I'm 24....and I don't know how to cook!?

Question

My cooking skills consist of making hamburger helper. lol I might not be able to fry a pork chop, or bake a chicken, but I can make every type of hamburger helper available in the grocery store. This is what I live off of. That and sandwiches and Ramen noodles. I have tried watching the food network but some of that stuff is too complicated for me. I just want to learn the basic stuff. I grew up never really having to cook because my Grandmother and mom always do but I have now moved away from home, am in another city, and on my own as far as cooking goes. I do try recipes out of cookbooks but none of what I make seems to taste quite right to me. Do any of you have any simple recipes? I am a very simple person when it comes to eating and not picky at all. My favorite dishes are with chicken and I am a pasta fanatic. Any easy recipes or tips on easy dishes are greatly appreciated. :-)

Okay everyone thank you so much for all the wonderful advice and recipes! You've all been a tremendous help and I love all the suggestions. Much appreciation to all of you that took out time to put in your fav recipes and cookbooks. I cannot possibly choose a best answer on this one because they are all great! So I am putting it to a vote and letting you all decide. Once again, thanks for all the help!!!! I will attempt to try all these recipes because none seem all that difficult. :-)

Answer 1

Fried chicken cutlets.....very very easy.

Buy the thin sliced boneless chicken breasts (that way you don't have to remove the bones and fillet them yourself)

Wash the chicken under cool running water and pat dry with paper towels.

In a separate bowl mix up a couple of eggs.

In a paper plate put some breadcrumbs.

In a frying pan put about a half an inch of olive oil. Heat up the pan on med-high heat.

When the oil is hot you dip the chicken in the egg and then coat it with the breadcrumbs. I use a fork just to keep my hands from getting too icky, but when I was first learning I used my hands.

Then you gently place the chicken in the oil. Put a couple of pieces of chicken in the pan without crowding them.

Depending on how cooked you like the chicken you can cook them for 2-4 minutes on each side. Remember that these are thin sliced cutlets so they don't need as much cooking time as the thicker ones.

After you are done cooking them place them on a separate plate with a paper towel on it to catch the oil.

Serve with pasta or instant potato's. And canned gravy if you like.

***Remember to wash your hands a lot and thoroughly to prevent the spread of salmonella. Also clean the sink and all the counter tops well.

Answer 2

There is a book you would probably LOVE! It's called "A man~ a can~ a plan". It simply takes simple canned food, mixes it other premade grocery items and you come out with a new tasty dish! Normally 4 or 5 items to a recipe.Simple recipes like tuna pot pie. You can also substitute chicken, which is what I do because I love chicken too.
It was made by David Joachim for "Men's Health". Maybe you can contact the "Men's Health" magazine and see where you can get it. This particular book has 50 recipes. We have made many of them and they are good! A number in the book is 1-800-848-4735. It's for Rodale kitchens. They would probably know how to get a book. I paid $6 for mine new. Also a website it gives is www.menshealthbooks.com .
I had gotten mine for my son when he started cooking from a book sale through his school.
I hope this helps. I have been told there are other books like it as well.

Answer 3

Go, now, to the bookstore and buy Betty Crocker's Easy Basics. Read it cover to cover. Try the recipes. Then buy Alton Brown's (Good Eats) book "I'm just here for the food" he does excellent step by step. Watch his shows on Food Network!
The final stop on the cookbook journey is "Joy of Cooking." Don't start with that one...it's very good for an experienced cook and as a reference.
Remember, cooking is about learning the rules and then making up your own dishes!
Have fun. Pasta packages almost always have recipe suggestions on them - just pick up a package of pasta at the supermarket, and then get everything you need from the ingredients list.
Enjoy! Good luck and happy eating.

Answer 4

My Aunt gave me one of the greatest wedding gifts: she bought me a copy of The Joy of Cooking. It's a huge cookbook, but it is like the bible of the kitchen. It can tell you anything and everything. It's basic, easy to understand, easy to follow, and the recipes go from plain to fancy. I strongly suggest you invest in one and start learning on your own terms. Women really shine in the kitchen because it's natural for us to want to create beautiful food for our family and friends. You can do it. Now, here is my favorite chicken and pasta dish-it's super quick, super easy, and all in one pot!

You need a pound of pasta, a cooked chicken from the deli at your local grocery store, a head of brocolli, some olive oil and garlic, and parmesan or romano cheese.

First, put up your water for pasta. Meanwhile, chop up your brocolli, just the florettes, in small pieces.
Start cooking your pasta. FIVE MINUTES before the pasta is done cooking, you are going to add the broccoli to the pasta. It will turn a beautiful bright green while it cooks. Meanwhile, you are pulling the meat of the chicken off the bones, and cutting it up into small pieces.
When the pasta and brocolli are done, pour it all into a collander to drain. Put the pot back on the stove, medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and warm it, then add your garlic. Then add the chicken to the oil and garlic, stirring it around to coat it. Once it's warm, add your pasta and brocolli to the pot. Gently stir it and turn it over until it's mixed well. As you're doing that, sprinkle about a third of a cup of the parmesan cheese over the mixture. You can also salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. My little ones LOVE this, and it's the only way I can get them to eat brocolli. Serve it with some fresh crusty bread and a salad. Good luck.

Answer 5

Hi there, I did not learn to cook until I was 38 years old and got divorced. "The Joy of Cooking" is a great book for getting information about food, like how long to cook some cut of meat, but I don't like most of the recipes.
You said you like chicken. The greatest book I have for chicken is "365 Ways to Cook Chicken". It is filled with a years worth of easy recipes.
For pasta I buy the sauce in a jar, but I don't stop there. I start by browning some Italian sausage, add the jar of sauce and a little extra herbs, rosemary, basil, thyme and/or oregano. Then I add up to a 1/2 cup of red wine. I simmer over low heat until it thickens again. Cook the pasta, I am partial to rigatoni or shells. Lots of cheese, french bread and a salad.

Answer 6

I think any good cook would tell you the same thing.... experiment using a cook book. Betty Crocker or any other one. You can also go on line in Search and find hundreds of receipts. Or if you want you can go to a Culinary School and learn how to cook. If you have favorite food items you like better then others, substitute or add those different things to receipts. All of us have made mistakes in cooking and you learn from that and you don't have to start out with simple receipts either. Just pick out one and follow the directions. Myself, I have never learned how to cook Italian ways but by experimenting I can make a few that are pretty good. Once you pick up a few basics and start to enjoy what your cooking it will start coming to you naturally. It doesn't take a Chef to boil an egg.

Answer 7

Hamburger helper is powerful and difficulty-free tuna helper additionally. you may make a rooster casserole no longer in common terms is it solid yet healthy too. the easy way is to get to bins of macaroni and cheese, a can of peas and a can of corn. Get some boneless rooster breast, and saute it over a warm skillet with some canola oil or olive oil which ever you prefer decrease the rooster into slices, drain the can greens while they're cooked blend all those components until eventually now addin the cheese than advert the cheese. After That get a baking pan pour the mixture interior the baking pan spreading it gently. as quickly as thats achieved get some shredded cheese positioned on ideal and bake until eventually the the cheese is melted. enable cool and enjoy. This is going properly with dinner rolls and candy tea.

Answer 8

This is one of my favorite EASY dishes!

It's Chicken Pesto with Pasta

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package of Knorr Creamy Pesto Sauce (NOTE: It MUST be the CREAMY pesto! Not the plain one!)
1 cup milk
1 small can tomato sauce (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 ounces of cooked angel hair pasta

Directions:
1) Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet.
2) Saute chicken cubes in the margarine over medium-high heat until cooked through (not pink inside). About 7-10 minutes.
3) Remove from heat and set aside.
4) In a large saucepan, mix together milk, contents of creamy pesto sauce mix, and olive oil.
5) Bring to a boil on high and then reduce temperature on stove to low.
6) Add the tomato sauce to the mixture and mix well.
7) Add the chicken to the mixture and mix well.
8) Let it simmer for about 10 more minutes.
9) Serve over cooked angel hair pasta.
10) Just a note: This tastes great with garlic bread on the side!

Answer 9

You say that your Grandmother and Mom cooked most of the food. Since you must have liked at least some of their cooking, maybe you could get them to write down some of your favorite recipes. Crockpots are always an easy solution when you don't have time. You can cook about anything in them. Recipezaar.com has thousands of recipes and hints.

Answer 10

Buy the book The Joy of Cooking. This book helped me when I became a wife and mother at 18. Also watch the food network especially 30-minute meals with Racheal Ray