Q: I’m from a Korean-American family and wasn’t encouraged to cook at all, although good food was a big part of our family life. I’m entirely self-taught and "chained" to recipes, but when I deviate from I often create disasters. Having to dump a couple hours work into the garbage is discouraging. How do I get to the next level? Is there something I can read on cooking theory?

Lynne: First of all, one of the ways to free yourself from recipes and begin improvising is to take a recipe you’re comfortable with and do well then change the main ingredient. For instance, you can saute a chicken breast, add some white wine, simmer it down until it’s syrupy and you’ll have a sauce for the chicken. Try using the same technique with a piece of salmon. Then try varying the seasoning. Check out a good basic cookbook, like Joy of Cooking, that has a wide range of ethnic recipes to help you become familiar with different flavor combinations. A classic example from Asian cuisine is fresh ginger and garlic. You can’t go wrong with this combination. Lemon and tarragon is another good bet. Another trick is to take a combination of things and taste them together first before adding them to your main ingredient. Try a bit of fresh or dry basil and lemon juice, for instance, to see if you like that combination then keep tasting as you go.

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