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The Reluctant Gourmet Website Established 1997
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What's the difference between a sweet potato and a yam

Are Sweet Potatoes and Yams the Same Thing?

The Reluctant Gourmet in the Pickleball Kitchen

Pickleball – Get Out of the Kitchen

Four sauces illustrating the world of sauces

Sauces Aren’t as Hard as You Think

A bowl of spaghetti with tomato and capers sauce

Spaghetti with Tomato and Caper Sauce — Why the Briny and Bright Combination Works

Classic French Chasseur sauce spooned over roasted rabbit

Chasseur Sauce Recipe for Chicken, Veal, and Wild Game

A man in grocery isle looking at cookies

Common Sense Ways to Lose Weight Without Going on a Diet

Sous Vide Swordfish

Sous Vide Swordfish — The Time, Temperature, and How to Finish It Properly

Sea Bass cooked with cherry tomatoes in a skillet

Pan-Roasted Sea Bass with Tomatoes and Capers — One Pan, the Sauce Builds Itself

a table with fresh herbs and their dried herb counterparts

Fresh Herb to Dried Herb Conversion Chart — Ratios for Every Common Herb

Parmesan cheese wedge on rustic wooden board

Parmesan Cheese — Real vs Imitation, How to Use Each, and What to Substitute

Bananas Foster over vanilla ice cream in a shallow bowl

Classic Bananas Foster Recipe — Butter, Rum, and Whether You Really Need the Flambé

Guanciale slab on rustic wooden board

How to Cook with Guanciale (and When It Beats Bacon)

A bunch of cilantro

How to Cook with Cilantro — Flavor, Uses, Substitutions, and Why Some People Hate It

Tomato Sauce vs Tomato Paste — What’s Different and When Each One Belongs in the Dish

double smash burger with melted cheese, crispy edges

Smash Burger Recipe: The Secret to a Crispy Crust at Home

A stockpot on a gas stove, rich brown stock gently simmering and reducing into demi-glace

How to Make Demi-Glace at Home — The Full Method and the Honest Shortcut

Dicing an Onion

How to Cut an Onion (Without Tears or Mistakes)

Cooking with Red Chili Peppers

Cooking with Red Chili Peppers: Control Heat Like a Pro

A plate with pan fried flounder with potatoes

Pan-Fried Flounder with Potatoes and Parsley — How to Time Both So They Finish Together

Pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil Recipe

How to Make Pasta with Garlic and Oil — And Not Wreck the Garlic

rested chateaubriand on cutting board

Chateaubriand Recipe — How to Roast Beef Tenderloin and Build the Sauce

Elegant filet mignon sliced and plated with glossy red wine Chateaubriand sauce drizzled over

Chateaubriand Recipe — How to Roast Beef Tenderloin and Build the Sauce

Charcoal grill with glowing coals

Charcoal Grilling Mastery: Control Fire, Heat, and Flavor

A cartoon depicting the Reluctant Gourmet eating hot chile at a restaurant

Extremely Hot Bowl of Chili Cartoon

Braised Chilean Sea Bass Recipe

How to Braise Sea Bass — Why It Works and What You Get That Pan-Frying Doesn’t Give You

Grilled Salmon Steak with Dill

Grilled Salmon Steaks with Lemon and Dill Recipe

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil

Rice Pilaf Recipe

The Only Rice Pilaf Recipe You’ll Ever Need

A small saucepan of smooth, creamy bechamel sauce

Easy Béchamel Sauce Recipe (Perfect White Sauce Every Time)

roasted stuffed pork loin sliced into thick medallions, glossy pan sauce drizzled over the slices

How to Make the Perfect Sauce for Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Mediterranean tzatziki sauce in a rustic ceramic bowl

Homemade Tzatziki Sauce — How to Get the Texture Right and What to Serve It With

Mayonnaise Panko Fish Fillet Recipe

Why Mayonnaise Is the Best Thing to Put on Baked Fish — The Science Behind It

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About

I’ve been cooking seriously since the mid-1980s — self-taught, a lot of trial and error, and genuinely interested in why things work in the kitchen. I started this site in 1997 because I couldn’t find cooking writing that explained the reasoning. Still at it.

G. Stephen Jones at a food hall Full story →

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