Danger! In the kitchen.

2

Replies

  • CafeRacer808
    CafeRacer808 Posts: 2,396 Member
    Agree that slow cooking is a great way to start. Cooking shows are great sources of information (technique, ingredients, etc), inspiration and motivation to get into the kitchen. Meal delivery services like Blue Apron, Plated, Home Chef etc are also a good way to learn, I've found.
  • everher
    everher Posts: 909 Member
    If it's that bad, I would recommend cooking classes. There should be a university near you that offers them or if not the local culinary institute most likely does. They are generally not all that expensive and there are usually different classes at different times for different lengths.

    Cooking for me has always been a way of life, but my mother taught me how to cook when I was very young. I imagine there are some things that can be lost in translation about cooking if you don't know the basics or never had anyone to show you which is why I would recommend the classes or getting someone you know who is a good cook and has patience to teach you the basics.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
    edited December 2016
    I melted a chair seat making popcorn when I was 6 years old. I persisted in cooking and never melt furniture now.
    Get a basic cookbook. A children's cookbook or Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook will have basic recipes and talk about safety, cooking terms and equipment. https://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Cook-Book/dp/0470560770
    If you know someone who can cook have them teach you some basics or take a class.
    Don't try to be creative. Have a recipe. Read it thoroughly before you start until you understand what you will be doing. Gather your ingredients. Follow directions. Cook food for the minimum recommended time and then check for doneness.
    Buy frozen vegetables that are precut and fast to cook. There are simple prepartion directions on the package.
    Soup can be easy and forgiving for a beginner cook.
    Pick foods you have had before so you know what they are supposed to look and taste like.
    Choose dishes with fewer ingredients and steps to start with. Baking a plain chicken breast for example involves little more than turning the oven to the proper temperature, putting the chicken in a baking dish, putting it in the oven and letting it cook the right length of time.

    You may benefit from having a food processor to chop food, a meat thermometor, slow cooker, kitchen scale, measuring cups/spoons, working stove/oven, good knives, oven mitts. Care for your equipment.

    I have stainless steel pans or cast iron and they are very durable. I have glass or metal baking dishes. I don't use a microwave but if you do then do not put metal in the microwave.
    Not all dishes are oven/microwave safe. Check before using.

    http://www.stilltasty.com can tell you how long a food is good for.




  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    If it's really that bad, I'd recommend some cooking classes. They're usually pretty cheap at community colleges and the like. Personally, I've always had the view point that if you can read and follow directions, you can cook...
  • ShaleSelkies
    ShaleSelkies Posts: 251 Member
    Maybe starting by just using the stove to heat up soups from the can and the like would be a good start as opposed to trying to make things yourself right away. Other than that though I agree that following a basic cookbook or cooking classes would be a good idea for you - whether from a friend or the local uni.
  • WatchJoshLift
    WatchJoshLift Posts: 520 Member
    I honestly do not believe any of what the OP posted. That's just crazy.
  • Racouol
    Racouol Posts: 53 Member
    I just can't resist asking...how does a person catch their leg on fire while making a peanut butter and jelly?

    It involves me making lunch in the wood along side a bunch of hikers. One had a whisperlite they were trying to light that I managed to knock over causing the flaming fuel to spill onto the picnic table and spill down one of the cracks that my leg was under. Very hairy legs plus flaming fuel equals leg on fire.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    Lol OP. I hear you though, I really wasn't much of a cook before either. But I learned.

    Start easy... buy a crockpot and follow crockpot recipes. Or buy frozen steamable veggies and a George Foreman grill - then just microwave the veggies and pop some meat or sausage on the grill (buy a meat thermometer so you're sure it's cooked and you don't poison yourself, lol). You can do it in a pan too though... just keep an eye on it and flip it occasionally (or just put some salt and pepper on a piece of fish, put it on a sheet on aluminum foil and bake it at 350 for 20 minutes).

    For what it's worth, I still cut myself most of the time when I cut veggies (had to google how to chop onions at one point too), and I managed to burn myself on a friend's oven last week when making lasagna. So it's not just you, lol. But I love food and I had to learn how to make what I want to eat, or I would never have lost the weight.
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    bioklutz wrote: »
    Don't put anything metal in that microwave! No spoons, forks, knives, foil. This could cause a fire.

    http://foodal.com/knowledge/how-to/kitchen-safety-avoid-cuts/

    You could get a food processor and let the machine do all the chopping.

    It's actually printed on my microwave (and in the instructions) to put a metal spoon in cups of liquid in the microwave. I thought it was an error when I first saw it, but apparently it's standard now for modern microwaves.
  • not_my_first_rodeo
    not_my_first_rodeo Posts: 311 Member
    Go get yourself a copy of this book (probably could find in the library too): How to Cook Everything: The Basics
  • attard321
    attard321 Posts: 5 Member
    Slow cooker/crock pot. I think that's the brainless way to go you can buy Frozen boneless skinless chicken and frozen vegetables along with some low calorie sauces and you have a great meal for days. You plug it in and place everything on low before you go to work and when you come home from work everything will be done. It is very very hard to burn things in a Crock-Pot especially if you leave them on low. You should be able to pick up a Crock-Pot very cheap as it's just after the holidays. There's a whole book on low calorie crock pot meals that you can follow along with if you look at it on Thrift books.com I'm sure you'll find something. Good luck
  • fittocycle
    fittocycle Posts: 825 Member
    Throwing out food items dating back to 2013 is a great start. Seriously. Above all else, follow the rule of "when in doubt, throw it out." It'll go a long way to prevent a bout of food poisoning.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    "Danger! In the kitchen" brings to mind "Panic! at the Disco"

    That's all I got.
  • tjk0905
    tjk0905 Posts: 13 Member
    Another simple tip: Stay in the kitchen while food is in the pan/ microwave. Keep your face out of electronics as well. Use your senses smell, sound, sight to help learn right from not quite right. Food requires and deserves your undivided attention.
    Read recipe instructions through at least once before you begin. Then go step by step.
    Happy Cooking
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    Don't tell my sister I said this but... She has a tendency to wander off while cooking so things can go bad fast. But recently she has been having great success with roasting veggies and making sheet pan meals in the oven. She places in the oven and sets a timer. You can get pre-cut veggies so you don't risk cutting yourself. This chicken fajita recipe is great. Check out the link she makes 3 sheetpan meals including the fajitas. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qp8Tc4ncJgI

    Chicken Fajitas
    the Domestic Geek
    1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
    1 small red onion, thinly sliced
    2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
    ½ jalapeno, thinly sliced
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 tbsp chili powder
    ½ tsp garlic powder
    1 lime, juiced

    Preheat oven to 400°F.
    Arrange bell pepper, red onion, chicken breast strips and sliced jalapenos on a sheet pan.
    Season with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder and fresh lime juice.
    Toss so everything is evenly coated.
    Bake at 400°F for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
    Serve with tortillas, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
    Enjoy!
  • Racouol
    Racouol Posts: 53 Member
    dklibert wrote: »
    Don't tell my sister I said this but... She has a tendency to wander off while cooking so things can go bad fast. But recently she has been having great success with roasting veggies and making sheet pan meals in the oven. She places in the oven and sets a timer. You can get pre-cut veggies so you don't risk cutting yourself. This chicken fajita recipe is great. Check out the link she makes 3 sheetpan meals including the fajitas. https://youtube.com/watch?v=Qp8Tc4ncJgI

    Chicken Fajitas
    the Domestic Geek
    1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
    1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
    1 small red onion, thinly sliced
    2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
    ½ jalapeno, thinly sliced
    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 tbsp chili powder
    ½ tsp garlic powder
    1 lime, juiced

    Preheat oven to 400°F.
    Arrange bell pepper, red onion, chicken breast strips and sliced jalapenos on a sheet pan.
    Season with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder and fresh lime juice.
    Toss so everything is evenly coated.
    Bake at 400°F for approximately 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
    Serve with tortillas, salsa, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.
    Enjoy!

    Can you use pork or beef instead of chicken? After being served rotten chicken twice while in the Navy I can not even look at chicken without gagging.
  • MargaretLunan
    MargaretLunan Posts: 5,299 Member
    things like the y ,food banks or the local churches often have free or cheap cooking classes for beginners
  • Rincewind_1965
    Rincewind_1965 Posts: 639 Member
    Try to get one of those machines:
    http://www.kenwoodworld.com/en-us/products/kitchen-machines/cooking-chef
    http://thermomix.vorwerk.co.uk/

    Granted, it mostly boils down to stew-dishes ... but they are quite failsafe ... as long as you manage to get the ingredients out of their packages, that is.
  • dklibert
    dklibert Posts: 1,196 Member
    @Racouol, Yes I have used shrimp before and I have a friend who used pork. I have seen a blog I think called The Yummy Life who did beef but I haven't tried it yet. She does an Asian one too.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member

    NO! It was on a plastic plate from ikea, they melt all the time in there but usually not unless I leave it longer than 2 minutes, and never with smoke! The plate was intact, and it was only in there 30 seconds cause the smoke alarms went off. All it had on it was the ham. It did have a rind (that I ate)...?? otherwise, not a clue! Microwave has worked fine since!

    Was it glazed with a sweet sauce? I've learned that BBQ sauce will melt through plasticware in the microwave (pulled pork).