Help Me Learn How to Cook!!

samrockrocks
samrockrocks Posts: 251 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hey all,

Does anyone have any websites they LOVE for recipes and cooking?? Or advice for a new cook? And a picky eater??

I'm expecting some people to say "go get a cookbook" and/or "find a dish and follow the recipe".. I can totally do that, but I always talk myself out of trying a new dish for fear of spending all the time on it and then HATING it!! Actually, I DO have cookbooks... I just have a difficult time knowing what ingredients work well together and which don't.

I'm also seriously considering giving up meat which further complicates everything!

Sorry, now I feel like I'm rambling... any thoughts would be appreciated!

Replies

  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
    I get a lot of recipes from skinnytaste.com and http://www.thegraciouspantry.com/. I tend to try and eat clean and the last site has some great recipes. Cooking is trial and error. Sometimes you love it and sometimes it doesn't turn out to be as great as you thought. Start small, build a pantry and you will figure out what you like.
  • TimeForMe99
    TimeForMe99 Posts: 309
    www.skinnytaste.com seems to be the most recommended site here. There's a ton of choices. Find a dish there or in one of your cookbooks that you've had before so you know you'll like it. DD puts post-it flags in all her cookbooks (at 18 she has about 20) to mark the recipes she wants to try.

    Start with soups or pasta. There's a lot of chopping but also more wiggle room with ingredients. Meat is actually the most difficult thing to cook, especially small cuts, but roasting a chicken is surprising simple. Better yet, you can do two at one time and have lots of pre-cooked chicken for salads, etc.
  • rachelhowell38
    rachelhowell38 Posts: 5 Member
    I use the Bbc good food website.

    Also I'm veggie and have found that the river cottage veg everyday book has loads of really great recipes.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I like Eatingwell.com because I can take the recipes I like put them into the meal planner and print a shopping list. They also give alternatives and variation suggestions on some recipes.
  • littleblackcar
    littleblackcar Posts: 24
    Hey all,

    Does anyone have any websites they LOVE for recipes and cooking?? Or advice for a new cook? And a picky eater??

    I'm expecting some people to say "go get a cookbook" and/or "find a dish and follow the recipe".. I can totally do that, but I always talk myself out of trying a new dish for fear of spending all the time on it and then HATING it!! Actually, I DO have cookbooks... I just have a difficult time knowing what ingredients work well together and which don't.

    I'm also seriously considering giving up meat which further complicates everything!

    Sorry, now I feel like I'm rambling... any thoughts would be appreciated!

    I don't follow: The point of a cookbook is to tell you what ingredients go well together (because they're in the same recipe).

    Make a list of foods you do like and look for recipes that include them. Also, make a list of foods of which you feel you should eat more, but that aren't your favorites, and look for new ways to prepare them that might make you like them better.

    Honestly, you just have to do it. There will be some misses, but nobody kills a kitten every time something you cook isn't perfect, so what are you worried about?
  • littleblackcar
    littleblackcar Posts: 24
    That said:

    http://iheartvegetables.com/

    http://seasonalontariofood.blogspot.com/ (not vegetarian, but a lot of her recipes are)

    http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipe/

    http://www.cookinglight.com/food/vegetarian/

    I grew up with the old Diet/Recipe for a Small Planet books, but they're kind of brown hippie food now so I'm not sure I'd recommend them. Maybe borrow copies rather than buy? I'm a big fan of Easy Beans and More Easy Beans by . . . I forget her name. Trish or Tricia something. Not vegetarian, but partly vegetarian and generally pretty healthy.

    If you're new, you might also be well served by a solid basic cookbook like Joy of Cooking, Better Homes & Gardens, or Good Housekeeping, even if they aren't vegetarian, because they'll explain techniques.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    I have never once followed a recipe completely, I will always change something.
    For cooking I just get out my wok or crockpot and start going throught the fridge and cupboards. Add things that I feel like mixing together creating a new recipe with four to eight servings, messure out when done eat one freeze or fridge the rest for later.

    How to Cook 101
    Do you eat meat? Brown in pan first.
    Do you like veggies? Chopped up whatever you have or use canned or frozen.
    If you like tofu it can be cut up and added for more protein and less fat and calories than meat.

    Edited to: Have fun and experience and enjoy.:flowerforyou:

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