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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/6/2008 9:02:59 AM | So, cooks, how do we who live alone do this?
I don't really consider myself a cook so much has having had to being single. I'd say nowadays. A lot of guys and women learn to as they may not have had to in the past. Getting a cook book and ideas from people who know how. What I've also learned is seasoning can make all the difference in the same dish. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/7/2008 6:14:03 AM | I live alone and cook for myself and, even if I do say so myself, I do quite well. That's because I don't look at it as a daunting challenge to stymie the greatest minds but a way to have fun, experiment and draw on th0se frustrated creative juices.
My advice: Just do it. Fact of the matter is you're going to make a few blunders from time to time but that's part of the fun. "Blunders" are also instructive. And they can lead to some interesting discoveries. Get a few recipe books or interesting recipes you've seen on the cook shows off the 'net, read and follow the instructions. And, of course, don't be afraid. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/7/2008 5:06:15 PM |
Step one: Use quality ingredients -- no "krab" with a k. No imitation vanilla. No margarine. You can be assured that there is no "krab" in my fridge (I'm from Alaska, after all...I only eat crabs with whom I have an almost-personal relationship), I don't eat farm-raised fish of any kind, I haven't eaten "imitation" anything almost ever, I only eat butter (fat and all), there is no fake anything in my house (I even wear otter slippers; I told you, I'm Alaskan), and my cutlery is pretty high quality, too. And the advice and support I've read in these five pages (who knew it would go this far!) will help me find the ingredients, additives, and some of the techniques to make the food I prepare really tasty.
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/8/2008 9:43:54 AM | buy the dvd set "good eats" from food network. that guy is a genius. and learn the PRINCIPLES. cooking is like math once you know the formulas and why things happen you can make up what you want.
and cooking is 60% what you put in it. 30% imagination and only 10 % knowing what to do.
you can buy say a pound cake fresh fruit sugar and whipped cream and make a fruit short cake in about 10 minutes and if you have good cake and strawberries its pretty hard to mess that up..... see what i mean?
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/10/2008 4:20:58 PM | I'm writing a book about that. Not with a lot of recipes, but on HOW to cook. Give suggestions on what works and what doesn't, and encouraging others to go off of that. People can follow recipes, but that doesn't mean that you can cook. I learned some from my grandmother, TV, etc (I used to watch Jeff Smith after school when I was around 8..(insert joke here). After you know the basics, you go on your own, and make things that you like, and refine it. Ask people why they do certain things, not just how. Alton Brown is an excellent example. After a while, you'll have a bunch of ingredients, and be able to make something out of that without using a recipe.
An example. You like tomato sauce. Why? Do you like the garlic in it, the freshness of the tomatoes, basil? Get a can of tomatoes, add what you like, and taste it. After a couple of tries, you'll have it. Simplicity is key. Making good food is adding a few ingredients to compliment the main one. You can impress others by presentation too. Make it look good, and people will think it's good. For a grilled cheese sandwich, cut in half, stack one side on top of the other crosswise, throw a tomato slice on the plate, and sprinkle it with some some dried basil. You've made a $1.00 grilled cheese look like a $6.00 grilled cheese, and to people, it will TASTE like a $6.00 grilled cheese. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/14/2008 8:17:00 AM | i would start with the things that YOU love
never mindthe tv or the books ect you cook for YOU so just think about all the diff meals you like or things you like to eat and branch out from there
look up diff ways to cook them or something you can add and build on that
but stick to the things you know and love to start with and as time goes on you will build more confidance in what you can do and you can add another branch to your cooking tree so to speak
have fun :) | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 3/14/2008 8:50:18 AM | I improved my cooking by experimenting, and there have been some things that have gone straight in the bin after a few mouthfuls, the second and third being to check it was really that bad 
I have been helped along the way with a couple of useful cook books, one being Rose Elliot's - Supreme Vegetarian Cook Book. it has sections on Nutrition, Ingredients (broken down into the various types of ingredient), Kitchen Equipment, Use of Freezer, Microwave. Followed up with loads of really tasty recipes, these are so good that I had a Vegetarian diet for a long while.
Don`t be put off by the fact it is a veggy book as most of the recipes make very good side dishes to meat, some like the Spag Bol, Shepherds Pie, Chilli and curry dishes do stand alone and make a good change from meat that will wow meat eaters. Along with tips on how to cook the veggies in their own right.
As for when watching Cook Shows, don`t worry about the whole recipe, watch for the little things that happen to make the difference in your cooking, Curry too spicy, drop some sweet in like sugar or honey, cooling like Yogurt coconut milk and the spices will have their bite taken out of them. Sugar leaves the recipe the same, the yogurt gives them a creamy feel like a Korma, either way inside of your mouth does not need the fire department.
Don't want a hot dish and there is ginger in the recipe, leave it out, and you will be surprised how ginger , especially ground ginger, is responsible for the "burn"
Don't worry if you get to the cupboard and you don't have a certain herb or spice, do with out and you will see the effect that item has to the whole dish. That is how I learnt about ginger.
I have a really wicked Spag Bol recipe that is all the ingredients used in the 5 recipes I found in my own books. By that I mean one used a stick of carrot others did not, another used minced lamb and minced pork to make up the quantity of meat used, some had a rasher of bacon. I did not used 5 quantities of meat etc, just the one of every thing.
Try using a little of a vegetable as flavour, half a stick of celery makes a huge difference to a Ragu based dish (spag bol, lasagna etc) and even though you may never taste the actual veg you will taste the difference.
Experiment and have fun, and most important for your confidence, never experiment on those important meals, stick to ones you have tried and tested at least on your self   And the compliments will flood in  | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 6:07:53 AM | | Is there a time to use non-stick (which is obviously much easier) and a time to use metal? I have good quality pans and see chefs using each for different products. I wonder if they have some guidance. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 6:30:55 AM | I'm by no means an amazing cook but like you I have a couple of things I can do well. Now if you can do something you have a place to start! Cooking is about time and patience and being logical about it.It is not a god given gift to be able to cook.
If you got the pots and pans an knives and all that then you need a couple of decent, simple cookbooks and away you go making sure you follow it to the letter!
There are some things that I cant cook no matter how hard I try. Yesterday and today I attempted pancakes and I dont know what Im doing wrong but boy can I make a mousakka lol
Practice and start simple. The simplist of dishes can look so impressive and build yourself up! Good luck x | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 6:33:22 AM | | Oh I use none stick for everything! Metal is for things you want to cook quick ie stir fry and you have to keep stirring! Its all fine in none stick though especially to start with! | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 6:42:27 AM | A friend of mine found a book called "Cooking for Dummies" It helped her out a lot. My mother never wanted anyone in the kitchen unless she wanted her mess cleaned up. I had home ec classes in school but our district was too poor to supply us with anything to cook more than once every three months.
I bought my first Betty Crocker cook book and tried the most simple things I could find. Built my confidence and went from there. Once you get experience you can do some ad lib with the recipes. FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! It's the best advice I can give. Look in your neighborhood thrift stores for cook books. Why pay twenty five dollars for a new book, when you can get one at the resale shops for two to three dollars or less.
Ps. I have a set of cast iron that has been in my family for as long as I can remember, they are well seasoned and do not stick when I cook with them. I have non stick for light sauces. I bought them when I had some problems with my wrists. The cast iron are a tad heavy. You have gotten some good advice, try easy things first, soon you will be cooking up a storm | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 7:33:00 AM | Practice! I'd start with a binder and start collecting my favourite recipes. I love the Jean Pare` cookbooks. If I were you, I would start with one of her books and try as many recipes as you can and when you find the ones you really like, write them down in your binder. I'd start with muffins and bread, then salads, soups, and then pasta. Use all the freshest ingredients you can find and keep practicing. Find other good books and it gets a lot easier after a while. Ask your friends for their favourite recipes, some will give them to you, others might not. Don't be afraid to experiment, and have fun! 
Pink | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 7:49:01 AM | | Duh...By gettin up and Cooking,,kinda like riding a bike or walking,,,sure your gonna mess up,,thats how you learn..just keep cookin,and ask friends,,it will work out.. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 8:34:49 AM | To make flour or cornstarch sauces, place the flour or cornstarch in a large cup, then add water, or milk or oil, whatever you wish to use (go easy on the oil) enough to make a paste. Slowly add water or milk to this mix in the cup until it becomes thin, and then add this to your warm stock in your pan. Keep the heat low, and stir, stir, stir....with a fork or a whisk. Now is the time to season, too. I keep a salt and pepper shaker on my stove, and also a crock with my favorite cooking utensils.
If you add a thickener in the paste form to an already hot pan, you will cook the thickener and get tapioca or dumplings or rivel.....which is okay when that's what your aiming for, but you want a smooth sauce...so thin it down in your cup. I think I learned to make hollandaise and bearnaise (sp?) from The Joy of Cooking, which is a really good cookbook. They have THE best recipe for peanut butter cookies.
Another thing....italian sauces are great, and I have my own treasured recipe for spaghetti sauce. But there is no need to do that when you are making say, lasagna, or canneloni as the sauce will be blended with all the other flavors anyway. It's perfectly okay to buy a jar.... Now for spaghetti, or tortellini I would make my own sauce, as the cheeses don't really mix into the sauce. Also, canned soups can be your friend.
I would start learning to cook by making an omelette, that's a great basic cooking lesson all in itself. The secret to making omelettes is plenty of butter, don't let those eggs stick. Use a seasoned cast iron or nonstick pan. Keep your heat medium low, eggs are delicate. Just make a big, round layer of eggs. Don't thin them too much and don't use more than four or five. Place your fillings on one side. Then lower the heat and put a lid on the pan to cook everything. When the eggs look nearly cooked through and the cheese is almost melted, fold the plain side onto the ingredient half. Put the lid back on and cook for a couple more minutes on low. You can make a ham and cheese type, or one with choriso and salsa and cheese, or pepperoni and spaghetti sauce....and of course, vegetables like onions, peppers and mushrooms. A farmers omelette just adds potatoes to a ham, cheese, green peppers and onions.
Good luck, and don't be afraid to experiment a little with ingredients and spices. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 11:36:12 AM | What worked for me was to find an appreciative ~ hungry eater. I found that person/people and their appetite prompted me into tackling recipies I would normally skip. Nevertheless I still prefer simple recipies just with basic ingredients to use.
My school cook is also a priceless source of advice on hand and my slow cooker is an indispensable "tool" in the kitchen .
Another thing I learned while cooking was that every meal deserves a decent preparation and keeping an eye on it.
Slap-dash in heart matters is more than  and the same applies in gourmet
pre - / at - / apres | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 5:57:26 PM | I started learning how to cook when I really started on the dating scene. I found that ANY man can take a woman out to eat, but it's something special to cook her something. Once I started taking on cooking less as a way to feed my face and more as a passion, something to express things without saying them, THEN you learn how to really cook! When you can present a woman with three cheese spinache manicotti, followed by homemade tiramisu, all served with Chianti and champagne, then you'll understand.
But hell, if you're just wanting to feed yourself, Tostino's pizzas are good, too! :) | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 9:12:23 PM | Non-stick is good for low-temp items like eggs, crepes, pancakes, etc. Teflon emits carcinogens at 450F, so stir frying, sauteing, etc. is probably a bad idea in nonstick pans.
Stainless steel is great for anything that stays liquid. However, it can be very sticky on high heat and will burn anything that thickens--like beans or grains.
I like cast iron for frying and sauteing and anodized aluminum for stocks, sauces, and stews. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 9:17:49 PM | | It's easy. All you have to do is one thing. PRACTICE. There ya go. The secret to learning how to cook. Get some recipes and practice them. Have fun with it. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/3/2008 11:38:49 PM | You need three or four essential countertop appliances:
A crock pot. Get a big one with a removable liner so you can clean it in the dishwasher. Put food in, simmer 6-8 hours. Lots of crock pot recipes on the internet. Look for crock pots around $35-$60.
It's nice to have an electric skillet. You want one that can be cleaned in the dishwasher. Not really essential, especially if you have a nice collection of pots and pans and a couple of good skillets, but good to have. I prefer the stainless steel kind, without the Teflon coating. It should have a tight-fitting lid. A little bit expensive, $150 or so for a good one.
An electric vegetable steamer, preferably one with two tiers, or baskets, that stack. They come with recipes, you can get a good one under $50. Peel/slice/cut up food, put in steamer, most food is done in under 40 minits.
A good knife is essential, and you really need three- a big one, a medium one, and a really small one. They need to be really sharp and well-made.
I still think of a microwave oven as a countertop appliance. You want one with at least 1,000 watts. Microwaves are good for heating up food really, really fast, and for heating up water. This is great for heating leftovers, and if you're smart, you'll always cook enough to have leftovers. Why? Let's say your hot date is going to be here in 45 minits and you haven't got a thing to fix for dinner- except for some rice, some leftover pieces of chicken, and some frozen vegetables. Steam the rice and the vegetables, heat the chicken in the microwave for 20 minits at the 20% power setting. Everything is done at about the time she knocks on the door.
If you like deep-fried food, you may want to get an electric deep fryer. I like french fries, and french fries have to be deep-fried (yes, you can bake them. Yuk). You can cook other things, like fish or chicken or corn dogs, but it's worth it just for the fries.
The thing to remember is that food is actually cooked, nearly always, by steam. Even a burger on the grill is cooked by the steam made by heating the internal juices, which are trapped inside by searing the outside of the meat. Too much heat applied too quickly will burn the outside before the insides can be cooked by the internal steam.
One of the biggest exceptions is microwave cooking, in which the internal heat also comes from heated oils in the food (which is why it helps to heat leftovers with a little bit of margarine; microwaves are attenuated- that is, absorbed- by water and oil).
And- practice, practice, practice. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/4/2008 12:08:46 AM | Practice makes perfect as they say........ A basic cookery class can give you tips that most women used to get from their mothers and grandmothers that can make all the difference and can be left out of certain recipes as it is considered common knowledge.......
Take a short course on the basics and then practice till you get your recipes to your liking........... | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/4/2008 12:32:30 AM | This may sound strange, but if you are beginner and working alone, I would recommend a children's cookbook to start.
I mean its just the basics and its good to get a feel for the basics. Then pick up one of those books on cooking with 5 ingredients. Do something new each week or how often you want to do it.
Keep things simple and gain confidence. Watching TV cooking shows are fun, but even I have to really focus or I can't follow them. And I am considered a really good cook by my friends and family. I have been asked to cater dinner parties.
I liked the post that said do a potato 10 different ways. That was interesting. I would get bored with a potato though.
I dislike THE LAYOUT OF MOST recipes because they don't GROUP things for mixing.
I think all baking ingredients should be listed in groups. It would look so much more easy for the beginner.
Dry ingredients - measure and place in large bowl = set aside
1. flour
2. baking powder
3. salt
Wet ingredients - measure and mix.
1. eggs
2. butter
3. vanilla
Combine
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes
Well, there is my 2 cents.
Pat | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/5/2008 6:13:35 PM | | Just enjoy what you are doing, have fun, don't be afraid to make a mistake, trust me the people on the cooking shows get to do numerous takes to make sure they get it right, use a reciepe as a guide line to follow, don't feel like you have to have everything on it or follow it exactly - unless it is a baking reciepe since that is very scientific. If you make a lot, freeze it in disposable containers with a label and then you have microwave dinners when you dont feel like cooking, but mostly have fun, and rejoice in your 'mistakes' thats how most reciepes are invented | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/14/2008 9:35:38 PM | | Very true. Chefs can spend countless time and ingredients on a dish and it flops then you just dump it down the drain when nobody's looking. The flip side is you learn something every time and once in a while create a masterpiece that you wouldn't have if you didn't take the risks. There should be no fear of failure in the kitchen. | |
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| How does one become a better cook?
Posted: 5/15/2008 1:17:17 AM | | Experiment is my theory...practice, practice and have a real love of food and cooking! Try different spice combinations...you will surprise yourself at how it enhances your food. If you are not comfortable making sauces from scratch there are many available that are all ready to go and super convenient, if I'm in a hurry they are great in a pinch. Just remember not to be afraid...a meal should be a wonderful, taste bud explosion...not just a bland experience. Enjoy!! | |
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