James Chen
Culinary Writer
Writes about cooking technique, world cuisine and the science of flavour — why a step works, not just what to do.
About
James covers cooking technique, world cuisine, fermentation and the science behind good flavour for MyCookingCalendar. His writing leans on a simple idea: understanding why a step works is more useful than memorising what to do.
He focuses on making restaurant-style techniques approachable for home cooks — knife skills, heat control, building flavour and getting consistent results.
Articles by James Chen
AI Recipe Maker: How Smart Recipe Generators Work
How AI recipe makers work, what makes a good recipe generator, and how to use one to create meals tailored to your dietary needs and ingredients.
Japanese Cooking at Home: The Complete Beginner's Guide
Master Japanese home cooking from scratch — pantry essentials, dashi stock, knife techniques, and the ichiju sansai meal structure that defines washoku.
How to Make Dashi: The Complete Guide to Japanese Stock
Dashi is the foundation of Japanese cooking — a 20-minute stock with the deepest umami flavour. Learn ichiban, niban, kombu and vegan shiitake dashi step by step.
15 Japanese Pantry Essentials That Unlock Real Cooking
Build the Japanese pantry that makes authentic home cooking possible — from shoyu and mirin to kombu and yuzu kosho. What each ingredient does and what to buy first.
World Cuisine Guide: 10 Global Flavours at Home
From Turkish kebabs to Korean bibimbap, Mexican mole to Thai curry — a practical guide to cooking ten world cuisines at home, pantry to technique.
Turkish Cuisine: Authentic Cooking at Home
Discover the depth of Turkish cuisine — mezze spreads, slow-braised stews, and charcoal-grilled kebabs. Learn the essential pantry and foundational techniques.
Korean Cuisine: Authentic Cooking at Home
Master Korean cooking from its fermented foundations — gochujang, doenjang, kimchi — through to bibimbap and bulgogi. Pantry guide and core techniques.
Mexican Cuisine: Authentic Cooking at Home
Beyond tacos and guacamole lies one of the world's most sophisticated cuisines. Master the chile-based sauces, the masa technique, and the mole tradition.
Indian Cuisine: Authentic Cooking at Home
India's 28 states each cook differently — yet shared principles unite them. Master the spice alchemy, the onion-tomato base, and the dal traditions here.
Japanese Home Cooking: Dishes, Techniques, Pantry
Japanese home cooking — washoku — rests on a handful of foundational techniques and pantry staples that unlock dashi, rice, miso soup, ramen, and tonkatsu.
Indian Curry Guide: Spices, Techniques, Recipes
Indian curry is a continent's worth of regional cuisines. Learn to build a curry from first principles — toasting spices, the masala base, and rogan josh.
Thai Street Food at Home: Pad Thai, Som Tum, Larb
Thai street food is complex and satisfying, but learnable at home. This guide covers Thai flavour balance, the essential pantry, and pad thai, som tum, larb.
Korean Cuisine: Kimchi, Bibimbap, and Beyond
Master Korean cuisine's fermented flavors and bold spices — pantry essentials, kimchi and gochujang techniques, plus bibimbap and doenjang jjigae recipes.
Vietnamese Cuisine: Pho, Banh Mi, and Fresh Flavour
Learn Vietnamese cuisine's fresh-herb balance: build an authentic bone-broth pho and a perfect banh mi, plus the regional differences that define it.
Chinese Regional Cuisine: Sichuan vs. Cantonese
A guide to China's regional cuisines: Sichuan's mála heat versus Cantonese seafood broths, plus the key techniques and pantry staples of each style.
Peruvian Cuisine: Ceviche and Lomo Saltado
Peruvian cuisine unpacked: ceviche technique, lomo saltado's stir-fry roots, ají amarillo, and the fusion history behind Peru's celebrated food.
Indian Regional Cuisine: Butter Chicken to Dosa
North vs South Indian cooking explained: wheat versus rice traditions, key spice blends, and the techniques behind butter chicken, dosa, and more.
The Maillard Reaction: The Science Behind Browning, Crust and Flavour Development
The chemistry behind browning, crust and flavour — how the Maillard reaction works and how to control it for better searing, roasting and baking.
The Science of Fermentation: Lacto-Fermentation, Koji, Kombucha and Why It Matters
The microbiology behind sauerkraut, kombucha and koji, explained in practical terms so you can ferment safely and troubleshoot with confidence.
Sous Vide Cooking: A Complete Guide to Temperatures, Times and Techniques
The physics behind precision water-bath cooking, with time-temperature tables and how to pair sous vide with traditional searing techniques.
How to Grow Microgreens at Home: Varieties and Method
Microgreens are nutrient-dense and easy to grow at home. This guide covers the best varieties, the nutrition science, the growing method, and how to use them.
Indonesian Cuisine: Rendang, Nasi Goreng, Satay and the Spice Islands' Flavours
Indonesia's spice-trade history shaped global cooking. This guide explores rendang, nasi goreng, satay, and the bumbu paste techniques behind them.
Filipino Cuisine: Adobo, Sinigang, Lechon and the Archipelago's Bold Flavours
A guide to Filipino cuisine's Spanish, Chinese and Malay roots — adobo, sinigang, lechon and street food, with pantry and techniques.
Malaysian Cuisine: Laksa, Char Kway Teow and More
A guide to Malaysian cuisine's Malay, Chinese and Indian fusion — laksa, char kway teow, roti canai, nasi lemak, pantry and techniques.
Caribbean Cuisine: Jerk, Roti, Rice and Peas and the Islands' Sun-Soaked Flavours
A guide to Caribbean cuisine — jerk chicken, roti, rice and peas — covering pantry staples, techniques and the islands' bold flavours.
Uzbek Cuisine: Plov, Shashlik, Samsa and the Ancient Flavours of the Silk Road
Uzbek cuisine is Central Asia's tradition of rice, lamb and aromatic spice forged along the Silk Road. Discover the pantry, techniques and two full recipes.
Food Chemistry: How Acids and Bases Transform Flavour, Texture and Colour in Cooking
pH is one of the most powerful, underused tools in a cook's arsenal — governing flavour, texture and colour from pickles to marinades.
Umami: The Science of the Fifth Taste, Glutamates and How to Build Depth of Flavour
Umami, the fifth taste, was proven in 1908 and formally recognised in 1985. This guide explains glutamates and how to stack them for real depth.
The Science of Spices: How Heat Changes Flavour
Spices are packed with volatile compounds and alkaloids. Here's how heat and fat transform them, and how to build complex flavour.
Growing Chillies: From Seed to Harvest, Variety Guide and Preserving Your Crop
A complete guide to growing chillies from seed to harvest — varieties, feeding, troubleshooting, preserving and overwintering plants.
Cooking Methods That Preserve Nutrients
Heat, water, and oxygen destroy different nutrients in different ways. Knowing which method preserves which micronutrients changes how you cook meals.
Sous Vide Cooking: Water Bath Temperatures Guide
How sous vide's precise water-bath temperatures use protein science and pasteurisation math to deliver perfectly cooked, restaurant-quality results every time.
How to Season Food: Salt, Acid, Fat and Heat
Salt, fat, acid and heat are physics and chemistry, not style — understanding osmosis, aroma perception and flavour solvents lets you season by principle.
Magnesium Deficiency: Signs, Causes, and Best Food Sources
Around half of people in Western countries fall short on magnesium, and blood tests often miss it. Learn the signs, food sources, and forms that absorb.
Tempeh vs Tofu: Nutrition, Protein and Cooking
Tempeh and tofu look similar on a grocery shelf but cook completely differently: fermentation gives tempeh more protein and a firmer bite, while tofu absorbs flavour and blends smoother.
How to Braise Meat Perfectly: Science and Technique
How collagen conversion, fond, and gentle heat turn cheap, tough cuts into fall-apart tender, richly flavoured braises — every time.
Spice Blends of the World: How to Make Your Own
The chemistry behind garam masala, za'atar, five-spice, berbere, and five other world spice blends — plus how blooming and toasting unlock their flavour.
Intermittent Fasting: 7 Evidence-Based Benefits
The 7 most robustly evidenced benefits of intermittent fasting — fat loss, insulin sensitivity, autophagy, brain and heart health, longevity, and inflammation.
The Zone Diet: 40/30/30 Ratio, Blocks & Science
The Zone Diet prescribes precise 40/30/30 macro ratios at every meal to control insulin. This guide covers the block method, food choices, and the evidence.
The Sirtfood Diet: What Are Sirtuins, and Does It Work?
The Sirtfood Diet claims foods like dark chocolate and red wine activate longevity proteins called sirtuins. This guide examines the science and 3-week plan.
High-Protein Diet: Benefits, Risks and Best Sources
High-protein diets consistently outperform standard diets for fat loss and muscle preservation. This guide covers optimal intake, best sources, and safety.
MyCookingCalendar vs Paprika 3: Which Is Better?
Paprika 3 excels at organising recipes. MyCookingCalendar is an AI planner with 3 000+ built-in recipes and tracking. Here is which one you need.
High Protein Meal Plan for Men Over 40
Why protein needs climb after 40, plus a complete 7-day high protein meal plan for men focused on muscle preservation, testosterone-friendly nutrition, and practical meals.
Quinoa vs Rice: Nutrition, Protein and Cooking Differences
Quinoa and rice look similar on the plate, but one is a complete-protein seed and the other a starchy grass grain — here is what actually differs in nutrition, glycemic impact, and cooking.
Can AI Count Calories Accurately? What to Trust and What to Check
AI calorie estimates are useful and imprecise, and knowing which is which makes them far more valuable. Where the numbers hold up, where they fall apart, and how to use them anyway.
What to Cook With What You Have: A Practical System
The 'what's for dinner' problem is a search problem in disguise — you're searching from the wrong end. Here's a system for working forward from ingredients instead of backward from a dish name.
Are AI-Generated Recipes Safe to Cook? What to Check First
AI recipe generators are good at combining ingredients and bad at knowing whether chicken is actually cooked through. Here's exactly what to verify before you rely on a generated recipe.
How Accurate Is Photo Calorie Counting, Really?
A look at what actually happens when an AI estimates calories from a photograph — where it gets close, where it drifts, and the specific habits that close the gap.
The Best Angle and Lighting for Food Photo Tracking
Small, specific habits — overhead angle, natural light, whole plate in frame — measurably improve how well a photo estimates your meal. Here is exactly what to do.
Building a Family Recipe Collection That Actually Outlasts You
Handwritten recipe cards fade, get spilled on, and eventually get lost in a move. Here's how to turn a family's scattered recipes — the ones from a grandmother's card box and the ones pulled from cooking blogs last month — into a collection that survives.
The Fridge Clean-Out Dinner: Three Templates That Use Up Almost Anything
Instead of searching for a recipe that matches your odds and ends, use one of three flexible templates: the grain bowl, the soup, or the egg bake. Here is how each one works and how to pick.
Knife Skills Masterclass: 7 Essential Cuts Every Home Cook Must Know
Learning to cut properly is the single biggest upgrade any home cook can make. A professional chef explains the 7 essential cuts, the correct grip, and how a sharp knife changes everything.
Vegan Meal Prep: A Chef's Complete Guide to Cooking for the Week in 2 Hours
The biggest barrier to a consistent plant-based diet isn't motivation — it's preparation time. This practical guide from a professional chef shows exactly how to batch-cook a week of varied, nutritious vegan meals in a single Sunday session.
How to Season Food Like a Professional Chef: Salt, Acid, Fat and Heat
Most home cooking fails not because of bad recipes but because of poor seasoning. This guide from a professional chef teaches the four elements of seasoning — salt, acid, fat and heat — and exactly how to apply them.
Braising, Roasting, Sautéing: Which Cooking Method to Use and When
The secret to great cooking isn't just what you cook — it's how you cook it. This professional guide explains the science behind the six core cooking methods and teaches you when to apply each one for maximum flavour.
How to Make Homemade Pasta from Scratch — Complete Beginner's Guide
Everything you need to know to make fresh pasta at home — without a machine, without fear. Fettuccine, pappardelle, ravioli and more from just flour and eggs.
How to Build Flavour in Cooking — The Professional Chef's Framework
The biggest difference between home cooks and professionals isn't technique — it's understanding flavour. Learn the layering method that transforms every dish you make.
The Complete Guide to Gluten-Free Baking — Science, Flours and Recipes
Gluten-free baking is notoriously difficult — but it doesn't have to be. This complete guide explains the science of gluten, the best alternative flours, and the techniques that actually work.
How to Make and Maintain a Sourdough Starter — Complete Beginner Guide
Everything you need to create and maintain a healthy sourdough starter from scratch — the living culture that makes sourdough bread possible. No special equipment required.
Zero-Waste Cooking: How to Use Every Part of Your Ingredients
The average household wastes 30–40% of the food it buys. These techniques — used in professional kitchens worldwide — help you use every part of vegetables, meat, fish and herbs to reduce waste and eat better.