Discover cooking with Jan at Encharted Cook, where over 50 years of culinary expertise meets innovative recipe charts for baking and cooking.
Hi There! Welcome to Encharted Cook.
I'm Jan Nunes, the recipe creator and curator of this site and I want to show you how recipes are related.
In addition to great recipes, you will also find my unique recipe and ingredient charts that show how recipes are related and how to choose the best ingredients.
Because if you can make one delicious dish, you can make many more!
Meet Jan
My love for cooking started more than 50 years ago. When I was very young, my Dad taught me how to make coffee on the stove...perked coffee.
I remember that morning well. He asked me to stand in front of the stove as he turned on a front burner. He then asked, "Can you see the height of the flame?" I could see it, so I had my first "cooking" lesson.
Of course, that first pot of coffee was nothing fancy like a cappuccino or latte. It was a working man's cup of joe that my Dad loved...and I loved making it for him.
That love for cooking has never left me and I have been cooking, baking, and making meals and treats for family and friends ever since. I began with reading my mom's Betty Crocker cookbook cover to cover and I devoured every new episode of "The French Chef" and "The Galloping Gourmet". By 14 I was enrolled in cooking classes.
Continuing My Cooking Education
My passion for cooking has not diminished and over the years I have strived to stay current with new cooking trends as they have come up. My cooking and baking curiosity has led me to take classes whenever I could.
"This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook- try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless, and above all have fun!"
~Julia Child
I have had classes at some of the best culinary schools and venues in the San Francisco Bay area including Ramekins Culinary School in Sonoma, the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, and the San Francisco Cooking School.
Of all the classes I have had, my all-time favorite was “The Great Holiday Chocolate Class” with David Lebovitz back in 2004. It was a hands-on class, where we each made 5 different chocolate treats with David's direct supervision. I still can’t believe I was so lucky to spot the class offering and learn from one of the best pastry chefs of our time!
In 2022 I'm proud to say I passed the Introductory Sommelier Course & Examination by the Court of Master Sommeliers of America. Next year, in 2024, I plan to dive deeper into wine and spirits and I hope to take the second part of the exam to become a Certified Sommelier.
What Will You Find on Encharted Cook?
- Delicious recipes that I've collected over the last 50-plus years that I've made, loved, and tested many times.
- Recipe charts showing how recipes are related and ingredient charts comparing ingredients to help you understand recipes and help you create your own recipes.
- An email newsletter with seasonal information, recipe highlights, and the latest trends in food and cooking.
- Baking, cooking, and time management tips and tricks to save you time in the kitchen.
- A small bit of history about a recipe or technique in cooking and baking.
More About Encharted Cook
Where did you get the name?
The name came from an afternoon of friends gathered in my kitchen when I mentioned I was making recipe charts and wanted to start a blog. Over a few glasses of wine, we came up with Encharted Cook.
What recipe do you recommend for beginning cooks?
I've got several great recipes for beginners! How to Boil Potatoes is an all-around basic cooking technique that is a basis for many other recipes and is perfect for beginners. My Spaghetti Aglio with Green Peas is a great main dish recipe that has just a few ingredients and very simple instructions. And for dessert, my Cranberry Sugar pie is also super easy.
What is your best recipe chart?
My best recipe chart, which is super packed with information, is my Basic Cake Recipes Chart. Every recipe is delicious, and this chart lists cakes from the lightest in fat with a light crumb to the heaviest in fat with a dense crumb.
Do you have vegan or healthy recipes?
I don't specialize in vegan recipes, but there are some recipes that happen to be vegan like Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup and Tomato Cucumber Salad. A recipe is noted as "vegan" in the recipe card.
I have a question about an ingredient, can you help me?
Sure! I will be happy to try to help you. Just shoot me an email at [email protected]
Meanwhile, below are some of the most popular recipes I've shared here on Encharted Cook:
So, Let's Cook! ~Jan
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