We've all been here...you have a cup of milk left in the fridge with a hankering for something tasty, but the recipe calls for a cup and a half of milk. Running out to the store just to get a little more milk feels like a pain...but you're jonesing for that delicious dish. 

Fear not - for you can solve this dilemma with math! One of the main skills that professional chefs have in their food-brain arsenal is being able to scale recipes up and down to accommodate what ingredients they have in stock. Here's how...

A good friend recently asked me some awesome cooking questions he wanted to learn during his holiday staycation:

1. Is there any tool I should absolutely buy for my home kitchen?
   
2. Any particular skills I should focus on as a basis for learning more later?
   
3. Do you recommended list of things I should try to make? 
   
4. Any books/websites you recommend for cooking tricks, tips, and recipes?
   
   

I worked up so much gusto in my e-mail response that I thought it was blog worthy!  I'm always happy to impart food knowledge to those who want to learn, so feel free to send an e-mail my way to adeliciousadventure (at) gmail (dot) com.

With that, here was my response to his questions... If you have time off this Christmas holiday and are looking for ways to buff up your kitchen and cooking skills...

 I'm not one for crazy specialized kitchen gadgets - they're a waste of space and money. Unless you're doing something really specific a ton of times, you really don't need things like garlic presses. The most essential tools needed to make any great dish can be bought at Amazon.com. They usually sell things at a lower price than retail stores.

• A good chef knife and paring knife - These are the most important tools you should have in your arsenal. A good, sharp chef and paring knife is something that will last for years and will make your life easier and safer. For a home cook, I recommend getting a Wüsthof 8" chef knife and paring knife. All Wüsthof knives are made with German steel, unlike other German brands, so the blade will be easy to sharpen, get very sharp and stay sharp. No need for the fancy Shun, steel carbon, layered stuff - very high maintenance and very expensive.
• A nice set of tongs and a fish spatula - Tongs are a great universal tool for grabbing, flipping, stirring, etc. - for things that are not too delicate. When you're dealing with more delicate things, like eggs and fish, go for the fish spatula (not just for fish!). For tongs, you want ones with a good length so you don't burn your hands off when trying to flip stuff over high heat. For a fish spatula, go for flexible and thin.
• A grippy cutting board - Slippery cutting boards can make cutting things difficult and dangerous. You can put a damp cloth towel under a regular cutting board, but for ease, I recommend getting a cutting board with rubber grips. Don't skimp on size - get the large one.
• Good stainless steel pots and pans - I don't believe in non-stick because the coating never lasts for more than a year (maybe 2) and it doesn't brown things as well (less flavor in your food). The Sur La Table set below is awesome in terms of performance and price - they rival All Clad at a fraction of the cost. I wish somebody told me this before I dropped $1,300 on my All Clads...