Help me learn to love cooking!

FairytaleGirl

Hi all,

Backstory, my mum was never much for cooking, so i never learned to cook. My ex did like cooking but was a very impatient person and would never have the patience to allow me to try without cutting in, criticising or taking over.

As a result im a real basic, out of a packet cook, and im fed up with it, but i just don't have the confidence. I have tried my best but i doubt myself and never enjoy it. I either burn the meal to make sure its cooked through or worry its underdone and dont trust myself to eat it!

I really would love to be confident and proud of the food i make, so what im asking is for very simple but tasty recipes so i can be proud of what i make, build my confidence and most importantly, improve my diet.

Any tips?

hardCopy

If you're ever in doubt about chicken, just cut into it and make sure the centre is white. Beef is nicer rare anyway.

Have a look at the Here's What I Had For Dinner Last Night thread and try some of the cooking club recipes.

What kinds of foods do you like?

ElleEm

I am inspired to cook because I love food, so start by finding your favourite meals and get step by step recipes. Boards is great for both recipes and help if you don't understand something, or want tips.
I would first recommend getting a small sharp knife and a big sharp knife. The sharper the knife, the easier it is to use. When you are chopping something, put a damp cloth between the counter and the chopping board as it prevents it from sliding around.
So decide what do you want to eat and work backwards!

oscarBravo

hardCopy wrote: »

If you're ever in doubt about chicken, just cut into it and make sure the centre is white. Beef is nicer rare anyway.

All true.

What's also important is to treat every dish you cook as a learning process. Suppose you're cooking a steak, and you want to aim for cooking it medium. As it cooks, keep pressing it with your finger to get a sense of how firm it is. When you think it might be where you want it, cut into it to see how well it's actually cooked, and compare it to what you thought from the firmness. After a while you'll surprise yourself with how well you can judge it, even if you're a mile out the first few times you try it.

When I made the buttermilk fried chicken from last week's cooking club, I fried the chicken until it felt just about cooked through to me. Because I had guests (including children) for dinner, I double-checked with a meat thermometer before serving, but I was confident enough that if it was just me, I would have served it straight up - and it was cooked to absolute perfection, still juicy and moist but cooked right through.

A meat thermometer is a useful tool to get you started. You can compare how the meat feels to the temperature reading, which will help to accelerate the development of your sense of touch.

Dizzyblonde

Have a look in the threads hardCopy mentioned, and there are lots of easy recipes here to get you started: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054856196

There are cookery book and website recommendations here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054978683