I Can Barely Cook
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I get most of my stuff off of Pinterest...IMO, if you can read and follow directions, you can cook. Creating your own thing is a different matter.
I'd start with a few fairly simple recipes (a lot of them will give a difficulty level) and work on those...they will take awhile at first to read and re-read, etc but once you have them down, they're down...and just bring in more over time.7 -
Start with basic, easy recipes that don't require too many ingredients or too much prep. Pinterest and foodnetwork.com are good places to start. Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything: The Basics is a great book that many people have success with. If a recipe calls for a technique that you've never heard of, YouTube can be a great resource. Also, some TV chefs are great at breaking down the basics of cooking. Alton Brown comes to mind, as does Jamie Oliver, who has a video series on his website centered around cooking basics.
For me, the biggest hurdles in learning how to cook were figuring out when something is done cooking and how to properly season various foods with an appropriate amount of salt and pepper. That just comes with practice and time. Also, an instant read thermometer is an invaluable tool for figuring out the doneness of various proteins.3 -
Protein and veg! Broiled or lightly steamed.3
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I cook a box of pasta. Put in a baggy, and keep it in refrigerator, then use it for meals one portion at a time for myself. 1 cup cooked pasta. ---then I add in things I like; cooked mushrooms, sauted squash,
Roasted Red peppers.... Small chunks of cooked chicken breast. I top with "Good Seasons Italian dressing".--- Its is satisfying and tastey.3 -
I like to look on youtube for food ideas! I'm lazy af so I always go for the easy recipes!!!
I made this onion soup last week. It was pretty tasty
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Search for the videos Tasty makes on youtube they have a ton of quick and simple recipes that look delicious. It has video footage of them making each of the foods so you can just rewatch what they did in the video if you are confused.0
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You could search ingredients you have or like. Just type "(Ingredients) recipe" and see what comes up. I've found a lot of recipes I enjoy that way.
Another idea- at grocery store you could get rotisserie chicken, pre-made salad mix and rolls. That's an easy dinner.
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It's okay to take some shortcuts. Frozen vegetables can save you peeling and chopping. Jarred tomato sauces can replace those made from scratch, though fair warning: if you're worried about your sodium intake, that can be an issue.
Are there any cooking techniques that you're finding difficult or that you're nervous about trying? I've pretty much been cooking since I was tall enough to reach the dials at the back of the stove. Okay, at seven, it was jell-o and soup mixes, but when I went vegetarian at 19, my mother refused to make a separate entree, so I learned fast. I can cook meat, too. I just don't eat it.1 -
Just know it all takes time. I had a mom who cooked everything for us, so I didn't even know how to scramble eggs when I got on my own.
Trust me - it's cheaper cooking at home. Feel free to add me as I've learned so much over time. And a slow cooker is a great addition to your kitchen. And, finally, go to Salvation Army or similar places for cooking supplies.1 -
I have a few suggestions:
1. Buy a cookbook and cook! I learned a lot of my cooking from cookbooks and experience. There are tons of good ones out there, including ones for beginners.
2. There are zillions of recipes on the internet. Any time my 12 year old daughter wants to cook, she just Googles until she finds a recipe she likes that uses ingredients we have in the house or makes a shopping list for me. It's not that hard, you just have to get started, and expect to have a few disasters along the way.
3. Having someone show you some tips and tricks can help you get over the steep part of the learning curve more quickly. If you have a friend that cooks, ask them over to teach you how to cook their favorite dish or two. Once you have a few things down, related foods are much easier to cook.3 -
Is there maybe a cooking class you can take locally? I started cooking really young and cook from the heart. Youtube might have something. If I lived close to you I would be more than happy to show you some stuff.1
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I cook a box of pasta. Put in a baggy, and keep it in refrigerator, then use it for meals one portion at a time for myself. 1 cup cooked pasta. ---then I add in things I like; cooked mushrooms, sauted squash,
Roasted Red peppers.... Small chunks of cooked chicken breast. I top with "Good Seasons Italian dressing".--- Its is satisfying and tastey.
Refrigerated pasta is a Resistant Starch. That means that the calories in the pasta, even if it's been reheated, are not digested by you in your stomach or small intestine. That RS pasta reaches your large intestine and the community of bacteria which live there. Those are able to break down the starch and they eat the calories. I think that's an awesome hack to a weight loss program. The pasta is effectively zero calories.0 -
1) Pork chop cooked in frying pan, 2) rice or potato, 3) baked or steamed broccoli or other veggie.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/roasted-broccoli-with-garlic-recipe0 -
Chili or any type of casserole.
The best way to get better at it is to TRY You will learn alot about what works/doesn't, what you like/don't through trial and error. 1 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
Refrigerated pasta is a Resistant Starch. That means that the calories in the pasta, even if it's been reheated, are not digested by you in your stomach or small intestine. That RS pasta reaches your large intestine and the community of bacteria which live there. Those are able to break down the starch and they eat the calories. I think that's an awesome hack to a weight loss program. The pasta is effectively zero calories.
What magic is this?? So my leftover rice and pasta don't count as calories?? Da-whaaaaaaa?
Why have I never heard of this before?? Going to check it out.
Thanks for bringing it up!! 0 -
You can learn. Just start trying.
Evidence: Dinners at our house this past week included homemade mac and cheese (made by 20-year-old son), veggie pizza (made by 13-year-old daughter), and beef and bean burritos (made by 11-year-old son).
Edit: And now my daughter is making pancakes from scratch. You can do it too. 2 -
If you have a crockpot/slow cooker: Soup. (throw in miscellaneous canned & frozen veggies/beans/tomato; dried beans; onion &/or garlic; frozen veggies; sausage or chicken pieces; maybe even some rice - pretty much whatever you want and let cook overnight/workday). Eat with some crackers.0
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Lots of how-to videos on YouTube for just about any food you can imagine.0
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »I cook a box of pasta. Put in a baggy, and keep it in refrigerator, then use it for meals one portion at a time for myself. 1 cup cooked pasta. ---then I add in things I like; cooked mushrooms, sauted squash,
Roasted Red peppers.... Small chunks of cooked chicken breast. I top with "Good Seasons Italian dressing".--- Its is satisfying and tastey.
Refrigerated pasta is a Resistant Starch. That means that the calories in the pasta, even if it's been reheated, are not digested by you in your stomach or small intestine. That RS pasta reaches your large intestine and the community of bacteria which live there. Those are able to break down the starch and they eat the calories. I think that's an awesome hack to a weight loss program. The pasta is effectively zero calories.
Say what now?0 -
I can recommend the Jamie Oliver cookery book called Ministry of Food, it taught me all the everyday dinners.
Good housekeeping cookery book or Delia Smith cookery book for a learner cook.
In the meantime breakfast and lunches are simple if you stick to ceresl or porridge, fruit such as apples and bananas, yogurt, wholemeal toast, canned soups etc.
Dinners could be simple omelettes, baked potato's, tuna and pasta for example.
If you have a favourite food or ingredient let us know and we can see if we have a recipe for you.
Can't go wrong with googling though or YouTube
Most dinners tend to be roasts, bakes or casseroles, so focus on those techniques0 -
Learn to cook a meat with a sauce. Buy your sauces until you have the meat cooking down.
Start with scramble fried hamburger. Add spaghetti sauce. Serve over a bed of lettuce or warmed up fettuccine noodles.
Chicken with a jar of curry or Alfredo sauce.
Fish is very tender and cooks faster than poultry or beef. So watch it carefully.
Everything tastes better with shredded cheese.0 -
You could always start with Crock-Pot recipes. They are nearly impossible to mess up. Also I agree with getting the "How to Cook Everything" cookbook. I have it and my kids are using it to learn as well. It is great.2
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serindipte wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
Refrigerated pasta is a Resistant Starch. That means that the calories in the pasta, even if it's been reheated, are not digested by you in your stomach or small intestine. That RS pasta reaches your large intestine and the community of bacteria which live there. Those are able to break down the starch and they eat the calories. I think that's an awesome hack to a weight loss program. The pasta is effectively zero calories.
What magic is this?? So my leftover rice and pasta don't count as calories?? Da-whaaaaaaa?
Why have I never heard of this before?? Going to check it out. Thanks for bringing it up!!
It's b*ll*ocks. Please tell me you knew and are being sarcastic?3 -
Allrecipes.com is a good place to start, they have recipes for all levels. You can use their search tool for something like keyword: easy, one skillet; include ingredients: chicken, spinich; exclude ingredients: pasta. That way you can customize what recipes you see based on the ingredients in your pantry or ones that you like/dislike. There's also a comments section at the bottom of every recipe so you can see how other people have made the recipe and how they've modified it.0
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Are you restricted in any way? Vegan, vegetarian, on a certain diet, or only can consume meat on certain days of the week? Or are you able to eat anything and everything? What kitchen equipment do you have? Because it is a lot easier to work with something you have then going out and getting a bunch of new machinery that you may not use later on. Some of the really basic things I did when starting out, when it was just my dad and I for a month alone at home, was with a microwave and a frying pan. We got a package of sausage and my dad would fry two in the pan, while I washed two potatoes and put them in the microwave (using the potato setting) baked it there, and had a side of prepackaged salad on the side. It is incredibly simple and can get quite boring long term but for the first few nights it was easy (totally taking about 8 minutes including prep time), convenient and one of those packages could last for a few days. After you accomplish one it can lead to experimenting a lot more. Especially branching out to different cuisines. A chicken dish can be made a hundred different ways if you experiment across using different spices and taking inspiration from different cultures.0
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Refrigerated pasta is a Resistant Starch. That means that the calories in the pasta, even if it's been reheated, are not digested by you in your stomach or small intestine. That RS pasta reaches your large intestine and the community of bacteria which live there. Those are able to break down the starch and they eat the calories. I think that's an awesome hack to a weight loss program. The pasta is effectively zero calories.[/quote]
Dr Oz, is that you again?
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I second the suggestions to get a good beginners cookbook. Preferably one that describes different cooking techniques with pictures and doesn't try to use fancy language to make you all confused.
The one I use is in German, so no help there. But it's the official cookbook used in schools in Switzerland to teach the basics of cooking. Even though I don't consider myself a beginner anymore, it's a huge help still when I run across recipes that ask for cooking methods I don't usually use.
It's then as simple as combining foods (protein/carbs/fats) to make balanced meals.
My go to quick one:
- cut up onions, sauté in pan with a tea spoon of oil.
- cut meat into small 2cm by 2cm squares (roughly), add to to onions.
- dice vegetable (whatever is in season and currently in fridge) add to onions.
- add some broth/water/white wine (which ever is on hand, roughly 1dl)
- add salt, pepper and spices (whatever is on hand. Changes pretty much every time I cook)
- cook until everything is done
Depending on how many calories I have left for the day, I'll cook 60g of rice or pasta on the side and add when I'm done.
If I want a more saucy consistency, I'll add just a little bit more water.
If I don't feel like meat, I'll leave that out and add some cheese (for example diced mozzarella) before I serve it. Or instead of rice or pasta as a side, I'll cook lentils or Chickpeas and add those instead of the meat.0 -
Any protein baked/grilled/pan fried with a bag of frozen veggies.
Or just go to google, find a recipe that sounds tasty, and follow directions. I'll never be a good cook when it comes to figuring out my recipes but I'm pretty good at following others', lol.0
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