I'd love to see a guide to braising meat. Learning to cook the right cuts of meat the right way is what seems to be my current project, and I'd really like to know the right way to braise.

I'd love to learn how to make different types of noodles from scratch! I can make the basic egg noodle (flour + egg in long "string" shape), but I'd love to learn different techniques and styles.

How about an overview of the Mother sauce and featuring recipes that rely on it and all its variations.

I want to learn how to "pick over" cranberries. When making various cranberriy delicacies this fall, a few recipes called for this step. I don't know what to look for, so I usually grab all the squishy ones and chuck em. This can be a lot of the cranberries if they're fresh, and it's impossible to decipher with the frozen ones. Are there any guidelines?
Thanks!

I love to learn how to make really good gummy candies from scratch (ie. gelatin - maybe even a pectin version for vegans!).

Spaetzle. The descriptions I've read on how to make spaetzle make it seem really easy, but whenever I've tried it's been a sticky, gooey, sloppy mess, and then half of it sticks to the skillet I'm trying to fry it on. What's left is tasty, but nowhere near the color and consistency it should be.

I'd love to see a video showing that a.) I'm not alone in my struggle, or b.) I'm doing it totally wrong, and doing it right is really easy.

Thanks!

I'd love to learn how to deep fry at home, without a fryer and without covering my kitchen in grease--can such a thing be done?

Also how to properly make challah the soft, pliable way it comes in bakeries...i can do it, but it always comes out hard and loaf-like...

I really want to learn how to make Real French crescents. I know that seeing it demonstrated correctly is the trick.

I'd love to learn how to make gnocchi.

Fool-proof basic french sauces! Especially bechamel and hollandaise

I want to learn the step by step process to canning. Pickles mostly but would also like to see other veggies or even fruit. I know it's not necessarily the right time of year though.

I would love to learn how to make and roll fondant, how to get spice residue out of my marble mortar and pestle, how to sharpen the blades of my food processor and vita mix, lots of non-alcoholic punch recipes, the best way to make kids' popscicles from juice without the juice being cloudy and gross looking, a great recipe for saltwater taffy and how to photograph food better.
Sorry for the run on sentence--the idea of learning some of these things in the kitchen excites me! :-)

Japanese Ramen using a crock pot

I second the step-by-step process for canning. Few things intimidate me in the kitchen, and this is one.

how to make oven baked sweet potato fries from scratch that are crispy and not soggy.

An omelet video would be nice. Timing, technique, etc. I can't reliably manage omelets, for some reason. Half the time I end up turning it into a breakfast burrito and pretending that was the plan all along:)

Same for stir-frying. It should be done much more quickly than many realize, so they end up with soggy veggies.

I was going to suggest Mother Sauces, too, so I'll second that. I would LOOOOOVE to learn how to make them.

I'd like to second the vote for deep frying at home without a deep fryer. What do you do with all that oil once your done frying things in it?? Can you use it again? How do you store it? If you can't reuse it, do you just pour it down the drain? Apologies for my deep-frying naivety!

I would love to learn more about fish -- selecting, prepping, demos of various cooking techniques would all be fabulous. For some reason, cooking fish seems daunting to me.

I also second the stir-fy techniques.

Basically, I'm interested in gaining more skills cooking healthy dishes.

Love that ramen in a crock pot suggestion!

Also, this is really basic, but knife skills! Choosing the right knife for the job, how to chop/dice/mince/whatever most efficiently, etc...

Mother sauces for sure. I can't make mayonnaise to save my life. I'd also like to learn how to make toum (sp?), the Lebanese garlic dip.

Also canning -- very intimidating. Especially unusual concoctions.

Another yes for sauces. Also how to sharpen a knife. How to butcher a chicken into sensible parts.

I second the crispy sweet potato fries. Mine always end up either soggy or burnt.

nice image faith! so soft and dreamy.

oh whoops, i see emily took it -- cheers to her as well!

I'd love a fool-proof guide to making bread from scratch. Something quick, easy, and practical for a weekly bread.

Seconding how to butcher a chicken, please. Basically any tips for cutting other food would be useful also - potatoes, artichokes, melons, etc.

I'd love to learn how to crack an egg with one hand! Please teach me!

Bread would be great (and could include pasta making too--I see some overlap there).

For those who mentioned canning, there are some amazing blogs out there. One was nominated for a homie--Tigress in a Jam--and I know it really helped me get over it and get started. And it is so easy, I promise!

serving size, estimate calories count especially for homemade dishes

I second how to butcher a chicken! In addition, I'd love to learn how to clean & fillet a whole fish and how to supreme an orange.

more raw sauces, tapenades, & dressings!
I enjoyed gluten free & vegan weeks!
Also, how to halve recipes (especially baking) from 4-6 servings to 2!

Pizza dough. No matter how many times I've tried making it or what method or what recipe, It always is way too stubborn for me to actually flatten out by hand. I've made tortillas with a good amount of success, but pizza dough still eludes me.

Oh, I agree with pizza dough (to be accompanied by a pizza dough tossing method??)
Also, there has to be an easier way to peel garlic than the way I do it....

I would like to know what the best way to keep onion skins from getting everywhere and sticking to the cutting board and the actual onions you want to eat.

Seitan! Really good seitan, maybe done a few ways. I have never had the nerve to try it myself, the bag of wheat gluten sits there untouched, save the odd spoonful finding its way into bread dough. A how-to guide would be perfect for this tricky, but delicious, food!

nthing canning!

Also another poached egg tutorial...? I've tried vinegar, swirling the water with a chopstick, blahblahblah and I still lose half the whites.

Maybe this is just a practice issue for me, but I'd love an egg-poaching de-bunking lame-o techniques tutorial!

I'm convinced the non-stick egg poaching pan I currently use is contributing to my future-cancer outlook. :P

I'd love some more Asian recipes or base recipies that can be tweaked with what you have on hand...especially vegetable heavy recipes.

I got a large and small dutch oven for Christmas. So I would like to learn about cuts of meat: beef, pork, bison, lamb, whatever.

I want to learn how to pull together more roasts and braises, but I really don't know much about buying meats or what kinds are best for that cooking method.

Puff pastry, chapatis.

I would love to see a step by step guide on making and canning the typical tomato styles needed for cooking.

1) Paste
2) Crushed
3) Whole peeled
4) Diced

That way I don't have to buy them constantly at the store.

How about some kind of a knife sharpening roundup, how to do it, the best way to do it, whether or not some of the knife sharpeners are any good at all. And first aid advice!

Mother sauces...fo sho! Also 2nd the cleaning/trimming a whole fish.

So many great suggestions here. Would also love to see butchering a whole chicken into parts (something I could do when I was a teen, but decades of now-former vegetarianism have faded the memory), sauces, anything relating to noodles and gnocchi, and - my personal nemesis - pancakes. Seriously, I make great waffles, but my pancakes are worse than Lisa's on Green Acres. Add a tutorial on crepes while you're at it.

At least I can find solace in alrady knowing how to can tomatoes and home-made jams. ;-)

*already* (argh!)

I would love to learn how to make souffles - always intimidate me. Sweet and savory, I guess the trick is how to prevent them from collapsing.

Spicy vegetable dishes, puddings, and dishes centered around beans (thrifty, healthful, satisfying), wintertime hot cocoas.

Desserts that aren't based around chocolate or fruit (surely there is another way?).

Also, I don't live anywhere near a place that beignets are sold. Can I make them at home?

I'm especially interested in several of the suggestions that have already been made:
-mother sauces
-homemade tomato paste, puree, etc.
- tips on calculating serving size and estimating calories counts for homemade dishes

Also, low key hospitality tips.

How can I throw parties that don't involve baked potatoes bars, chili, lasagna, or hummus?

Also, foods for sensitive stomachs and for indigestion.

Seconding a lot of other people's choices: gnocchi, pizza dough, souffles plus freezer jams.

Butchering a chicken & canning - Yes

Dealing with/de-boning a fish (perhaps that's too simple, but I'm far too intimidated to take an entire fish home.)

Here's my somewhat incongruous list:

-How to make good, whole-grain crusty bread
-How to sprout legumes without buying any fancy equipment (mine always go mouldy)
-How to get that film of Pam off my non-stick pans and baking sheets
-How to make dosas
-How to make tasty dishes with a steamer or steamer insert

I would love to learn what kind of recipes are best for which mushrooms - and also the best way to clean and store them. My market has tons of different varieties and I'm never sure beyond the basic brown, white, shitake, portobello. Thanks!

I'd love some suggestions and tips on how to thin slice meat, as in the super thin slices I see in my Moo Goo Gai Pan. Even with freezing partially, I'm never quite able to replicate it.

nthing bread baking. Actually baking in general. I would really like a "baking for morons who aren't morons in the kitchen" post. I'm a really good cook that can bake... maybe 50% of the time (or less). The stuff I make usually just doesn't turn out-- too hard, too gooey, half burnt, tastes like flour, etc. etc. etc. Cookies, cakes, bread, pies... all terrible. Why can I make a crown rack of lamb (never having cooked lamb) and bs my own version of french onion soup (to make an Englishman (literally) cry) but can't bake a damn cake out of the box?! Help please!

Soft boiled eggs!!

Gilsonal, my mom will bring out a piece of meat from the freezer and just let it half-thaw. That's when she starts slicing it--it's still hard enough that you can slice it super-thin without tearing it. Try it!

I am going to second bread baking and sauces. Love anything with veggies too. I've especially enjoyed the random helpful hints around the kitchen and new/unique product info. What about a piece about necessities in the kitchen? For instance, is a pizza stone necessary? When a recipe calls for something I may not have, what are some good alternatives?

* Mother sauces

* How to make duck confit

Definitely love the braising suggestion and would love to add to that spending time focussing on cooking with a dutch/french oven (and baking). Heck, that could easily be a week-long theme!

Cracking an egg with one hand, yes! And butchering a chicken. And mother sauces, indeed.

Rules of thumb for converting recipes for the slow cooker beyond "halve the liquid".

I would like to learn how to make jams, pickles and learn how to can properly. Specifically, I want to know the proper way to sterilize jars and which lids are acceptable so that I don't end up poisoning anyone!

2nd for seitan! It never turns out well for me. Actually, some friends and I are going to do a seitan showdown with 3 different recipes this weekend, so maybe we'll find one that works out reliably.

1) How to clean the cooked on stuff off of my vintage porcelin cook top without using industrial oven cleaner.

2) More slow cooker recipies please

I am unable to cook a chicken breast on the stove. No, seriously. It's ALWAYS underdone or overdone.

Along the same lines as your milk liquour, I'd like to learn how to make Mackerli or dongdongju, an alcoholic rice-based drink made in Korea.

Menu planning. I do fine for a while--weeks, months, even--and then I just...duuuhhh.

How to butcher a rabbit and a few recipes for cooking one!

Yes, definitely a baking-specific focus would be cool. Frankly, it would be awesome to have a baking FEATURE daily or weekly (maybe 1 weekly bread column and 1 at least weekly general baking column).

Based on the many comments about sauces, it would be great to have sauce week at thekitchn! Sauce from different cuisines (bechemel, marinara, curry, peanut, mornay!), different techniques (blender sauces, pan reductions, emulsions), and how to use them. Plus dessert sauces - creme anglaise, fruity sauces, pourable caramels, mmm....

In terms of what I want to learn, I need a good tutorial for a basic everyday steak. I never know if I'm getting the right cut at the store, and it always comes out tough at the end.

I wanted to say pasta making, but others already did, so I'll 2nd (6th?) it!

I also really love the idea of mother sauces!

There are some really good how tos on Chow.com

Its called You're Doing It All Wrong
http://www.chow.com/food-news/youre-doing-it-all-wrong/

The Minimalist is good a showing some of the things mentioned above, they are archived in the New York Times - This Souffle is wonderful I've made it twice now

The French Chef- Julia Child has some great ones on You Tube-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmvfUKwBrg
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/12/31/dining/1248069379319/zucchini-souffl.html?ref=theminimalist

Agree about the Mother sauces - or maybe just some "must know for any cook" recipes.

Also, crusty bread that's fluffy on the inside. Mine generally looks great, but is far more dense than I'd like.

how to season an iron skillet. ( i just got one and feel clueless.)

how to replicate the samusa soup at burma superstar, in sf.

how to sharpen knifes.

I would love to learn how to make my own fruit vinaigrette (raspberry, peach, etc.).

Also, how to make a decent chicken breast dish. (I just started eating chicken after 17 years. No clue on any of it.)

This is more about the style of the how-tos than the content, but I've always wanted a cookbook or website that introduced readers to recipes in a way that built upon previous 'lessons'. This could be done with the sauces, eg. start with the simplest sauce, then progress in difficulty with each new lesson. It could be done with a variety of things, really. Sort of an online cooking school:)

general info about different kitchen knives, what the different types are, and what they're best for. what's a good general base set of knives to have? i'll admit--i just use a paring knife for almost everything, but i recently got a nice chef's knife. i love it, but truly, i don't know how to use it. from there, i think it's probably obvious that i would also benefit from a knife-skills tutorial. (forgive me if you've already done one of these; i just don't remember seeing it)