Just starting to cook..where should I start!?

Question

My mom passed away a month ago, and she always did all the cooking. I'm 22 living with my dad who works late every night. I'm moving out soon but in the meantime I want to become more independent and cook for myself. What are some basic dishes I can try to make? I'm afrard that I'll undercook chicken and pork and stuff like that, but I need to try. How should I start?

Thanks!

Answer 1

I hope I can help a little....

On the Food Network there is a show called 30 Minute Meals hosted by Rachael Ray...everything is ready in 30 minutes or less, and everything I've had has been great!! I have 4 of her cookbooks and love them all!! (www.foodtv.com for recipes)
There are some wonderful and easy recipes on these to sites, they are my favorites: www.foodtv.com, and www.kraftfoods.com Good Luck!!

Here are some recipes that might help you out...

I know this first one might not sound good…but trust me it is SSOOOOOOO good, my husband asks for it all of the time!

Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
1 pkg. (16 oz.) penne pasta, uncooked
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
1/2 cup milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
Ground nutmeg to taste

COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, place cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, butter and milk in large saucepan; cook on low heat until cream cheese is melted, stirring frequently. Add pumpkin and spices; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.
ADD pasta; toss lightly. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.



Primavera Orzo
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 cups chicken stock
1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley, a handful
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper

Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream. Add garlic, shallots, zucchini and carrots. Sauté 5 minutes. Add curry, chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add orzo and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally until pasta absorbs the liquid and is al dente in texture, 10 minutes. Uncover and stir in cheese, parsley and peas. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.


Mushroom Parmesan
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing the grill pan
4 to 6 Portobello mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
Drizzle 3 tablespoons of olive oil over both sides of the mushrooms. Sprinkle the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil on the grill to prevent the mushrooms from sticking. Grill until the mushrooms are heated through and tender, about 5 minutes per side.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Place the grilled mushrooms on top of the marinara sauce and top with the remaining marinara sauce. Sprinkle with the cheeses and top with the butter pieces. Bake until the cheese melts and the top is golden, about 15 minutes. Serve.


Bow-Thai Pasta
8 oz. farfalle (bow-tie pasta), uncooked (3-1/2 cups)
1 lb. cleaned shrimp
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables
1/2 cup GOOD SEASONS Asian Sesame with Ginger Dressing
1/2 cup PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding shrimp and vegetables to the cooking water for the last 5 min. of the pasta cooking time. Drain well. Place in large bowl.
ADD dressing; toss to coat.
SPRINKLE with the peanuts just before serving.


Foil Wrapped Fish with Creamy Parmesan Sauce
4 sheets (12x18 inch each) REYNOLDS WRAP® EVERYDAY® Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
4 orange roughy, cod or sole fillets (4 oz. each), thawed if frozen
1/4 cup KRAFT Mayo Real Mayonnaise
1/4 cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 of a medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

PREHEAT grill to medium-hot heat. Spray foil with cooking spray. Place 1 fish fillet in center of each sheet of foil. Spread fish evenly with mayo. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and ground red pepper; top with vegetables.
BRING up foil sides. Double fold top and ends to seal packet, leaving room for heat circulation inside. Repeat to make 4 packets. Place on grill rack; cover grill with lid.
GRILL 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork.


P.S. A general tip: boneless, skinless (thawed) chicken breast can be cooked in the oven at 350 degrees for 27-30 minutes and it'll be perfect. Marinade it in anything you like...Italian dressing, salsa, marinade in a bottle, BBQ sauce....

Answer 2

So sorry about your mom, that's tough at such a young age.

I learned how to cook on my own at 18 or 19, when my mom went to work. I used the Betty Crocker cookbook, but any basic cookbook would do. As for making sure things are done, use your eyes and nose! That's the best way. If you have to cut open a chicken leg or thigh to make sure there is no blood left, do it, it's better than having it underdone. Pork chops are very tricky, too short it's undercooked and too long it's tough as an old shoe. I never have mastered that one.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm sorry to hear about your mom.
The best place to start is with the basics ... breakfast foods.
Omelets, pancakes, french toast. They are all generally easy and will get your comfort level up.
I would recommend finding a cookbook that has lots of color pictures (so you know what it suppose to look like) and that uses 5 ingredients or less. There are lot of cookbooks out for beginners. Make sure to keep your mom's old cookbooks and recipes so that when you are comfortable you can start to make the things your mom did.
And just think, girls love a guy that can cook!!!

Answer 4

Get a good basic cookbook, like the Betty Crocker cookbook. It includes the amount of time all types of meat should be cooked, and plenty of recipes for all types of food, including basic recipes like roast beef, fried chicken, baked potatoes, etc. Start with easy things, and work your way up. Even before you get one, I can give you an easy recipe my husband came up with. It will feed an army, but it's also good as leftovers:

1 small package of your favorite type of pasta (fettucini or angel hair pasta are good)
2 bottles of Bertolli's Alfredo Sauce
1 package of imitation crab meat chunks
1 package of frozen, de-tailed (pre-cooked) shrimp

Cook your pasta according to the directions on the box and drain it thorughly. Mix all the other ingredients together and heat them over medium heat until the mix is hot (it bubbles a little, usually, but take a taste to be sure). Mix the pasta and the alfredo sauce mixture together and enjoy!

Answer 5

I'm sure not counting out any of the Hendricks drivers or Smoke for that matter. These are guys who've been racing a lot longer than Kyle & usually they don't start making their move until it gets down to the Chase. Look at the consistency from Junior. He's held it in the top 10 all season so far.( Give me the thumbs down...I said Junior.) When push comes to shove, the teams really start showing their strength. There's a lot of the drivers who know it's time to knuckle down and get in the Chase. Right now I'm not counting anyone out. It's show time now! =o`)

Answer 6

You should start at kraftfoods.com. This website will let you search based on the type of dish or the ingredients in the dish. It is also very clear on how to cook certain dishes. My favorite part of this website is that it shows you pictures of the dish just by placing your mouse over the recipe. I like to see what I am going to cook so I know what it is supposed to look like. Another bonus, this website uses a lot of ingredients that you already know! Trust me, this is a great start for new cooks!

Answer 7

Start with ready made stuff for the oven. Stouffers sells all kind of stuff.

Work your pay up to Ramen, hard boiled eggs, pasta, fish sticks hotdogs etc. These are all impossible to mess up and you will get used to handling some equipment.

From there try to make some homemade soups and pasta sauce. These are hard to mess up and will get you to follow recipes.

From there, work into anything cooked on a sauttee pan. Cut your meat thin so it cooks quicker.


Start simple and practice. you will burn stuff, you will oversalt things, you will under cook meat (cut it and check it). It is all part of learning

Answer 8

cooking is very ez. look at all the hacks that are working in the restaurant business now. buy a thermometer chicken will be done at 165 degrees and pork is done at 155, beef steaks that's up to you ground beef is also 165. stick the thermometer in the middle or the thickest park of what ever you're cooking, Pasta is quick boil water add pasta when boiling wait 9 minutes drain place in bowl add hot sauce mix and eat now go my me something to eat right now

Answer 9

Chicken fingers are easy

Buy boneless skinless chicken breasts
cut into long strips
dip in a beaten egg
then coat with one of the following seasoned bread crumbs/cornflake crumbs/pancake mix

bake 20 minutes if fresh or 30 -35 minutes if the chicken breat strips are frozen.

Answer 10

Buy a couple of "quality" cookbooks and use them. You'll be amazed at the good food you can make . Ask for suggestions about which cookbooks to purchase, on this web site. Good Luck.

Answer 11

Get a cookbook for kids and then when you dominate that recipes you go on the next level buying an advanced cookbook for older kids ande then cookbooks for beginners and so on. You'll be ok.