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This book, and its companion website, get-cooking.com, are going to give you plenty of the first two things—the recipes and the advice. The desire and the confidence, of course, are going to come from you. But trust me, the more you cook, the more that will happen on its own.

Learning to cook real food for yourself and the people you love is life-transforming. You’ll gain skills you can rely on forever. You’ll discover a whole new way to be creative, healthy, and focused, as well as popular. And who knows? Cooking might just become your favorite hobby—replete with benefits.

Once you’ve made these recipes your own (and started adding the get creative touches suggested throughout the book), you might find that you’re not so much following recipes as using them as springboards to invent new dishes that reflect who you are and what you love. You’ll be eating better, spending less, and feeling good about it. And, best of all, you’ll really get cooking in a whole new way.

Getting Started

So where to begin? Well, before you do anything in the kitchen, the best advice I can give you is to read—and I mean really read—each recipe well, visualizing everything as you do so. And don’t do this as you’re rolling up your sleeves to get started, but much earlier, at the point when you’re deciding what to make and laying out a game plan.

Studying the recipe will give you a sense of what ingredients you need to buy, whether you have all the right equipment, and how long the whole process will take. In these recipes, I’ve given you a heads-up each time something needs to be done in advance (especially when there is a waiting period for something to cool down, chill, or warm up to room temperature). Take the time to familiarize yourself with a recipe before you start, and you’ll be cooking from the driver’s seat instead of by the seat of your pants.

I strongly recommend that you get all the ingredients for each recipe completely prepped and ready before you start the actual cooking. Lay everything out (having a lot of containers helps) in an organized fashion near the stove. Get your tools handy, too. In most recipes I’ve been pretty specific about the best tools to use, so again, if you read through first, you’ll find embedded set-up information. The better set up you are, the more fun you’re going to have once you turn on the stove.

There’s another really important streamlining habit I strongly encourage you to develop: Try to clean up as you go. This is especially helpful if your kitchen is small. After you’re done prepping the ingredients and you have them all lined up in their respective containers by the stove, clean the knife and cutting board, and put away anything you’re finished using. Wipe down the counters, wash your hands, and take a deep breath. Now, proceed to the cooking phase.

What about the big, possibly overwhelming uber-cleanup awaiting you at the other end? Try to minimize it by keeping a tub of warm, soapy water in the sink. As soon as you’re done with a dish or a utensil, just clear it of debris (compost bin, anyone?) and slip it into the tub. The exception is sharp knives, which should be kept separate so you won’t accidentally slice your hand under the suds. Rinse the stuff later; just get it soaking for now. It will make a big difference.

Get the Gear

Equipping a kitchen for good, basic, fun cooking is less daunting than you might think. Start with the essentials, and go slow accumulating the rest. Remember that you don’t need to buy the newest and the fanciest tools—or even anything new at all. Scour garage sales and thrift shops. And let all your relatives and friends know that you are in the exciting process of setting up a serious(ly fun) kitchen, so that they will keep you at the top of their hand-me-down list whenever they upgrade. Remind them, also, of your birthday, and promise to invite them often for dinner. That should help. Here’s a starter list that should pretty much get you through every recipe in this book.

KNIVES

Chef’s knife: This is where it all begins. You