Resolutions are easier to keep when you're constantly getting rewarded with delicious food.
1. Master a couple of super-easy desserts that are fancy enough to bring to a potluck or serve at a party.
2. Boil pasta perfectly every time.
3. Memorize the grain-to-water ratios of your favorite whole grains.
4. Take your grilled-cheese game to the next level.
5. Get a knife that's sharp, and learn how to keep it that way.
6. Once your knife is sharp, learn how to chop an onion.
8. Roast the most perfect chicken with nothing but a hot oven and plenty of salt and pepper.
Justine Zwiebel / BuzzFeed
There are so many reasons why roast chicken is an all-time favorite dish. It's fancy enough for company, but it also makes for great leftovers if you want to cook one just for yourself. And those leftovers? You can do pretty much anything with them, from salads to sandwiches to entirely new cooked meals (pastas, rice bowls, etc.). And learning to roast a chicken is actually SO EASY. Here's exactly how to do it..
9. Jump-start a whole week of meals in just a couple of hours.
Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed
Lauren Zaser / BuzzFeed
The trick is to cook big batches of one protein, one starch, and a bunch of vegetables, then remix them in whatever way you feel like each day. Here's a make-ahead meal plan that pretty much anyone can cook, to get you started.
10. Make your own chicken stock instead of buying it. You can even do it in a slow cooker!
It'll taste so much better than the mass-produced stuff that comes in a carton or can. Doing it in a slow cooker means all you have to do is throw stuff in — no tricky ingredients necessary, just bones, vegetables, and maybe some aromatics like bay leaf or parsley stems, if you want — let it go all day, then strain. Learn more here.
11. Pack your own lunch instead of buying it, at least a couple of times a week.
buzzfeed.com
It can be as easy as making a sandwich or as involved as cooking your favorite grains, vegetables, and protein and throwing them together. Get more ideas here.
12. Bake granola from scratch, with whatever mix-ins you want.
Basically you just toss a bunch of things together and bake them, so you can't mess up. Plus, it's cheaper (and more delicious) to make it yourself. Here's how to do it.
13. Sear the perfect steak.
Macey Foronda / BuzzFeed
Macey Foronda / BuzzFeed
Macey Foronda / BuzzFeed
Meat often tastes better when you get a good brown (or DARK brown) crust on it. In order to do that without overcooking the meat, you need to get a pan really, really hot and add plenty of fat, then put the meat in the pan and leave it alone (NO TOUCHING, NO MOVING) so that it can brown. Here's a more in-depth explanation.
14. Make homemade vinaigrette.
All you need is oil, acid, salt, a bowl, and a whisk. Here's a great primer on vinaigrettes, including common mistakes and how to avoid them.
15. Boil eggs exactly the way you want them every time.
If you put the eggs in the water at the right time, set a timer, and take the eggs out as soon as they're done, it's totally possible to get your yolks exactly the way you want them, every single time. Recipe here.
16. Bake a pie from scratch.
buzzfeed.com
You can. And it's worth it. Here's an apple-cinnamon pie that's great for pie beginners.