Martha Rose Shulman begins this comprehensive how-to cookbook with "Warm-up Exercises", basic recipes designed to teach the novice cook fundamental cooking techniques. Light basics is an all-in-one cookbook for today's healthy cooking. Filled with step-by-step cooking instructions and more than 250 delicious recipes (each with a complete nutritional analysis), it provides the fundamentals of eating well and eating healthy. Martha Rose Shulman explains how to incorporate fresh foods and more healthful ingredients into your everyday cooking, while cutting down on fat and calories. If you're trying to eat healthy, Light basics provides a one-stop kitchen companion for beginner and experienced cooks alike! The cooking light basics: Convert your favorite recipes into healthier dishes by cutting the fat. Learn healthy poaching, pan-grilling, and roasting techniques. Make a delicious low-fat vinaigrette or sauce. Enhance the flavor of your food using fresh herbs and spices. The kitchen basics: Learn the correct way to hold a knife; Master the art of chopping, slicing, and dicing; Understand how to store fresh fruits and vegetables properly; Learn to follow the guidelines for food and kitchen safety. The fruit and vegetable basics: The secret to keeping tomatoes tasting their sweetest; How to reduce the zing of chile peppers; The easiest way to dice a fresh mango. The entertaining basics: Sample seasonal menus; Advance preparation tips to make party-throwing a cinch; Detailed shopping lists and countdown schedules for preparation; Flavorful meals with only 1 tablespoon of oil; Asparagus and smoked trout frittata; Sweet potato and butternut squash soup with ginger herb and scallion; Quiche spinach quesadillas; Grilled fish steaks with Asian flavors; Hot-and-sour shrimp and rice soup; Desserts to devour with only 1 gram of fat; Rhubarb and strawberry compote; Almond biscotti; Chocolate meringue cookies; Pears poached in ginger-honey syrup.