There are some basic, fundamental recipes that every cook should have in his or her tool belt. As cooks, we learn some of these in college, on a tight budget with limited time. As we get a little older, we start to find our favorite tweaks, substitutions and improvements. Ideally, by the time we hit 30, we have an arsenal of great recipes that we feel comfortable making anytime. This way, if you invite someone over for dinner, you don't have to panic and thumb through every cookbook you own (unless you want to).
In our minds, these are the 30 essential recipes every cook should know by the time they turn 30. If you can master these, you'll have most of the tools you need to learn any other recipe with relative ease. This list is tailored toward an omnivore, but there are plenty of vegetarian-friendly options here as well, in order of relative ease and simplicity. What do you think is the most important recipe you ever learned? Let us know in the comments!
1
Grilled Cheese
Steamy Kitchen
Make 1,000 grilled cheeses. Make them when you are half asleep. Make them when you are drunk. Eat them for breakfast. Add ingredients. Fail a few times. Make so many grilled cheeses you could make them on one leg with one arm tied behind your back.
Get the Super Frico Grilled Cheese Sandwich recipe from Steamy Kitchen
2
Basic Vinaigrette & A Simple Salad
James Ransom/Food52
3
Guacamole
Simply Recipes
Want to throw a party? You need party dip.
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4
French Toast
Sarah Shatz/Food52
5
Scrambled Eggs
Melanie Einzig/Food52
Breakfast is important, and scrambled eggs are the O.G.
6
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7
Mashed Potatoes
Simply Recipes
We like to mix a little sour cream right into ours.
8
Green Beans
Simply Recipes
You've probably eaten a lot of mushy, waterlogged, over-cooked green beans in your life. Your job is to make them better. Still slightly crunchy, bright, great hot or cold. GO.
Get the Green Bean Salad with Basil, Balsamic, and Parmesan recipe from Simply Recipes
9
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Annie's Eats
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10
Sautéed Greens
Emily Todd
You can follow this same process with any leafy green: spinach, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, broccoli rabe. The bottom line is that somewhere along the line, you're going to need to feed yourself some leafy greens, so they should taste good.
Get the Kale with Garlic & Red Pepper Flakes recipe from Habitually Hungry
11
Polenta
svariophoto via Getty Images
Get The Only Polenta Recipe You'll Ever Need
12
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13
Poached Salmon
James Ransom/Food52
This is the easiest, most reliable and least smelly way to cook fish. Learn it, love it.
Get the Aromatic Poached Salmon with Rye and Caper Breadcrumbs recipe from Food52
14
Chicken Soup
James Ransom/Food52
The real way. With a chicken.
15
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16
Steak
Simply Recipes
17
18
Roast Chicken
Simply Recipes
Roasting a chicken for someone at the right time can heal a broken heart, we swear.
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19
Burgers
How Sweet It Is
20
Mac And Cheese
Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton/Food52
No powdered cheese allowed.
21
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22
23
Perfect Rice
Willow Arlen/Will Cook For Friends
We could all use a reminder.
Get the Perfect Rice Every Time recipe from Will Cook For Friends
24
Tofu Stir-Fry
Get the Tofu, Veggie and Sesame Fried Rice recipe
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25
26
Tomato Soup
How Sweet It Is
27
Potatoes au Gratin
Sarah Shatz/Food52
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28
Minestrone Soup
Sarah Shatz/Food52
Here's why minestrone soup is one of the most important recipes you'll ever learn to make: it teaches you about using dried beans, different cooking times of different vegetables, layering flavors and improvising ingredients seasonally. Learn to make a great one and you'll be well on your way to cooking anything you want.
29
Pizza
How Sweet It Is
30
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Before You Go
25 Mouth-Watering Grilled Cheese Recipes
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