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HowToCook: Programmer's Guide to Home Cooking

repository·master·Indexed 13 days ago

https://github.com/anduin2017/howtocook

A community-driven recipe repository designed for programmers, providing clear, precise, and structured cooking instructions to eliminate ambiguity. Version 1.6.0 includes categorized recipes for vegetables, meat, seafood, breakfast, and desserts, along with kitchen setup guides, appliance instructions, and advanced culinary techniques.

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What's inside HowToCook

  1. Access cooking tips and kitchen environment guides

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    The repository contains various guides for setting up a kitchen environment and learning fundamental cooking techniques. These are located in the tips/ directory and include:

    • Kitchen Setup: tips/厨房准备.md (Kitchen preparation), tips/如何洗碗.md (How to wash dishes).
    • Decision Making: tips/如何选择现在吃什么.md (How to choose what to eat).
    • Appliance Guides: tips/learn/高压力锅.md (Pressure cookers), tips/learn/空气炸锅.md (Air fryers), tips/learn/微波炉.md (Microwaves).
    • Techniques: tips/learn/去腥.md (Removing fishy smells), tips/learn/学习焯水.md (Blanching), tips/learn/学习炒与煎.md (Stir-frying and pan-frying), tips/learn/学习凉拌.md (Cold mixing), tips/learn/学习腌.md (Marinating), tips/learn/学习蒸.md (Steaming), and tips/learn/学习煮.md (Boiling).

  2. Explore HowToCook derivative projects and tools

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    Several tools and integrations are built upon the HowToCook knowledge base:

    • Visualized Recipes: Supports online preview and PDF export (Link).
    • HowToCook-mcp: An MCP server that allows AI assistants to act as private chefs (Link).
    • HowToCook-py-mcp: A Python implementation of the HowToCook MCP server (Link).
    • whatToEat: A decision-making tool to help users quickly choose recipes (Link).
    • Kitchen Plan (厨房计划): An open-source Chinese recipe API contributed by the community (Link).

  3. Browse recipes by category

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    The howtocook repository organizes recipes into several distinct categories. You can browse recipes through the following classifications:

    • Vegetable Dishes (素菜): Various vegetable-based preparations including stir-fries, steamed dishes, and tofu recipes.
    • Meat Dishes (荤菜): Poultry, beef, pork, and other meat-centric recipes.
    • Aquatic Dishes (水产): Seafood, fish, and shellfish preparations.
    • Breakfast (早餐): Morning meals including eggs, sandwiches, and porridges.
    • Staple Foods (主食): Rice, noodles, bread, and other carbohydrate-heavy main dishes.
    • Semi-finished Products (半成品加工): Quick-prep items like frozen dumplings or air-fryer snacks.
    • Soups and Porridges (汤与粥): Various liquid-based dishes and congees.
    • Drinks (饮料): Teas, coffees, cocktails, and smoothies.
    • Condiments and Other Materials (酱料和其它材料): Sauces, oils, and syrups.
    • Desserts (甜品): Cakes, ice creams, and sweet treats.

  4. Tips for frying Xiao Su Rou

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    When preparing Xiao Su Rou, follow these safety and quality tips:

    • Prevent Explosions: When coating the meat, you must knead the sweet potato starch thoroughly into the mixture. Do not leave dry granules, as they can cause the food to explode in the oil.
    • Avoid Rawness: If you are unsure about the timing during the first fry, fry slightly longer to ensure the meat isn't raw.
    • Prevent Sticking: If you are inexperienced, fry the meat strips one by one to prevent them from sticking together.
    • Batch Cooking: If you have excess meat, you can perform only the first fry and store the strips in the refrigerator. When ready to eat, simply perform the second fry to restore texture.

  5. Alternative noodle preparation methods

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    If you want to prepare other ingredients while the noodles are being processed, you can use these alternatives to the boiling method:

    • Washing Method (洗面): Soak the instant noodle cake in cold water for 2 minutes until moist, then drain (do not let them get soft).
    • Steaming Method (上蒸): Place the wet noodle cake in a steamer. Once the water boils, steam on high heat for 8 minutes, then remove and shake to loosen the noodles.

  6. General marinating formulas by meat type

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    Use these basic ratios as a starting point for different proteins:

    • Beef: Light soy sauce + small amount of cooking wine + small amount of white sugar. Add salt, oyster sauce, or spices (Five-spice/Thirteen-spice) based on the dish. Use ginger/scallion sparingly.
    • Chicken (Breast/Wings): Light soy sauce + small amount of white sugar + small amount of cooking wine. Add salt or spices (Five-spice/Thirteen-spice) as needed.
    • White Fish: Salt + small amount of cooking wine/yellow wine. Add seafood sauce or ginger/scallion water for specific styles.
    • Red Fish (e.g., Salmon): Light soy sauce + small amount of cooking wine. Add seafood soy sauce or brown sugar for specific styles.
    • Pig Liver: Light soy sauce + moderate cooking wine. Add starch and dark soy sauce for a smooth texture.

  7. How to prepare ingredients for cold mixed dishes (Liangban)

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    Cold mixing (Liangban) is a method of combining main ingredients with auxiliary ingredients and seasonings through mixing. There are two primary forms:

    1. Mixed form: Ingredients and seasonings are spatially intermixed.
    2. Dipping form: Ingredients and seasonings are spatially separate (the seasoning is referred to as a 'dipping sauce').

    Core Principles

    • Maximize Surface Area: To ensure flavor absorption, use techniques like scoring (knife flowers), slicing, smashing, or mincing.
    • Safety First: Only use ingredients you are certain are safe for raw or lightly cooked consumption. For meats (pork/poultry), ensure they are fully cooked with no visible blood.
    • Moisture Control: High-water content ingredients can dilute seasonings. For vegetables, consider salting them (approx. 5g salt per 200g ingredient) and letting them sit for 5 minutes to drain excess water before mixing.

  8. Tips for authentic Yangshuo Beer Fish

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    To achieve the best results when making Yangshuo Beer Fish, follow these key tips:

    • Scale Retention: The crispy fish scales are a signature feature; never remove them.
    • Fish Preparation: Splitting the fish in half from the belly allows for better heat penetration and flavor absorption compared to traditional scoring.
    • Authentic Ingredients: Use Liquan Beer (漓泉啤酒) and Guilin Chili Sauce (桂林辣椒酱) for the most authentic flavor. If Guilin chili sauce is unavailable, garlic chili sauce is a suitable substitute.
    • Sauce Consistency: Ensure tomatoes are cooked until soft to create a rich sauce. Do not reduce the sauce too much; leaving some liquid is ideal for mixing with rice or noodles.

  9. Tips for Tender Meat and Authentic Flavor in Boiled Pork Slices

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    To ensure the success of the Boiled Pork Slices recipe, follow these critical techniques:

    • Meat Tenderness: When marinating, always stir in one direction to ensure the proteins absorb the seasoning correctly. The use of egg white and potato starch creates a 'lubricating film' that keeps the meat silky.
    • Preventing Sticking: Adding a small amount of vegetable oil (30g) to the marinated meat mixture is essential to prevent slices from clumping together in the pot.
    • Knife-Cut Chili (刀口辣椒): For the most authentic flavor, fry dried chilies and peppercorns until dark, then mince them manually. If this is too time-consuming, you can substitute with dried chili segments and whole peppercorns.
    • Vegetable Substitutions: While the recipe calls for sprouts and celery, you can use mushrooms, cabbage, or lettuce as base vegetables depending on preference.
    • Adaptability: This method can be used to make Boiled Beef (水煮牛肉) by substituting the pork tenderloin with beef.

  10. The Bridge Pattern concept in Guilin Eighteen Niang

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    The cooking logic of Guilin Eighteen Niang follows the Bridge Pattern, decoupling the Wrapper (Abstract Layer) from the Filling (Implementation Layer). This allows for independent variation and free combination of ingredients.

    • Abstract Wrapper (CylindricalContainer): Defines the structure (e.g., Green Pepper Niang, Bitter Melon Niang, Eggplant Niang).
    • Filling Implementation (MeatFilling): Defines the flavor/texture (e.g., Pork Filling, Shrimp Paste, Fish Filling, Mixed Filling).

    By swapping a wrapper, you create a new dish; by swapping a filling, you create a new variant of the same dish.

    抽象层（Abstract Wrapper）：管状物（CylindricalContainer）
    ├── 青椒酿 extends CylindricalContainer
    ├── 苦瓜酿 extends CylindricalContainer
    ├── 茄子酿 extends CylindricalContainer
    ...
实现层（Filling Implementation）：肉馅（MeatFilling）
    ├── 猪肉馅 implements MeatFilling
    ├── 虾滑馅 implements MeatFilling
    ├── 鱼肉馅 implements MeatFilling
    └── 混合馅 implements MeatFilling

  12. Customizing the Scallion Oil Fish recipe

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    The Scallion Oil Fish recipe is highly decoupled and extensible. While the guide uses Mandarin Fish (桂鱼), you can substitute it with other sea fish such as:

    • Sea Bass (鲈鱼)
    • Sole (多宝鱼)

    Note: It is recommended to use sea fish rather than freshwater fish to minimize parasite risks. For freshwater fish, refer to other specific tutorials like 红烧鱼 (Braised Fish).