How can a bachelor who only microwaves and barbecues (in summer) learn to cook?

Question

I think I can boil water and make an egg, too. Thanks!

Answer 1

cooking, just like love, should be entered into with aboandon, or not at all. One of my personal favorite quotes. Of course, you don't want to experiment on a first date (not that I haven't...it turned out disastrous, we didn't eat until midnight, and were drunk from lack of food. We were together for 2 more years;) but you just throw yourself into it and have fun. Look at Julia Childs, she made cooking accessible by burning stuff, spilling stuff, etc...great woman. The first girl (chefgrill) has the right advice. the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook is STILL my bible, in fact I used it 2 minutes ago to train a new recipe! Joy of cooking also an excellent guide. It is very easy, explains COOKING, not just recipes (like how to bake a potato) and gives nutritional information. The other advice I have is to go out and eat a lot...look at the menus, and flavor pairings (garlic and rosemary, curry and turmeric, ginger and chili, etc..) for more adventurous cooking. Good luck and Bon Apetit!

Answer 2

First rule of great cooking, only buy the freshest and best ingredients you can. Second keeping it simple until you develop your skills. A simple grilled steak is great, as is a baked potatoe ( which you can microwave) Try this: Grill a steak, make some pasta ( add a bit of salt and oil to the boiling water before you throw the pasta in). When the pasta is done ( read the directions) drain all the extra water out and put it in a large bowl. Make an easy butter garlic sauce out of a stick of butter, a tablespoon of minced or chopped garlic and some parsley. Melt the butter in a bowl in the microwave and add the other ingredients, stir it together and toss with the the pasta. Slice the steak and toss that in with the pasta, sprinkle shredded parmesan cheese over it. Done. Heat up some italian bread in the oven, and serve with good olive oil for dipping.

Answer 3

Start simple by investing in a cookbook devoted to quick & easy recipes, I'd recommend anything by Rachael Ray. Gather cooking tips, tricks and advice from websites like AllRecipes. Begin by following simple recipes to the letter to get some practice. With time you will begin to learn what cooking techniques work best for which foods along with when and how to use spices. Soon you'll be able to throw something together with what you have on hand, no recipe needed!

Answer 4

You could always take a cooking class. That is what my husband did, and they taught him the basics and now he is a whiz in the kitchen.

Another suggestion might be to watch some cooking shows on The Food Network. The show you how to make everything they are cooking.

Or you could buy a beginner's cookook that teach you simple step by step recipes to try. These are some good books:

- Cooking for Beginners by Kate Fryer
- The Everything Classic Recipes Book: 300 All-Time Favorites Perfect for Beginners by Lynette Rohrer Shirk
- Cooking Basics for Dummies by Bryan Miller

Answer 5

I suggest getting a Betty Crocker cookbook. The recipes in there are "normal", easy and fairly straight forward. If you know how to read, you can cook. :)

I think the problem with people who don't have any experience cooking is that they jump the gun and try to make difficult recipes first off. Start with something very easy (spaghetti and meat sauce, tuna noodle casserole, lasagna, etc.) and once you've learned what it means to mince, dice, chop, julienne, etc. then work your way up to more difficult, time consuming recipes.

That's what's nice about the Betty Crocker book--there are full color photographs showing you how to do certain things (kneading bread dough, for example), it's very well (albeit simply) worded, there's a special helps index... Overall, it's a great, great book, and I think everyone shoudl have one.

Answer 6

I just got a few recipes and started trying different things out. Once you get a good feel for following a recipe, you can start experimenting with different things and see how you like them. It's usually better to use yourself as the guinea pig first when you're experimenting though, then give it to your friends or other people. Learning to cook is definitely worth your time though, chicks dig it if you cook them a nice meal.

Answer 7

I swear by Betty Crocker. Start with small things and work your way up. I taught my kids easy things like Macaroni and cheese from a box first before we went to the real deal from scratch. But following recipes, trial and error, it happens to be the way we learn. It sounds like you have a basic, you can boil water. Get a good non stick pots and pans set and maybe a wok. If you can fry an egg, you can fry veggies and meats too. Good Luck!

Answer 8

learning to cook is just like learning anything. You need to practice to be good at it. Some people are naturally talented while others struggle. If you go to a cooking class where you can learn the different methods of cooking (braising, grilling, sauteing) this will help you. Cooking isnt hard. Its the effort you want to put forth.

Answer 9

Try a cooking class! Your local high school might offer adult night classes or search gourmet food stores like Whole Foods and local restaurant sometimes offer classes. You might even meet a nice girl?!?
Watch Food Network and PBS. I like Tyler and Emeril on the Food Network.
Ask your Mom or Sister, Aunt if you can come over and help cook!

Answer 10

I remember being in your shoes. I got myself a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. It's not all fancy, and has lots of tips and tricks. It's a good jumping off point to start cooking. And look what happened to me? I ended up with a restaurant! You'll get the hang of it.