Meat, Fish & Poultry: Martha Stewart's Cooking School, Lesson 3

Book excerpt: Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Now a PBS Series Lesson 3 is a culinary master class in the techniques essential to prepping and cooking meat, fish, and poultry, with 14 video demonstrations to guide you on cutting up a chicken, filleting a fish, roasting a rack of lamb, and more, along with 64 recipes and dozens of color step-by-step photographs. Arranged by cooking technique, this lesson explores the fundamentals for roasting, grilling, braising, stewing, steaming, poaching, simmering, sautéing, stir-frying, and frying, and teaches you how to apply these techniques to various types of meat, fish, and poultry. Video demonstrations by food editor Sarah Carey will show you how to cut up a chicken, braise a pork shoulder, steam fish in parchment, pan sear a steak, and more. Then, practice your skills with 64 recipes and variations for tempting classics such as the Perfect Roast Turkey with Perfect Gravy and Chestnut Stuffing; Braised Fish with Fennel and Tomato; Lobster Rolls; and Buttermilk Fried Chicken. You’ll also find information on meat cuts and cooking temperatures, carving a chicken, frenching a rack of lamb, preparing confit (a method of salting and preserving), grinding your own meats, and preparing pre- and post-grilling flavor enhancers, such as rubs, marinades, salsas, and chutneys. Lesson 3 includes the Basics, where you’ll learn about the equipment, knife skills, ingredients, and routines that will enable you to cook with confidence. Color photographs and video demonstrations teach you how to chop an onion, mince garlic, prep and chop fresh herbs, zest and suprême citrus, and much more.