I cant cook a decent meal to save my life... where do i start?

Answer 1

Hey hun,

If you wanna cook from scratch I'd recommend the following:
*get a recipe for whatever you wanna cook and read it all the way through
*make a list with all the ingredients you need for cooking
*take your list to the grocery store and buy the ingredients you need
*prepare the food exactly as explained in the recipe without experimenting (you can start experimenting with ingredients if you have a basic idea about cooking)


Try not to pick difficult recipes for the start. Some easy dishes would be home made mac & cheese, pot pies, meat loaf, potato salad, chicken.........Hope you have fun cooking........

Answer 2

Yes you can-if I can, you can.
I didn´t cook until about a year ago, and it was because I live in Germany and I don´t work, and wanted to impress my husband (his mother and sister are great cooks).

Here´s what I did...I bought a basic cookbook-Betty Crocker, and lived by it. Then I discovered this site, and now ask others for recipes. You know what else makes food so good, and I am really stocking up? Herbs! My husband started a great herb garden, and the herbs we don´t grow, I get from a container. My Mother was not a good cook-she always burned things, and didn´t use a lot of herbs, and so I´m learing from my sister in law.

Start out slow-learn to cook simple foods that taste great, and after awhile, you´ll get interested in cooking gourmet meals. I haven´t gotten there yet, but my husband says I cook as well as his sister-and she´s cooked for years.

Oh, another thing...do not cook meats too fast if you want them to come out moist and tender. Learn other rules like this and you´ll do well-best wishes.

As they say in Germany, when wishing goodbye, and I´ll see you on this site again...
Tschüs!

Answer 3

Simple, fresh quality ingredients. Skip most things in jars, cans or frozen (except veggies).

Start with simply pasta sauce and then add on to it. Sautee up some fresh garlic in olive oil until the garlic is just transparent. You don't want the garlic to brown. Then add a can (I know I said avoid cans, but I said most things) of whole tomatoes that you have squished up yourself. I prefer San Marzano, but most will be fine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Most people don't add enough salt, so taste it until it's flavorful to you. Let this simmer about 10 minutes until the sauce has slightly reduced.

While this is simmering cook some angel hair pasta. Use boxed at first, it takes longer to cook, thus a lesser chance of you overcooking it. Cook it in water that you have salted liberally. Make sure the water is at a high boil before you add the pasta to the water. Let this cook for about two minutes less than the package recommends. Then add the pasta to the sauce and mix. Let this simmer in the pan for two minutes or so. Make sure that you reserve some of the pasta water just in case your pasta is a little dry. If it is you can just add a little water to your pan. Add some fresh basil and grated parm directly to the pan right before you serve.

Once you get the hang of this you can begin to add things. While the sauce is simmering you could add some fresh seafood - clams and shrimp often work well. Just make sure that you don't overcook them. Once the clams are done they will open. Once the shrimp is done it will turn pink. If you are unsure of your timing remove the seafood once it's cooked from the pan and then add them back once you have added the pasta.

Answer 4

a million. sell off a can of diced tomatoes (i admire those that have garlic and oregano already extra) and a cup of uncooked rice right into a casserole pan. Throw in some sliced sausage (or the different meat you like). perfect with cheese and any spices you like. Bake at 450 stages for 20-25 minutes. 2. Defrost a frozen boneless fowl breast. positioned it on the George Foreman grill. whilst it incredibly is a pair of million/2 cooked, slice it open then positioned a million-2 slices of Beaverbrook on it and close the canopy of the grill. The Beaverbrook grease will drip down into the fowl. whilst the Beaverbrook is cooked, positioned the whole element on a plate, perfect with sliced tomatoes and cheese and put in the microwave for a minute to soften the cheese. 3. sell off cans of your widespread vegetables right into a crockpot. upload your widespread meat, season to flavor and enable it prepare dinner once you're at artwork. as an occasion: a can of potatoes, a can of corn, a can of fowl broth, and a handful of pre-cooked fowl strips. upload some garlic powder, floor sea salt, pepper and parsley. 4. yet another crockpot widespread: purchase a small boneless turkey breast. positioned it interior the crockpot with a can of fowl broth. turn it on and walk away. 3-4 hours later you have a very cooked turkey breast.

Answer 5

start simple.

buy some beef tips and a package of brown gravy mix.
put the beef tips in a sauce pan (the large round shallow one) and cook them on the stove top. when they are cooked add in the gravy mix and the water suggested.

buy some new potatoes (the small ones, also called red or butter potatoes) steam them on the stovetop or in the microwave.

make some rice, as long as you follow the directions on the bag it is super easy, if not get some instant rice... it is impossible to mess up!!!

buy a loaf of french bread cut it and toast it.

open a can of veggies... green beans sounds good.

tadaaaa. you can put the gravy on top of the rice and the potatoes.

for your first time that would probably take about an hour but once you get good at judging when to cook what it would only take about 40 minutes.

Answer 6

Are you a vegetarian or omnivore?

Why not start with a one pot meal. Peel some potatoes and other root vegetables, put them in a saucepan and cover with cold water; add a handful of barley and simmer on the hob till cooked. Use the veggies you like. Add seasoning to taste.

If a meat eater; start with your meat. Heat in the pan, a little fat. oil or butter and add the meat. Turn it til it browns then continue with the veggies as before.

Answer 7

Hmm...Are you aiming for cooking one completely from scratch?? Try something out of the Five Ingredient cookbook. I put a link for one down below. The less ingredients you have to deal with the least amount of pressure.

I bet you enjoy grilling...get a grilling cookbook. Then along with it you can make one of those instant salads in a bag. Those instant salads in a bag are pretty basic. You could then try making one for yourself with ingredients you like.

In the freezer section they have those frozen stir fry meals. Try making that a few times. Then observe what their ingredients are and make it fresh.

Answer 8

i feel you...start with potato salad its the easiet meal to prepare

Ingredients Irish potatoes,green peas, carrots,green pepper, onions and mayyonaise

-Peel irish cut them into small cubes wash and boil till tender but not mushy
-Boil a handfull of green peas till tender
-Cut the carrots and green pepper into cubes boil them to half cooked
-Cut the onioins into tiny cubes

when potatoes are ready drain them and wait for them to cool. When cool get a clean bowl and put everything in add scoups of mayyonaise, mix well.

And Viola!! ready to serve enjoy

Answer 9

i like the eggs answer, but since thats is primarily a breakfast food, i would say chicken. baked chicken is easy and delicious. 350 for an hour and ten minutes(unless its the whole thing, but lets take this slow shall we?). next try adding some spices. spices are easy to find(if youre just getting dried in a shaker spices[which aint bad]) and pretty cheap. start with seasoned salt. next try poultry seasoning. then move on to marinades (oil and vinegar), or make your own barbaque sauce(catsup, mustard, oil, brown sugar, salt, pepper). chicken MUST be done, but once its done, it rocks.

Answer 10

Decide what you CAN do and build off of it
Are you good at frying...start with a stir-fry
Are you good at baking, start with a roast
Are you good at boiling? Start with a pasta dish.

Learn to follow a recipe
Read it all the way through first. So there are no surprises later.
Do a search for "easy recipes" or "beginner recipes"

Focus on ONE thing and learn to do it well!
Everyone needs to know how to prepare one thing really really well!
Do you know someone who is a good cook...ask them to show you how to make one easy meal.Don't be to hard on yourself if it isn't PERFECT!!


Good Luck!! You can do it!!!!