I received a free e-book copy of this title from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Six Basic Cooking Techniques is a short book that consists in what it says on the cover: demonstrating six basic techniques that the author believes to be necessary in every kitchen. It opens with a chapter knife skills, and moves on to cooking meat, making sauces, and various ways of preparing vegetables - roasting (mostly) root veggies, blanching the greens and cooking the leafy vegetables. The information found here is concise and well-organized, and the accompanying pictures make it easier for the reader to understand what the author means. In addition to the discussion of the six key skills, the book also contains some recipes that can be made with the use of your newly mastered techniques.

The book is very nicely published and designed. My only complaint is that it is so short - I feel that it could contain even more information.

This wonderful little book, if anything, undersells itself on just how much information it has to share with home cooks who wants to work on a few of their fundamentals. The first chapter on knife work alone makes this an excellent addition to any cookbook collection.

Really wonderful book for beginners. The instructions are very well written and the formatting of the book is really nice. (I love the tips and aside notes!) The recipes that come with it sound awesome. Would definitely recommend as a household book.

Everything your mother should have taught you in the kitchen!

This book is a primer of cooking techniques that are, frankly, pretty basic, but not if you haven’t grown up cooking. I’m a 60+ year old home cook, and I didn’t learn much new from this book. I hope that my 20-30 year old offspring won’t learn much either; much of this book is a discussion of kitchen tools and their care, and how to cook the thirty or so basic meals that we should all have in our repertoire for fast and easy dinners to put on the table for family and friends.

This is a very short book, just over one hundred pages, but it is full of advice about how to become a better cook around the kitchen. The book’s contents are divided into six major parts: how to use a knife, how to cook meat, how to cook sauces, roasting vegetables, blanching green vegetables, and cooking leafy greens. Each of these parts cover the basics of the introduced techniques and offer recipes where these techniques can be put to practice. Additionally, the book has a section where recommended kitchen equipment is discussed and an index, which is a great searching tool for readers. This book is great as introductory material for new cooks or as a reference resource for the more experienced ones. Great book to give as a gift. I received a free copy via NetGalley.

I am a self-taught home cook whose mother not only didn't cook but also saw no value in my learning how to cook. By the time I left for college, I was the one with absolutely no kitchen skills and I was determined to not live my entire life eating takeout, going to restaurants and drooling over the home cooked meals at friend's houses. I've come a long way since then and have no issues cooking and trying new recipes.
This book appealed to me because it stated it would cover fundamental and basic cooking techniques, lessons I had skipped in my quest to just get an edible meal on the table. After reading through the book, I was excited to approach the lessons exactly as the author laid them out. I checked my knives and realized the quality is good, but I don't own a sharpener. Went right out and purchased one and now my knives are as good as the day I bought them. Chopping vegetables, check, and I made the recipe for The Best Vegetable Soup You'll Ever Make( and it was delicious). Cooked meat and a sauce using the Pork Tenderloin with Bacon-Apple Cider Gravy recipe, then moved on to roasting vegetables and made the Rosemary-Roasted Potatoes, Butternut Squash and Red Onion recipe. Blanching vegetables and cooking leafy greens were the final two sections and I made Gingery Bok Choy with Tomatoes and Sesame and Snappy Peas with Orange-Sesame Butter I worked my way through each section and really focused on the basic techniques. There are additional recipes I plan to try, as doing something once isn't enough to make me feel I have really improved my skills. As a novice, I would have benefited from this book and even as a more experienced cook, it is a useful book to have on hand. Most of the recipes did not have pictures of the final product, but the pictures detailing the basic techniques were thorough and extremely clear in my digital edition.
Thank you, Jennifer Clair, HCNY Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I hope that the future affords me the opportunity to attend one of Jennifer's classes.

It's my opinion that it is always useful for every kitchen to have at least one quick reference book for answers to every day cooking questions. SIX BASIC COOKING TECHNIQUES is a colorful and easy to follow book that serves that purpose perfectly.
Its six sections contain information on: 1) making friends with your chef's knife, 2) cooking meat to perfection, 3) making pan sauce, 4) roasting vegetables, 5) blanching green vegetables and 6) cooking leafy greens. It gives helpful tips throughout, an occasional recipe, and an additional section on recommended kitchen equipment.

This is a lovely book! Surprisingly complex for such a simple idea (six basic techniques after all) and only 114 pages. It is loaded with very clear and crisp photos and lots of delicious looking recipes that are great for beginners or just those who want a basic guide for their kitchen. I really like how it combines lessons with applicable recipes and not just random things, so it actually works as a teaching aide. Overall this is a great book and I totally recommend it for a good kitchen foundation.

Excellent teaching of the six basic cooking techniques. The pictures are so helpful.

Clear advice with colorful pictures to illustrate all of the instruction. Sadly, there aren't pictures to accompany the recipes that follow each instruction section. That is the books only downfall. That said, I have yet to try any of the recipes.

I loved this book! It was like doing a cooking class except you could be at home in your pj's and drinking wine. Not all aspects of the book applied to me as a vegetarian but still thoroughly enjoyed practising the other techniques or modifying the meat sections.

Side note: I am a sucker for clean, crispy food photography and this book definitely ticked that box. Which aided in the description of different techniques.