Eggs, Grains & Starches
Basic Cookery
Chapter 6 · Eggs, Grains & Starches
Eggs, rice, pasta, and batter show up constantly, across an enormous range of dishes, which makes them some of the highest-value techniques in this whole course. This is also the first chapter with real, complete dishes to cook — scrambled eggs, American-style pancakes, and French crêpes — rather than isolated technique practice.
Eggs, Several Honest Ways
Eggs are simple ingredients that reward real technique more than almost anything else in a beginner's kitchen — the difference between a mediocre egg and a genuinely good one is almost entirely about heat control and timing, not ingredients.
| Method | What matters most |
|---|---|
| Scrambled | Low, gentle heat and constant movement — the full technique is this chapter's own first Kitchen Practice below. |
| Fried | Medium heat, a little fat; "sunny side up" is never flipped, "over easy" is flipped briefly for a still-runny yolk, "over hard" is cooked through. |
| Boiled | Start from already-boiling water, not cold — roughly 6-7 minutes for soft, 9 for medium, 11-12 for hard. An ice bath immediately after stops the cooking and makes peeling easier. |
| Poached | A gentle simmer (Chapter 4), a small splash of vinegar in the water to help the white set faster and hold together. |
Rice, Pasta & Potatoes
Rice
For most long-grain white rice, rinse it first under cold water until the water runs mostly clear — this removes surface starch that would otherwise make the rice gummy. A common starting ratio is roughly 1 part rice to 2 parts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer (Chapter 4), cover, and resist lifting the lid — you're trapping steam deliberately. Once the water's absorbed, rest it off the heat, covered, for a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Pasta
Cook pasta at a real, rolling boil (Chapter 4) in generously salted water — this is one of your only chances to season the pasta itself, not just the sauce around it. Aim for al dente — cooked through but with a slight, deliberate firmness to the bite, not fully soft. Before draining, reserve a small cup of the starchy cooking water — it's genuinely useful for loosening and binding a sauce afterward.
Potatoes
For mashing, start potatoes in cold water and bring them up to a boil together — starting from already-hot water cooks the outside faster than the inside, leaving an uneven result. For roasting, Chapter 4's own dry-heat principles apply directly: a hot oven, a single layer, and real time for genuine browning.
The Batter Technique — Pancakes & Crêpes
American-style pancakes and French crêpes come from the same basic idea — a flour, egg, and milk batter, cooked on a hot surface — but the details diverge sharply, and understanding why makes both easier to get right.
- Thick batter, similar to a loose paste
- Leavened with baking powder — genuinely fluffy and risen
- Cooked in distinct rounds, one ladle at a time
- Slightly undermixed batter, a few lumps left in it, is correct
- Thin, pourable batter, closer to heavy cream
- No leavening at all — thin and pliable is the whole point
- Spread thin across the whole pan by swirling, not scooped into a round
- Batter rested 30+ minutes for a more tender, less tearable result
The full recipes and technique for both are in this chapter's own Kitchen Practice below — including the concrete visual cues for exactly when to flip each one.
Kitchen Practice
Quick Reference — Eggs, Grains & Starches
- Scrambled eggs: low heat, constant movement, off the heat while still slightly wet
- Rice: rinse first, roughly 1:2 rice to water, simmer covered, don't lift the lid
- Pasta: boil in generously salted water, aim for al dente, save some pasta water
- Pancakes: thick, leavened batter, slightly undermixed, flip once bubbles cover the surface
- Crêpes: thin, unleavened batter, rested 30+ minutes, spread by swirling the pan