I want to learn to cook but don't know where to start...?

Question

I am not an experienced cook, neither was my mother. I do want to learn to cook, I am so sick of eating crap. What is a good cookbook to start with? Is there anything else I should know? I want to start simple and go from there.

Answer 1

"Cooking for Dummies"

Seriously, it's a great resource for absolute beginners.

Also the people at "Cook's Illustrated" have a great book with traditional recipies intersperced with tips and tricks to get even the most basic of beginners cooking with confidence.

"The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook"



"Cooking 101" is a great serise on DVD.



"The Joy of Cooking" is a good resource/reference book to have on hand.



"Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals" is an easy book for beginners. Uncompicated, good food. You can also catch her Television show on Foodnetwork television.



"Alton Brown's Gear for your Kitchen" is a GREAT gadgets reference as well!! {Alton also has a couple of shows on Foodnetwork television..."Good Eats" and "Feasting on Asphalt"}



The folks at your local Barnes and Noble are friendly and really helpful. They will take the time to go through their cookbook selections and help you find ones to fit your needs.

Answer 2

I am also a former Barnes & Noble bookseller who spent a LOT of time in the cookbook section - but in my case, for the pleasure of it.



You have already gotten some great suggestions.



Allow me to emphasize again the "Joy of Cooking" as a very, very, very good reference for everything to do with cooking. It covers it ALL.



There is also another cookbook that addresses one of the magical aspects of cooking - the chemistry! Yep, cooking is usually chyemistry! Drat me, I can't remember the name but I can SEE that book on the shelf - sort of a buff brown and yellow, a circular device in the center upper half of the cover - large format book ... well, it has some incredible stuff in it. Go looking for it ...



I find that you need about 4-8 good, general cookbooks in order to locate a recipe that you can understand and follow for most dishes. The Joy of Cooking recipe for pancakes, for example (is that on page 460?), is utterly wonderful - but you better want to spend some time. The Good Housekeeping and Betty Crocker general cookbooks are first-rate. At Barnes & Noble is also a truly helpful, large-size, illustrated cookbook that has something about cooking and kitchen techniques in the name. The recipes are incidental to the information about how to do most things.



finally, set your cap on ONE wonderful cookbook that is now long out of print. "Gourmet Cooking for Two" by Beatrice Ojakangas is SO cool! The recipe sizes are JUST right for only YOU and some leftovers - or for a nifty meal when you choose to knock the socks off a friend or special other. And they are ALL easy! (Check the Chateaubriand recipe on page 88 ... OMG ....)

Answer 3

Stop by the local library and check out some of the previously mentioned books. Joy of Cooking, Rachel Ray's 30 min. meals, e.t.c. are all good places to start. Don't skip over any information on food preparation. If the instructions call for "dicing", know what dicing is and how to do it. There's a reason. Then take a receipe that interests you and prepare it. IT's not rocket science and if you mess it up, you can always eat the evidence ! (Really, you will mess up at times. You'll learn to save a dish or start over and do it right.) Don't attack it like it was life and death. It's a learning experience (keyword: experience). Eventually, you'll reach a point where you know what flavors different spices add, and you can modify receipes to your own taste and tackle some of the harder dishes to prepare.

good luck,

.

Answer 4

go to allrecipes.com!

read the directions thoroughly. make sure you have all pans, utensils available and on hand for smooth cooking. make sure all the ingredients are together in an orderly manner. when you get through with a item (such as a seasoning) place back in the cupboard where it goes. clean your equipment and counters as you go.

half the art of cooking is preparation and organization. the other half is knowing flavors of seasonings, quantities, heat differences, cooking equipment, and quality of food.

if you do not understand a cooking term go to cookingterms.com or go to a book store and buy a cookbook with cooking terms and measurements. i always liked better homes and garden or betty crocker cookbooks for this.

try something easy at first to see what i'm talking about.

when you go to allrecipes.com click on a recipe then change the serving size so you can see how the recipe changes per item needed to prepare your recipe selection.

also, always have ready some storable containers, heavy duty aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and aluminum pans available.

for example it you were cooking soup after it is through cooking and ready to place in the frig you will need containers for the soup to be transferred from the pot.

always let your food items cool first before refrigerating. also, in cooking chili, soup, etc. while the soup is cooling do not place lid on until food items have cooled. will make steam and dillute the flavor.

also, never let chicken stay out and get room temperature. you take it from the frig straight to the pan for preparation and cooking.

always wash your hands everytime you handle raw chicken. clean the counters, pans, pots, utensils, etc. as well or rinse and place in the dishwasher.

good luck!

Answer 5

Browse through popular bookstores. Look for cookbooks written for beginners. I personally like the Better Homes and Gardens cookbooks. These cookbooks not only have easy recipes, they will also tell you what type of kitchen utensils, and seasonings you will need to stock your kitchen. Good luck. Cooking is a lot of fun.

Answer 6

If you have the food network channel, try watching some cooking shows. You might want to start with Rachel Ray's 30 minute meals.

Answer 7

Go to www.foodtv.com, they rate their recipes with complexity levels try a bunch of easy stuff first then work your way up. Also if you watch people cook you will learn a lot more about what stuff is supposed to look like at various stages, so watch the food network as often as you can stand it.

Answer 8

Rachel Ray's cookbooks are easy to follow and involve simple, quick meals. That might be a good place to start.

Answer 9

There is an interactive cooking vidio program that comes with a rescipe book called Cooking 101; they also have a web site; hope this helps.

Answer 10

Try a library.IMO Chinese are the best cooks.English the absolute worst.ie Never over cook vegetables,or pasta.(just dump in boiling water and turn stove off immediately).Meat=always over cook ground meat/under cook Steak/roasts/the cheaper the cut the slower(lower temp) you cook.Good cuts (loin) if steak just pan sear or grill.

Answer 11

Start with a dish you really enjoy and search for simple versions of the recipe. Don't get discouraged if your first attempts are less than successful. It takes practice. Also check out the link for kitchen safety. Have fun, good luck, enjoy!

Answer 12

find a cookbook for beginners, they sale them every where like at local book shops and even walmart. after you do that just make things like fried chicken or omlettes or cookies that are easy just to start with and then try the harder and harder recipes and then you can make recipes of your own like i do now.

Answer 13

try ur local barnes and noble or book store, you could also look into summer classes at a local school for cooking and maybe ur mom could go w/ you since she doesn't cook much either. I would try something betty crocker (very good food w/ a homemade taste) G/L on ur journey!

Answer 14

the best cookbooks are at barnes and noble or half price books they have all kinds of cookbooks so im sure you could find a starter cookbook

Answer 15

in the kitchen

Answer 16

GO TO WWW.QUICKCOOKING.COM they have great recipes