# Beginner's guide to cooking



## Layla90 (Jan 10, 2015)

Hey all,

I need your help! My whole life my parents have cooked for me, it's not a spoilt  thing... it just become a routine.

Now i'm nearly 25 and have no confidence what so over in the kitchen and I'm due to get married this year!!! My partner tells me that its not important to him and I can learn as i'm going... as nice as that is... i'm not falling for it lol I must learn to cook before we are married and continue to progress during married life.

This is where I need help on this forum... WHERE TO START??? I have no idea what to do first.

I look forward to hearing from many people.


Thank you,


Layla


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## Andy M. (Jan 10, 2015)

Cooking is actually easy once you get into it.  Don't be intimidated.

Buy a cookbook that covers the basics and practice.  Don't be discouraged.  You will make mistakes, everyone does.  Just try again.  

Insist your partner be totally honest when critiquing your efforts and be prepared to not take a criticism as a personal attack. Otherwise you will not improve.

When you are cooking and do something different from the written recipe, stop and write it down so you don't forget what you did.  After eating the recipe, write down what you thought of it, good and bad, so you won't make the same mistake twice.  Write down your partner's criticisms along with yours.

I recommend following a recipe exactly at first before you try changes so you can get the idea of what the writer wanted you to taste.  Make changes gradually.

Check out these two books:

"The Joy of Cooking"

How to Cook Everything"

Good Luck.  You'll be great!


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## Josie1945 (Jan 10, 2015)

Hi Layla
Welcome to DC

Josie


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## Dawgluver (Jan 10, 2015)

Welcome to DC!  I agree with Andy's cookbook suggestions.  Also, you don't have to cook everything from scratch, there is nothing wrong with using canned cream of mushroom soup or jarred spaghetti sauce for example.  You can doctor up cans and packets of stuff and mix it in or pour it over all sorts of foods.


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## Mad Cook (Jan 10, 2015)

Layla90 said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I need your help! My whole life my parents have cooked for me, it's not a spoilt thing... it just become a routine.
> 
> ...


Andy's comments are really useful.


As for information, I see you are in the UK so we'll start there. 

Although not entirely perfect, Delia Smith is excellent for beginners - either the original cookery course or the latest one. She goes into "how to do it" without patronising or belittling the reader. Likewise the older versions of the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book are very good on all aspects of cooking. Don't bother with the newest version - it's carp.


(The "Joy of Cooking" is fascinating bedtime reading as well as a great source of information - I now know how to cook a bear - well, one never knows when one might need to know this :-D :-D:-D)


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## Kayelle (Jan 10, 2015)

Welcome Layla!

You are so lucky to be learning to cook in today's world! When I was learning to cook, there were just cookbooks as a resource. If you were lucky, someone in your family would teach you, otherwise you just flew into cooking and got it done. Now there's a youtube video for every possible cooking technique there is, and limitless online resources for recipes from very easy to very complicated. 

My best advice is to be confident and just jump in with several *simple* recipes at first. You'll find your confidence bloom when you are able to put together several meals you enjoy eating. Pat yourself on the back when you do it the way that makes you happy because you deserve it. You're going to have so much FUN, I almost I could do it all over again. My very best wishes to you and I hope you'll stick around here.


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## Dawgluver (Jan 10, 2015)

YouTube sure did change the world as far as cooking goes!  Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" is also available as an app for Apple and I assume, Android.


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## Whiskadoodle (Jan 10, 2015)

Hi Layla,  welcome to DC. 

There is a UK printed edition of the Joy of Cooking.   I bought a copy at a used bookstore.  Didn't open it until I got home.   Everything is in grams and UK measurements.  The Joy is one of my favorite cookbooks.  

Think of things either you or your boyfriend like to eat and learn to cook those dishes.  

If you go to You Tube and type in "how to cook __" there are cooking videos on many types of dishes.  

And,  you may always ask here on DC for advice about a dish you are cooking + check the Search box ( upper right hand corner) of this page on  DC for members comments and previous advice as well.


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## legend_018 (Jan 10, 2015)

I grew up with my mother cooking for me. I wasn't even interested in helping her in the kitchen. I even had a boyfriend who liked to cook. I was lazy as can be when it came to cooking. Heck, I even cooked a piece of chicken in the microwave using the instructions for the oven. My mother wasn't too happy.

I lived at home until I was 27.  I wasn't in a rush and my parents were not rushing me out. I was working, paying for some of my own things, going to college.  When I had a good job that allowed me to live on my own I finally ventured out. I really don't remember being interested in cooking prior to moving out.

That was the beginning of my cooking experiences.  I'm 44 now so I can't remember exactly how I started. Just little by little. Following recipes, trying some things on my own, learning from friends, learning from this site. Cooking practice, making dinners for family, friends, holidays and so on.  Beside my late brother, I'm now considered one of the best cooks in my family. It's a constant learning process and I'm not perfect by no means. I'm more of a recipe follower cook, but do venture on my own at times. 

You have to pretty much just start. Ask Questions, practice, follow recipes and so on.

oh and I forgot...to give my late brother who would be 52 this coming April, once he figured out that I was interested in cooking, I visited him in California a few times and he gave me some tips. One of his favorites was homemade pizza dough, he just loved making dough!

legend_018
Mary P.


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## Mad Cook (Jan 11, 2015)

legend_018 said:


> I grew up with my mother cooking for me. I wasn't even interested in helping her in the kitchen. I even had a boyfriend who liked to cook. I was lazy as can be when it came to cooking. Heck, I even cooked a piece of chicken in the microwave using the instructions for the oven. My mother wasn't too happy.
> 
> I lived at home until I was 27. I wasn't in a rush and my parents were not rushing me out. I was working, paying for some of my own things, going to college. When I had a good job that allowed me to live on my own I finally ventured out. I really don't remember being interested in cooking prior to moving out.
> 
> ...


I started, as many people do, at my other's knee". Aged 3 or 4 when mother was baking she used to give me a piece of left-over 
 pastry and some jam and I made some little jam tarts "for daddy" who manfully ate them with a great show of delight - regardless of the pastry being grey and hard with handling by my little fingers.

Later, my paternal grandmother who was a great baker but a rather bored cook of anything else, let me bake with her and taught me to make jam.

By nine years old I was capable of cooking a dinner but oddly, when we started cookery classes at school, I hated it and everything I made at school was horrible despite the fact that I could do well at home with mothers well-thumbed old cookery book!

Baking taught me to tell the time, too. Mother would send me to the clock to see what time it was and I'd come back and say "The big hand is on 12 and the little hand is on 4" and mother would say "That's 4 o'clock", etc. And she'd tell me how long the cake would take to bake and ask me to watch the clock until the big hand was on 6 and that would be half past 4. And gradually I came to know the time. I learned to read through the same absorption method, too, with the result that when I started school Mother was told off because she'd committed the (then, in 1953) sin of teaching her child to read and tell the time!


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## Cheryl J (Jan 11, 2015)

Welcome, Layla!  Hope to see you around!


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## medtran49 (Jan 11, 2015)

I'd suggest you both learn to cook together if he doesn't already.  After all, there's no reason that just 1 person in a relationship should have the entire responsibility for a daily necessity.  

My daughter was in a similar situation except that she just didn't want to cook.  It was never something she enjoyed.  She could make scrambled eggs and prepare things like mac-n-cheese out of a box and a very few other things when she went out on her own at about your age.  When she got married a few years later, full disclosure was made that she really wasn't interested in cooking (although he did cook and liked doing it) and that she expected him to do at least half of the cooking/clean-up.  She's learned over the years since to cook more things but it's still not her thing and she'd rather just not cook.


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## Roll_Bones (Jan 19, 2015)

How about your partner.  How are his cooking skills?
I suggest he learn as well as you.  There is no good reason this should only be your job.
Its his job too.
So, get him in the kitchen with you and both of you learn together.
For the record I do ALL the cooking.  I do it to help my wife.  I do it because I like to cook.
A man that leaves all the cooking to his wife will never have any control over what he eats. It is this reason I do the grocery shopping too.
Good luck and don't marry the guy unless he shows some interest in helping you.


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## Mad Cook (Jan 19, 2015)

Roll_Bones said:


> How about your partner. How are his cooking skills?
> I suggest he learn as well as you. There is no good reason this should only be your job.
> Its his job too.
> So, get him in the kitchen with you and both of you learn together.
> ...


I have to disagree here, Roll. I have always worked on the principle of "She who cook does not wash the dishes" (and I always cook!). It's a bit different now that I live on my own and have a dishwasher.


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## CharlieD (Jan 19, 2015)

I think one of the first things I cooked was chicken soup.. I put everything in the pot, when it boiled I picked up the dirty foam, whatever it's called, turned down the heat and went to bed with my girl friend. When we woke up, there was less than an inch of liquid left. I think that was the best chicken soup I ever made. 


But, as for Layla, I'd say start with simple side dishes. Potato, noodles. Then simple chicken. Then simple soup. Just try. Think what you want for dinner tomorrow , prepare all necessary ingredients and just try to make it. If it doesn't work out, order out, but try to make it first.


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking


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## CharlieD (Jan 19, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> I have to disagree here, Roll. I have always worked on the principle of "She who cook does not wash the dishes" (and I always cook!). It's a bit different now that I live on my own and have a dishwasher.




I'd cook anytime, as long as I do not have to do the dishes. 


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking


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## Zereh (Jan 19, 2015)

I remember putting my Mom on stand-by a couple of times so she could  coach me through whatever dish it was I was attempting. That worked  pretty well. 

You could find a cooking class or two you can attend together - they're great fun and  very informative. As a bonus you'll even get to eat what you make! Check with your local higher-end cookware or grocery stores, if they don't sponsor or host the classes themselves, I'm sure they could at least point you in the right direction. 

And don't confuse good food with complicated-to-make food -- simple and fresh wins every time over fussy and time-consuming around here. 

Best of luck to you!


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## creative (Jan 19, 2015)

Layla...I guess you know the kind of food he likes to eat.  If you indicate what these are in a post, I am sure we could give you a few pointers to make it more easy for you.


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## Kathleen (Jan 19, 2015)

I use to put Momma on standby too, Zereh!

Welcome to DC, Layla.  Soups are a good starting place and others have given great suggestions, but you may wish to have Momma teach you how to make one of your favorite meals!


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 20, 2015)

Mad Cook said:


> (The "Joy of Cooking" is fascinating bedtime reading as well as a great source of information - I now know how to cook a bear - well, one never knows when one might need to know this :-D :-D:-D)



Come for a visit, I can provide the opportunity to get yourself a bear if you would like to try out your acquired skill.


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## RPCookin (Jan 20, 2015)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Come for a visit, I can provide the opportunity to get yourself a bear if you would like to try out your acquired skill.



How much is it these days for a bear license?  When I lived in Montana (1964-1973), it was about $2.50 for a bird and bear stamp.  You could get all of your hunting and fishing stamps and tags for under $20.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Jan 20, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> How much is it these days for a bear license?  When I lived in Montana (1964-1973), it was about $2.50 for a bird and bear stamp.  You could get all of your hunting and fishing stamps and tags for under $20.



$19 - Resident for a Black Bear License, $350 for a non-resident

No hunting/licensing for brown bears, they can only be killed if they are directly threatening you.

I've never hunted in Montana, I think Salt & Pepper could give you better information on hunting regs.

Besides, I was just being silly to make Mad Cook laugh.


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## mattdee1 (Jan 20, 2015)

I was 31 years old when I found myself alone after my wife left me.  I knew nothing about cooking, and nearly made myself sick just eating the bare minimum to get by.  I lost weight (I didn’t have much to spare to begin with), and friends started commenting about how skinny I looked.  It was then that I realized I needed to take charge and learn how to feed myself without anybody else’s help, in a way that was enjoyable and healthy.  

  It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, hands down.  This February it will be 6 years, and, while I’ve still got a ton to learn (who doesn’t?), I can hammer out tasty and healthy meals for myself or a group of guests on any day of the week, with or without a recipe, with or without meat.      

  I think anybody can do it, but I will say that it REALLY helps if you view it as less of a chore and more of a hobby.  If you find the craft interesting, then even if you don’t know a thing, you’re at an immediate advantage.   

  If you can swing it, strongly consider picking up some basic tools: a decent chef’s knife, a nice cutting board of decent size, a skillet… things that you may not even realize you’re missing if you’ve never used them.      

  Different people have different ways they prefer to learn, but I started by watching cooking shows, then just started cooking meals from scratch several nights a week to accumulate experience.  There were lots of missteps and screw-ups, but that’s how you learn.  The most general advice I can offer is, whenever you make something that is really good, try to understand what it is about the recipe that made it good.  Was it a combination of flavors?  Was it a technique you applied?  This way you learn “concepts” that can be carried over into other situations, rather than being a “blank slate” every time you walk into the kitchen.


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## puffin3 (Feb 18, 2015)

Agree with everyone else here. The Joy of Cooking ought to be given out with every high school graduation certificate IMO.
Now Youtube is really helpful. Just be sure to watch a bunch of them re. the dish you want to make. Follow recipes exactly. No substitutions or shortcuts allowed! LOL
Mainly becoming a really good home cook is about the attitude you literally bring to the table. 
Preplan. Be organized. Be 'into' what you are doing. Cook in the 'now moment'. Have all your ingredients at hand. Do not be tempted to veer off the road. Error on the side of using a bit less heat rather than the other way.  'Low and slow' is always a better course than using screaming hot pots and pans.
Have fun.


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## Andy M. (Feb 18, 2015)

puffin3 said:


> ...Now Youtube is really helpful. Just be sure to watch a bunch of them re. the dish you want to make...



I agree Youtube can be very helpful in providing visual instruction for everything from how to use a knife to complex recipes.

One caution.  Any jerk can post a cooking video and some of them are awful and just bad cooking practice.  Select videos carefully and they can be a great help.

BTW, the same goes for recipes posted on blogs, etc.  They aren't all great.  Some contain gross errors that will really screw up a dish.  Again, use reputable sites.


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## RPCookin (Feb 18, 2015)

puffin3 said:


> Agree with everyone else here. The Joy of Cooking ought to be given out with every high school graduation certificate IMO.
> Now Youtube is really helpful. Just be sure to watch a bunch of them re. the dish you want to make. Follow recipes exactly. No substitutions or shortcuts allowed! LOL
> Mainly becoming a really good home cook is about the attitude you literally bring to the table.
> Preplan. Be organized. Be 'into' what you are doing. Cook in the 'now moment'. Have all your ingredients at hand. Do not be tempted to veer off the road. Error on the side of using a bit less heat rather than the other way.  '*Low and slow' is always a better course than using screaming hot pots and pans.*
> Have fun.



Not if I'm cooking a steak medium rare.   Most anything that requires creating a crust or crispness needs more heat than "low and slow".  However, I agree that when just learning, it's better to start slow and work your way up.   

Another thing I'd add is to record results to find out how your range cooks, and to be able to repeat results when you find the right settings.  They are all different - the medium heat setting on one can be quite different from the medium heat setting on another.  Ovens are notorious for being off, sometimes by quite a bit, so an inexpensive oven thermometer can be a food saver.


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## CharlieD (Feb 18, 2015)

It looks like Layla did not need help that bad. Otherwise she'd be asking more questions, trying some recipes, searching for my guidance.


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## creative (Feb 18, 2015)

CharlieD said:


> It looks like Layla did not need help that bad. Otherwise she'd be asking more questions, trying some recipes, searching for my guidance.


Maybe she took the advice of the first post, i.e. referring to helpful cookbooks.


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## RPCookin (Feb 18, 2015)

CharlieD said:


> It looks like Layla did not need help that bad. Otherwise she'd be asking more questions, trying some recipes, searching for my guidance.





creative said:


> Maybe she took the advice of the first post, i.e. referring to helpful cookbooks.



I sort of agree with Charlie that it's rude not to at least come back and thank folks for the assistance.  We post here and help people out because we enjoy doing so, but it's still nice to know that our efforts are appreciated.


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## creative (Feb 18, 2015)

RPCookin said:


> I sort of agree with Charlie that it's rude not to at least come back and thank folks for the assistance.  We post here and help people out because we enjoy doing so, but it's still nice to know that our efforts are appreciated.


Well we don't know that any further posts were read for sure do we?   The first post may have been enough.  In which case they would not know that the thread has developed.  Maybe the marriage got cancelled!


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## Kayelle (Feb 19, 2015)

The lack of a simple "thank you" from a first time poster happens so often here, and it can be discouraging to be sure. 

I think we need to just keep in mind that the information we offer could be of help to strangers who just come here to read. Keep up the good work friends!


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## RPCookin (Feb 19, 2015)

Kayelle said:


> The lack of a simple "thank you" from a first time poster happens so often here, and it can be discouraging to be sure.
> 
> I think we need to just keep in mind that the information we offer could be of help to strangers who just come here to read. Keep up the good work friends!



Definitely.  I'm not running off in a snit over it.  I'm involved in golf and photography forums too, and it happens everywhere.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 19, 2015)

I often wonder which recipes people try when they ask for a recipe...would like to hear feed the back.


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## puffin3 (Feb 20, 2015)

CWS4322 said:


> I often wonder which recipes people try when they ask for a recipe...would like to hear feed the back.


I have many years ago stopped caring if a 'newbie' bothers to say thanks or give their feedback on a recipe other forum members offer. Who cares?
 I'm always much more interested in exchanging ideas and information with like minded folks.
"This is my first post. How do I roast a frozen turkey?". LOLOLOL!


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## Steve Kroll (Feb 20, 2015)

Looking at Layla's profile, her last activity on DC was 45 minutes after she started this thread. So no, she didn't even read the first post.

You have to love it when someone says "I look forward to hearing from many people," but apparently didn't look forward to it enough to ever bother checking back again.


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## Bigjim68 (Feb 21, 2015)

Steve Kroll said:


> Looking at Layla's profile, her last activity on DC was 45 minutes after she started this thread. So no, she didn't even read the first post.
> 
> You have to love it when someone says "I look forward to hearing from many people," but apparently didn't look forward to it enough to ever bother checking back again.


 
It makes no sense when drive by posters post and move on.  

But the info is still valid and makes for interesting conversation.


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## Lucretia8799 (Mar 27, 2015)

Hi Layla
I am going through the same phase as yours. Even I want to start of before I start a life with my partner. I have tried out many recipes through youtube and have also depended on cookbooks too. Some of these came up really well. Now I am concentrating on trials with herbs and spices blend. These add a different taste and also is healthy.


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## Addie (Mar 27, 2015)

Hello Lucretia and Welcome to DC. If you are just learning, this is a great place to start. Really good people here. If you have a question, boy do we have answers. We love pictures. So don't hesitate to show us yours. Even your failures. You learn from your failures. Stick around and jump into the fray. It's a lot of fun here.


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## Blackitty (Mar 27, 2015)

In the event that the OP comes back, I'm new, too.  Much older, but learning.  I so agree with the person who said to just make food and remember that if you need to, you can eat something else.

So far, I've made exactly one thing that I couldn't eat.  LOTS of mistakes, but most were still okay and some were really good, even with the mistakes.  

I really like the Kitchen Confidence book by Kelsey Nixon.  It has tasty things that aren't too terribly difficult to make...but are involved enough that you learn some things as you go.  It's where I started and I keep making things in there...they're all good.  Every single one I make, I like.  

Check out the cooking shows and see if you can't find someone you like.  I like Alton Brown on Good Eats.


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