Hello and welcome!

Freshtastebud.com is about creating delicious food from basic ingredients while having fun and enjoying yourself.

The recipes are based on having at least some cooking knowledge and a desire to learn more.

You should be able to cook the foods for 1-4 people (scaling up for more) in the home kitchen with some basic techniques and equipment, which I will list below. The list will be added to and updated occasionally.

1. Basic stationary equipment needs: cooktop stove (gas/electric/induction), oven, microwave, refrigerator, freezer (or freezer compartment at minimum), sink with hot and cold water and a well lit work area.
2. Basic hand tools: paring knife(3-4 inch blade), chefs knife (7-9 inch blade, santuku works as well), peeler, honing steel and cutting board.
3. Basic cooking equipment(sizes are approximate):8 quart steel bowl, 8 quart cooking pot, 2 quart cooking pot with lid, 7-8 inch non stick sauté pan, 10 inch non stick sauté pan, 8-10 inch cast iron pan, cookie sheet and roasting pan.
4. Basic cooking utensils: tongs, spatula, silicon scraper, strainer, metal and wood cooking spoons, whisk, grater/micro plane, slotted spoon, rolling pin and pastry brush.
5. Other equipment: measuring spoons, measuring cups, meat thermometer (digital/instant read), garlic press, kitchen towels, oven mitts/pot holders, plastic wrap, storage and prep containers.

Below are 2 different sets of basic knives – chefs knife, slicer and paring knife which will get you through most of your cutting tasks.

This is a basic list and you should be able to equip a new kitchen without breaking the bank. People who have cooked for some time probably have this and a lot more.

Basic techniques:

1. Trimming, peeling and washing/rinsing fruit and vegetables. Making sure to remove dirt, bruised or wilted parts and drying the ingredients before use.
2. Knife techniques: slicing, dicing, chopping, mincing of ingredients are skills you develop by doing them over and over. Check out some YouTube videos and practice. Also – keep your knives sharp! Forcing a dull knife can make it slip and cause injury, sharp knives are easier to control. While we are on the subject – get a sharpening stone, check out a few videos on the subject and keep your knives sharp. Many kitchens have expensive knives which are hopelessly dull.
3. Cooking: Hot pans sear, keeping the juices in the meats – cold pans end up boiling your meat and tough results. Similarly putting too many ingredients in a pan will cool the pan and the food will not be seared. Simmering a soup or stew yields tender results – rapid boiling toughens the meat. So learn how to adjust the heat on your oven and stove to use the proper temperature.

So much of the enjoyment of cooking depends on using the proper tools and skills to be able to achieve quality results. The outcome of the finished dish can be the difference between loving and hating creating the meal as well as eating it.