My Daughter’s First Kitchen: The Wines Family Cookbook

By Daniel Wines

Author Dan Wines is a mad scientist in the kitchen who never met a recipe he couldn’t change or an unusual taste combination he didn’t want to try. What’s more, his family has a long history in both restaurants and cooking. Now he is setting out to share some of this history through the many family recipes included in this volume.

My Daughter’s First Kitchen represents forty years of cooking, experimenting, failing, succeeding, coaxing taste testers to try something new, watching countless hours of cooking shows, and never giving up on a great new idea. Some recipes have been handed down from previous generations, with a few tweaks here and there. Others represent new ways of thinking about food; they take an ordinary idea and make it into something remarkable. Finally, the collection is the result of great memories that Wines and his daughters have made in the kitchen over the years—a gathering of memories on a plate.

This cookbook presents unique recipes for cooks from beginner to advanced, serving as a great resource for everything from establishing your first kitchen to holding elegant dinner parties.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: May 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664228603

Daniel Wines

Dan Wines started cooking large family meals at the age of twelve, worked as a short order cook in his youth, and for a while delivered fish to all the top restaurants in Detroit. He is equally at home in a modern kitchen with all the latest technology and in a small cabin kitchen with decades-old appliances. He writes a blog where he shares his recipes and ideas.

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First Kitchen Setup

I have some experience with preparing kitchens, having set up four kitchens for my two daughters. So this is my list of essentials for setting up someone’s first kitchen.

HARDWARE

• A wok—for frying, stir-frying, and steaming

• A 10-inch oven-safe, nonstick frying pan—for frying, baking, sautéing, and making large egg dishes

• A 9-inch oven-safe, nonstick frying pan

• Two sheet pans—for making cookies, biscuits, and pizza (so you don’t have to constantly clean one)

• A 2-quart saucepan—for making pasta, mac and cheese, and soup

• A sharp 7-inch knife—for cutting veggies

• A sharp 9-inch knife—for cutting meat and veggies

• A set of 4 bowls—for everything from making a salad to mixing pancakes

• A high-quality potato peeler—for peeling potatoes, eggplant, or any other veggie

• A cutting board (Don’t use a wood one; get a good hard plastic one.)

• A pie pan—for making quiche or pie

• A muffin pan (Make friends through cupcakes and muffins.)

• A pancake griddle

• A cake pan—for baking cakes

• A whisk

• Silverware and plates

SPICES

• A salt mill—c’mon, for salt

• A pepper mill—c’mon, for pepper

• Seasoned salt

• Italian herbs—for pizza and pasta sauce (Even day-old pizza tastes better with it.)

• Ground cinnamon—for baking

• Paprika—for taco seasoning and chicken

• Chili powder—for taco seasoning and dishes like chili

• Garlic powder—for, well, everything

• Onion powder—for, well, everything

• Sage—great on pork and chicken

• Basil—great for pasta and other Italian cooking

• Parsley—for pasta and eggs

• Ground ginger—for any Asian cooking

• Ground cumin—for taco seasoning (It gives food a great smoky taste.)

PANTRY

• All-purpose flour

• Unseasoned breadcrumbs

• Granulated sugar—for baking

• Bisquick—for pancakes, waffles, and biscuits

• Cream of mushroom soup

• Tomato soup

• Chicken noodle soup

• White wine—if allowed

• Red wine—if allowed

• Apple cider vinegar

• Olive oil—for salads and cooking

• Canola oil—for cooking, baking, and frying

• Cornstarch—for thickening sauces

• Soy sauce—for Asian cooking

• Teriyaki sauce—for marinades

• Parmesan cheese—for pasta and pizza

• Boxed pasta

• Canned spaghetti sauce

• Hot chocolate mix or cocoa powder

• Peanut butter—if allowed

• Canned fruit

Vinegar and Oil in My Kitchen

Vinegars and oils are essential kitchen items for everyday cooking and even for cleanup afterward. Whether you have a small kitchen or a large one, you should have some of each on hand. As you experiment, you can add to your collection. Here are my ideas for how to start your collection and how to expand it if you have the space.

If you have a small kitchen, keep these items in your pantry.

VINEGARS

• Good old-fashioned white vinegar—for cooking, freshening up ingredients, and making salad dressing (You can also use it as a cleaning agent; if you put some in your microwave for one to three minutes, spatters and spills will wipe away easily.)

• Apple cider vinegar—for making salad dressing and barbeque dishes

• Red wine vinegar—for making salad dressing and sauces

OILS

• Olive oil—for making salads and cooking, but not for frying because it has too low of a smoke point (Go extra-virgin for the taste and health benefits.)

• Canola oil—for frying and for baking cakes and cookies (This oil is the best for frying, and it is very versatile, with a light to neutral flavor.)

If you have a larger kitchen, add these items to your pantry.

ADDITIONAL VINEGARS

• Balsamic vinegar—a vinegar with a powerful taste; great in salads and also delicious on strawberries (an Italian classic)

• Chocolate balsamic vinegar—great in desserts and on ice cream

• Pomegranate vinegar—sweet and tangy; amazing in salads and plays well with lamb and pork

• Rice wine vinegar—milder than Western vinegars but sometimes loaded with sodium; used in Chinese cooking

ADDITIONAL OILS

• Walnut oil—an oil with a neutral flavor and a high smoke point

• Sesame oil—an oil with a strong flavor and a high smoke point; great in Asian cooking, such as stir fries

• Grapeseed oil—an oil mostly used in salad dressing

• Corn oil—an oil with a high smoke point; great for deep-frying (It’s not my favorite, but it is inexpensive.)

• Coconut oil—an oil with a low smoke point; good in baking and as a substitute for