Learning to cook.... (1 Viewer)

[Max Knight]

Let's just say that one of the reasons I am married to a beautiful, fantastic, and all around phenomenal woman is that I know how to cook!
A friend of mine who looks like a J Crew model yet can't boil water has only had 1 steady girlfriend ever.
Draw your own conclusions

 

[Scooter]

3 Words:
Deep Fry Everything!!!!

 

[Philip_G]

Let's just say that one of the reasons I am married to a beautiful, fantastic, and all around phenomenal woman is that I know how to cook!

A friend of mine who looks like a J Crew model yet can't boil water has only had 1 steady girlfriend ever.

2 problems.
I love to cook, sadly I love to eat even more, the ability to cook makes eating possible. You do the math.
secondly, you have to find the female, not scare them away, and actually get them INTO your home before you can woo them with your MaD CoOkInG SkIlLz Yo. See problem #1.

 

[Anders Englund]

This thread seems to be evolving...

actually get them INTO your home before you can woo them with your MaD CoOkInG SkIlLz

Nah, you can offer to cook at their house.
--Anders

 

[Max Knight]

Or you could "serenade" them from the sidewalk with a portable stove... Just be sure to cook something aromatic so that the beautiful smells waft up to their window!

 

[Lew Crippen]

If I could have only three cookbooks in my collection....

These were exactly the three I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn to cook. If I would add a fourth, it would be one of James Beard’s basic cookbooks.

All of these authors not only give you great recipes, but they explain why they are doing what they are doing. This allows a new cook the ability to alter recipes to meet available ingredients and tools and whims.

To cite only one example, read how to roast a chicken in the Joy of Cooking. Then read how Julia Child roasts a chicken, and why. And then what Marcella has to say about roasting chickens. Three different approaches, all of which produce outstanding results.

For a first-time effort, try Marcella’s roast chicken that she stuffs a couple of whole lemons. Brilliant, and you basically have nothing to do. That will have the girls (and her parents) falling all over you.

I’ve been cooking for over 45 years and immodestly state that I’m very good. But not so good as either my wife is or was my mother.

 

[Ted Lee]

here's some tips regarding spices:
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ling+all+cooks
learning to cook isn't that hard. i'm actually an okay cook now. everyone's covered most of the basics, but here's a few random thoughts:
veggies
most men don't cook or eat veggies. not sure why. they're totally easy to make. boiling water is your friend.
1. take some broccoli, cut off the bottoms, add them to boiling water for 5 minutes or so. you're done. you can do this with carrots (buy the prepackaged small ones), spinach, corn and probably some other stuff too.
cookware
you don't need anything too fancy - at least not to start. i've got some cookware set that i bought from target - cost me about 70 bucks and works fine. i think i also bought one of those monster-knife blocks from there too. now, i've also used heinkels (sp?) and all-clad cookware too. yes, the stuff seems to work better, but it's nearly 10 times the price! start simple...decide if it's worth upgrading later.
portable grills
i had a george forman grill - hated it. it cooked all my food "funny" - there was no taste and the meat tasted weird. i prefer a portable gas bbq (the kind you take camping or something). then you can truly BBQ your food - much tastier.
experiment
heck...it's only food. the worse thing that can happen is you burn it or fudge it up. so you're assed out a few bucks...no biggie. chalk it up to a learning experience!
cookbooks
there are cookbooks for everyone. when i first moved to college, my sister bought me like three cookbooks designed specifically for a non-cooking bachelor like me. it was very simple recipes (only a few ingrediants) with short cook times. look around and you'll likely find similarly themed books today.
leftovers
part of life - especially if you're cooking for one. figure on eating it tonight and probably for lunch and maybe dinner the next night. after that, take a break and get some fast-food. i think it's okay to mix-up your diet...you don't have to cook every night, but try to make it the majority of your meals.
have fun
when i'm trying a new recipe, i like to crank the stereo and just hang in the kitchen. i try to act like a cool chef, work on my cutting and chopping technique, think about how to spice-up or vary the dish, etc. just act like a goofball when you cook - it'll make it more enjoyable.
okay, i'm done rambling. thanks for listening!

 

[Philip_G]

if you're pressed for space the portable grills work well, the weber is nice. I used one for years when I didn't have room for anything else, but they cost an arm and a leg to keep in propane if you use it too often. Guess you can always buy the adapter and hook it up to a 20lb bottle too.

 

[Anders Englund]

Leftovers

Leftover are not only part of life, they're a neccesity. It's amazing what you can do with. Leftovers from one dinner can easily be combined with what you're eating the next night. A small, simple, but unhealthy, example:

Got some leftover pizza, prefearably one with not so much on it? Cut it into small pieces (about 1,5 x 1,5 cm). Fry it in lots of oil for a few minutes, and let cool and dry off. It's a great side dish, or maybe just for a snack.

--Anders

 

[TedE]

Another word on knives: you MUST "test drive" them before buying. You may not believe it, but knives are subject to a lot of personal preference. When Global first started coming onto the scene seriously, I heard all these raves and thought "Hmm, i should check these out". HATED them. Way too light, balance was all wrong for me. Well, for ME at least. Others can't live without them