The First 20 Dinners

This is the curriculum. Not twenty random recipes — twenty dinners in order, each one leaving a skill behind. Cook them more than once; repetition is the point.

1. 1Chicken + Avocado Rice BowlBrowning chicken · 27 min
2. 2Black Beans + Rice + Avocado + EggSautéing aromatics · 28 min
3. 3Taco BowlsBrowning ground meat · 30 min
4. 4Tomato Pasta + GreensThe pasta method · 28 min
5. 5Roasted Salmon + Potatoes + Green BeansStaggered timing on one pan · 47 min
6. 6Chicken Quesadillas + Simple SaladSteering the skillet by sizzle · 22 min
7. 7Fried Eggs + Crispy Potatoes + SaladRunning three things at once · 32 min
8. 8Garlic Parmesan Pasta + BroccoliA creamy sauce with zero cream · 30 min
9. 9Chicken Stir-Fry + RiceStaged high-heat cooking · 32 min
10. 10Chicken Soup From Scratch-ishHolding a real simmer · 55 min
11. 11Seared Chicken + Pan SauceSear, deglaze, reduce, butter · 30 min
12. 12A Real Meat SauceEverything you know, in one pot · 75 min
13. 13Salmon Rice BowlThe rice-bowl equation, solo · 24 min
14. 14Rice + Beans, ProperlyControlling the liquid · 30 min
15. 15Chicken, Pan Sauce, and a Vegetable — CompleteSequencing a complete plate · 37 min
16. 16Fried Rice From LeftoversImprovising inside a framework · 24 min
17. 17Lentil SoupFinishing a soup · 52 min
18. 18Steak, Potatoes, SaladCooking steak by the numbers · 50 min
19. 19Fridge FrittataThe frittata method · 30 min
20. 20Tonight There Is No RecipeCooking without a recipe · 40 min