Can't cook, won't cook?

SW81

Please tell me I'm not the only woman here who can't cook? Beans on toast is a difficulty for me, I'm brutal! I live with a few guys and they're all amazing at cooking, they put me to shame. Am I alone? Please someone share my embarrasment. I should really do cooking classes or something but I've always just cooked for myself and I eat really basic food so it's just never been an issue but the lads in my house are making me feel useless!

watna

Sorry, can't help you. I love to cook. Have lots of specialities and make a roast every Sunday. Cooking relaxes me when I come home from work and I like to know I'm eating fresh food with proper meat and veg.

SW81

watna wrote: »

Sorry, can't help you. I love to cook. Have lots of specialities and make a roast every Sunday. Cooking relaxes me when I come home from work and I like to know I'm eating fresh food with proper meat and veg.

Ah damnit I'd love to be like that, I suppose my Mum never showed me anything cooking wise growing up so I just never got around to it the traditional way. Should really do a class I suppose.

Stargal

SW81 wrote: »

Ah damnit I'd love to be like that, I suppose my Mum never showed me anything cooking wise growing up so I just never got around to it the traditional way. Should really do a class I suppose.

You don't need to do a class! My mam never showed me either but I just picked it up myself cos I wanted to be able to make nice things in the kitchen. Did you ever do Home Ec in school? I found that really helpful for the basics. If you did, you could dig out your old school book and have a go at the few of those recipes.

Otherwise buy a really basic cookery book - go for something like Delia Smith's 'How to Cook Book 1' or something like that - and give it a shot. Cooking is great, seriously. It's awesome seeing loads of people eating something that you've just made and knowing that it tastes great

jellie

im not great at cooking either. always manage to burn things. i like baking though, im much better at that. i make great chocolate muffins problem is i eat them all then..

Baudelaire

I love to cook, it's so relaxing and I love experimenting with new things. Start with basic easy thing that everybody likes like lasagne/Spagetti Bolagnaise/Shepards pie etc they're easier to cook than you'd think and once you get good at those you'll feel more confident to try other things. Also simple food can taste great with the right sauce, my ex loved my peppered steaks with pepper cream sauce with veg and roast potatoes and thats so easy to put together. Chicken is probably the most versatile food there is to cook with too, you can do anything with it and it still tastes like chicken

SarahSassy

'If you can read, you can cook'

Are Baudelaire says, start small e.g. fry some mince in a little oil til it browns and add a jar of Dolmio sauce, throw on one fresh pasta which takes about 3 mins to cook and put some garlic bread under the grill.

Its not rocket science, its all about confidence. It really relaxing once you gain confidence.

charba

I love to cook. Most of the time I just do the basics with a bit of a twist. I love bulking everything out with vegetables as they add texture and flavour and are easy to do.

The key is to smart small like other posters have said. Start with a spag bol using a jar of sauce or a chicken curry. After you are confident that you can make that to you liking then try making the sauce yourself.
there's a sticky in the food forum under recipes "Easy Peasy Recipes" and its really good provided you can find something you like

echosound

SarahSassy wrote: »

'If you can read, you can cook'

+1. I would never have considered myself a good cook, but would always have been able to do the basics like meat and veg, or stirfries/pasta etc. Never did Home Ec, never really picked up cooking tips from my mother etc.

Decided a while ago that I would like to be one of these domestic godesses, got a few recipe books, and hey presto, I have even managed to impress my old gran, who is a fabulous cook.

It's really foolproof, many recipe books give you everything, down to what vessels/implements you should use, exactly how to prepare the food, what order to do things in, oven temps, cooking times, and alternative methods and ingredients if you don't have everything as described in the main recipe.

I cannot emphasise enough how impressed my friends and family are when they arrive to visit and I present them with homecooked cakes and cookies, and being able to say "oh yeah I do my own sauces from scratch" is such a smug feeling

Start small though as others said -no point trying to do a 5 course dinner party for 12 as you'll only muck up the timing on everything (as I have done) and ruin your confidence, but start doing stuff for just yourself, getting the timing right, then you can move up to handling larger quantities and impressing all and sundry

SW81

Thanks girls, ye've given me some confidence now. So start small, buy some easy recipe books and have fun!

echosound

SW81 wrote: »

Thanks girls, ye've given me some confidence now. So start small, buy some easy recipe books and have fun!

And have the fire brigade on speeddial
ah, only messing. have fun!

Baudelaire

SW81 wrote: »

Thanks girls, ye've given me some confidence now. So start small, buy some easy recipe books and have fun!

Exactly, don't see it as a chore, see it as a hobby. It really is alot of fun when you get into it and you'll suprise yourself at how good you are

I used to be very good at baking years ago, all from a book of course cakes and cookies and whathaveyou.
I don't know about cooking, but if I had a recipe book I'm sure it'd be easy enough

jellie

theres lots of recipe sites online too, save you buying a book. although one annoying thing is finding the perfect recipe & then seeing the ingredients are all in cups. i never know how much a cup really is..

Nightwish

I am like you OP. I am a sh!te cook. I once set fish on fire. I never really learned how to cook. I was asked to leave Home Economics by the teacher in 1st year, as I was the "worlds worst cook". My OH is great at cooking and has shown me a thing or too. As has my sister, who is a fantastic cook.

Crumble Froo

i can cook in a very basic kinda way... get the meat, veg and spuds done for dinner, but i dont like to cook. hate it, in fact. attempting to learn properly now as part of a new healthy eating me.

Black Swan

I like to serve it while it's HOT! Stirfry, spicy Southwestern, Mexican, Thai, Korean Bar-B-Q, seafood gumbo, you name it. It's all play to me after a cool pint or a nice glass of wine and good company.

sar84

sar84 wrote: »

theres lots of recipe sites online too, save you buying a book. although one annoying thing is finding the perfect recipe & then seeing the ingredients are all in cups. i never know how much a cup really is..

I figured it's not quite a small teacup

LittleGoblin

Me and cooking - its a bit complicated....

I love baking. I can make the best Chocolate Brownies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Victoria Sandwich Sponge...

Not great on the dinner though. My OH loves to cook.... why would I prevent him and serve him an inferior meal at the same time?

geminilady

i like cooking when i actually cook. But i didnt really start cooking till i hit uni. Just give it a go practice makes perfect!!!

SarahSassy

SW81,

I saw a leaflet today and thought of you -


www.dublincookery.com

Assuming you live in Dublin

Cathmandooo

I love to cook, dance sing and cook at the same time preferably Mam does most of the cooking tho so I get to do it as a hobby type rather than out of necessity. Won't be living with Mam after March tho so my culinery skills will be put to the test everyday!! :eek: cooking for just myself wont make me too adventurous tho so come over and I'll cook ye all dinner

takola

I CAN cook. The better half taught me. I can even cook edible food. But he can cook so much better than me and he enjoys so he cooks! I've never found it relaxing! I absolutely hate standing over a cooker. And I hate cooking anything in the oven! Bugs the life out of me. So I can cook but I won't!

Nevyn

SW81 wrote: »

Please tell me I'm not the only woman here who can't cook? Beans on toast is a difficulty for me, I'm brutal! I live with a few guys and they're all amazing at cooking, they put me to shame. Am I alone? Please someone share my embarrasment. I should really do cooking classes or something but I've always just cooked for myself and I eat really basic food so it's just never been an issue but the lads in my house are making me feel useless!

why do you feel so bad about it ?
Seriously if a bloke can't cook they don't get in knots about it.

I hate the expectation that cos you have a vagina you are able to cook and you are a failure as a woman if you can't :rolleyes:

I know young women who can cook but won't as they don't want to be left cooking all the time or resent the fact that it is exected of them and so either won't or refuse to better thier skills at something they have a natural flair for.

Some people have a 'gift' for cooking, some people don't it's got sod all to do with gender.

SW81 it takes practice, you have to pick something and give it a whirl, start with something easy like putting to yogether a tasty salad with a dressing and grilling a chicken breast or a stew where you just feck everything in a pot.

angelicious

I love cooking, but what I love more is inventing my own recipes from what I have in my cupboard. The other day I made a savage pasta dish with the most basic ingredients -

Pasta shells/shapes, cook as per pack instructions
Chop and stir fry together 1 clove of garlic and whatever quantity of chopped mushrooms you want for about 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, stiry fry for another 2 minutes, pour over your cooked pasta and enjoy! You can add salt/pepper/grated cheese to the final dish as well if you like a little more oomph.

Babette08

angelicious wrote: »

I love cooking, but what I love more is inventing my own recipes from what I have in my cupboard. The other day I made a savage pasta dish with the most basic ingredients -

Pasta shells/shapes, cook as per pack instructions
Chop and stir fry together 1 clove of garlic and whatever quantity of chopped mushrooms you want for about 3 minutes on a medium heat. Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, stiry fry for another 2 minutes, pour over your cooked pasta and enjoy! You can add salt/pepper/grated cheese to the final dish as well if you like a little more oomph.

Yeah that sounds a lot like me...great at making dishes out of almost nothing...being a veggie got used to doing my own dinner. Know the basic's pretty well but would love to expand my knowledge a little - cookery course on my to do list!! Bit lazy i have to say I reckon i deserve brownie points for doing the x-mas dinner every year though...no food poisoning yet!!

Baudelaire

Thaedydal wrote: »

....or a stew where you just feck everything in a pot.

Classic Irish cuisine, there's nothing tastier

shoegirl

SW81 wrote: »

Please tell me I'm not the only woman here who can't cook? Beans on toast is a difficulty for me, I'm brutal! I live with a few guys and they're all amazing at cooking, they put me to shame. Am I alone? Please someone share my embarrasment. I should really do cooking classes or something but I've always just cooked for myself and I eat really basic food so it's just never been an issue but the lads in my house are making me feel useless!

You're not and it isn't anything to be ashamed of. My sister (who is nearly 33) literally cannot boil an egg, and once caused lots of mirth because she asked us how to preheat the oven. She doesn't see the point of learning to cook as she either eats convenience foods or eats out.

Its a good thing to learn though. Get a copy of Delia Smith's How to Cook Part 1 if you're really unhappy about it, its not difficult to learn some simple things like boiling an egg.

angelicious

Babette08 wrote: »

Yeah that sounds a lot like me...great at making dishes out of almost nothing...being a veggie got used to doing my own dinner. Know the basic's pretty well but would love to expand my knowledge a little - cookery course on my to do list!! Bit lazy i have to say I reckon i deserve brownie points for doing the x-mas dinner every year though...no food poisoning yet!!

Snap! I'm a veggie too - well, pesco-veggie as I eat seafood.

I'd love to do a cookery course as well but in the meantime I have great fun downloading recipies from websites & just trying my hand at them. More often than not they turn out great and it's not just me saying that, my boyfriend laps up any dish I put in front of him.

Serious brownie points due for cooking xmas dinners - that's something I DEFO need a cookery course for

pampers1

Hi guys.. not sure if this is the right place. I was wondering is there really a big huge difference between cooking with a wok or frying pan. I want to try doing a stir fry with noodles and stuff but i'm a bit afraid as I don't have a wok and someone told me its vital for a proper stir fry. Not really in the mood of trecking out to buy a wok though. What do you think??

Susannahmia

pampers1 wrote: »

Hi guys.. not sure if this is the right place. I was wondering is there really a big huge difference between cooking with a wok or frying pan. I want to try doing a stir fry with noodles and stuff but i'm a bit afraid as I don't have a wok and someone told me its vital for a proper stir fry. Not really in the mood of trecking out to buy a wok though. What do you think??

It's just harder cook as much and to keep the stuff in the pan really.

pampers1

oh right. but it can be done. like could I use those straight to wok noodles in just a normal frying pan? I really like stir fry so maybe I should just invest in one!!!

Baudelaire

It depends on what you're cooking on, In China the Wok sits into the flame and the heat is distributed more evenly up the sides but because of the small base on a wok they're not really any good for cooking if you're using electric since the base is the only part that get's the required heat. using gas it's generally OK but it's not really any different than using a non stick pan IMO.

pampers1

Yes i'd be using electric. That's great to know. Thanks a mil for your help.