The 18 dishes you need to know before your thirtieth

My mother indoctrinated me with the best recipes you need to know before I left home. And I still have WhatsApp messages full of ingredients and instructions. A dollop of mayo here, a good amount of pepper, not that and that endive but that other one. Thanks to her, I know my recipes, but our neighbors from online food magazine FavorFlav have some recipes for the list.

A whole chicken
Looks intimidating if you've never made one before. But once you make it, you'll see that it's so easy that it quickly becomes part of your weeknight quick meals. Chicken with tarragon is a match made in heaven, this recipe from Joris Bijdendijk is a very good one to help you get started.

Chicken soup
The carcass you have left from the roasted chicken is perfect for making chicken soup. Throw it in the broth, which you make with a soup chicken from which you later pick the meat for the soup. Strain the broth and cook small pieces of carrot, leek, or other soup vegetables in it at the end, so they are tender but not overcooked.

Steak
Cooking a steak medium-rare is an art that you might need to practice a bit. But: there are few things more satisfying than slicing into a steak and seeing that you've cooked it perfectly. Here is our guide to cooking the perfect steak. If you're at it, make one of these sauces to go with it.

Tomato sauce
After your thirties, it's forever over between you and store-bought tomato sauce. Making your own tomato sauce is so easy and doesn't even require fresh tomatoes. Making your own sauce from canned tomatoes is already tasty enough. Especially if you use our trick to bake a whole clove of garlic and later mash it into the sauce for extra flavor.

Carbonara
Perhaps the most controversial pasta dish. Anyone who changes anything about the classic recipe gets a lot of Italians and the entire internet on their back. The creamy sauce of egg yolk and cheese makes the dish mega luxurious, while the preparation takes just as long as cooking pasta. This is how we make it.

Lasagna
The ultimate dish for when many people come to eat. You prepare everything in advance and pop it in the oven when your guests arrive. A good sauce is key, just like large amounts of cheese. Check here for a foolproof recipe for lasagna.

Whole fish from the oven
Looks spectacular while you hardly have to do anything. Stuff a whole fish with lemon, thyme, and garlic and put it in the oven. Sea bass is our preference because it doesn't dry out quickly, so it's not a big deal if you leave it in the oven for a few minutes too long.

Curry
Indian, Thai, or Ghanaian: we don't care, but make sure you have at least one good curry in your repertoire. Our favorites are Thai penang curry and this Indian butter chicken.

Hamburger
It seems so simple, but there's a lot involved in making a really good hamburger. What kind of meat do you use and how do you cook it perfectly? The bun should be soft but not absorb all the sauce. And what kind of sauce goes on it anyway? The ultimate burger from Jonnie Boer is a great starting point.

Pantosti
The perfect toastie, in our opinion, comes from the pan. Leave the toast maker as it is and get to work on a crispy cheese sandwich that you can proudly serve to someone. The trick is to keep the heat low so that the outside doesn't burn before the cheese has melted.

Mashed potatoes
A good mashed potato is the perfect base for meatballs, sausages, and all other things that come with gravy. It's creamy and soft because you use enough butter. Chef Joël Robuchon is known for his mash with excessive amounts of butter, you can imagine that we stick to his recipe. aanhouden.

Vinaigrette
Do you randomly throw some olive oil, pepper, and salt over your salad? A vinaigrette takes two minutes to make and instantly elevates your salad. Tips for the perfect vinaigrette can be found here.

Risotto
The perfect risotto is al dente and flows out when you scoop it onto your plate. Comfort food at its finest, just because you have to stir therapeutically through the pan to make it. Here's how to make the tastiest risotto step by step.

Brownies
Nothing is worse than a dry brownie, so it's best to make them yourself. Crispy on the top and gooey on the inside. This recipe Nigella Lawson's recipe is easy and always comes out of the oven perfectly. Have too many? Then freeze them. Because there is so much sugar and fat in them, they never get completely hard and you can eat them straight from the freezer.

Taartje
Why do people – ourselves included – always make things so difficult with complicated recipes? Just bake a cake.. A simple vanilla cake, possibly with freshly whipped cream, is sometimes just as delicious as a bake that you toil over for hours.

Cheesecake
A lot can go wrong: too dry or too eggy, for example. But with agood piece of cheesecake you'll make almost everyone happy. With this recipe for New York cheesecake, you're sure to put a fantastic specimen on the table.

Crumble
A crumble is our go-to recipe when we crave something sweet but there's almost nothing left in the house. Mix frozen fruit with sugar and lemon juice, and make the crumble from flour, butter, and (powdered) sugar. Spread the fruit and then the crumble in a baking dish. Bake until golden brown and bubbling, and you have a delicious dessert.

Meringue
Whipping egg whites and sugar and baking, it can be that easy sometimes. Just make sure the inside is still a bit chewy. Once you master the technique of a classic meringue, the world of egg whites is at your feet and you can expand to pavlova and Eton mess.

Text: FavorFlav