Culinary terms can be confusing - what is blanching, what is a sauté pan and how is it different from a frying pan? And in the end, does it make a difference? Yes and no, and it really depends on how precise the dish you're cooking needs to be.
For example, cakes (the bane of my existence) are not flexible when it comes to whipping time and speed (it messes with the texture) but savoury dishes like stir fry are. So how can you break it down?
With something like this (and this isn't a promo - I stumbled across this when I was searching for something to read on the train ride home). Canadian Living Magazine just ran a "special" cookbook issue, focusing on the basics of cooking (pans, techniques, types of meats). It's a great read and breaks information down into bite-sized (haha) pieces.
You can order this special issue here or hit your closest news stand).
