Virgin to Veteran: How to Get Cooking with Confidence

Virgin to Veteran is a cookbook with a difference. Written by Sam Stern, the twenty-year-old prodigy with 5 successful cookbooks already to his name, this is a contemporary cookery masterclass designed to get today's teens, 20- and 30-somethings into the kitchen and cooking with confidence. The way Sam sees it, there are only so many meals you'll ever cook, so you really should learn how to make each one special. From mastering the basics to insider tips and techniques, Virgin to Veteran will teach you everything you need to become a confident cook. Starting with Virgin Kitchen Set-Up (the stuff you need to know to set up a workable kitchen) Virgin to Veteran moves on through 10 chapters each focusing on a particular ingredient or food group. Diagrams and step-by-step guides demonstrate relevant skills such as knife work, sauce making and baking, while other key areas such as sourcing and substituting ingredients, seasonality and the secrets of great presentation are also covered. From fast food to slow, food to go or eat in, healthy to greedy, there's something in the over 100 Masterclass recipes featured to match every mood, budget and lifestyle. Once you've learned how to cook using a particular ingredient or technique, Sam will show other ways that you can put your newfound skills to good use. Learn how to master a Tagliatelle Ragu, for example, and you'll have added a Classic Lasagne to your culinary arsenal too. Get your head around Coq au Vin and you'll soon be making a delicious Chicken Pie. Crammed full of information presented in an engaging, accessible way, Virgin to Veteran teaches you the classic skills, techniques and recipes, updates them to suit how we live now and will have you turning out brilliant meals without too much fuss, cost or effort before you know it.

Sam Stern is passionate about food and has been cooking for as long as he can remember. Sam's previous bestselling cookbooks, Cooking Up A Storm (2005), Real Food Real Fast (2006), Get Cooking (2007), Sam Stern's Student Cookbook (2008) and Eat Vegetarian (2010) have been translated into 14 languages and have established Sam as the voice for keen young cooks. Sam is now studying Politics, Sociology and Business at Edinburgh University and continues to cook, write and campaign about food issues. Author Location: Edinburgh