18 recipes you should know by the time you’re thirty
When you’re twenty, it’s perfectly acceptable to eat instant noodles three times a week or call a grilled cheese sandwich dinner. Heading towards thirty? Then it really is time to start behaving a little better in the culinary department. Once you’ve mastered this basic repertoire, everything will be fine and, as far as we’re concerned, you may call yourself an adult.
30 years old? These are the 18 recipes you need to master
1. A whole chicken
It seems intimidating if you’ve never made one before. But once you do, you’ll see that it’s so easy it will soon become one of your go-to quick weeknight meals. Chicken and tarragon are a match made in heaven, as is once again demonstrated by this chicken recipe by Joris Bijdendijk. Making a whole chicken in the Airfryer? You won’t bat an eyelid at that anymore either. And we’ll show you step by step how to carve a roast chicken.
2. Chicken soup
The carcass left over from the roast chicken is perfect for making chicken soup. Add it to the stock, from which you can later pick the meat to add to the soup. Strain the stock and, at the very end, cook small pieces of carrot, leek or other soup vegetables in it, so they remain al dente rather than overcooked.
3. Steak
Cooking a steak medium-rare is an art you may need to practise for a while. But few things are more satisfying than cutting into a steak and seeing that you’ve cooked it perfectly. Here is our guide to cooking the perfect steak. And while you’re at it, make some steak sauces to go with it.
4. Tomato sauce
After thirty, it’s over for good between you and ready-made tomato sauce. Making tomato sauce yourself is incredibly easy and doesn’t even require fresh tomatoes. Your own sauce made with canned tomatoes is tasty enough. Especially when you use our trick of frying a whole garlic clove along with it, then mash it into the sauce later for extra flavour.
5. Carbonara
Possibly the most controversial pasta dish of all. Anyone who changes even the slightest thing about the classic recipe will have a whole lot of Italians and the entire internet on their case. The creamy sauce made with egg yolk and cheese makes the dish incredibly luxurious, while it takes no longer to prepare than cooking pasta. This is how we make it. So don’t buy canned carbonara anymore, capisce? Making a Japanese carbonara is allowed, though.
6. Lasagne
The ultimate dish when lots of people are coming over for dinner. You prepare everything in advance and put it in the oven when your guests arrive. A good sauce is key, as are generous amounts of cheese. Here’s a step-by-step lasagne. And avoid these 11 lasagne mistakes from now on!
7. Whole fish from the oven
It looks spectacular, while you hardly have to do anything. Stuff a whole fish with lemon, thyme and garlic and put it in the oven. Sea bass is our preference (this recipe from Martha Stewart, for example), because it doesn’t dry out quickly, so it’s not a problem if you leave it in the oven for a few minutes too long.
8. Curry
Indian, Thai or Ghanaian: we couldn’t care less, but make sure you have at least one good curry in your repertoire. Our favourites are Thai Penang curry, mango curry and this Indian butter chicken.
9. Hamburger
It seems so simple, but a truly good hamburger involves quite a lot. What kind of meat do you use, and how do you cook it perfectly? Barbecue king Jord Althuizen tells you how to cook the perfect hamburger in 5 steps. The bun should be soft but not absorb all the sauce – hard hamburger buns are a no-go.
10. Pan-fried grilled cheese sandwich
As far as we’re concerned, the perfect grilled cheese sandwich comes from the frying pan. Leave the sandwich maker alone and get to work on a crispy cheese sandwich that you can proudly serve to someone. The trick is to keep the heat low, so the outside doesn’t burn before the cheese has melted.
11. Mashed potatoes
Good mashed potatoes are the perfect base for meatballs, sausages and everything else that calls for gravy. They’re creamy and smooth because you use enough butter. Chef Joël Robuchon is known for his extraordinary mash with excessive amounts of butter; this is how you make his decadent mashed potatoes.
12. Vinaigrette
Do you randomly pour some olive oil, pepper and salt over your lettuce? A vinaigrette takes two minutes to make and instantly takes your salad to a higher level. Find tips for the perfect vinaigrette here.
13. Risotto
The perfect risotto is al dente and spreads out when you spoon it onto your plate. Comfort food at its finest, if only because stirring the pan as you make it is therapeutic. Here’s how to make the most delicious risotto step by step.
14. Brownies
Nothing is worse than a dry brownie, so it’s best to make them yourself. Crisp on top and fudgy inside. This recipe by Nigella Lawson is easy and always comes out of the oven perfectly. Made too many? Freeze them. Because they contain so much sugar and fat, they never become completely hard, so you can eat them straight from the freezer. Ultimate Airfryer brownies are an option too!
15. Cake
Why do people – ourselves included, by the way – always make things so difficult with those complicated recipes? Just bake a cake. A simple vanilla cake, perhaps with freshly whipped cream, can sometimes be just as delicious as a bake you’ve spent hours labouring over.
16. Cheesecake
A lot can go wrong: too dry or too eggy, for example. But a good piece of cheesecake will make almost everyone happy. With this recipe for New York cheesecake, you’re guaranteed to put a fantastic example on the table.
17. Crumble
A crumble is our go-to recipe when we fancy something sweet but have almost nothing left in the house. Mix frozen fruit with sugar and lemon juice, and make the crumble with flour, butter and icing sugar. Divide the fruit and then the crumble between an oven dish. Put it in the oven until golden brown and bubbling, and you’ll have a delicious dessert. Your crumble will always turn out perfectly this way.
18. Meringue
Whipping and baking egg whites and sugar: sometimes it really can be that easy. Just make sure the inside is still a little chewy. Once you’ve mastered the technique of making a meringue, the world of egg whites is at your feet and you can move on to pavlova and an Eton mess tower.
Read also:
- How to: cook fish without making your kitchen smell
- The perfect curry – and how you can ruin it
- 7 things vegetarians don’t want to hear
