The New York Times' D.I.Y. Cooking Handbook

Whether born from frugality or a mere enthusiasm for kitchen experiments, the D.I.Y. craze is seemingly here to stay. And we're glad for that.

The New York Times has recently issued a section called the D.I.Y. Starter Kit: "small kitchen projects that any cook can tackle. What they all have in common is that they are simple, seasonless and a clear improvement on the store-bought version." They continue to discuss the overwhelming nature of so many books on craft food, and how they're trying to simplify the whole process of exploring and creating at home. Sounds good enough to us.

So far the site has links to dishes like fresh cheese , cultured butter, and preserved lemons. Each one looks beautiful and inspired, and makes us itch to get into the kitchen and get back to basics.

Related: Recipe: D.I.Y. Ricotta

(Image: Megan Gordon)

Comments (3)

I am still swooning over the perfectness of that piece. It's not so much that it had any earth shattering recipes as that it put them all in one place and really got me thinking about what other kinds of "staple" items I can make better from scratch.
I went for the chili-tomato jam immediately because even though it comes out infrequently, I had been lamenting our use of nasty corn syrup-y bottled ketchup. I made a batch with homegrown frozen tomatoes. It is beyond fabulous. So long, bottled ketchup, and just in time for grilling season.
Next up, cultured butter.

The day I read that, I realized I had a bowl full of limes and I am about to go out of town for the weekend. Rather than come home to find them rotted, I made the quick lemon pickle, subbing in limes. We'll see how it turns out... after three weeks of daily shaking!

I was so happy to see this in NYT, and it has made me reconsider "convenience." The preserved lemons took me all of ten minutes, and I can't wait to try the others next. That chili tomato jam sounds wonderful.