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Cooking - How is it done?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Destin, Feb 15, 2019.

  1. Destin

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    I lack the ability to cook anything more complicated than a hamburger, but think it would be kind of fun to learn about it. How would a person start learning how to cook? It always looks so complicated for even small things on the cooking TV shows and recipe books.

    We could turn this into a recipe sharing thread too maybe.
     
  2. SemiCharmedLife

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    There are lots of great simple recipes out there. I love to cook. Watching YouTube videos can be a good way to start, especially if you can find someone who makes things really clear and simple. That's how I learned to get over my apprehension with my instant pot.

    A great way to start is with a crock pot. The recipes are usually pretty simple and don't require a lot of monitoring, and most things you make in them can be divided out and reheated for later if you like to meal plan. I have a ton of recipes for the crock pot I'm happy to share. Here's my favorite. https://www.skinnytaste.com/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts

    I will ignore recipes that are too complicated or call for ingredients that are rare and expensive. Sometimes you'll see a lot of those if you watch cooking shows.

    Here's a great starter recipe. You can get creative with the vegetables, marinade, and seasonings. Lemon juice + dill + asparagus is a good combo. Want to go more Asian? Use teriyaki sauce + ginger + pea pods. Hawaiian? Same as Asian but add pineapple slices. Southern? Bbq sauce + smoked paprika + carrots and green beans. Oh, and the leftovers are great cold thrown over some lettuce with olive oil to make a salad.

    https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/salmon-baked-in-foil-recipe-1914818
     
  3. Silveroot

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    I agree with @SemiCharmedLife it is better to start with easy to understand, small recipes. Also using local ingredients is better than wasting most of your time or money worrying where you can find that perfect ingredient that will make your recipe the best.

    A good way to begin would be to try recipes that make use of the oven, since it requires a lot less monitoring that say a recipe that requires a frying pan (and it might be healthier too). You might also want to experiment with making tasty salads. Personally I like having my ingredients ready before I turn on the heat, it helps me be a lot less stressed and keep things in order.

    If you are a person that likes adding spices to your food-I am such a person- use your nose to determine if you want to season a certain food with a spice. Smelling is half the taste, if the smell of your food goes well with a spice or herb, use it.

    Also you might want to play it safe. There's no reason to make a food too different from the original recipe if you've never made it before.

    Cooking is an adventure, you might make glorious food, burnt food, everything is possible. If you have a spark of creativity, cooking might seem like a magical recipe. Well it is, if you're a pagan nerd :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

    Have fun.
     
  4. Broccoli

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    Recipe books targeted at students are often a good place to start, whether you are a student or not. There is usually an emphasis on clear instructions and easily-found, inexpensive ingredients.
     
  5. BMC77

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    OK, buster. You claim to be gay, can't cook a fabulous gourmet dinner? Please turn in your Gay Guy Card at the front office, and leave quietly. Or else we'll call security.

    LOL
     
  6. BMC77

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    More seriously...

    A few thoughts. First, I think a lot of books and TV shows are complicated. Some books may be aimed at advanced cooks. I cynically think a lot of today's cooking shows are more a fantasy show than anything. A chance to live, vicariously, in a kitchen where gourmet delicacies that take 12 hours to prepare are a day-to-day phenomenon.

    But there are basic cookbooks out there. Recipes may not be glamorous, but they work. There are also books that claim to limit ingredients--complete dish with 5 ingredients or whatever.

    Also...I think there is something to be said long term for material that teaches more than the recipe. You can be trained to put together a recipe pretty easily. But understanding the underlying concepts is helpful, because if you know that, you can modify recipes. You can possibly successfully make something with no recipe.
     
  7. Devil Dave

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    Peel lid off pot noodle.
    Pour in boiled water.
    Prod with fork for a bit.
    Leave it for a bit.
    Stir with fork. Make sure you scrape the bits at the bottom.
    Leave a bit longer.
    Pour in tiny little drop off sauce from sachet, and stir in.
    Try a pea to see if its gone soft yet. Maybe pour in a bit more hot water.
    Get fed up with waiting and eat the damn thing.
     
  8. SemiCharmedLife

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    I second this. This and any cookbooks that have fast recipes or recipes requiring only a few ingredients.
     
  9. CosmicWolf

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    I always use https://tasty.co/
    They have a lot of easy recipes and clear instructional videos, and they keep adding new ones all the time.
     
  10. johndeere3020

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    Hey Destin, I didn't think there would be this many responses already! SO here is the ISBN 0-471-83848-9, Professional Cooking 2nd Edition, from a stint at a Tech college when I was your age. Never did finish, got a job in a hotel kitchen for 6.66 an hour. I should have known better with that number! :slight_smile: Shit the receipt for the book is still taped in the cover, 43.75, must have been at least 100 years ago already. It is a good beginners guide for simple recipes, terms, and methods of cooking. Remember, the best chef always has something to strive for, if they say they don't they are not truthful!
    Cooking can be something that you plan for an can be an event in your day. Something to help keep your mind off negative thoughts and behaviors. What better someday than a doctor that could make steak and lobster for his other half!
    Have you guys got a frying pan and a sharp knife?
    What do ya want to start with, hot sandwich, pasta, chicken?
     
  11. Chierro

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    So fun fact: I literally used to never be able to make anything other than frozen pizzas. I mean, I don't feel SUPER comfortable making new things yet, but I'm working on it.

    Pretty much what I did was google easy things to make and went from there (of course most of it revolves around frozen things...):
    • Spaghetti. Super easy. You literally boil the pasta, keep mixing it around. Heat up some sauce. Maybe mix parmesan cheese into the sauce and add in ground beef?
      • Also, great perk of spaghetti is that its easy to make a lot all at once so you can literally just make yourselves leftovers for lunch/dinner on future days.
    • Ravioli. Literally the same method as spaghetti, except here you just wait until all of the ravioli is floating.
    • Quesadillas. These are easy to make in a pan, but I have a quesadilla maker that's essentially a George Foreman grill but...for quesadillas. Only prep work is getting everything out and getting the chicken ready.
    • Pierogies. (These are fairly regional.) I either get frozen ones or homemade ones, boil them until they get soft all the way through and then I sauté them with butter and onions for a few minutes to add some flavor.
    • Spanish rice. This is probably my most complicated (but even then not really) recipe. I found it online before and it's quick and easy to make. Of course, the recipe also says it serves six and I've eaten the whole thing myself so...
    Just start small, there's a lot of stuff that's quick and easy to make. I know some people that regularly make full meals for themselves and then there are people like my roommates who I think only ever make eggs and bacon (and I'm pretty sure that's only one of them). Start small and go from there. Eventually you'll feel more comfortable doing it and trying out new things. There're a lot of websites that have easy recipes for college students.
     
  12. HandyDandyFixer

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    This will sound weird but with seasonings sprinkle on hand and lick. It gives you an idea of how potent a seasoning is or what it tastes like. Don't be afraid to add things to recipes or take away I always look for recipes online and tweak to then how I like it line i made a Chicken oriental cabbage but added seasonings that I like. Chinese give spice garlic powder and sweet chili sauce. It's a lot of trial and error just don't give up trying
     
  13. Gutterpunk

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    Start with very simple things like hardtack bread to use as a confidence booster
     
  14. Ram90

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    I started by looking up basic recipes online. I'm South-Indian, so I tried cooking recipes closed to home first. Stuff my mother and grandmother cooked and fed me most of my life. I could always fall back on my mother, asking her to taste my food and correct me if I was going wrong. Once I knew I got most of it right, I went on to explore other recipes - Dishes I used to order when I went out, I would look the recipes up online and then tweak them to my liking. Over time I could re-create most of them. Now, it's fun when I go out to eat, since I try to guess what ingredients were used to make it!
     
  15. Destin

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    Wow, so much awesome advice! Thgank you all, this has given me so many new things to try making.

    Yes we do have those. Chicken sounds good, it's so versatile and delicious.
     
    #15 Destin, Feb 16, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2019
  16. bluehorizon

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    Here are two how-to videos I really like, because they're simple AND employ just a little bit of technique that elevates the proceedings without being hard or risky.

    Jamie Oliver's American Style Scrambled eggs:



    Chicken and Mushrooms:
     
    #16 bluehorizon, Feb 16, 2019
    Last edited: Feb 16, 2019