Getting basic cooking skills?

Question

Or perhaps I mean advanced cooking skills! Can anyone recommend a book/website or simply some basic advice in cooking with spices etc? It's one thing to follow a recipe - and I've cautiously invented some dishes on my own - but it would be nice to have a better idea of "food science", ie. what goes with what, how much do I need to put in, instead of just blindly following a recipe book.

Answer 1

I'll always be a huge fan of the Betty Crocker cookbook and the Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. They explain things, why things happen, what things should and shouldn't look like. And they both have indexes of substitutions, weights, spices and herbs, what they go with, how long to keep them, etc...
The Joy of Cooking is another really good one. But the first two I named have been the most informative to me.
Actually you could check out Alton Brown's stuff. He's all about the science behind the food.

Answer 2

Just keep things simple to start with, for example if you chop an onion and fry it, then add some mince you have a basic for many recipes. Add taco seasoning mix and you have the basis for taco's, enchilada's etc. just add some lettuce, chopped tomato, grated cheese, maybe some avocado and sour cream. Or to the onion and mince dish add some pasta sauce and you have the sauce for spaghetti, noodles, lasagna etc. Just add cream cheese sauce for the lasagna (the recipe is on the pack) all very easy. If you want to add some vegetables, just grate carrots and zuccini and add to the onions and mince ( a healthy alternative) especially for people who don't like eating vegetables because you can't taste the carrot or zuccini in the pasta sauce. I fount that a good basic recipe book from your local supermarket was the easiest to follow. Just follow the recipe and you will be a master chef in no time. Good luck but most important have fun creating your own masterpiece once you have followed a few recipes. PS I have added a couple of beginner cook sites below.

Answer 3

If you want to increase your technique and try new methods that you might not have thought of as well as strengthen your existing skills, check out "Essentials of Cooking" by James Peterson. This book has MANY pictures and emphasizes technique as well as recipes and pairings (what goes with what). The recipies for a roast chicken may be on a different page from say, rice pilaf or pureed root veggies, but the chicken recipe will suggest trying either as a side dish.I bought mine, pre-used off of e-bay for $7. Ever heard of "larding" a rabbit before cooking? Well, it's in this book! Fish, veggies, everything is covered. And again the pictures are great. Peterson has books on single topics. I have one whole book of fish and one on soup as well, but this one is the best.

Answer 4

I waited on purpose to answer this Q. There are two key things in you Q that stuck out to me, "spices etc" and "food science". The very first thing about "spices,etc" the etc. I'm going to assume you mean aromatics which are different from spices, spice is for flavor and aromatics are the arouser for the taste buds through smell, ever eat something when you have a cold and notice you can't taste it? As children we develop our sense of taste, what we like and dislike and what combo's taste good together, you never loose that, all that's needed is to re-train them by actually sitting in front of your "spice" rack and tasting and remember where you tasted that particular ingredient before and in what, just like a bicycle, it'll all come back. Alot of recipes mask the product you're supposed to enjoy with the over use of spices, keep it simple and just "enhance" the product. Ok, I've bored everyone to tears so I'll stop, just remember one thing, In cooking, the tongue never lies

Answer 5

Take an advance cooking class. Go to the foodnetwork website foodnetwork.com and print off some of their recipes or just go to your local Target and go to the book section and they should have some Rachael Ray,Paula Deen,Alton Brown,Gida DeLaurentis,Sandra Lee,Barefoot Contesa,and Sara's Secrets cookbooks.

Answer 6

Food Network has quite a bit of good information. Also the Kraft Food Web site has a lot of little tutorials on different foods and spices.

Answer 7

Search for the website of the brand of herbs and spices that are available in your local
They may have a list of their products telling you what goes with what, their smells etc.
I managed to get a Gregg's poster that identifies them all.

Answer 8

hello, you may think i am nuts ,but if you can get out to a flea market, or a thrift store, you can find any kind of cook book under the sun, some of the food even i haven't heard of. anything under Betty crocker. would be most helpful. the book cover most anything.and if you have any questions , ask me we are a house full of cooks. [e-mail] my name is Loree.

Answer 9

Look for a good Cooking School in your area and do a course. You can't beat professional training. In the USA, you can go to CIA, the Harvard of haute Cuisine. I love it there.

Answer 10

Go get a cookbook betty crocker.