Beginner cook, were do I start
Discussion
So happy new year to all. I'm feed up of my basic cooking skills and its time for me to learn how to cook.
But!!!! I have no idea how to cook really. I can do fajitas, fry ups steak and chips the essential man diet. But I would like to be able to do maybe pie's roast dinners just the various family meals that I'm sure all of you can do.
I will cooking for no more then 2 people but maybe more when friends come round. So anyone got any good web sited with step by step video's or decent books they can recommend?
But!!!! I have no idea how to cook really. I can do fajitas, fry ups steak and chips the essential man diet. But I would like to be able to do maybe pie's roast dinners just the various family meals that I'm sure all of you can do.
I will cooking for no more then 2 people but maybe more when friends come round. So anyone got any good web sited with step by step video's or decent books they can recommend?
Try a few of Jamie Oliver's recipes from his website - I find his stuff really tasty and easy to get right. If you get on ok with a few, then a lot of his recent books are packed with nice simple stuff.
One of the 30 minute meals recipes would be a good start. http://www.jamieoliver.com/tv-books/jamies-30-minu...
One of the 30 minute meals recipes would be a good start. http://www.jamieoliver.com/tv-books/jamies-30-minu...
dave0010 said:
Shaw Tarse said:
Slow cooker tends to give tasty food, but not pretty 
There good for making pies though arnt they? my little plan is to make one new thing each week and this weeks is a pie of some sort 
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/st...
dave0010 said:
Shaw Tarse said:
Slow cooker tends to give tasty food, but not pretty
There good for making pies though arnt they? my little plan is to make one new thing each week and this weeks is a pie of some sort Get some tough old flank/skirt steak and bung it in the slow cooker with onions, mushrooms and a splash of ale. Add flour mashed together with a knob of butter to thicken the juices.
As suggested above, find some books to learn the basic principles. Ingredients, ovens etc all vary, and horrible results can ensue from slavishly following 'recipes'.
/VOE
You're putting too much liquid in to start with and/or not reducing the juice probably.
Regarding learning to cook, try basic recipes such as a full roast dinner, get that nailed then move onto more complex stuff. Don't be afraid to experiment either, I rarely follow recipes when I cook as the experimental side is something I enjoy.
Regarding learning to cook, try basic recipes such as a full roast dinner, get that nailed then move onto more complex stuff. Don't be afraid to experiment either, I rarely follow recipes when I cook as the experimental side is something I enjoy.
Up until the age of 19 I had never cooked anything more substantial than beans on toast!
I cooked my first ever meal on 14th Feb 2009, this was 4 days before me and my girlfriend moved into our first house. She has not cooked a meal since...
The Jamie Oliver collection was the choice for me, spent the first few months doing pretty much every recipe from the Minitry of Food cook book, adopted his other books from my parents and with the recent british food book i've got the collection!
Just remember to keep it simple, you dont need too much to create a great dish. Plus the slow-cooker is a life saver during the week.
Good luck!
I cooked my first ever meal on 14th Feb 2009, this was 4 days before me and my girlfriend moved into our first house. She has not cooked a meal since...
The Jamie Oliver collection was the choice for me, spent the first few months doing pretty much every recipe from the Minitry of Food cook book, adopted his other books from my parents and with the recent british food book i've got the collection!
Just remember to keep it simple, you dont need too much to create a great dish. Plus the slow-cooker is a life saver during the week.
Good luck!
Slow cooker isn't really "cooking". It's just "making food".
But it is an easy way to turn 'ingredients' into 'dinner' I guess.
Either buy a cookbook, try a few things, and extrapolate from there: or do what I did, buy something and try to make it edible.
Can recommend Nigel Slater's books (Real Food) etc. None of your 'in a balsamic reduction' rubbish, just simple good stuff.
But it is an easy way to turn 'ingredients' into 'dinner' I guess.
Either buy a cookbook, try a few things, and extrapolate from there: or do what I did, buy something and try to make it edible.
Can recommend Nigel Slater's books (Real Food) etc. None of your 'in a balsamic reduction' rubbish, just simple good stuff.
Roger645 said:
Second hand bookshops are probably full of Delia's how to cook volume one and two.
Indeed , brilliant "idiots guides" .Full of good practise and step by step recipes. You should be able to find them both cheaply. http://www.bookfinder.com/search/?ac=sl&st=sl&...
From a princely 2 quid.
Well worth getting a slow cooker,ideal for stews/curies/bolognaise etc.
A roast isn't difficult to do, but for the first time or two it would be worth writing out a plan for when to start each thing cooking ( and resting)
For other ideas of what to cook & how keep browsing food & drink on here, people are always happy to help!
A roast isn't difficult to do, but for the first time or two it would be worth writing out a plan for when to start each thing cooking ( and resting)
For other ideas of what to cook & how keep browsing food & drink on here, people are always happy to help!
My local sainsburys has the entire Jamie Oliver collection (or at least his first 6 books) reduced to a fiver each...
however..
They were on offer as a buy one get one free!!
Crazy price
This link is for Amazon but its this style of cover (book) thats on offer
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Naked-Chef-Jamie-Ol...
however..
They were on offer as a buy one get one free!!
Crazy price
This link is for Amazon but its this style of cover (book) thats on offer
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Naked-Chef-Jamie-Ol...
Mate
I was in a similar place to you a few years ago. I lived on steak and salad, every dinner, for about 4 weeks. It got boring. So, I decided I'd teach myself to cook.
First up, you need some basic kit. Not a lot, but get decent stuff you can add to as you go along. I'd forget about slow cookers, food processors or most other gadgets for now. Equipment I'd invest in if I were starting over:
1. Decent chopping board. I like wood as its cheap, nice to cut on and can double as a serving board (eg, cheese, cold meats, canapes etc) plus is heat resistant. Plastic works OK but looks kak. Avoid glass, marble or anything hard as it feels horrid and blunts your knives.
2. Buy a good quality knife and sharpener. A poor or blunt knife is dangerous (you WILL cut yourself) and will also make your life a misery. Spend £60+ on a decent cooks knife then get a decent sharpener. Given you will be (hopefully) using it a lot, go to a shop and try holding a few knives. they have different weights and feels, some of which you will find more comfy than others. A small, cheap serrated knife is also handy (for anything soft like tomatoes)
3. Buy some decent pots and pans. Nothing stupidly expensive. Tesco and Sainsbury do really nice own-brand pots and pans. you want something with a solid bottom and a really solidly attached handle. 1 medium, one large and one good-sized fry pan. All with lids and stainless insides. A small, cheap, non-stick pan is also useful.
4. Half a dozen wooden spoons, a potato masher, a slotted spoon and a larger spoon for serving food with should about do it.
Seriously, that's it in terms of basic kit.
If you want to buy a gadget, I'd buy a handheld blender which has a small food processor attachment.
Ingredients. Buy some:
1. Decent salt. Maldon sea salt is OK. Don't season your food with table salt ever again.
2. Good extra virgin olive oil
3. Jars of chopped garlic, ginger and chilli. Fresh is nicer, but this is just easier for now.
4. Marigold Swiss Vegetable buillon powder. It makes a fairly decent stock. Everything else (OXO, Knorr etc) is really salty and will ruin your food.
5. Some basic dried herbs. Parsley, basil, oregano and thyme should cover you. Indian food almost always uses ground cumin, tumeric, corriander and garam masala. Handy to have also for a basic curry.
Everything else, try and buy fresh.
Buy a couple of basic books, read the recipes then have a go. If it works, great. If not, you can try again or order takeaway. I still make some absolute disasters that go straight to the bin.
Lastly, try watching a couple of TV programs and focus on their techniques eg, learning to cut things properly so you don't lose a finger, learning to stir things properly etc. They often tell you what sort of colour / consistency to aim for so you know when things are right.
Eat out. Pay attention to the flavours, how the food is presented. Try and guess what goes in and have a go at recreating it.
Most importantly. Enjoy yourself. A glass of wine usually helps in this regard ;-)
I was in a similar place to you a few years ago. I lived on steak and salad, every dinner, for about 4 weeks. It got boring. So, I decided I'd teach myself to cook.
First up, you need some basic kit. Not a lot, but get decent stuff you can add to as you go along. I'd forget about slow cookers, food processors or most other gadgets for now. Equipment I'd invest in if I were starting over:
1. Decent chopping board. I like wood as its cheap, nice to cut on and can double as a serving board (eg, cheese, cold meats, canapes etc) plus is heat resistant. Plastic works OK but looks kak. Avoid glass, marble or anything hard as it feels horrid and blunts your knives.
2. Buy a good quality knife and sharpener. A poor or blunt knife is dangerous (you WILL cut yourself) and will also make your life a misery. Spend £60+ on a decent cooks knife then get a decent sharpener. Given you will be (hopefully) using it a lot, go to a shop and try holding a few knives. they have different weights and feels, some of which you will find more comfy than others. A small, cheap serrated knife is also handy (for anything soft like tomatoes)
3. Buy some decent pots and pans. Nothing stupidly expensive. Tesco and Sainsbury do really nice own-brand pots and pans. you want something with a solid bottom and a really solidly attached handle. 1 medium, one large and one good-sized fry pan. All with lids and stainless insides. A small, cheap, non-stick pan is also useful.
4. Half a dozen wooden spoons, a potato masher, a slotted spoon and a larger spoon for serving food with should about do it.
Seriously, that's it in terms of basic kit.
If you want to buy a gadget, I'd buy a handheld blender which has a small food processor attachment.
Ingredients. Buy some:
1. Decent salt. Maldon sea salt is OK. Don't season your food with table salt ever again.
2. Good extra virgin olive oil
3. Jars of chopped garlic, ginger and chilli. Fresh is nicer, but this is just easier for now.
4. Marigold Swiss Vegetable buillon powder. It makes a fairly decent stock. Everything else (OXO, Knorr etc) is really salty and will ruin your food.
5. Some basic dried herbs. Parsley, basil, oregano and thyme should cover you. Indian food almost always uses ground cumin, tumeric, corriander and garam masala. Handy to have also for a basic curry.
Everything else, try and buy fresh.
Buy a couple of basic books, read the recipes then have a go. If it works, great. If not, you can try again or order takeaway. I still make some absolute disasters that go straight to the bin.
Lastly, try watching a couple of TV programs and focus on their techniques eg, learning to cut things properly so you don't lose a finger, learning to stir things properly etc. They often tell you what sort of colour / consistency to aim for so you know when things are right.
Eat out. Pay attention to the flavours, how the food is presented. Try and guess what goes in and have a go at recreating it.
Most importantly. Enjoy yourself. A glass of wine usually helps in this regard ;-)
Excellent reply Cactussed.
I went the same way you are thinking and now I make my own pastry, bake cakes etc, etc.
The right kit saves time and effort. There’s nothing that pisses me off more than a blunt knife or whisking by hand...
Other than the right kit I would say:
1. Cook books, Mr Oliver’s are easy to understand and don’t faff around with all that presentation crap.
2. Good quality ingredients: Whatever your cooking it will taste like s
te if you start with ste.
3. An assortment of herbs and spices on tap (they make all the difference to a meal)
4. You tube – a real life saver when you need to see it being chopped, sliced sautéed etc
5. Finally the guts to try and cook it.
I guarantee you will never by Aunt Bessies’ crap, ‘ready made pies’ and all that rubbish when you can cook it all fresh and better.
I went the same way you are thinking and now I make my own pastry, bake cakes etc, etc.
The right kit saves time and effort. There’s nothing that pisses me off more than a blunt knife or whisking by hand...
Other than the right kit I would say:
1. Cook books, Mr Oliver’s are easy to understand and don’t faff around with all that presentation crap.
2. Good quality ingredients: Whatever your cooking it will taste like s
te if you start with ste.3. An assortment of herbs and spices on tap (they make all the difference to a meal)
4. You tube – a real life saver when you need to see it being chopped, sliced sautéed etc
5. Finally the guts to try and cook it.
I guarantee you will never by Aunt Bessies’ crap, ‘ready made pies’ and all that rubbish when you can cook it all fresh and better.
Re: Pie. Which is just a stew inside some pastry if you think about it. Here's a basic idea for you.
1 onion (peeled, roughly chopped)
2 carrots (peeled, roughly chopped)
1 leek (remove outer layer, top and tail, chop into rounds)
1 celery stalk (roughly chopped)
Some cheap meat. eg, skirt steak. Cheap is good for a pie. Cut up the meat.
If you're ever wondering how big to chop something, just ask yourself what size you fancy eating off your fork. If its chunks of meat and veg the size of coffee cups, good for you. Bits the size of smarties taste just the same. Smaller things cook quicker. Also, try and cut things all the same size so they all cook at roughly the same speed.
1. Cut up all your veg.
2. Cut up the meat and roll it in plain flour. (The flour is what makes the gravy thick rather than runny).
3. Heat (medium heat) some oil or butter in a big pot or pan. Throw in all the cut veg and stir periodically until they start to cook a bit (maybe 4-5 minutes).
4. Now chuck in your meat with the veg and stir around until the meat is browned on the oustside.
5. Now cover the whole lot with liquid (water and some of the buillon stock, maybe some red wine or beer if you fancy it).
6. Turn up the heat, bring everything to the boil then turn it down so its simmering. Put th elid on and let it cook like this for at least 2 hours. You know when its done as the meat will turn from really chewy to really soft.
7. Once you're at this point, remove the lid, turn the heat back up and boil off some liquid until you reach the consistency you want (again, it depends on how runny you want your pie filling)
8. At this point, you should check the taste one final time and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Some fresh parsely and thyme is also nice. Taste it and see.
Voila, one basic casserole.
As for the pie bit, you've got a few options.
1. Cut out a circle of pre-bought, pre-rolled puff pastry, brush the top with beaten egg then cook in a hot oven until it turns golden and puffs up. Put the stew into a bowl, rest the pastry disc on top and you're done.
2. If you have one, put the stew into an oven proof dish, then put the pastry over the top of it. Brush with the egg, pierce a hole in the middle (lets steam out) then as above, chuck in the oven.
A proper pie requires pre-baking a base with shortcrust pastry, letting it cool, then filling it and topping with the puff pastry outlined in step 2...
Make sure you post a photo on here!
1 onion (peeled, roughly chopped)
2 carrots (peeled, roughly chopped)
1 leek (remove outer layer, top and tail, chop into rounds)
1 celery stalk (roughly chopped)
Some cheap meat. eg, skirt steak. Cheap is good for a pie. Cut up the meat.
If you're ever wondering how big to chop something, just ask yourself what size you fancy eating off your fork. If its chunks of meat and veg the size of coffee cups, good for you. Bits the size of smarties taste just the same. Smaller things cook quicker. Also, try and cut things all the same size so they all cook at roughly the same speed.
1. Cut up all your veg.
2. Cut up the meat and roll it in plain flour. (The flour is what makes the gravy thick rather than runny).
3. Heat (medium heat) some oil or butter in a big pot or pan. Throw in all the cut veg and stir periodically until they start to cook a bit (maybe 4-5 minutes).
4. Now chuck in your meat with the veg and stir around until the meat is browned on the oustside.
5. Now cover the whole lot with liquid (water and some of the buillon stock, maybe some red wine or beer if you fancy it).
6. Turn up the heat, bring everything to the boil then turn it down so its simmering. Put th elid on and let it cook like this for at least 2 hours. You know when its done as the meat will turn from really chewy to really soft.
7. Once you're at this point, remove the lid, turn the heat back up and boil off some liquid until you reach the consistency you want (again, it depends on how runny you want your pie filling)
8. At this point, you should check the taste one final time and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. Some fresh parsely and thyme is also nice. Taste it and see.
Voila, one basic casserole.
As for the pie bit, you've got a few options.
1. Cut out a circle of pre-bought, pre-rolled puff pastry, brush the top with beaten egg then cook in a hot oven until it turns golden and puffs up. Put the stew into a bowl, rest the pastry disc on top and you're done.
2. If you have one, put the stew into an oven proof dish, then put the pastry over the top of it. Brush with the egg, pierce a hole in the middle (lets steam out) then as above, chuck in the oven.
A proper pie requires pre-baking a base with shortcrust pastry, letting it cool, then filling it and topping with the puff pastry outlined in step 2...
Make sure you post a photo on here!
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