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Stocks are the foundation of any good kitchen, it is where your dishes are built from. If you don't have a solid grasp of good stock, than everything you make in the kitchen will suffer and snowball from there. Stocks at their most basic can be broken down into two categories, white stock and brown stock. The difference between the two is a white stock is cleaner and lighter in flavour, a brown stock is richer and heavier, as you are caramelizing sugars, and concentrating flavours. In this blog we will show you how to make a white chicken stock, probably the most common stock used in kitchens, as it is extremely versatile in its usage. Stocks are broken down...

For some people it may feel a little daunting to take on the task of taking apart a whole chicken, but if you have seen it done once it only takes a few times of doing it yourself and you will have the skill nailed for the rest of your life. A grocery store will charge just as much for two chicken breasts, as it costs for the whole chicken... What's with that?!? Well, grocery stores charge you for a lack of knowledge. Anything that is not common knowledge costs a premium; you want beef tenderloin? you're going to pay for it because anyone can cook it. You want pig's feet, and you can get them for nothing because not...

Risotto is an iconic Italian rice dish as we all know, but risotto isn't as much the dish, as it is a method of cooking. Below I will show you how to utilize the risotto method, by making a classic Parmesan risotto. Risotto method cooking can be broken down into 4 major categories; Starch; rice, quinoa, pearl barley, farro, orzo, spelt, bulgur wheat, Israeli couscous, wheat berries, lentils, potato,  Liquid; Stock; chicken stock, fish stock, beef stock, lamb stock, pork stock, game stock, vegetable stock, mushroom stock, dashi, chinese stock (this will be in an upcoming blog) Alcohol; white wine, dry vermouth, sparkling wine, sherry, red wine, port, brandy Flavour; Parmesan, mushroom, saffron, beet, seafood (lobster, prawn, crab, etc.), chicken,...

Pot roasts are a great and flavourful way to feed an entire family, while still sticking to a budget. The cuts of meat you will use here require longer cooking times, so they will be easier on your wallet. A general rule of thumb; the easier and quicker a food is to cook, the pricier it will be (I.e. beef tenderloin, lobster, ahi tuna, prawns, etc). This is a wonderful thing to take advantage of, as you can usually pick up things like shoulder cuts of beef, or pork on sale for a great price. I prefer using the shoulder cuts of meat to the leg, as I find there is just a little more connective tissue in those cuts,...

If you know how to sear and baste a piece of meat, you are 50% of the way to an amazing meal. By following these steps, you will be able to cook anything perfectly, from steak, to fish, to pork, same method and steps, just change in and out the protein, aromatics, and basting fat.  Proteins: beef, veal, bison, lamb, venison, pork, boar, chicken, rabbit, duck, pheasant, halibut, cod, snapper, salmon, tuna Aromatics: thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, lemongrass, mint, sorrel, tarragon, epazote, garlic, shallot, chili peppers, fresh horseradish, lemon, lime, orange, cinnamon, clove, star anise, cardamon, szechuan peppercorns, fresh turmeric, annatto seed Basting fat: butter, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, duck fat, goose fat, chicken fat, lard, tallow, ghee,...