salty triangle in balance.saute mix
059PhởCharred aromatics and a long, clear broth — clarity as a skill.char simmer clarify
060Bánh MìQuick pickling as the structural element of a sandwich.pickle roast
061Spring RollsKnife work on display — there is no cooking to hide behind.julienne fold
062AdoboVinegar and soy braise — acid as the primary cooking liquid.braise reduce
063Mango Sticky RiceGlutinous rice steamed, not boiled, then dressed in sweetened coconut.steam infuse
064Fried RiceThe base of the whole variant system, and a genuine method schism worth documenting.saute dice
065RamenBroth, tare and noodle as three separate builds assembled at the last second.simmer reduce infuse
066BibimbapEvery component cooked its own correct way, then combined.blanch saute fry
067GyozaFry then steam in one pan — two techniques, one lid.fold steam fry
068Miso SoupDashi, and why miso must never boil.infuse simmer
069Steamed BaoBread cooked without dry heat — no crust, all crumb.proof steam fold
070Cashew ChickenVelveting and high-heat stir-fry sequencing.saute dice
071KimchiSalting, then lacto-fermentation — a living ingredient.brine ferment
072Stir-fried Bok ChoyStems and leaves are two different vegetables and must enter the pan apart.saute blanch
073Teriyaki SauceReduction to a glaze — knowing when to stop.reduce glaze
074Butter 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
075LasagnaAssembly as a technique — three separately made components layered so they finish as one thing rather than three.stew bake
076GyroSlicing against the grain on meat where getting it wrong is immediately obvious in the first bite.sear slice
077Greek SaladA salad with no leaves and no dressing to hide behind, so salt, acid and the knife do all of it.season slice
078ReubenThe covered griddle: steam drives heat into a thick filling while the outside is still building a crust.steam fry
079PestoAn emulsion built with no heat at all, and the clearest case for why toasted nuts taste of more than raw ones.emulsify toast
080Pan GravyThe plainest demonstration that the browned residue stuck to a pan is the point of the pan, not the mess in it.deglaze whisk
081Chocolate Chip CookiesWhere overmixing and resting both show up unmistakably in the finished thing, at a scale you can taste side by side.mix rest
082Scrambled EggsHeat control with no margin — the difference between custardy and rubbery is about thirty seconds and one degree of attention.fold whisk
083French 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
084OmeletteThe one dish judged by gloss rather than colour, and the one you cannot restart once it has begun.fold fry
085FocacciaA dough wet enough that fermentation does the structural work you would otherwise do with your hands.proof ferment
086BrowniesWhere a few extra strokes and two extra minutes decide fudgy against cakey, and nothing else does.fold bake
087Banana BreadThe clearest argument in the book for stopping the moment the last streak of flour disappears.mash mix
088Fried Chicken SandwichBrining and frying in one dish: why the crust stays attached and the meat underneath stays wet.brine fry
089Apple PieWater management — the fruit releases a great deal of it and the pastry has to survive what it releases.bake reduce
090Chicken Noodle SoupOrder and restraint: nothing is allowed to boil, and everything goes in at the moment it will finish.poach sweat
091Cinnamon RollsAn enriched dough, which develops slower and proofs slower, and rewards patience twice for the same reason.knead proof
092Mashed PotatoesThe technique with the most irreversible failure in the library: work it too hard and the starch turns it to glue.mash infuse
093HamburgerA crust built in ninety seconds, and the reason the bun is toasted at all rather than merely warmed.sear toast
094CheesecakeA baked custard in disguise — gentle heat throughout, and a crack that tells you exactly where it went too far.temper bake
095ChiliBrowning first and then time, which is all that separates it from seasoned mince sitting in liquid.sear simmer
096Corn TortillasTwo ingredients and a rest, where hydration is not part of the recipe — it is the whole recipe.mix rest
097French FriesThe double fry, and the sharpest demonstration that oil temperature rather than oil quantity decides greasiness.fry rest
098Turkey SandwichConstruction: what goes where, so the thing still holds together by the time it is eaten.slice toast
099TiramisuFolding with no oven to rescue it — a deflated mixture stays deflated all the way to the plate.fold whisk
100Caesar SaladAn emulsion built by hand in a bowl, and the anchovy that most people believe they dislike.emulsify mash

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.