Help me learning how to cook?

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  • JenSD6
    JenSD6 Posts: 454 Member
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    dubird wrote: »
    Look for a book called "Help! My Apartment Has A Kitchen!". It's actually a really good resource for people that didn't learn to cook growing up. It walks you through a lot of things and includes some easy recipes so you can learn how to cook actual food that doesn't involve the directions of "remove from box and put in microwave". ^_^

    Cooking for yourself will always be healthier then relying on prepackaged foods. Prepackaged foods have a purpose, but they shouldn't be an every day food. By cooking your meal, you can control everything that goes into it, and I think you'll find that you'll end up saving money in the long term.

    I have a similar book called "Cooking Without Mom" that my mom gave me when I moved away. I still reference that book now and then for the simple basics.

  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Being a little bit hungry is not the worst thing in the world. When you finally have a meal that is balanced it will taste even more spectacular. Make your meals wonderful and memorable.

    ETA: I through the word balanced in there because when they are balanced it will keep you until the next meal.
  • MissFlawed
    MissFlawed Posts: 89 Member
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    sheermomentum wrote: »

    A pound of dried beans should cost about $2 and makes a potful. It really does not get any cheaper than that.

    Here's a random recipe for navy bean soup that I just pulled of the internet:

    http://allrecipes.com/recipe/72253/grandma-bs-bean-soup/

    1 pound dry navy beans
    3 carrots, peeled and shredded
    2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
    3 stalks celery, sliced
    1 medium onion, diced
    2 cups cubed cooked ham

    I would cut the amount of ham in half, myself, to save calories, but it would also save money. Or you could just cook maybe 2-3 pieces of bacon in the pot, measure out the rendered fat, leaving a couple of tablespoons in the mix and getting rid of the rest (if any), and then chop up the cooked bacon and add it back (and freeze the left over bacon for later). Lots of flavor, not alot of fat. I think you could make this recipe for maybe $6 or $7 dollars max, and that's going to come to about a dollar a serving.

    Where you are going to spend money, if you really want to learn to cook, is in herbs and spices. But these tend to last a long time, so it really is an investment. Which, by the way, I would also probably add some thyme to this :)

    I'll have to see where I can get me some cheap dried beans here, I usually use the canned version (I live in Europe =) ).

    Thanks so much for the recipe and the tips! Can I send you a mail when I try it out (probably next week when I go shopping). I'm very curious ^^.
  • MissFlawed
    MissFlawed Posts: 89 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    :D I like your sense of humor B)

    If this fat experiment works for you: You will notice that you get full on a smaller amount. Maybe you won't feel it so much in your stomach, as in all over, in every cell - a feeling of relaxation and contentment. And it will last. When you get hungry, you won't feel an urgent need.to.eat.now. Cravings will become less of a problem (if they bother you). Try to add a variety of vegetables, too. The nutrients and fiber in them do also have a satiating effect (and the fat helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals).

    Fat experiment.. Sounds exciting. :D

    Hmm I do look forward to the creamy texture of greek yoghurt instead of the ..... -insert naughty word here- I've been eating. Ugh.. How can greek yoghurt even be ruined :s .

    Hmm yeah, veggies.. When I was a kid, veggies and I were best friends. Then I started to live on my own and veggies and I didn't seem to understand each other anymore... Veggies became boring and when we did meet up, we didn't have much fun.

    I do love vegetables, I just don't know how to prepare them. Blanching or steaming just doesn't do it for me.
    ..... Should I introduce my new friend fat to them?
  • MissFlawed
    MissFlawed Posts: 89 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Being a little bit hungry is not the worst thing in the world. When you finally have a meal that is balanced it will taste even more spectacular. Make your meals wonderful and memorable.

    True. I probably will be more satisfied if I eat some actual tasty food instead of the bland stuff I'm eating now.
    I shall find a way!


  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    MissFlawed wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    :D I like your sense of humor B)

    If this fat experiment works for you: You will notice that you get full on a smaller amount. Maybe you won't feel it so much in your stomach, as in all over, in every cell - a feeling of relaxation and contentment. And it will last. When you get hungry, you won't feel an urgent need.to.eat.now. Cravings will become less of a problem (if they bother you). Try to add a variety of vegetables, too. The nutrients and fiber in them do also have a satiating effect (and the fat helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals).

    Fat experiment.. Sounds exciting. :D

    Hmm I do look forward to the creamy texture of greek yoghurt instead of the ..... -insert naughty word here- I've been eating. Ugh.. How can greek yoghurt even be ruined :s .

    Hmm yeah, veggies.. When I was a kid, veggies and I were best friends. Then I started to live on my own and veggies and I didn't seem to understand each other anymore... Veggies became boring and when we did meet up, we didn't have much fun.

    I do love vegetables, I just don't know how to prepare them. Blanching or steaming just doesn't do it for me.
    ..... Should I introduce my new friend fat to them?

    Try roasting veggies in a little fat. Ina Garten has a recipe for roasted Brussel Sprouts that is amazing. I think roasted vegetables are so good.
  • ntinkham88
    ntinkham88 Posts: 130 Member
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    I'm on a low carb diet and I eat a lot of fat which makes everything taste better lol But there are things you can do on a budget. Farmer's markets are usually a lot less for your fruits and veggies. Looks for good sales and stock up. You can always throw extra meat in the freezer. Try to find food that's cheap and fills you up like beans. And you can also experiment with different spices to figure out what you like. Hope that helps!
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited September 2015
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    I think one of the hardest things for a new cook is finding reliable recipes, and you tend to blame yourself if it comes out bland and disappointing, when often the recipe is at fault. Even some well known cookbook writers don't test their recipes well enough, and online recipes are an absolute gamble.

    I find Good Housekeeping recipes to be pretty good. I love Jamie Oliver but being a chef he leaves you to sort out your own seasoning, so sometimes things come out bland to start with and it takes a bit of practice to get the seasoning right.

    The best recipe source I've found is Delicious magazine, they test them very thoroughly, design them logically and they genuinely come out tasting good and looking like the picture. If you're in the UK or Australia you can buy the magazine, but they also have a lot of recipes on their website.
    www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk

    If you like the slow cooker, Google Stephanie O'Dea, she has a fun, down-to-earth blog where she tries out slow cooker recipes and tells you exactly how they turned out. She is a self-confessed reluctant cook who challenged herself to cook in the slow cooker EVERY DAY for a year! The recipes are simple and her style is reassuring and at times very funny.
  • MissFlawed
    MissFlawed Posts: 89 Member
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    @CattOfTheGarage

    Thanks for the website and the blog, the website already looks amazing so far! (I love your username by the way).

    Would it be ok if I posted some pictures of the stuff I cook on here? :)
  • melodicraven
    melodicraven Posts: 83 Member
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    I LOVE cooking. ^_^

    You mentioned bland food. The solution for that is herbs and spices. They add so much flavor and their calorie impact is negligible. And you don't have to go super heavy on the salt to get that flavor when you use them. Lots of recipes call for fresh herbs, which are delicious, but they can also be pricey. With practice, however, the inexpensive dried versions of them can be just as good and tasty though.

    What are your favorite kinds of foods? :smiley:
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    if you can read, you can cook...from their it's just a matter of practice and working with different spices and flavors and identifying certain cuisines that you are passionate about. learning to be a good cook is not an overnight process...i'm still learning and I've been cooking for over 15 years.
  • MissFlawed
    MissFlawed Posts: 89 Member
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    melodicraven wrote: »
    I LOVE cooking. ^_^

    You mentioned bland food. The solution for that is herbs and spices. They add so much flavor and their calorie impact is negligible. And you don't have to go super heavy on the salt to get that flavor when you use them. Lots of recipes call for fresh herbs, which are delicious, but they can also be pricey. With practice, however, the inexpensive dried versions of them can be just as good and tasty though.

    What are your favorite kinds of foods? :smiley:

    I do have quite the collection of dried herbs... Now only if I knew how to use them.. Usually when I add a herb to a dish, it just tastes like the herb.. It's like bland + herb.. If that makes sense o.O.


    My favourite kind of food.. Hard to say... I like all kinds of stuff reallly.. The only thing I dislike is spicy food. Never been excited about any spicy food in my whole life. I just don't like the burn on my tongue xD.

    My mom usually cooked the same meals over and over.. Pasta.. Potatoe with veggies and some kind of meat, poultry or fish.. That's it really. The oven was barely used, maybe sometimes for lasagne... I still have a world to explore I think =D.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,978 Member
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    I recommend Betty Crocker's "The New Cookbook" for anyone who cooks both novice and experienced. It is full of recipes but also is a how-to guide with colorful illustrations that explain herbs, cuts of meat, all kinds of techniques, types of pot and pans, and all types of cooking terms and measurments. And it's all geared towards everyday cooking as it was basically the housewife's guide when first published in the1950s. It's now in it's 13th edition and still one of the standards.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    MissFlawed wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    :D I like your sense of humor B)

    If this fat experiment works for you: You will notice that you get full on a smaller amount. Maybe you won't feel it so much in your stomach, as in all over, in every cell - a feeling of relaxation and contentment. And it will last. When you get hungry, you won't feel an urgent need.to.eat.now. Cravings will become less of a problem (if they bother you). Try to add a variety of vegetables, too. The nutrients and fiber in them do also have a satiating effect (and the fat helps you absorb the vitamins and minerals).

    Fat experiment.. Sounds exciting. :D

    Hmm I do look forward to the creamy texture of greek yoghurt instead of the ..... -insert naughty word here- I've been eating. Ugh.. How can greek yoghurt even be ruined :s .

    Hmm yeah, veggies.. When I was a kid, veggies and I were best friends. Then I started to live on my own and veggies and I didn't seem to understand each other anymore... Veggies became boring and when we did meet up, we didn't have much fun.

    I do love vegetables, I just don't know how to prepare them. Blanching or steaming just doesn't do it for me.
    ..... Should I introduce my new friend fat to them?

    I eat many vegetables raw - carrots, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, rutabaga, kohlrabi, and salad greens like romain salad and lettuce. Always in combination with other food (including fat!).

    Then there are a couple of vegetables that are nice just slightly heated - green peas and green beans.

    On to the oven roasted ones - I love parsnip covered in honey and olive oil, after roasting for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Excellent as a side dish for dark meat like beef/steak.

    Boil a large artichoke in lightly salted water, rip off the leaves and dip them and then the heart in melted butter. I eat this with grilled (or oven baked) cob of corn, and some deli meat.

    All kinds of vegetables can be made into soup - I like to pick one as the main flavor and add onion, garlic and maybe celeriac - and pureed with an immersion blender. I also like some chunky soups, like yellow pea soup and minestrone soup.

    There are no limits to the casseroles you can make - pasta dishes, chilis, risottos, wok...

    If you spend some effort on cooking, after some time, recipes will be just guidelines and inspiration for you, not rules, and you will be able to extract the essence of a dish, substitute ingredients to suit your taste and wallet and go with the season. This is where it starts to get fun :smiley:
  • MissFlawed
    MissFlawed Posts: 89 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »

    I eat many vegetables raw - carrots, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, rutabaga, kohlrabi, and salad greens like romain salad and lettuce. Always in combination with other food (including fat!).

    Hm.. I like raw carrots.. That's about it really. I just can't get myself to like salad :( . Would make an easy meal..
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    On to the oven roasted ones - I love parsnip covered in honey and olive oil, after roasting for 10-15 minutes, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Excellent as a side dish for dark meat like beef/steak.

    Boil a large artichoke in lightly salted water, rip off the leaves and dip them and then the heart in melted butter. I eat this with grilled (or oven baked) cob of corn, and some deli meat.

    I heard of both of these things before! Everybody keeps saying it's delicious... I only ate artichoke on a pizza before.. That's it! I'm getting me an artichoke and some parsnip!
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    All kinds of vegetables can be made into soup - I like to pick one as the main flavor and add onion, garlic and maybe celeriac - and pureed with an immersion blender. I also like some chunky soups, like yellow pea soup and minestrone soup.

    My partner absolutely adores soup, especially the chunky ones... If I learn to cook soups well... Well :*<3:D
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    There are no limits to the casseroles you can make - pasta dishes, chilis, risottos, wok...

    If you spend some effort on cooking, after some time, recipes will be just guidelines and inspiration for you, not rules, and you will be able to extract the essence of a dish, substitute ingredients to suit your taste and wallet and go with the season. This is where it starts to get fun :smiley:

    I already found some great recipes that I'm really eager to try out! But first I have to clean out my freezer.. Don't want my eggs to get spoiled and I went a bit over budget this week.. So for next week it will be mostly spinach with mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs.. I heard that Gordon Ramsay has the perfect scrambled eggs recipe, so I'll try that one. As for the mashed potatoes with spinach, my dear old grandpa's recipe seems to suit me just fine ^^.

    Simple food this week, but next week, it will be my own version of chinese takeaway, baked chicken and potatoe cookies.. Oh so looking forward to the experimenting.... Now if I just don't burn the house down...
  • wanttobefit300
    wanttobefit300 Posts: 157 Member
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    My standard "I don't feel like cooking" standby can be varied almost infinitely. First of all, you need various spices and herbs and seasonings like Mrs. Dash. Add a new one at least once a month until you have a good selection. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray. Put 4 oz of lean chicken, pork, or beef on one end. Season with spice/herb of choice. Add sweet potato fries or thin slices of baby potatoes at other end. Season with spice/herb of choice. Add slices of vegetables of choice in center and season with spice/herb of choice. Bake in a 350 to 400 degree F oven for 10-15 minutes (judge by potatoes browning). Turn everything over and bake another 10 minutes. Put on plate; add a simple side salad. You can also use various types of fish, but may have to let the veggies cook a little before adding to the pan. Also, if you splurge on asparagus, don't add it until you are ready to turn everything over.

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