I knew that seafood and lake fish are, in fact, the simplest things to cook. But I always messed them up — just like dozens of other home cooks with whom, over the years, I’ve shared stories in the mysterious ways of fin and gill. Then, a few years ago, I learned the great lesson of cooking fish: Don’t.

What is commonly purchased at grocery store butcher counters—wet-aged beef—doesn’t make for concentrated flavors (there’s no evaporation), nor the tenderizing of the meat’s musculature, nor any development of umami.

Only dry-aging can do that.

Asparagus is difficult for wine in two ways: It’s natively bitter, first of all, and it is very high in the chemicals phosphorous and the sulphurous compound methyl mercaptan.

If you’ve ever wondered what preserved lemons are, and whether they’re a thing outside of science fiction novels, Chef Jamey Fader will give you a primer in this video.