I only eat freezer aisle foods

Harvardreject

If I don't eat fast food or takeout, it's a microwaveable that I know isn't good (like Kraft Mac n "cheese") .
People tell me that cooking is simple with the internet and I ask HOW
I will out in as much effort as I can this week to figure things out but I find that most recipes assume you have all the basic knowledge. I'm so clueless I don't even know how to shop for ingredients...because I usually can only afford to buy the ingredients for one recipe and the meal turns out just ok.

How are people like me ever going to learn?

Badger618

Make a list of your 10 favorite foods, google healthy recipes for those 10 meals. that should give you a good starting point. I love to cook , add me as a friend and I would be happy to help.

Harvardreject

Simple, logical, and direct. I appreciate it sir.

SutapaMukherji

Many healthy recipes and be mindbogglingly simple to cook and not time consuming at all.

StevenH74

www.allrecipes.com is a pretty useful site for beginners. I try at least one dish a week, usually from that site.

kirili3

Get the basic utensils (knife, pan, cuttingboard, spatula or spoon large enough to get hot things out of pan) and then it's good to get the basics like garlic, onion and a couple of chili (depends on taste, but they tend to add taste to everything). Salt, pepper, oil. Stove. Look up some videos about knifeskills. I'd recommend watching some cooking videos, like Jamie Oliver for example, to take the scary mystery element out of the experience. Then it's just a matter of looking up recipes and getting to it.

TimothyWHughes

It's daunting isn't it? I was really useless in the kitchen and relied heavily on microwave meals. I bought a student cookbook from amazon which has healthy meal ideas and shopping tips for those on a budget, and the recipes are so easy to follow even I've managed to not kill myself

Stick at it. Good luck!

amykr93

I'm not the best cook, but I don't understand why you believe cooking is some momentous task. Sure, if you want to create big elaborate meals, but it doesn't need to be that fancy.

. Rub a chicken breast in spices, bake it. Boil some veggies and rice to accompany.
. Cook other meats (lamb, fish, steak, pork - whatever you wish), and use some plain ole veggies and then pasta/rice/potatoes to go along with it.
. Salads - mix different fruits or veg together, or both.
. Omlettes
. Even bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms and egg can be 'healthy' if you grill them
. Porridge with various toppings like fruit, nut butters, jams or just plain
. Dishes like bolognese, chilli etc. don't have to be made completely from scratch - cook the mince, add in veggies and then use a store bought sauce. Yes, it isn't the 'best' option, but if you check the label before you buy you can do okay, and it's much better than frozen goods.
. Generic red sauce - cook some veggies (I tend to use peppers, red onion, tomatoes and mushrooms) and then stick in the blender. Then I add chopped tomatoes in juice, tomato puree and herbs to taste. Blend away.


Don't over complicate it.

Kitteneyes01

My best friend is the microwave. Not because I can't cook, because I use the microwave for cooking and because I can cook a chicken breast and veggies in it in less than 10 minutes. Hahaha. Also another of my favourite kitchen tools is a wok. That thing gets smokin' hot! Stirfry in about 15 minutes. I'm a lazy cook so I tend to want to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible. :bigsmile:

jimbmc

Just buy fresh produce. I can guarantee the amount of money you spend on Packaged/Processed Food will be more than buying fresh Vegetables, Chicken etc etc.

If you struggle with cooking, then get a WOK.

Chop stuff up, throw it into a Wok, Add some seasoning - Instant Meal.

Kitteneyes01

Just buy fresh produce. I can guarantee the amount of money you spend on Packaged/Processed Food will be more than buying fresh Vegetables, Chicken etc etc.

If you struggle with cooking, then get a WOK.

Chop stuff up, throw it into a Wok, Add some seasoning - Instant Meal.

You....I like....

misstweedy

http://www.budgetbytes.com/ has lots of good and easy and very budget-friendly recipe ideas.

krissa3670

You tube is your friend, if you want to cook something look on there to see if someone has put a video on of how to cook it, its all about timings really, making sure you know how long each individual part of your meal takes and timing it so its all ready at the same time. Is there not someone who can give you some lessons that you know maybe so you can learn first hand? I hope you find something to help you, cooking is a wonderful thing when you master it.

KaelaLee88

Freezer foods can still work for you when making informed choices

I would suggest taking a cooking class if you would like to develop your skills, whether that is in an educational environment or if you have a friend who cooks at home (they don't have to be Michel Roux or anything!) you could ask if they would be willing to cook a meal with you one afternoon and develop some skills by working alongside one another.

You'll also find that a lot of older people are delighted to help for free, especially if you do the dishes afterwards!

Kaela x

RodaRose

Buy a crock pot -- cooking is easy.
Buy frozen veggies. They are cheaper and more nutritious than fresh ones.

Debssssssssss

YouTube? Cooking basics. Or step by step recipes.

whiskey9890

here is a really simple recipe for a pasta dish similar to a carbonara that serves 2.
boil some spaghetti in a pan (a good tip for serving sizes is to form a circle with your thumb and forefinger, tips touching serves 4, index finger in the first crease of your thumb is 3, next crease is 2 and then there is a slightly less obvious crease that serves one, just put enough spaghetti in the pan to fill the necessary sized hole) driead pasta normally takes about 10 minutes.

while this is boiling crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk them up then add a tub of quark or extra low fat cream cheese approx 150/200g mix it well with the eggs.

in a large pan fry up approx 6 rashers of english style bacon that has been chopped into small pieces or a cup of bacon lardons no need to add oil as the bacon has its own fat just stir it to stop it from sticking don't overcook it but no worries if you do should take about 3 minutes try and time this with the pasta finishing

drain the pasta, turn the heat off under the bacon, add the pasta to the bacon pan and mix it up a bit then stir in the eggy mixture, keep stiring until the sauce is well distributed, if the egg mixture starts to scramble give it a very good final stir and serve. the heat from the bacon and the pasta warms the sauce mixture and cooks the egg but if you are pregnant etc this may be a dish to avoid just incase you undercook them (if they scramble they are well cooked but its not as saucy)

i use this recipe regularly and adapt it to suit by adding garlic and mushrooms etc it can also be easily halved or doubled. i hope you give it a try, remember not many of us are natural cooks its a case of trial and error.

GothJuice

It's really easy to look at online recipes and go "whatttt...?!"
You'll find though if you look up a couple of similar meals you'll have a lot of the same ingredients which cuts down on how much you need to buy of everything

Websites like SuperCook, let you search for recipes based on what ingredients you already have at home, which can be a helpful starting point for breaking into home cooking

RiverMelSong

I second the wok idea. I eat some kind of stirfry almost every night. I just throw loads of veggies and some chicken or other meat(substitute) into a pan, add seasoning, toss it around for 5 minutes, done! With some meats (like ground beef) you don't even need to add extra oil.
Super easy, quick, healthy and yummy ^^

Just buy fresh produce. I can guarantee the amount of money you spend on Packaged/Processed Food will be more than buying fresh Vegetables, Chicken etc etc.

If you struggle with cooking, then get a WOK.

Chop stuff up, throw it into a Wok, Add some seasoning - Instant Meal.

You....I like....

bethlaf

yes, and a rice steamer too- theres nothing you cant do with a rice steamer !

super super easy ,
also look up cooking for one recipes - or 5 ingredients or less meals ..

Spacegirlley

I find going down the spices aisle at the supermarket and picking up the recipe bases is great. Tells you exactly what you need on the packet and they are usually super easy to make. The slow cooker recipe bases are my favourite but some of the quicker stir fry style ones are good as well.

JeffInJax

Cooking your meals is definitely going to help a lot in the long run and learning how to do something nice for a date or significant other like cooking a nice dinner tends to get plenty of bonus points too!

I personally tend to eat my breakfast out of the microwave simply because when i wake up first thing in the morning i barely get out of bed much less start cooking ha ha, but the wok idea is great. Roasted veggies are very easy and healthy long as you don't overdo it on the oils you put on, and is as simple as putting veggies in a pain, salt/pepper/oil and throwing them in the oven. Chili is healthy and very easy too as besides browning the meat you generally throw it all in a pot and let it cook.

weatheredcheese

Even the basics need to be taught, which I understand but as you know the internet is your friend!
There are videos on 'how to' for cooking as much as anything else.

krysannboggs

You can teach yourself online at onlinecookingschool.com. They offer some sample courses to help people with very little cooking experience. I've heard great things about it.

aylajane

I have nothing to add as I am probably worse than you. My "normal" diet for many years has been "anything you can buy in a gas station"

Now I "make" food at home, but by that I mean I scoop the yogurt out of the container and add protein powder, assemble a salad from already cut up veggies, or I *might* cook an egg here and there. Its an improvement at least!

For every person that says how easy it is or how anyone can learn, I just want to slap. I can build and program a computer from scratch, repair my lawnmower, do my own taxes, etc but put me in a kitchen and I am a complete moron. You would think it is just like science - all measurements and mixing chemicals and stuff, which would be easy but I have found way too much "art" in the process - and I am not artistic in the least.

Plus I have zero interest. That doesnt help That being said, I keep looking and trying, but usually it does not end up well!

sabified

Bump because I'm in the "learning to cook" boat as well

egh1974

IMO your best bet is to only shop the perimeter of the store. Nothing processed. Learn how to grill and put everything on it. Including veggies if you want. Add in some raw, fresh fruit and boiled eggs. The end.

hellokathy

I'm bad with fast food, I admit that. It's just so much quicker and more convenient, so that's hardest to avoid and I don't always manage (like today).

But when I cook, I found that it's actually easier and simpler to cook with fresh ingredients. And especially with veggies fresh CAN mean frozen because those are usually just as good. I don't know, I just find it much easier to cook some fresh veggies than follow the instructions for a quick meal.

I think the main problem people have with cooking is that they watch Jamie Oliver or that Nigella girl on TV and it looks great but then they want to go and cook exactly the same dish. And they buy books and want to cook exactly the same dishes they find in them. And that's where it gets hard because they use a ton of different ingredients and spices that you probably don't have at home. So what I do is that I let them inspire me to make something similar with what I have at home and know how to make. Like preparing veggies is pretty much always the same story, either boil them or throw them in the pan with the rest and from there, it just depends on your personal taste whether you like your food more mushy or with a nice bite. Same with spices. All you have to do is figure out what you like and then play around with that. Don't be afraid of doing something wrong. The worst that can happen is that you'll have a mediocre meal but that's a risk you're also facing when you buy something that was made by someone else.

bethlaf

I honestly can relate - i taught my sons girfriend to cook - really cook - real food, her mother considers making hamburger helper a meal .... i know its ok once in a while, but seriously , 5 out of 7 days , and the other days its burgers or pizza?

ok, i digress.
1- you do not need 20 spices.
pepper, salt,garlic and sugar cinnamon vanilla are enough to get you started.
2. repeat what i said before - RICE POT!, under 20 bucks and can make up a home made meal in 40 minutes.


recipe 1.
for one person.
1 scoop brown rice , in rice pot according to directions, add in diced 1/2 onion and 1Tsp butter: put in the top steamer 1 frozen chicken breast and half bag frozen broccoli cook. ( you will most likely have leftover rice)

recipe 2.
1 scoop brown rice
1/2 scoop lentils, 1Tbsp olive or butter
garlic and pepper to taste when done
thats it . super easy, tasty and it is a complete meal , if you want throw a bag of frozen peas when the timer on the pot goes off, it will cool everything down and theres a complete 2 meals .
recipe 3
1 scoop brown rice , 1 can tuna
cook till done add 1/2 c milk and 1 oz shredded cheese.
and again , the trusty frozen veg, we like peas and carrots with it .

Mangopickle

you tube videos. I like to watch them when I need to learn something new. Cooking involves doing it over and over again to get good results. you tube just helps you avoid making basic mistakes so you learn faster thru imitation. I LOVE Food Wishes.com with Chef John because he make popular food dishes with lots of explanation for the every day guy who cooks very little.

NerdyAdventurer

I was in the same boat. Everything I "cooked" was from boxes, like Hamburger Helper. I relied a lot on the pre-made salads.

To get my confidence up and I had my dad show me how to make some really basic recipes, then we moved onto some more complicated things. Now almost everything I make is 100% from scratch.

I'd suggest having a friend help you out with some really basic stuff. As you cook more you'll get more confident and before you know it.

Good luck!