Hello all, I'm looking for some advice or a starting point to further my cooking skills. I've been reading a couple of books on nutrtion and I'd like to put that knowledge to use. Being a single guy with no kids, I only know how to cook a few things and I'd like to expand that list. I figured this was a good place to ask since I'd defintely like to learn ways to cook while camping along with anything else and aside from that, I don't own a microwave(oh, the looks I get when people hear that one). Anybody have any suggestions on a place to start? I tried to sign up for a cooking class at the local community college, but they aren't being offered until next semister in the fall.
I'm not much of a cook myself, but I do love food. I'm a college student with an alright kitchen, so when I do cook I really just throw together flavors I know I like, along with things I am interested in trying. It doesn't always turn out great, but where I only have to cook for myself it's usually a pretty decent meal.
I learned via trial and error, experimentation, and the internets get stumbleupon, and add the cooking category to it I love cooking shows like Good Eats, but I also watch cooking-related shows for inspiration- namely Kitchen Nightmares and Hells Kitchen (I've adopted Gordon Ramsay as a father figure) the key to good cooking isn't memorizing how to make a hundred dishes it's familiarity with a dozen techniques, and with what flavors go well together oh, and recipzaar's kitchen dictionary is awesome
Trial and error works for me, you just have to be able to live with your mistakes instead of assuming everything will turn out correctly. Alas, nutrition and "gourmet" cooking seem to be mutually exclusive. The tastiest food is often heavily loaded with fat and calories. It's pretty horrifying.
only if you eat out; it's actually pretty easy to make flavorful dishes without adding too many extra calories. it's all about spices
Just hanging in the kitchen when I was a kid. I don't particularly enjoy cooking, but people like what I can make.
are you sincere about it? if it's what you want - go get it! single guy with no kids...man, those years go TOO FAST! A. apply to some cooking school - maybe in a cool place like in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, or Florida, or NYC, or LA...Paris, Berlin, Grand Caymans... etc... :idiot2: B. short of that ... maybe approach a few resturants you admire for either their food, ambiance, clientele', etc....my extended family owns resturants - it's hard enough trying to find help that will just show up and work...if you present yourself as wanting to be there, willing to learn, etc... they'd prob. call you when an opening came up. Get some OJT and some $ to boot. sorry for sounding like some father time old geezer, it's just coming from a guy with multiple mortages and still many years before I can retire and then try to become that bush pilot / flyfishing guide in alaska I had once promised myself I'd be. :lolhammer:
I learned becuase my mother didnt like to so it was learn or never eat so I slowly just followed recipes as well as i could, I think this should go into the break room.
I first learned to cook by helping out in the kitchen as a little kid. Mostly, I broke eggs and added them to batter or a frying pan. But it was a start. I actually started cooking in home ec. class in middle school. Home Ec. taught me the basics of cooking. Currently I just experiment. If I see a recipe which interests me in a magazine, online, or in a book then I will try it. One thing I've learned is just to experiment. Learn a recipe and then try and make a slight change to it. For example there was a stuffed pepper recipe which use cous cous as filler. I made it a second time and replaced the cous cous with rice. I know it's not a huge change, but it gives it a different flavor and texture. I typically get recipes from Food Network's website, random articles in magazines like Real Simple, and on the DIY site Instructables. Also, I do not have a microwave either.
I learned the basics of following a recipe from my mother when I was pretty young. Being able to follow a recipe is important, as long as you read things through and take your time you can teach yourself quite a bit. Of course, like anything else, there is no substitute for experience. The more you try, the better you’ll get. You might try starting with something premade and then add other ingredients just to get an idea of how different flavors mix. I’ve made a can of soup into an elaborate stew with random ingredients found in the kitchen. Good luck
parents taught me when i was little, then i taught myself more, then i cooked for loggers. nuff said.
Home Ec class...I caught a lot of flak from the guys until they figured out it was me and 34 girls in the class ;D
Home economics when I was 12, followed by my Mum during my teens then from Jamie Oliver (not personally). Love to cook - it's an excuse to by good knives and other cool gear.
I'm a 45 year old single guy and just recently decided to start learning to cook. I got tired of takeout and microwave meals all the time. I ran across some PBS shows that seem to fit me well, America's Test Kitchen and Cooks Country. They don't assume you know much, they tackle each dish individually, and provide very exact instructions. I just got their cookbook for Xmas so I've been trying things slowly. It takes a couple tries to start getting it right and I only do one or two tries each weekend.
Started with mandatory home ec in school, but I liked it, so I also started to cook at home. I guess my mom was only too happy to have me helping with the household chores, so I pretty much took over cooking for the whole family. After I moved out to live on my own, naturally I had to cook for myself. And after I got married, I continued to cook for my family. I still do. What he said. Once you figure out the basic techniques, you can cook almost anything. The main limiting factor is how much trouble you are willing to put into something that will not impress anyone but yourself. At least, I find that when I cook for my family, I put some effort into it, but when I cook just for myself, I just do something quick & easy (aka. "it doesn't matter what it looks like as long as it tastes good" school of cooking).
I shall answer this question by calling upon a full semester's worth of college psychology knowledge, but the answer will be only two words in length, and those two words are "Observational Learning." Mom and the siblings all cooked, and being the youngest I sometimes watched. Overtime I learned to make cookies, salad (real salad with lots of ingredients), and nachos... Dad started out making Sloppy Jo's, and always picked out good fruit/vegetables (fresh corn on the cob) soooooo yeah....
Right about now a "me too" smiley would be welcome. How about this one? :worthless: Anyway, I highly recommend "The Joy of Cooking" as a fundamental cookbook. Or the Better Homes and Gardens one. Those are still my go-tos for basic recipes.
