# Im a 17 year old and need help into the world of cooking



## kurtthecook (May 30, 2005)

hi tonight i was watching a movie (spanglish: its good check it out) and it happens, adam sandler is a head chef of some restraunt wich leads me to this sight for some reason he made me want to cook. im a begginer so im looking for a begginers cook book to teach me how to cook meat and to have nice dinners ready for my family when they come home from work, or whatever and maybe a little for the ladys in my future  

so if anyone knows of a book that goes over some meals dealing with any kind of meat even the game kind im a avid hunter so i have a freezer full of deer and fish please let me know. i am extriemly interested in learning. and any aditional advice on how to get started would be greatly apreciated.

Kurt


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## pdswife (May 30, 2005)

Hi Kurt,
welcome to the group!  Be sure to check out all the recipes already posted.
My favorite cookbook is called.... BETTERHOMES AND GARDENS   NEW COOKBOOK  10TH EDITION.  It is full of easy and great tasting dishes.


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## luvs (May 30, 2005)

hello! welcome to the site! try www.bartleby.com/87/


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## IcyMist (May 30, 2005)

Hi Kurt welcome to DC!!!  You can find all sorts of good recipes here AND at times I have gone to Allrecipes.com for ideas and recipes.  If you do use their recipes, make sure you read the reviews.  I won't make anything from the site that is under 5 stars and I pay attention to other peoples suggestions.  Have found some nice recipes from that site and sometimes they even give suggestions of what to fix with it.  

By the way, knowing adam sandler as an actor, please don't think to make cooking a career by what he does in a movie.  I think you would be sadly disappointed because from what I have heard a chef has a lot of stress, long hours, lots of competition and I have no clue about their salaries but I have a feeling that those just starting out are paid very little.  Sooo I think it takes a lot of dedication, hard work, enthusiasm for cooking and creating, ingenuity in thinking up new recipes, etc. and have heard some budding chefs who are burned out after only a year or two.


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## thumpershere2 (May 30, 2005)

Glad your here and you can learn alot at this site. Remember when cooking venison, don't salt it before or while cooking as it will dry it out more. You can cook venison like beef except for the salt. Salt after cooking. Starting to cook, staat easy and ease into the tougher recipes.If you want to cook and like it you will be a good cook and learn fast. Happy cooking. and welcome to this site.


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## Spice1133 (May 30, 2005)

Welcome Kurt, you came to the right place.  You will find lots of great recipes and help when you need it, just ask.  If your budget allows, subscribe or buy at the grocers "Taste of Home" magazine.  Recipes are all tried and true and use ingredients found in most homes.  That being said, you'll still find the best ones here.


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## masteraznchefjr (May 30, 2005)

welcome. i am a year younger than you. we're all beginners


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## jkath (May 30, 2005)

Kurt! So glad you found us!
I'm totally in agreement here - especially with the Taste of Home magazines. I've been getting them forever and they really are great tools. (and they don't have recipes with hard-to-find ingredients)
My favorite cookbook for beginners is also the Better Homes and Gardens one, but it's from 1942. It has almost 1,000 pages of really good information. I found it at an estate sale. That's my advice - go to estate sales or garage or tag sales for cookbooks. Also, as estate sales try to sell everything in the house that isn't bolted down, go straight to the kitchen and find the recipe boxes! Those are my favorite finds of all.

Even more advice: ask us questions often! We all love to help each other out, and there are always lots of people online.

PS - I adore Adam Sandler, and that movie as well. I thought it showed that he did work long hours....

best of luck in the cooking realm, Kurt!


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## abjcooking (May 30, 2005)

Welcome kurtthecook.  Check out this thread.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9195&highlight=recipes+beginner


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## DGRUBER326 (May 30, 2005)

HEY KURT A GOOD WEBSITE TO USE FOR BASICS LIKE YOU WANT WOULD BE WWW.COOKS.COM IT HAS A LOT OF GOOD RECIPES TO PICK FROM. HOPE EVERYTHING GOES GOOD FOR YOU.


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## abjcooking (May 30, 2005)

Here are a few more recipes that are easy to begin with.

*Fish topped with relish*

You can use salmon or any mild white fish with this relish.  I have used tilapia, scord, and flounder.

Just brush fish with a little olive oil.  Put in oven on 350 and bake until done.  Top with relish.

relish:  

tomato (scoop out some of the liquid inside), and chop
seedless cucumber, chopped
shallots or vaidalia onion, chopped

Put into bowl with 2 teaspoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup white vinegar and toss.

*Taco salad*

1 lb. ground turkey, or beef
1 package taco seasoning
iceburg lettuce, shredded
tomato, chopped
green onion, chopped
cantalina dressing
cheese, shredded
sour cream
fritos

Brown meat and drain.  Add seasoning.  Let it come to room temperature.  In a bowl combine lettuce, tomato, green onion, and cooled beef.  Add cantalina dressing, just enough to coat, and toss.  Put fritos onto plate.  Top with lettuce mixture.  Grate some cheese on top and add a dollop of sour cream on top.


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## kurtthecook (May 30, 2005)

*thanks !*

thanks so much for all the help im gunna go to some garage sales and estate sales around my neighborhood maybe i can find someones grandmas old creations  . and to barns and nobles for one of those books. 

thansk for the help and if anyone has any extra please feel free 

-Kurt


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## jkath (May 30, 2005)

Remember, Kurt - ask questions about everything! We have everything from beginners to pro chefs here. Best part is, we all like to help each other out.

Good luck on your searches! Oh, and one more thing - I've also found good old cookbooks on ebay. I prefer the older ones, as they have real ingredients, and most have good, solid nutritional information (none of the new trendy stuff).


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## amber (May 30, 2005)

As everyone mentioned on here, check out the various forums, lots of info on here.  Other than that I would say to head to Borders book store, they have lots of great cookbooks, but I assume since your 17 you dont have lots of money to spend on books, so cutting and pasting recipes from here is alot less expensive


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## Shunka (May 30, 2005)

Another decent site is   http://www.recipegoldmine.com/


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## lyndalou (Jun 17, 2005)

Another good place to find cookbooks is your local library. Check some out to get an idea of what you may want to buy. Also, libraries often have book sales where you can get books very cheaply. Ask about when your library might have one.


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## Raine (Jun 17, 2005)

Your local newspaper can be a good source of recipes also.


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## Constance (Jun 17, 2005)

Kurt, there are some great recipes for beginners here:
http://www.campbellkitchen.com/index.asp

My grandson is 16, and he's an avid hunter also. There are some great venison recipes here.


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## crewsk (Jun 17, 2005)

www.kraftfoods.com is another good site to check out. They also have a free magazine you can sign up for that comes out 4 times a year.


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## Roo_1683 (Dec 2, 2005)

I personally love to go and "surf" Kraftfoods.com  it will send you newsletters every so often with new ideas on easy meals. The best way to learn though is to just get in there and start throwing things together. Taste test often and experiment on your own! That is how I have came up a with a few good dishes that everyone raves about! Find one that seems good...alter to your own taste and make it great!


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## Constance (Dec 2, 2005)

Kurt, I think it's great that you are interested in cooking. I taught my grandson to cook several things, and he knows his way around a kitchen pretty well, as does my step-son, and my husband is a darned good cook and getting better all the time.
I would recommend that you start out cooking things that you know and like. Perhaps learn to make a really great hamburger and oven-fried potatoes. Spaghetti, garlic bread and salad would be another good one to start with. One of the first meals I learned was baked chicken (chicken pieces baked with Golden Mushroom soup), baked potatoes and green bean casserole. Once you learn some cooking methods and gain confidence, you'll find yourself branching out with new recipes.

Here is a site where you'll find lots of simple recipes to start out with:

http://www.campbellkitchen.com/default.aspx

One more very important hint...Clean up after yourself as you go, so you don't find yourself facing a disaster area when you are finished.


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## Robo410 (Dec 2, 2005)

cooking is a life long pursuit.  even the iron chefs are learning from the challangers and each other every day.  THe library or a store like Borders has many books you can look through.  Personally, I think the New Joy of Cooking is the best all round basic a chef can own.  Even so, it is not a "beginners".  It takes some knowledge to plan a meal and get the timings down etc.


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## JoshBenske (Dec 12, 2005)

Kurt,

Its good to see that other young people are interested in cooking. I am 17 and I cook very often. I work at a local resteraunt and I cater as a Personal Chef to parties and dinners for Friends and associates.  You should look into any Culinary Art's Classes that may be in your area. If you look on FoodTV.com, they have a lot of How To videos that introduce you to basic Knife skills, and cooking techniques. 

Also, Spanglish is a good movie.

Good luck!

Josh


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## cats (Dec 13, 2005)

Welcome Kurt.  My first and still favorite cookbook is The Fannie Farmer one. It will give you tons of recipes, measurements, cooking times for all types of meat/veggies whether cooking stove top, oven or even microwave. It covers just about any cooking question you may have. I just got a new one, as the pages in my other one were falling out. There is practically no food or recipe that isn't in this cookbook. Also, when I am interested in a particular cookbook, I will look it up from Barnes & Noble to get their prices, both new and used, and then start watching on eBay for it. I have gotten my last four cookbooks through eBay for less than half of the price new and still less than their used prices. Have fun in the kitchen.


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## Constance (Dec 13, 2005)

Cat, I agree that Fannie Farmer is a great cookbook to start with. I used that and Joy of Cooking when I was starting out. After they fell apart, I replaced them with the new versions. 
eBay does have some good bargains on cookbooks, although the shipping is often higher than the price of the book.


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## ANewCook (Feb 2, 2006)

Heyyy. I'm twenty, and also a beginner into the world of cooking. I have a family to make for so i'm trying to learn fast. My mom, as great as a mom as she is, didn't teach me to cook so i'm having to teach myself! We're all in it together! Welcome!


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## Gretchen (Feb 3, 2006)

Get one of Racheal Ray's books. She cooks real food from scratch--no soup mixes. Her recipes are healthy and can be done quickly and are quite imaginative in adapting longer cooking recipes to making them fast. I also think she is aiming at making young people realize that they really can cook.
Or even better than buying a book, look on foodtv.com for her recipes.


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