An Idiot and a Kitchen

Big Mouth

Actually two idiots, myself and GF are moving in together and between us the best we can do is beans on toast!

Any cookbook for dummies that you recommend or website that has easy to follow instructions? We both actually love fine dining and try get to a nice restaurant once a week so we have a good sense of dishes (if that makes sense).

Although we have quite a few differences , I love potatoes and she hates them and vica versa with goats cheese and tomatoe.

So maybe a good range of easy too cook dishes if possible! And now I'll hand it over to the experts...........

Prenderb

Delia Smith for no-nonsense dinners type of cooking, then I've found Neven Maguire and Jamie Olivers writings to be interesting for more "occasional" cooking.

TrueDub

Big Mouth wrote: »

Actually two idiots, myself and GF are moving in together and between us the best we can do is beans on toast!

Any cookbook for dummies that you recommend or website that has easy to follow instructions? We both actually love fine dining and try get to a nice restaurant once a week so we have a good sense of dishes (if that makes sense).

Although we have quite a few differences , I love potatoes and she hates them and vica versa with goats cheese and tomatoe.

So maybe a good range of easy too cook dishes if possible! And now I'll hand it over to the experts...........

Buy Jamie Oliver's "Learn how to cook" - started me off nicely. Simple, basic recipies that are superb to cook and better to eat, particularly the stews and meatloaf.

Sparks

Two words : "Good Eats"
Go youtube it. There are two channels, here and here covering about fourteen series of the show, so you don't have to buy anything.

It leaves Delia in the ground cold, and Jamie wishing he'd left his clothes on.

There are books from the show: Good Eats: The early years, I'm just here for the food, I'm just here for more food, Gear for your kitchen, and a few others. But really, the show's the core of it. The reason it's so good is that it's the only food show out there that doesn't just tell you what to do; but explains precisely why you do things the way you do them, right down to a molecular level sometimes, and right up to straightforward practicality other times.

And for a small kitchen, the "we hate unitaskers" rule is bloody fantastic.
It's not just basic meals either, it's everything from proper BBQ to crown rack of lamb to roast beef to proper hamburgers to corn dogs to various cocktails to wine and beer to how to stock a pantry and how to use what you've stocked up, how to choose meat cuts and why you make the choices you do and what to do with them, how to substitute various ingredients, how to choose kitchen equipment from knives (has an entire show) and pots/pans to the more esoteric stuff.

I know I go on about it quite a lot, but more than any other source, I learnt how to cook from Alton Brown and I'm quite a fan of the guy.

Even if he is a complete nerd.

boodlesdoodles

While I agree with you Sparks about Alton Brown I think he may be a step too far for a beginner. I can second Delia, get her complete cookery course book it was the very first cookery book my OH bought me. It wasn't a hint I asked for it nearly 14 years ago (time flies) and she taught me the basics about ordinary dinners etc. Rachel Allen and Jamie Oliver are also good for basic cookery.

Good sites online are bbcgoodfood.com, bbc.co.uk/food, uktv food and food network.

Enjoy the failures as much as the successes OP that's the only way you'll learn. I was rubbish at cooking but now I'm regarded as the best cook in my family and I'm very proud of that.

Sparks

boodlesdoodles wrote: »

I think he may be a step too far for a beginner

:eek:

To be honest, I've tried Delia's books, and Jamie Oliver's and Rhodes' and Slater's, and Brown was easier than any of them. It does help to be a bit of a geek I suppose, but seriously - he starts with cooking steak. There isn't anything easier you can cook for a first course, it's a cut of meat put in a pan, flipped once, and then removed, rested and served. That's all. And he takes a half-hour to explain how to do it properly, and why we do each of the steps, and what cut to buy and so on. And he builds from there. Pretty much everything gets covered in that show - there are shows based around a single tool, around a single ingredient, around a single dish; I don't know of any better or easier way for a beginner to get into it.

I mean, there are a lot of reasons to read other stuff, and I've gone through a lot of them and don't intend to stop, but for basic, fundamental stuff, I haven't found anything better than Brown's stuff.

boodlesdoodles

Sparks wrote: »

:eek:

To be honest, I've tried Delia's books, and Jamie Oliver's and Rhodes' and Slater's, and Brown was easier than any of them. It does help to be a bit of a geek I suppose, but seriously - he starts with cooking steak. There isn't anything easier you can cook for a first course, it's a cut of meat put in a pan, flipped once, and then removed, rested and served. That's all. And he takes a half-hour to explain how to do it properly, and why we do each of the steps, and what cut to buy and so on. And he builds from there. Pretty much everything gets covered in that show - there are shows based around a single tool, around a single ingredient, around a single dish; I don't know of any better or easier way for a beginner to get into it.

I mean, there are a lot of reasons to read other stuff, and I've gone through a lot of them and don't intend to stop, but for basic, fundamental stuff, I haven't found anything better than Brown's stuff.

Just trying to be helpful and explain what helped me learn to cook and I have to say I find Alton Brown really interesting but when you're learning you don't need the science behind what you're doing. Tis just my opinion and I don't expect to be :eek: for it!

Sparks

Sorry boodle, wasn't trying to be offensive, it's just that if you'd asked me what the one defining characteristic of Brown's stuff was, it'd be that it was aimed at complete beginners, so what you said was a bit surprising to me, that's all.

boodlesdoodles

Sparks wrote: »

Sorry boodle, wasn't trying to be offensive, it's just that if you'd asked me what the one defining characteristic of Brown's stuff was, it'd be that it was aimed at complete beginners, so what you said was a bit surprising to me, that's all.

No hassle Sparks but I do respect where you're coming from and I didn't take any offence whatsoever! I didn't mean to disrespect your cookery idol either. I know how it feels when people diss the ones we idolise! I've had a lifelong battle defending Morten Harket! He doesn't talk about cookin but dayum he's looks fine.:P

Nevyn

If knowing what each step is doing to the food makes it intresting then it's good, if you don't want to know or need to know or not intrested there is a lot of babble in the good eats show which can put minds which are not as enquiring off.

The Sweeper

That's the nail on the head I think - if you want to learn to cook because you can't afford takeaway but you want to eat something that's edible, you won't be interested in Alton Brown. If you want to learn to cook because it fascinates you, he'll be great.

olaola

Two friends of mine were in a similar situation - they have iPhones, so they used the Jamie Oliver app. And they swear by it. They never leave the house now! And you get a shopping list when you choose your meals for the week.

Beruthiel

Big Mouth wrote: »

Any cookbook for dummies that you recommend

Jamie Oliver - Ministry of Food is as basic as it gets. Even explains what pots and pans you need.

The thing about cooking is to understand that when you first try a recipe, know that it's probably not going to be great. I find to get a meal down pat, you need to practice it for at least two or three times to get the feel for it.
In other words, don't give up if it doesn't work the first time around.

TrueDub

Beruthiel wrote: »

The thing about cooking is to understand that when you first try a recipe, know that it's probably not going to be great. I find to get a meal down pat, you need to practice it for at least two or three times to get the feel for it.
In other words, don't give up if it doesn't work the first time around.

This is a very important point - with the added proviso that while your first attempt might not be great, it'll more than likely still be edible, and probably tasty, so you won't starve anyway!

Stick with it, and have fun doing it, it's a really fun thing to do and a great way to unwind.

Big Mouth

Had a look at a Jamie Oliver video on his site...it was an instruction on how to cook beef in black bean sauce....made it very easy and looks enjoyable. Can I use Jamie Oliver app on windows? Or buy clips?

TrueDub

Big Mouth wrote: »

Had a look at a Jamie Oliver video on his site...it was an instruction on how to cook beef in black bean sauce....made it very easy and looks enjoyable. Can I use Jamie Oliver app on windows? Or buy clips?

You don't have an iphone, no? His app on the iphone is excellent.

In reality, his books are just as good, and you can scribble your own notes & guides on them. Worth the price.