Learning to Cook

[that_chick_in_I.T.]

Okay, I know a couple of good recipes like chicken cacciatore, but overall, my cooking sucks. I've resolved to change that this year.

I guess learning to cook is a bit like learning to use a computer - trial and error. Tonight's lesson: if you successfully make delicious rosemary chicken, don't fark it up by adding it to a freakin' Zatarain's mix. :puke:

Any other cooking tips?

[Mr. Rager!]

For me, my cooking trials are successful when I DON'T burn down the house. That's why I'm going to have to marry someone who can cook...

Hey, I'll clean. :p

Good luck on learning to cook. I'm told it's not hard once you're able to really read what the instructions are telling you.

[Mr. Rude]

Whenever I want to try a new recipe, I google it & compare about 5 different recipes just so I know what the main ingredient ratios are. After that, it's only a matter of tweaking the flavour :)
Bon apetit

[MystyGlyttyr]

I just jump in the kitchen, see what's there, and think "Hm, what can I do with this?" I do walk around with a TON of recipes in my head, some of which I just kinda made up and ended up actually being good.

This one is my favorite...it started out just being the chicken and noodles but I gradually added more stuff to it until it got where it is now.

3-4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
4 packages chicken flavored ramen noodles
one plastic lemon juice (those containers shaped like lemons) or more to taste
water
one bag frozen broccoli stir fry
six green onions, chopped
black pepper to taste

Microwave the chicken for about 20-22 minutes, flipping it over occaisionally. Pull or cut into bite-sized pieces and place in large sauce pan. Add enough lemon juice to cover the bottom of the sauce pan, then add an equal amount of water. Add pepper to taste and stir, cover and simmer at low heat until fully cooked. Boil noodles regularly, straining out all water when soft. Pour noodles into sauce pan, add noodle seasoning and stir, adding more lemon juice and water if needed to dissolve seasoning. Add broccoli stir fry and stir, cover and simmer until vegetables are unfrozen. Pour in green onions and stir.

I don't know how many it serves. Depends on the size of your bowl really. But everyone who I've given this to has loudly proclaimed it's goodness, heh. You can change your ratio of lemon to water if you want in order to change up the flavor but I've found a straight 1:1 is usually best...I've also sometimes substituted cayenne for black pepper but that makes it REALLY HOT. You can also substitute beef or shrimp as the meat, so long as you match your choice of noodles to the flavor. Never gotten around to figuring out a vegetarian version, though.

[Greenday]

I'll give you an example of my cooking.

Take easy mac bowl.
Take out pouch with cheese mix.
Add water till it reaches top line.
Microwave as long as directions say, changing it as necessary based on microwave's power.
Mix in cheese. Stir.
EAT!

[Knightmare]

Good luck learning how to cook. It came naturally for me. Both my parents are wonderful cooks. 2 of my 3 brothers cook (one is a head chef at a restaurant in Tampa area), and I have to say I'm pretty good myself. Heck, my brother wanted me to move down there and work with him in the kitchen. No, not washing the dishes.

If you want to learn, watch some cooking shows on food network. Rachael Ray is pretty good. Good Eats is awesome.

Learn the basics, get comfortable with those, and then explore. Just remember: If you burn something, don't throw it away. Rename it. It is now "blackened" or "cajun." :)

[AFpheonix]

I use a slow cooker usually when it's my turn to cook. If it's stinkin' hot out, I'll make something like chicken ceasar wraps.

The best cooking lesson thus far is one that I learned from my mother. If you burn a pot so bad that the bottom delaminates, for the love of god, don't try to superglue the bottom back on and reuse the pot.



Her kitchen stank of brain cell-killing chemicals for days.....

[symposes]

My quick fix foods.

Grab bag by both sides.
Pull bag open.
Avoid stepping on the Dorritos now covering the floor.
Pick Dorritos up off the floor.
Enjoy Dorritos.


As for renaming them to blackened and cajun... Blackened Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Smoked House, these go hand in hand. hehe

[DGoddessChardonnay]

For me, learning to cook something new is trial and error. Worst one was a carrot cake I was trying to make from scratch years ago - somehow I must have mis-read a measurement and ended up with a round brick that I could have built an outhouse with.:eek:

Overall, I'm pretty decent at it. Especially if it's something quick. Some things I've gotten really good at, such as Alpo (aka meatloaf), spaghetti sauce, or any of those box dinners that you add chicken breasts to and bake.

I started learning when I was 6 years old. Good thing I did or my brother and I would have starved growing up. I'm still doing most of the cooking at home.

And will be doing quite a bit of it for Thanksgiving next week. That should be fun:)

[tacohuman]

keep in mind that recipes are really just guidelines. they don't have to be followed to the letter. in fact, i almost always take a recipe and play with it (adding or deleting ingredients, or changeing ratios) to make it my own. then, as your palate develops and you get a better idea of what goes well together, you can creat your own recipes :)

[lordlundar]

Some tips:

Don't start off with something fancy. If you have to go "What is THAT!?", then it's out of your reach for the time being.

Recipes are guides for cooking, but not for baking. For baking, you need to follow them or there will be guaranteed problems.

Most means of cooking have variable heat. Learn this, know this, love this. (my dad will only cook things on high, so not only does it get confused with charcoal, it's not even cooked properly)

Small alterations for flavor are fine at any stage, but avoid major changes until you get more confident.

Know your tastebuds. If you dislike spicy food, a cajun shrimp scampi is a bad choice. Also, if someone tells you a certain food combination is good, try a sample first. no sense making a bunch of food that you aren't going to eat.

[Fera Festiva]

I'm with tacohuman. If you really interested in food and want to learn to cook well, it's all about getting a feel for cooking, rather than memorising recipes - learning what you like, what flavours complement each other, not being afraid to stray from the recipe, that kind of thing.

A good resource for learning this kind of cooking, I have found, is any book by Nigel Slater (in particular, Real Fast Food and Appetite). He rarely gives quantities and sometimes doesn't even list all the ingredients - the emphasis is on developing a sensual, touchy-feely approach to cooking, making it a pleasure rather than a chore. I swear by him. :)

[Geek King]

For me, learning to cook something new is trial and error. Worst one was a carrot cake I was trying to make from scratch years ago - somehow I must have mis-read a measurement and ended up with a round brick that I could have built an outhouse with.:eek:



Couldn't have been as bad as my sister's first cheesecake. She misread the direrctions, printed "1 1/2 cups of milk", as 11 half cups of milk. :eek:

I took two days in the freezer to solidify. I think she invented the cheesecake popsicle. :roll:

[stormtreader]

Or my ex, who managed to mis-read quantities on baking bread, and somehow created olive oil bread-cake :roll:

[lordlundar]

Or my ex, who managed to mis-read quantities on baking bread, and somehow created olive oil bread-cake :roll:

YUCK!

And this is why I say that for baking, you need to follow the recipe and not to substitute unless the recipe says you can. It's basically a chemical reaction while baking, and a screw up can be disastrous.

[sportsmom]

If you want to learn, watch some cooking shows on food network. Rachael Ray is pretty good. Good Eats is awesome.

Learn the basics, get comfortable with those, and then explore. Just remember: If you burn something, don't throw it away. Rename it. It is now "blackened" or "cajun." :)


I will second all of that, especially the part about "Good Eats" on the food network. Alton Brown is awesome. I like his show because he doesn't just tell you what to do, he also tells you why you do that. Very helpful to someone who is not an old hand around the kitchen. Here's his website...http://www.altonbrown.com

I would also find something that you make really well, and then you have something that you don't have to stress over if you want to have people over for dinner.

[XCashier]

I use a slow cooker usually when it's my turn to cook.
Slow cookers rule! Get the type with removable stoneware for easy clean-up. And here's a page of good recipes: http://www.aliciasrecipes.com/crockpot.htm

Another useful page, if you're out of something and need to make an emergency substitution: http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/ck_ingredient_substitutions/0,1971,FOOD_9812,00.html

[that_chick_in_I.T.]

Sweet! Thanks for all the tips.

I actually handle temperature and measurements pretty well - but have a limited knowledge of recipes, flavors, and ingredients. One chicken disaster occurred because I thought parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme must taste good together if someone wrote a song about it. :lol:

FTR, I grew up eating Hamburger Helper. My mother is a truly godawful cook - yes, it is possible to screw up Hamburger Helper.

One of her best stories though is the cornbread she made one Thanksgiving. She baked this thing for over twice the recommended cooking time and it still came out as this bubbling gelatinous blob. Concerned about the apperance of it, she managed to convince my brother the stoner to try a bite to see if it tasted okay. (If it did, I suppose we would have had cornbread jello to go with dinner.)

If a pothead spits something across the kitchen into the trash can, then hovers over the can drooling until he can get the taste out of his mouth - it's bad. To this day he still cringes when we mention that.

Another one is the time she brought "fudge" to my first apartment for Xmas. The "fudge" was a gooey, sticky, slimy blob that somehow managed to crawl off of a plate wrapped in foil and affix itself to our table during her 15 minute visit. My roommate and I referred to that stuff simply as "dun dun DUN! THE GOOOOO!" :eek:

[Crazyredhead]

If it wouldn't have been for my husbands excellent cooking skills, we would have been some malnourished, underfed, starved people. When i met him I could barely boil water. I've learned over the years, and now I can cook up some pretty yummy stuff. My families favorite thing is stuffed peppers. It is my grandmothers recipe but I have tweaked it, till it rocks. My grandmother (RIP) wouldn't have been able to eat it, she can stand anything stronger than pepper.

Growing up, I was a tomboy. I wouldn't be caught dead in a kitchen. I was always outside. I wish I would of payed more attention to her, it is now to late. I don't think I turn out to bad though, but I still have trouble boiling water.

[Der Cute]

Ok..what have I learned:

Keep fridge front full of pizza coupons.

Chicken and "white meat" flavors (pork) go well with citrus addons or light - tasting green addons (stuff like rosemary, basil...not the extra heavy dark green flavor..oregano can overwhelm)

White meats seem to dry out a hella faster than the dark meats...so marinate the buggers if you can. Chicken marinated in Pesto (salad dressing) for 8 hours (add water to pan) is a darn good dinner. NEVER use the chicken or pork marinade for any kind of gravy/sauce. Once done marinating, dispose.
If I dont marinate, I put water in bottom of pan and cover loose w/ foil. It seems to work well.

Beef "red meat" goes better with the darker spices. Oregano, bay leaf...peppers...heavier tasting addons dont hurt this one.

Only mix meat styles (pork & beef) AFTER you're damn good cooking them ( me and Mr. Porkchop dont get along.grr)

I just cheat and think: the lighter the meat, the lighter the wine for dinner.

Baking desserts...those are pretty strict on ratios, due to the chemical changes going on. Oil to flour ratio dont screw that one up...
If you tweak these...go slow. Like Tablespoon size changes.

When making a dinner, use the packeted spice thingys (like Fajitas, tacos, pot roast) and look at the names of the spices. Taste it a bit before you put it in the pan, get an idea of who's boss spice, who's middle spice...

Try and use olive oil for cooking ( get the extra light ones not the darker green ones) due to fats in them, healthy and good for you. The lighter the color the lesser the olive zing.

Look for rainbows when you're preparing a dinner. The more colors you eat, the better your diet will be overall.

Like when making a salad, go for reds (peppers, tomatos), oranges (carrots) and other greens besides the lettuce (brocc, cauli, green onions, spinach, bokchoy..etc). Same for meat dish. Dont just put meat in and say Ug we eat dead chicken today.

It seems the darker the colors on foodskins the more antioxidants you get...So Blueberries and Taterskins (not fried) are pretty good...so are apples.

Eat 5 times a day, and not much bigger than your fist size when you eat. Try and cover all the food groups when you eat...Breakfast for me is apple and some nuts (almonds or cashews) which is carbs, fiber protein and salt :P.

Lunch is usually some kind of quicky food like soup or summat...but I make sure the fat to cal ratio is no more than 30%.

Ask Raps for a good hambone and boil the heck out of it ...make some stock and good bean soup this winter. Barley and beans, ham stock, add some greens and hard ground veggies (onions, carrots) and cook all day...you'll smile.

Find out if your oven really is 350 when it says 350. And always cut 25 degrees when cooking in a glass pan. (thanks mom).

Use Airpans for cookies (2 layered buggers) ..they never burn!!!

Invest in some good glass mixing bowls, glass pans (pie & rectangle pans) and some casserole dishes w/ lids for freezer. Make twice what you actually eat and put the rest in the freezer..mark on calendar for what day to eat it. You cut cooking in half. (unless it tastes like tree bark, then you put it in garbage :P)
(glass due to dioxins in plastic)

Back in the 80's salt was the bane of doctors. We (family) got used to using Mrs. Dash as an addon for veggies and such. It's pretty good, and it holds back your sodium content. Try it on taters (baked/ boiled) or veggies or rice.

Go to the health section in your grocery store. Find the canisters of chicken stock, organics. Make rice in a rice cooker, and add the chicken broth instead of water. Add some spices (basic ones like a bit of onion powder, wee bit garlic, some green like basil...) and you have a decent side dish.

You can also toss frozen or canned veggies into a rice cooker along w/ the rice, get it done faster.


Some things to think about....tbh i'm so lazy to cook for one, i'll just eat fast food.
Which, I'm learning...isnt so good...A family friend had me eat w/ her for a week and it was all fresh / organic/ no chem foods...I felt CLEANER of all things.

Cutenoob