Cook more, better in 2015

These 9 resolutions can help you lead a tastier, healthier new year.

Is 2015 the year you want to become a better, healthier, thriftier, more knowledgeable cook? Here are 9 resolutions to get you started.

1. There’s no reason to go it alone: Make friends with the experts. Your fishmonger knows which fish is freshest, and which is best for kebabs; your butcher knows exactly how to cook that roast; and your wine seller can suggest a reasonably priced red to go with it. Don’t be afraid to expand your horizons. For me, virtually every purchase is an opportunity to learn.

2. And speaking of learning, this year: Buy a cookbook. Yes, the Internet is a trove of wonderful cooking advice. It’s also a trove of lousy cooking advice. Pick up a copy of James Peterson’s “Cooking” (Ten Speed Press), Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) or my favorite cookbook of all time, Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” (Random House). Then, read it. Read the introduction, the chapter openers and the recipe headnotes. This is how I learned to cook. Virtually every cookbook out there, by the way, is available as an e-book that costs less than $20.

3. I’m certainly not the first person to observe that bottled water is expensive and wasteful and no better regulated than tap water. So, when you’re looking over your food budget, why not cut down on bottled water — or eliminate it altogether? If your water tastes funny, consider buying a filtration pitcher or faucet filter.

4. The best way to save money on your meat bill is to take advantage of less-expensive cuts. Instead of waiting for porterhouses and pork loins to go on sale, pick up a chuck roast (above) or a Boston butt (pork shoulder) or any other tough, flavorful cut that needs a slow braise to tenderize it. Here’s how to braise any chunk of meat: Brown meat in a Dutch oven just large enough to accommodate it. Remove