Cook 100: A 100 day cooking challenge

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  Daily core Today's version of the daily core

  Learn the pinch grip

  Your chef's knife is the big one for chopping on a board; a paring knife is the small one for peeling and trimming. Pinch the blade just above the handle between your thumb and bent first finger, then wrap your other fingers around the handle. Your other hand holds the food with its fingertips curled under. Cue to try: the knife tip stays steady instead of wobbling as you slice. Prefer video? Search YouTube for "pinch grip chef's knife".

  Why: Knowing what to look, listen and smell for is what turns following a recipe into knowing how to cook.

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  Task 2

  Slice soft fruit with the pinch grip

  Set your board on a damp towel so it cannot slide. Using the pinch grip, slice a banana, a peach, a kiwi or any soft fruit into even coins and eat them or add them to yogurt or toast. Only one knife? Use it for everything. Already comfortable? Slice a carrot into even coins and make ten cuts without rushing.

  Why: The pinch grip gives you control, so the knife goes exactly where you mean it to.

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  Task 3

  Wash, dry and put your knife away

  Wash the knife by hand right after use, holding it by the spine, then dry it and store it with the edge covered or in a block, drawer slot or strip. Never leave it in a sink of soapy water.

  Why: A knife hidden in soapy water is how fingers get cut, so knives get washed, dried and put away on their own.

Take care: Curl your fingertips into a claw, cut on a board that cannot slide, and never try to catch a falling knife. Let it drop.

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  Daily core Today's version of the daily core

  Learn the claw grip

  Curl the fingertips of your guiding hand under, like a claw, and rest your knuckles against the flat side of the blade. Slice, then move the claw back a little and slice again. Keep the knife tip on the board and go slowly; speed comes on its own. Cue to try: you feel the flat of the blade brush your knuckles, never your fingertips. Prefer video? Search YouTube for "claw grip knife skills".

  Why: Knowing what to look, listen and smell for is what turns following a recipe into knowing how to cook.

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  Task 2

  Slice a cucumber into coins with the claw

  Fold a damp paper towel or dish towel under your board and press down to check it no longer slides. Slice a cucumber, zucchini or any firm vegetable you have into thin coins with the claw, moving it back after each cut. Already comfortable? Cut a second vegetable into sticks, then into small even cubes.

  Why: With your fingertips tucked away, the blade can only meet your knuckles, which guide it instead of getting cut.

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  Task 3

  Compare your first and last coins

  Line up your first five coins and your last five. Note in your Cook 100 notes which set is more even and one thing to change next time, like a slower pace or a tighter claw.

  Why: Checking evenness shows you exactly what your hands are learning, one cut at a time.

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  Daily core Today's version of the daily core

  Learn to read a recipe before you start

  Read the whole recipe twice before touching food. First read the ingredient list and the prep word beside each item, like diced or drained. Then read the steps, the total time and the tools. Mark anything you need to swap. Cue to try: you can say the steps in order before you begin.

  Why: Knowing what to look, listen and smell for is what turns following a recipe into knowing how to cook.

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  Task 2

  Make tomato toast from a written recipe

  Read this recipe twice, then make it. You need 1 slice of bread, 1 small tomato, 1 teaspoon olive oil, a pinch of salt and black pepper. Steps: 1. Toast the bread. 2. Dice the tomato with the claw. 3. Toss it with the oil, salt and pepper. 4. Spoon it onto the toast. No tomato? Use sliced cucumber or drained canned beans. Already comfortable? Pick a recipe you have never made and write its steps in your own words.

  Why: Most kitchen stress comes from surprises halfway through, and reading first removes almost all of them.

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  Task 3

  Look up two recipe words you are unsure of

  Pick two words from any recipe you have, like fold, sear or reduce. Look each one up and write a one line meaning in your Cook 100 notes.

  Why: Clear meanings for recipe words mean less guessing at the stove.

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  Daily core Today's version of the daily core

  Learn to measure dry and liquid ingredients

  For dry ingredients, spoon them into a dry measuring cup and level the top with the back of a knife; do not pack or shake. For liquids, use a cup with a spout, set it on the counter and read the line at eye level. Measuring spoons are leveled like dry cups. No measuring cups? Use the same mug for every part so the proportions stay right. Cue to try: the liquid sits right on the line when your eye is level with it.

  Why: Knowing what to look, listen and smell for is what turns following a recipe into knowing how to cook.

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  Task 2

  Measure and warm a mug of cocoa

  Measure 1 cup of milk or plant milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon sugar and a small pinch of salt. Whisk the cocoa, sugar and salt with a splash of the milk in a small saucepan to make a paste, add the rest and warm on low, stirring, until steaming. No cocoa? Measure 1/2 cup oats and 1/2 cup milk or water into a jar, stir, lid it and refrigerate for overnight oats. Already comfortable? Pour a teaspoon of salt into your palm so your hand learns what it looks like.

  Why: Measuring carefully at first teaches your eye what the right amount looks like.

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  Task 3

  Measure how many cups your favorite mug holds

  Fill your mug with water from a measuring cup and write how much it holds in your Cook 100 notes.

  Why: Once you know your mug's size, you can measure with it on any day the cups are missing.

Take care: Milk can boil over fast, so keep the heat low and stay nearby.

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  Daily core Today's version of the daily core

  Learn mise en place

  Mise en place is French for "everything in its place." Read the recipe, gather every ingredient and tool, measure or cut each ingredient into small bowls, cups or piles on a plate, and line them up in the order they go in. Set a scrap bowl beside your board for peels and trimmings. Cue to try: once you start, you never open a cupboard or the fridge.

  Why: Knowing what to look, listen and smell for is what turns following a recipe into knowing how to cook.

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  Task 2

  Set everything out, then build a sandwich

  Set out everything for a sandwich before you start: bread, a spread like mustard, mayo or mashed beans, a filling like cheese, canned tuna, hummus or leftover cooked protein, a vegetable you slice with the claw, and salt and pepper. Line them up in order, then build and eat it. Already comfortable? Do it for a recipe with at least six ingredients and time the cooking once prep is done.

  Why: When everything is ready, you can focus on the cooking instead of hunting for the salt while something burns.

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  Task 3

  Time your setup and note one change

  Note how long setup took and the one item you nearly forgot. Write it in your Cook 100 notes so it goes on your list next time.

  Why: Knowing your setup time and blind spots makes the next cook smoother.

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  Daily core Today's version of the daily core

  Watch a short knife skills demo

  Light day, no cooking needed for this one. Watch a short knife skills demo from a cooking school or an established cook; on YouTube, search "basic knife skills". Watch how the guiding hand moves back after each cut and where the knife tip stays. Cue to try: spot the moment the cook moves the claw back before the next slice.

  Why: Knowing what to look, listen and smell for is what turns following a recipe into knowing how to cook.

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  Task 2

  Slice an apple into wedges with the claw

  Cut an apple in half through the stem, then into quarters, and cut the core out of each quarter at an angle. Slice each quarter into wedges using the claw, then eat them. No apple? Use a pear or a cucumber.

  Why: Cutting around the core gives clean, even wedges and a quick, low risk practice of the claw.

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  Task 3

  List what you practiced and next week's needs

  In your Cook 100 notes, name the dishes or techniques you actually practiced this week, however many. Then check Days 8 to 13: bread, butter or oil, pasta or noodles, green beans, broccoli or frozen peas, a vegetable to chop, a can of beans or broth, garlic, and cheese if you like it.

  Why: A quick look back and ahead keeps the next week from surprising you halfway through a cook.