Book excerpt: Great cooks never stop learning. Go to cooking school in your own kitchen with over 80 themed courses to learn more than 200 skills and cook 400 recipes This all-new exploration of the fundamentals of cooking is perfect for anyone (from brand-new to experienced cooks) who wants to learn not just the “hows” but also the “whys” of cooking. Why does pizza bake better on a stone? Why do mushrooms benefit from water when sautéing? Why should you salt food at multiple stages during the cooking process? More than 80 focused courses let you dive into your favorite topics, whether it's Pizza, Fried Rice, Fish on the Grill, or Birthday Cake, and take a mini-bootcamp on the subject, each introduced by an ATK test cook. The courses are presented in easily digestible sections so you don't have to read a lot before you pick up your knife and start cooking. Cooking principles, technique, key takeaways, food science, and more are woven into each course so you learn as you cook. Jump into a class on Fresh Italian Pasta to learn how to: • make fresh pasta from scratch without a machine • cut fettucine and make Fettucine Alfredo • make a classic marinara sauce and basil pesto Infographic pages take you farther behind recipes and ingredients: See how olive oil is really produced, or how temperature affects the state of butter (and why firm, soft, and melted butter behave differently in cooking). Every chapter progresses from the basics of the best way to poach a perfect egg and make chicken broth to upping your game with huevos rancheros and mastering the elusive roast chicken. If you want to feel accomplished and really know how to cook, come learn with America's Test Kitchen.