Technique 1 - Boiling

Boiling is perhaps the most versatile technique because in a pinch, almost anything can boiled. Lets begin......

Ingredients:

One Pot
Sufficient Water to fill said pot.

Step One:
Place the water in the pot but be careful not to fill the pot to the top. You will want place enough water in the pot to cover whatever it is you are boiling while leaving enough room at the top for water expansion (we'll get to that later).

Step Two:
Some chefs will tell you to add salt to the water but not one of them can tell you why. Its not to taste because you would be better off adding the salt to taste after the food is done. Some will tell you it brings the water to boil faster. The laws of physics dictate that the salt makes the water denser and therefore inclined to absorb heat faster. True, but to make a significant difference in the time required to boil a pot of water you would have to add so much salt that it would make the food inedible. The same goes for the theory that the salt helps retain the heat, so that when you add the food which brings down the temperature of the water and thus reduces the boil, the salt helps regain the boil faster. This is all bullshit. There is no good reason to add salt except that it makes some people feel warm and fuzzy.

The Campbells Soup people did a study and found that no matter what they put in the can, people always added something once it was on the stove. If they made it salty as the Dead Sea somebody would always add salt because it gave that homemade touch.

I have tested with and without salt many many many times and I am telling you what it is - there is no reason on Gods green Earth to add salt to boiling water. None

Step Three:
Add heat. There is no question here that heat is the secret to a good boil. The more heat the better. In addition to heat, as you have learned in high school physics, you can also add pressure. There are two ways you can add pressure. The first is to place your hands on either side of the pot and squeeze firmly. I don't advise this method. The second is to put a lid on the pot. This will go a long way to bringing you water to a boil.

At some point you will see lots and lots of bubbles rising thru your water. The technical term for this is a Rapid Boil. When in the company of professional chefs you may throw this term around and they will instantly assume you are one of them. Then you can ask: "Do you prefer the salt method or the unsalt method?" Thus sealing the bond between you and opening the door for sharing of recipes which professionals only share with other masters of the trade.

In any case, regardless of what food you are preparing, you will probably not want to add it to the water until you have achieved a Rapid Boil.