The Everyday Gourmet: Making Great Meals in Less Time

Discover that the secret to making great meals in less time lies in thinking like a chef. Here, you'll learn several techniques for turning out restaurant-quality food without all the stress, including a braised osso buco that almost cooks itself and a risotto that requires only 20 minutes of your undivided attention.

Take the hassle out of making what's undoubtedly the most important meal of the day. Chef Briwa shows you different recipes and ideas for putting together a quick and well-rounded breakfast, including a basic muffin recipe, whole-grain cereal with fruit and nuts, and a traditional Chinese fried rice, just right for breakfast.

Learn how to cook with what's on hand in your house—and elevate it with a simple fresh ingredient or two. By cooking with canned beans, jarred pesto, leftover bread, "planned overs," and more, you'll be able to create dishes ranging from a hearty frittata to a fresh take on minestrone soup.

Focus on making—and adding your own personal touches to—a basic chowder recipe, a classic quick and filling meal. As Chef Briwa takes you step by step through this dish, he demonstrates how to make your chowders special by using everything from chorizo to fish to corn.

Even simple dishes that don't take much time can be well-rounded, unforgettable meals. Discover how to transform items as simple as cheese, grapes, tomatoes, a head of cauliflower, and a bunch of endives into multilayered, complete meals that will excite your palate and show off your kitchen skills.

How can you make cooking for others more enjoyable? Break down the menu for a dinner party into more manageable tasks. Find out how to remove the stress from a multicourse meal for a group featuring several appetizers, a bread salad, steak with chimichurri sauce, plank-roasted salmon, and a surprisingly simple dessert.