Cooking Basics

Healthful and great-tasting food preparation can be overwhelming if you are new to cooking or need a refresher. The Cooking Basics series of fact sheets will help you get organized and plan and prepare nutritious and delicious meals.

Cooking Basics: Getting Started -- Use this fact sheet as a guide to the series and additional resources.

Cooking Basics: Cooking terms -- When you learn basic cooking terms, you’re able to follow recipes more accurately and expand the range of healthful food you can prepare.

Cooking Basics: Reducing a Recipe --The tips and charts in this fact sheet will help you adapt recipes for fewer servings. You’ll also find the kitchen tools substitution chart and the safe cooking temperatures chart helpful. Then practice your skills with the worksheet.

Making a Meal from What's on Hand, Cooking Basics -- When cooking from whatever might be on hand in a pantry or refrigerator/freezer, think of a recipe as a basic roadmap to guide meal preparation. This fact sheet includes ingredient suggestions to mix and match for a variety of meals.

Cooking Basics: Measuring Tools and How to Use Them -- It is important to measure recipe ingredients accurately. This fact sheet includes measuring equivalents and tips for measuring different ingredients accurately.

Seasoning with Herbs and Spices -- Herbs and spices add a wide variety of flavor profiles to food, as well as providing health benefits. This fact sheet includes tips for using and storing herbs and spices, their benefits, and recipes.

Seasoning with Herbs and Spices -- Spanish. Translated into Spanish. Herbs and spices add a wide variety of flavor profiles to food, and provide health benefits. This fact sheet includes tips for using and storing herbs and spices, their benefits, and recipes.

Food Preservation

Buying Guide for Kansas Grown Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

More Plants on the Plate

Taking a New Look at Fermented Foods

Well-Stocked Kitchen: Refrigerated and Frozen Foods

Safe Food Storage: The Refrigerator and Freezer

If you have questions or concerns about this page, please contact Shelly Burklund sburklun@ ksu.edu or call our office at 785-532-5782.