What are some common ways to improve my cooking? I look at stuff here and I don't know if I'm a fucking idiot or not.
Like for example, is sugar ok to be used in pasta sauce? I always thought it cut acidity but my Italian gf keeps telling me I'm a fucking idiot.
>inb4 newfag
>>8461761
She's right. It doesnt cut acidity, it just adds sweetness. It's a weird American thing to add it, so far as I know. Canadafag here, and I've never once seen anyone do it. See it in food gore threads now and again.
>>8461761
Library Genesis is a good website for cookbooks
I recommend Ratio by Michael Ruhlman, Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen and 75th Anniversary Joy of Cooking
Cooking blogs nowadays (while primarily written by upper-middle class white women) are actually quite good for recipes
Other than that, focus on good knife technique and use fresh ingredients as much as possible
>>8462141
>She's right. It doesnt cut acidity, it just adds sweetness. It's a weird American thing to add it, so far as I know.
You don't know very far then.
the ingredients you put in your pasta sauce may have a variable sugar content. if you like a certain level of sweetness and the particular tomatoes you've bought happen to have a low sugar content, of course you can use sugar to adjust it. you can use other ingredients with a higher sugar concentration too, though.
>>8461761
A very small amount of baking soda will take the edge off the acidity. Fry some tomato puree to add some more tomatoey sweetness.