There is much to be said for tradition in the kitchen. All well and good to do things the way Mom, Grandma, and Great Gram’ma do / did things, but there might be easier -more efficient- ways. What is a kitchen if not a meal factory? Here are the tools an engineer might use. Not power tools necessarily, but rather tools like just a little math and chemistry as well as some some thoughts on process and planning. Add consideration of Return on Investment to this, and a new paradigm arises.

Philosophy:
Philosophy  
     The Factory Floor (Your Kitchen)
     Processes
     Raw Products and Inventory Control      
                Alphabetically organized from Apples to Yeast
     Risk Mitigation

Recipes:
           Some recipes have 3 or 4 version ranging from Extra Easy to Fancy. Learn from the Easy version and impress someone with the Fancy version  Organized from Breakfast to Dessert as follows:
.     Breakfast
      Bread and Pastries
      Snacks, Sandwiches, and Appetizers
     Soup
     Stew
     Stir-Fry
     Casseroles
     Salads
      "Meat"
     Beef
     Pork
     Poultry
     Seafood
     Vegetables
     Dessert
     Beverages
     Siuces etc.

Appendixes:
      Measurement & Calibration
     Temperature and Heat
     Seasonings
     Nutrition & Nutrition Analysis
     BBQ -Geography and History
     Portable Food
     Entertaining & Table Setting
     Restaurants
     Food History Trivia
     101 Kitchen Tips and Tricks