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re: Resources for new cooks
Posted on 12/22/16 at 9:02 am to Miz Piggy
Posted on 12/22/16 at 9:02 am to Miz Piggy
Honestly, something like Rachel Ray's 30 min meals cookbook may be easy for her to approach. Geared towards family style easy and hearty recipes that only take very basic skills and she can prlly get on youtube and find Rachel Ray actually cooking most of the recipes and follow along.
LINK
Another option could be getting her a slow cooker with a basic recipe book. I think most people don't learn how to cook because they are intimidated by it and don't have the confidence to try. A slow cooker could be an easy way for her to make something that tastes good and just gives her a way to build her confidence. For someone that doesn't know how to make anything, a basic pork roast in a slow cooker with veggies and potatoes would be confidence booster.
Also, maybe starting out with breakfast could be a good option. Frying bacon, scrambling eggs, making omelets, biscuits in the oven, cooking hashbrowns, maybe learning a casserole or two are all fairly easy to do and very satisfying.
Let her know how truly easy it can be. Grilling a piece of meat like a steak or pork loin chop should be one of the first things she should learn. A grilled piece of meat and a veggie steampack in the microwave can be a quick dinner that anyone can do with almost no experience. They just need the confidence to do it.
Soups are easy as well as it's basically throwing ingredients in a stock pot and letting it simmer. Perfect time of the year to learn soup recipes as well.
LINK
Another option could be getting her a slow cooker with a basic recipe book. I think most people don't learn how to cook because they are intimidated by it and don't have the confidence to try. A slow cooker could be an easy way for her to make something that tastes good and just gives her a way to build her confidence. For someone that doesn't know how to make anything, a basic pork roast in a slow cooker with veggies and potatoes would be confidence booster.
Also, maybe starting out with breakfast could be a good option. Frying bacon, scrambling eggs, making omelets, biscuits in the oven, cooking hashbrowns, maybe learning a casserole or two are all fairly easy to do and very satisfying.
Let her know how truly easy it can be. Grilling a piece of meat like a steak or pork loin chop should be one of the first things she should learn. A grilled piece of meat and a veggie steampack in the microwave can be a quick dinner that anyone can do with almost no experience. They just need the confidence to do it.
Soups are easy as well as it's basically throwing ingredients in a stock pot and letting it simmer. Perfect time of the year to learn soup recipes as well.
This post was edited on 12/22/16 at 9:06 am
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Posted on 12/22/16 at 12:48 pm to Miz Piggy
The most important thing she needs to do is just cook. Pick a recipe of something that sounds good and do it. Beginning cooking is trial and error.
Posted on 1/11/17 at 3:40 pm to LG2BAMA
Well, we thought we had a couple of months, but as life goes in the military, the timing got changed and she's leaving in a couple of weeks.
Bought her the Pioneer Woman cookbook (really think all the pictures will help), took her shopping for some basics, and took a day off work today to have a cooking crash course.
I severely underestimated her cooking ability - it was non-existent. She didn't know how to cut an onion or peel a potato. The total extent of her cooking was using the microwave. She even admitted she wasn't familiar with the store we were in (where she regularly shops) because she only goes to the frozen food aisle.
I taught her how to make breakfast (eggs, bacon, country potatoes and biscuits and gravy), a pot roast in the slow cooker, a meatloaf and roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and potato soup.
She picked up on things pretty quickly and I think her major issue is lack of confidence. Once she gets settled on base, I may subscribe her to that magazine.
I tried to impress upon her that she was going to screw up, but that it was ok. I even told her about Julia Child leaving in her screw ups on the show because she wanted people to know everyone messes up in the kitchen. She then asked me "Who's Julia Child?"
I think I've prepared her as best I can. Thanks for all of the advice! Love this board!
Bought her the Pioneer Woman cookbook (really think all the pictures will help), took her shopping for some basics, and took a day off work today to have a cooking crash course.
I severely underestimated her cooking ability - it was non-existent. She didn't know how to cut an onion or peel a potato. The total extent of her cooking was using the microwave. She even admitted she wasn't familiar with the store we were in (where she regularly shops) because she only goes to the frozen food aisle.
I taught her how to make breakfast (eggs, bacon, country potatoes and biscuits and gravy), a pot roast in the slow cooker, a meatloaf and roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and potato soup.
She picked up on things pretty quickly and I think her major issue is lack of confidence. Once she gets settled on base, I may subscribe her to that magazine.
I tried to impress upon her that she was going to screw up, but that it was ok. I even told her about Julia Child leaving in her screw ups on the show because she wanted people to know everyone messes up in the kitchen. She then asked me "Who's Julia Child?"
I think I've prepared her as best I can. Thanks for all of the advice! Love this board!
Posted on 1/11/17 at 6:04 pm to Miz Piggy
I'll be interested to know what and how she does once she's on her own, so get her to take pics and report back! Bless you for trying to help her.
As soon as saw the reference to Julia, I figured the next sentence would be that she had no idea who that was!!!
As soon as saw the reference to Julia, I figured the next sentence would be that she had no idea who that was!!!
Posted on 1/11/17 at 6:09 pm to Miz Piggy
Get her a copy of "On Food and Cooking" by Harold McGee. It explains not only ingredients and technique but WHY you do things and use ingredients and WHAT is actually happening from a scientific standpoint during cooking.
Knowing what you're doing and why you're doing it makes a way better cook than just knowing how to do it.
EDIT: I didn't realize how little she knows. It's still a great book, but it might be a little bit off-putting for her knowledge level.
Knowing what you're doing and why you're doing it makes a way better cook than just knowing how to do it.
EDIT: I didn't realize how little she knows. It's still a great book, but it might be a little bit off-putting for her knowledge level.
This post was edited on 1/11/17 at 6:11 pm
Posted on 1/11/17 at 6:31 pm to Miz Piggy
Have her post on this board.
Posted on 1/11/17 at 7:22 pm to Miz Piggy
Do you know her spouse well enough to chat with him/her? 'Cause if the spouse is encouraging & appreciative, it will go a long way. Nothing worse than trying something new, semi-succeeding, then having to hear about how terrible it is and/or unlike their version/mom's. Good on ya for helping her out. Learning to cook is the best thing she could do to stretch an enlisted servicemember's budget. And if they're in base housing, she will be able to entertain. Plus those military spouses will teach her some survival cooking, too.
I'm trying to wrap my brain around someone raising a child with absolutely no survival cooking skills. My college roommate had an uber-homemaker mother who didn't allow her into the kitchen, but she still had sense enough to boil an egg and make potato salad. I taught her to make pancakes, and she thought I was a genius for making a cake from scratch...
I'm trying to wrap my brain around someone raising a child with absolutely no survival cooking skills. My college roommate had an uber-homemaker mother who didn't allow her into the kitchen, but she still had sense enough to boil an egg and make potato salad. I taught her to make pancakes, and she thought I was a genius for making a cake from scratch...
Posted on 1/11/17 at 8:38 pm to Miz Piggy
Pretty good suggestions from everyone. Sometimes you just have to swim or sink. Asking Google how to do anything is an amazing tool. After all, if you can't find it on the internet then you just aren't looking hard enough. Maybe they make a cooking for dummies book. Seems like they make those books for everything else you want to learn how to do. She will figure it out because I did and so did my parents.
Posted on 1/11/17 at 9:50 pm to hungryone
Yeah, I'll send him a message to be encouraging. I think he's actually pretty excited because this is the first inclination she's shown to cook.
I don't think this is 100% on her mom. Her brother took some interest and learned to cook a few things. She said each time her mom tried they ended up arguing. She also admits she had zero interest in learning.
She also doesn't drive, which I find absolutely baffling, so she just may be a special case!
Eta: Gris, I also made an Emeril reference and she didn't know about him, either. I gave up.
I don't think this is 100% on her mom. Her brother took some interest and learned to cook a few things. She said each time her mom tried they ended up arguing. She also admits she had zero interest in learning.
She also doesn't drive, which I find absolutely baffling, so she just may be a special case!
Eta: Gris, I also made an Emeril reference and she didn't know about him, either. I gave up.
This post was edited on 1/11/17 at 9:52 pm
Posted on 1/11/17 at 10:17 pm to Miz Piggy
The Way To Cook by Julia Child is a fantastic book, but might be "too advanced" for someone absolutely just starting out. There is a dvd format. I'm a huge Julia Child fan and she was a pioneer for all these current TV Chefs.
Posted on 1/11/17 at 10:22 pm to TigerstuckinMS
quote:It's a fantastic book and I own it. For those of us who are into physics, math, chemistry, etc, and love to cook, this book will rock your world. If not, you might get through just two pages of it.
I didn't realize how little she knows. It's still a great book, but it might be a little bit off-putting for her knowledge level.
ETA: "On Food And Cooking" by Harold McGee
This post was edited on 1/11/17 at 10:27 pm
Posted on 1/12/17 at 1:57 am to Miz Piggy
Some people have zero interest in cooking. Not a bad thing. Just not their deal. She may be one of those.
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