Professional culinary intelligence for people who cook for a living.
Herb and Spice Guide
Flavor profiles, fresh-to-dried conversions, and global spice blends — the working reference for seasoning with intent.
Ryan Yates
Ryan Yates is Executive Chef and Editor-in-Chief of Modern Culinarian. As Senior Executive Chef for UC Santa Cruz Dining, he oversees culinary operations across five dining halls, large-scale institutional production, menu development, and vendor and UCOP relations. Le Cordon Bleu trained, with 20+ years across fine dining, high-volume institutional operations, and hospitality, he has collaborated on plant-forward menu design with the Culinary Institute of America and chefs across the UC system through UC’s Sustainable Food Project and Center for Agroecology. He presented a Bay to Basin dish at Slow Food USA’s Terra Madre Americas featuring Lopes Family Farms duck confit and Central Coast ingredients. He writes on procurement, plant-forward cooking, and professional technique. Based on California’s Central Coast.
Shakshuka Recipe
The One Egg Dish That Quietly Changed How I Think About Breakfast. Shakshuka The first time someone described shakshuka to me, I dismissed it. Eggs cooked in tomato sauce. I’d been poaching eggs since I was teenager and couldn’t see…
Guide to Stocks, Sauces and Mother Sauces
The classical system, start to finish — building stocks and the five mother sauces everything else derives from.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Every common kitchen substitution with exact ratios, application notes, and what each swap actually changes.
Recipe Conversion Guide
Scale any recipe up or down with confidence — volume, weight, and yield conversions that hold under pressure.
Internal Temperature Cooking Guide
Target temperatures and carryover for every protein, so doneness stops being guesswork.
Food Allergen Guide
The major allergens, cross-contact risks, and how to run a kitchen that keeps every guest safe.
Food Safety Guide
Time, temperature, and handling fundamentals — the non-negotiables of a clean, compliant kitchen.
