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General China posted:Most important thing about cooking food- don’t stress it. That's the best advise. My 10 year old daughter and I experiment with modifying bread recipes. As you know, ratio changes can completely change the bread. She always says "Let's try this! Even if it sucks, we can always eat it." Just don't under cook chicken. That can kill you. Also, make mistakes, recognize them, and adjust. That's how you learn. Watch Jacques Pepin's knife work. Watch Julia Child.
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Mar 22, 2018 16:15
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mostlygray posted:Just don't under cook chicken. That can kill you. Also, if you're just starting out -- buy chicken thighs. It is a more forgiving cut than breasts, in that you can overcook it a little bit and it will still be palatable. gently caress chicken breasts, they are a pointless, oddly expensive garbage meat.
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Mar 22, 2018 16:23
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Yeah, boneless skinless thighs are great bang for your buck and can replace breast in just about any dish.
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Mar 23, 2018 22:52
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Edgar Allen Ho posted:Yeah, boneless skinless thighs are great bang for your buck and can replace breast in just about any dish. Indeed. And while buying boneless and skinless is easier, if you learn to break down the chicken thighs yourself, you can fry the skin up like bacon and season it. It's not what I'd call "healthy" but it's delicious. You can also save the bones for stock, but that's probably something that someone just learning to cook won't be interested in (not that it's difficult).
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Mar 23, 2018 22:54
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OP: get an instant read thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of cooking meats to the proper temp. Mine even has a guide on the side for proper temp of steaks so I'm not standing at the grill trying to remember the temp of medium rare.
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Mar 27, 2018 15:37
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I learned alot by watching Gordon Ramsay videos on YouTube. He has a lot of introductory videos that display some theory, some recipes, and tips that he has learned throughout the years. Here is a good one to start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHRXUeVsAQQ Also, if you have time, he did a British series in the U.K. called the F Word. It's a competition show, but it has a lot of interesting food education and good recipes embedded in it. Videos on how to buy good produce are also awesome -- nothing is more of a buzz kill than finding out that you've just spent money on something that was close to rotten. In terms of good kitchen gadgets to buy, I would start with a rice cooker. You can get these pretty cheaply, they'll last forever, and it's drat near impossible to mess up.
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Mar 27, 2018 22:06
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PT6A posted:Also, if you're just starting out -- buy chicken thighs. It is a more forgiving cut than breasts, in that you can overcook it a little bit and it will still be palatable. gently caress chicken breasts, they are a pointless, oddly expensive garbage meat. Useful for curries, but I agree that breasts are getting more and more expensive compared to other chicken cuts. There's also more flavour in thighs and such.
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Mar 28, 2018 10:28
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WMain00 posted:Useful for curries, but I agree that breasts are getting more and more expensive compared to other chicken cuts. There's also more flavour in thighs and such. I make curries all the time with thigh meat. Why do you need breasts?
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Mar 28, 2018 19:44
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I started learning to cook about a month ago after living on fast food and frozen pizza etc for about 7 years. The trick to me was to imagine my absolute favorite simple food, and try to make it myself. I had a burger once, at a fancy catering pub breakfast nook in downtown. It was thick and crusty, with tangy in-house BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, and I had to do some digging to find out it had goat cheese on it, I didn't know what it was but it was tangy and creamy. I went to serious eats, a website about the science of making good tasting food. I learned that I wanted a 1/2 pound burger and that I wanted to form my patties and season with lots of pepper a couple hours beforehand, salt heavily right before cooking it. basically throw it on a nuclear hot platform, and flip it when the brown has crept up the sides for just a couple minutes more. So I picked up a pound of ground beef, good looking bacon, a BBQ sauce that I know I like, and a container of crumbled goat cheese. Also grabbed the nicest burger buns I could find. It was probably the best meal of my entire life, it made that pub burger look like garbage and was still half the price even though I splurged on ingredients. Then I decided I loving hate kraft Mac and cheese. I watched a bunch of recipes and liked the American style Thomas Jefferson Mac and cheese by the food wishes guy. So I got the sharpest sharp cheese I saw, butter, flour, milk, and a box of pasta where it had like 4 or 5 different shapes of pasta in it, so it wasn't just plain elbows. learned how to make a roux watching the food wishes video, and then it became bechamel, and then I made the best mac n cheese I've ever had in my life. Now I'm hooked on it. Haven't brought fast food home in a month although I still like cheap fish sticks (I made my own goddamn tartar sauce though)
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Mar 30, 2018 18:39
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Mark Bittmans how to cook everything is great, as is his how to cook everything fast. Seconding or thirding the rec to get a good chef's knife. A lot of what makes meals good--which are cheap--tend to be onions, garlic, carrots, celery and the like. You will spend a good deal of time cutting veggies. Also, keep a pantry up and running that can allow you to make a few simple meals. Your pantry should probably always have the following: Rice, beans (canned or dry), pasta, canned tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce. Beef, Veggie and chicken stock (as you become more comfortable, you can easily make these for yourself and freeze them, but it can be nice to get the cube forms.) Canola oil, frying oil (peanut or some other oil with a high smoke point) and olive oil are also essential. Sugar, flour, baking soda and baking powder, onions, potatoes, garlic, butter. (This is the pantry of someone who isn't being conscientious about their diet) The root vegetables keep for a fairly long time and are the foundation of a shitload of excellent meals. Assembling the pantry in one run feels overwhelming and can be expensive, so feel free to concentrate on certain things. You will also want to put together a spice rack. This is more hit and miss, but I've found that you will NEED kosher salt, pepper, and then basic herbs. This list will be much more informed by the recipes you get from the book. From that foundation, you can make a ton of meals by adding one protein. Wait for meats (if that's your thing) to go on sale, buy a family pack for like .99 a pound, separate it and freeze it, then the morning of just put it in your fridge to defrost it. Keep a rotation of fresher veggies (think salad greens) and fruits on hand, but make sure you actually eat em. It is an insane cliche to say this, I know, but if you plan out your meals and cook every day, you will save a shitload of money, and there is something deeply satisfying, I've found, about the routine it adds to each day. I'm lucky in that I get home by 5 most days, and it can be really relaxing to methodically chop veggies, stir them into some kind of fat, and just see the magic happen. You will also need cookware, and you will be well served by a 12 inch cast iron pan, which can be used in the oven or on the stove top. I also really love enameled cook ware, which is similarly flexible, and you can get a good one for about 50 bucks. Starting a good kitchen from scratch can feel daunting. Ask the older people in your life what they think.
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Apr 4, 2018 03:39
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ColdPie posted:Cook a lot and watch all of Good Eats. Definitely do this. Good Eats is a great series and teaches a lot about the basics. I would also recommend Alton Brown's cookbooks since they focus more on teaching you technique rather than recipes, but I think they might be pricey. Soups, stews, and casseroles are probably the easiest place to start learning. The mechanics aren't that difficult and you can focus on learning how to use seasoning and spices. Without knowing your financial situation I hesitate to recommend hardware, especially not at retail. Do you have swap meets nearby? If so you can probably get fantastic deals on anything you don't have by buying something someone left in a storage unit in 1996. Still, at minimum I'd make sure you have a good chef's knife, large cutting board, saucepans at 1qt, 2qt, and 4qt, an 8-12qt stock pot, a good 10-12" cast iron skillet, a cheap 8" nonstick skillet, and some spatulas and spoons and stuff. Some half sheet pans and set of Pyrex casserole dishes should handle most of what you want to do in the oven. Thicker or heavier is generally better with cookware, don't trust nonstick pans with patterns in them, and don't use metal utensils in nonstick pans.
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Apr 5, 2018 06:47
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Don't be intimidated. As has been said, check out GWS. If your goal is to try making one meal per week (which is a very reasonable start), try picking something different each week - it'll give you a good feel for how individual ingredients cook. Don't go spend a ton of money on gear right off the bat. A fry pan, a baking sheet, a small soup/sauce pot and a large pot will be plenty for most things. Also a decent chef's knife and a couple cutting boards. Once you get into the swing of things you can figure out how to expand from there based on what you'll use. One of the hardest things to do is know what to keep in your kitchen - fresh fruits/veg will spoil, so only buy what you know you will cook. Freeze your meats unless you're going to use them within a day or two. The things to spend money on are the absolute basics - spices, salt, pepper, olive oil, butter, etc. so that those are on hand when you need them. I'd also suggest keeping a head of garlic and an onion or two around, they last quite awhile (don't store these in the fridge). Seriously, don't be intimidated and check out GWS.
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Apr 7, 2018 06:01
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A couple of people have recommended cast iron skillets and while they are great I probably wouldn't recommend one to an absolute beginner because they're a bit more difficult to work with and take care of than a non-stick one. I would say that in order of most essential you want to start with: Chef's knife (6-8") and chopping boards - I like the polyethylene plastic chopping boards as they're easy to clean, can go in the dishwasher if you're really lazy. If possible get a set of like 3 or 4 of these that are a decent size - like A3 paper size is good. You can get by with one chopping board but you'll have to wash it thoroughly between chopping meat and veggies and that sort of thing. One good medium to large saucepan/stockpot, and one good small one. A 3-4 litre (4 quart) and a 1 litre (1 quart) one will do you, and the next one to get though maybe not essential yet would be a size between the two. I recommend stainless steel for these. Get ones with a lid. One good large frying pan - non-stick as it's the easiest kind to work with. Don't use metal tools on a non-stick pan as you can ruin the coating. If you can afford it get a good make like Tefal - their coatings are way tougher and just generally better at being non-stick. When you're starting out you don't need 12 different types and sizes of pan you just need one that's big enough to do whatever you're doing in it. You might run into situations where you have say, some meat dish cooking in one pan, some veggies in another and some sauce in a small pan. You could get a larger main pan but if you're just cooking for 2 people initially you can probably get away without one. Also alternatively you can get away with getting a non-stick wok since it'll serve as a frying pan plus you can also do some stuff in it that you would do in a saucepan otherwise. Weighing scales - don't have to be super accurate expensive ones. $15 or something should get you some that are good enough. Baking tray - a simple and cheap but reasonably sized one. If you can get one with a lip around the edge so that it has some depth to it that's better than getting one which is just a flat sheet of metal. Again non-stick ones are good. Basic tools for stirring etc. - wooden spoons, spatula (wood or plastic). A ladle is also useful. Measuring jug - cheapo plastic one will do. Measuring spoons (for measuring teaspoons, tablespoons and fractions thereof). Mixing bowl - decent size, metal or pyrex Glass casserole dish (could be pyrex if you want to spend the extra) Vegetable peeler Can opener Colander for draining stuff Grater Whisk This is basically it for absolute essentials. For convenience I would also get some small ingredient bowls, they're handy when you're chopping stuff, weighing out stuff and need somewhere to put it. When I first started out cooking I had a "student cookbook" which had really simple and cheap recipes since it was aimed at people just moving out of home and going to college/university.
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Apr 10, 2018 09:08
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I'd add a stainless steel frying pan to that list. For the non-stick, just get a cheapo $10 one from Walmart or something, and use it only for things like eggs, fish, thin cuts of meat like bacon, etc., and as said, never use a metal utensil on it - wood or plastic only. Veggies, every other meat, etc. should go in the stainless - stainless retains heat FAR better than aluminum, and will wind up making much better food. If you can only afford one, get the non-stick, if you can get both, do that. Another nice feature of a stainless steel frying pan is that it can go in the oven as long as it has a metal handle (it should). Can't do that with non-stick. Also, if you have a Marshall's Homegoods near you, they generally have good prices on decent pots and pans.
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Apr 10, 2018 10:15
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honda whisperer posted:Buy a good chefs knife. Victornox makes a good one for about $60. Watch some YouTube videos on how to use it and how to hone it. Dull knives suck so bad. My advice would be DON'T buy a $60 knife when you don't so much as know whether meat is over or underdone. Too many people launch into a new hobby by spending hundreds of dollars on equipment that they might not even use because others say it is essential. I've been cooking 20 years now, and I'm just starting to get to the point where I feel I need a $60 knife. On you it would be wasted. OP, get a $10 knife (if you don't already have one), and upgrade when you know what you are doing. People will tell you that you cut yourself more with cheap knives than sharp knives, but in my experience I only ever have cut myself with very sharp knives. You need very sharp knives for more advanced cooking things like filleting fish which you should be avoiding until you know what you are doing with the basics. As a guide for equipment, I'd say that you should buy it only when you are getting driven crazy by the fact you don't have it, or else you will end up with cupboards full of things like smoothie makers, melon ballers, and bread makers that you used once. Everyone is crazy for cast iron at the moment, but you don't need that either at first - ordinary stainless steel or nonstick pans are fine for baby's first recipe. I would not recommend a meat thermometer. I have one and it doesn't seem very reliable or informative. It's only useful when cooking large roasts. Start by cooking easy meats instead. Don't start by thinking you are going to cook a steak that will wow your girlfriend. She'd probably rather have pasta and chicken which you can cook without getting stressed, because freaking out isn't very romantic. The best thing to buy right now would probably be an easy, cheap recipe book. Look for ones that are called things like "Cooking for students" or "Easy, quick recipes for everyday" because most recipe books are just for show, and have impossibly difficult recipes with beautiful pictures for real foodies. These are called things like "The taste of Provence" or "Moroccan cooking for dinner parties." Avoid. They will put you off cooking for life.
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Apr 10, 2018 16:00
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BarbarianElephant posted:My advice would be DON'T buy a $60 knife when you don't so much as know whether meat is over or underdone. Too many people launch into a new hobby by spending hundreds of dollars on equipment that they might not even use because others say it is essential. I've been cooking 20 years now, and I'm just starting to get to the point where I feel I need a $60 knife. On you it would be wasted. This is somewhat fair, but I'll also say this is a $40 knife on Amazon, and I have had complete novices in my kitchen remark in surprised tones that they were surprised at how fun it is to chop things with. Even for a beginner, a halfway decent knife isn't the worst purchase you can make.
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Apr 11, 2018 02:01
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litany of gulps posted:This is somewhat fair, but I'll also say this is a $40 knife on Amazon, and I have had complete novices in my kitchen remark in surprised tones that they were surprised at how fun it is to chop things with. Yeah, a decent quality knife is a very good purchase. Everything gets easier when you have a knife that's not complete poo poo.
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Apr 11, 2018 02:25
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BarbarianElephant posted:OP, get a $10 knife (if you don't already have one), and upgrade when you know what you are doing. People will tell you that you cut yourself more with cheap knives than sharp knives, but in my experience I only ever have cut myself with very sharp knives. A poo poo knife goes dull quickly. A dull knife requires a lot more force to cut things, and that makes it far more likely that you'll lose control of the blade and skitter it into your thumb or something. Also, this is really one of those things where you go "I don't really NEED a good knife" right up until the first time you use one, at which point you start going "I can't live without a good knife".
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Apr 11, 2018 07:18
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Live with a good mother-in-law.
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Apr 11, 2018 11:03
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There's also services like Plated that send you a recipe and ingredients for just one meal (so you don't need a whole jar of pesto, etc.)
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Apr 11, 2018 11:06
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Jeza posted:I wonder if the fastest way to learn to cook is to be abducted into a competition where you must cook to survive in successive cooking challenges where the weakest contestant is executed, and then possibly cooked. Or cooked as a method of execution. Either or, really. I think the quickest way to start cooking is to jump in a fire. You'll be cooking almost instantly!
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Apr 11, 2018 13:08
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Shooting Blanks posted:If you can only afford one, get the non-stick, if you can get both, do that. Another nice feature of a stainless steel frying pan is that it can go in the oven as long as it has a metal handle (it should). Can't do that with non-stick. Yeah my list was based on p. much getting the bare minimum. I've always found SS frying pans to be poo poo though - too sticky when you try doing stuff at high frying temps. Cast iron is great for the "holds a lot of heat" thing but a half decent 12" cast iron skillet is likely gonna be $50+ and you don't need one when you're just starting out. A carbon-steel wok is not a bad compromise but they're a bit of a pain to season and clean properly - I've never managed to get the seasoning quite perfect. For my cast iron skillet I just bought a Lodge pre-seasoned one and it's been great. My main thing to spend a bit more on from that list would be a chef's knife. As others have said you don't need to go nuts with it. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...&pf_rd_i=289857 This one has good reviews and is only $20 - probably going to be better than something for like $10 by quite a long way. You'll also want a sharpener and I recommend the kind with a ceramic wheel like this: https://www.amazon.com/PriorityChef...ner+wheel&psc=1 Those wheel sharpeners are the easiest kind to use IMO (you pretty much can't go wrong) and you can get a knife more than sharp enough with them. As well as a chef's knife it can also be handy to have a smaller vegetable/paring knife but you can get by without one if money is tight.
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Apr 11, 2018 14:45
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Khizan posted:A poo poo knife goes dull quickly. A dull knife requires a lot more force to cut things, and that makes it far more likely that you'll lose control of the blade and skitter it into your thumb or something. I've never done this in 20 years cooking. Cut myself with plenty of sharp knives, though. It's a very real concern if you are an actual chef and are cutting hundreds of carrots a day, rather than a home cook cutting up one single carrot for a meal. I do think *I* need a good knife, but someone who has never cooked meat before doesn't really need one. I'm not saying to cut chicken with a butter knife, but an ordinary knife will do fine for now. I think putting off new cooks by giving them an enormous list of expensive kitchen gadgets that they don't really need is something that people don't realize is very intimidating. It makes cooking seem like this huge difficult expensive task for the seriously dedicated, rather than something simple that most people have traditionally done every day for centuries with generally sub-par tools. Most people start off with what the previous tenants left in the kitchen drawers, or a box of old kitchen tools that Grandma doesn't need anymore. And that's fine. You don't need the best to start off with. Add things as you need them, not as people tell you you need them. There's always a better, more expensive tool.
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Apr 11, 2018 16:27
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BarbarianElephant posted:I've never done this in 20 years cooking. Congrats. I have. My Mum refuses to use sharp knives because she's scared of cutting herself. When I was cooking in her kitchen one time I was pushing too hard on something (because of a dull knife) and slipped and cut myself. I didn't cut a finger off or anything but it bled a lot and hurt, and it wouldn't have happened if I was using a sharp knife. I have also cut myself with sharp knives but the cuts actually tend to not be as bad - if the knife is properly sharp then the cut you get is more like a paper cut - hurts but it's a really clean cut which closes and heals well. Yes you can start out with a lovely $5 knife but it will almost certainly go blunt quickly and you don't need to spend a fortune to get something a little better - see the $20 knife and $18 sharpener from Amazon I posted up above. WhatEvil fucked around with this message at 16:41 on Apr 11, 2018 |
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Apr 11, 2018 16:34
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Yeah you absolutely do not need to drop 38 bucks on a single knife and sharpener if you're a rando who isn't quite sure how to boil pasta. Period. It is pretty easy to avoid cutting yourself with any knife, go loving slowly and cautiously, especially if you haven't been cutting food up for long. This is extra easy to do if you're a noob cooking for two people because you will not be needing speed or to cut much stuff. People who cut themselves are going to be people with knife skills. Edgar Allen Ho fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Apr 11, 2018 |
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Apr 11, 2018 17:14
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Edgar Allen Ho posted:Yeah you absolutely do not need to drop 38 bucks on a single knife and sharpener if you're a rando who isn't quite sure how to boil pasta. Period. The "I can't boil pasta" stage should last about ten minutes at most, if you aren't a complete moron. For 50 bucks you can get a good knife and a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet. These are literally the only two kitchen tools you should need for 99% of cooking. I know this forum has a tendency to turn cast iron into some magical thing that requires a great deal of care, but I bought my skillet and dutch oven for about 20 dollars total between the two of them. I have never in any meaningful sense cared for either, and they're both fine. I've never sharpened my knife (Victorinox), and it still cuts better than any other knife I've ever owned. If anything, I'd argue that it's easier to gently caress up a nonstick pan than a cast iron, and it's not like the price is significantly different. If you can't figure out how to operate a stovetop knob effectively, you aren't a functional human and yes, buying a sharp knife and a heavy pan are a mistake. You should instead invest in a padded room and a handler. Nobody with any real interest in learning to cook will go wrong by spending 40 bucks on a knife that will serve them well for years, or 10 bucks on a pan that will live much longer than they do.
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Apr 12, 2018 02:20
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whats a basic good way to sharpen a knife? those v-shaped stone things? I picked up a victorinox 8" chefs knife and i love it to death compared to cheap knives i've used. if feels amazing to slice garlic almost paper thin and it got me interested in cooking all kinds of things like stir-fried beef strips and learning to french cut onions. I've been honing it after using since i got it, but i can tell there's a small burr that goes over the edge now when i hone it. I just don't want to gently caress up the edge to where it needs regrinding after only a month
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Apr 12, 2018 03:01
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I take my knives to the store and they sharpen them for 5 dollars.
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Apr 12, 2018 08:07
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Thing is even if you buy a lovely $10 knife you're going to want a sharpener before long anyway. That $18 sharpener I linked is cheap and is the easiest kind to use IMO. You'd think from some of the responses that I'm recommending any cooking noob needs to get a mortgage on some Hanzo Steel when really I'm saying that it CAN be a good idea to go a LITTLE MORE than the absolute bare minimum on a knife. Even with the $38 knife/sharpener combo I posted, my list of "All the equipment you need to have a pretty nicely equipped kitchen" should be attainable for less than $200 and it doesn't all need to be bought at once.Jinh posted:whats a basic good way to sharpen a knife? those v-shaped stone things? I've tried with a diamond steel, with one of those regular kinds of steel with the ridges, with a diamond stone (some of these things have been borrowed or at friend's houses, I didn't buy them all) and I found the ones with the ceramic wheel to be the easiest and most consistent by a mile. You can get good results with the others but they take practice and skill to use. Here's a wheel one: http://www.longviewsewing.com/shop/Cutlery/p/Kyocera-Diamond-Wheel-Knife-Sharpener-x29587820.htm - they have a little stone or ceramic wheel with a v-shaped profile, and axis of the wheel is off-line with the slot you put the knife in (see the picture in the link). Alternatively there are ones with two pieces of ceramic set in a V shape (which might be what you're talking about?) like this one: https://www.discountcutlery.net/M3758-Ceramic-Knife-Sharpener_p_50387.html - I don't remember personally trying one of these but I think they're just as easy as the wheel ones? Also the one I linked is $5 so I don't know if that particular one would break in 5 minutes. The only thing to consider with the wheel/V-shape ones is that you should ideally get one which suits the bevel angle of your knives and if you have different knives from different makes they might not all be the same (they tend to vary from about 15-20 degrees). If you do get one that doesn't match then you'll have to spend a bit of time effectively regrinding the angle on the blade but all that means is running it through the sharpener a bunch of times. I have a single stage wheel sharpener, just one wheel which is like a stone material and this gets my knives plenty sharp enough but you can get ones with a second stage ceramic stone which'll get them even sharper. Oh also those V-shape ones won't work if you have Japanese knives with a bevel on only one edge but if you've bothered to pony up for one of those then you probably aren't asking for sharpening advice from goons. WhatEvil fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Apr 12, 2018 |
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Apr 12, 2018 08:24
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It really comes down to "how much do you need the money?" If a $20 difference is going to make a big difference in your life, then maybe don't buy the more expensive knife. If it makes little or no difference, then buy the better knife.
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Apr 12, 2018 15:32
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Good Eats has a really good progression starting from basic steak and then potatoes and then eggs etc. etc. with a whole dang lot of exposition on historical and scientific explanations behind different cooking techniques. All of that extra exposition helps me out more than just a straight up recipe. An ex would have us watch an episode and then we'd cook with what we learned from the episode. edit: My favorite new kitchen tool that I've picked up in the past few years are the silicone pot lids. I use them as everything from pot lids to hot pads to trivets. Those and the silicone steaming tray for steaming various frozen veggies have been aces. Cyberpunkey Monkey fucked around with this message at 04:51 on Apr 13, 2018 |
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Apr 13, 2018 04:45
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WhatEvil posted:a half decent 12" cast iron skillet is likely gonna be $50+ This seems high. If you have any family members that like to go to garage sales, estate sales, or swap meets, you can probably get a good cast iron skillet for 10 bucks. Have them look out for a chef's knife and an enameled Dutch oven while they're at it.
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Apr 13, 2018 05:21
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PT6A posted:It really comes down to "how much do you need the money?" If a $20 difference is going to make a big difference in your life, then maybe don't buy the more expensive knife. If it makes little or no difference, then buy the better knife. I agree, I was never saying otherwise. I was basically saying "you can get a knife that's pretty decent and a lot better than the most basic poo poo if you're willing to spend a little more". I've never been saying that anyone should bankrupt themselves for one if they can't afford it. It seemed that a false choice was being presented between getting bargain basement poo poo or spending $100 plus and I was just aiming to show that getting something better did not have to be completely ruinous. DrGonzo90 posted:This seems high. Yeah I guess so. I tend not to think of this so much because I'm in the UK and garage sales and swap meets aren't so much of a thing here. Charity shops etc. can also be a good source of second-hand kitchen equipment too though. If you're gonna buy a second hand knife you need to do a bit of research first to know how to tell good ones from lovely ones but it's not that hard. Cyberpunkey Monkey posted:Good Eats Yeah Good Eats is awesome. I wish all recipe books etc. went into things like they do. When I was starting out cooking I'd be reading recipes and you see like "carrots, chopped"... does that mean cut into rounds? cut into chunks? how thick? Just one example but Good Eats tends not to just give you instructions and expect you to know what they mean, they actually go into the reasoning of why it's best to do things in a certain way. One thing that really annoys me is when something just says "cook [x] for [y] minutes on a medium heat" and that's it. My medium heat might be different to theirs, my [x] might be cut a bit differently, or if it's a veg or something it might be drier/wetter/have higher/lower sugar content or whatever. If the recipe says "cook on a medium heat until just starting to brown/soften/whatever" then that's a million times better. Of course you get to a stage where you just know "right this ingredient is going to be going into a stew after I've fried it so when I'm frying it I want to get it to this stage" etc. but you don't know that poo poo starting out. That's where the real knowledge comes in cooking IMO but it's so often not taught or taken for granted.
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Apr 13, 2018 10:54
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That's why I like the little bits like in the tater ep I rewatched last night and he'll say to the camera "Simmer this cream but don't let it boil" and a little thing will pop up that says "185 degrees / little bubbles just breaking the surface". Totally! Being able to orchestrate all of those little tasks efficiently and not actually trying to do everything in whatever complex recipe you think you want to cook with a single 8 inch chef's knife like this is the middle ages is what turns cooking from a 2 hour slogfest, like somebody mentioned above, into an enjoyable 30 minute process that you can do without worrying about it. Then one day you'll suddenly realize that you browned and poached a butterflied chicken breast and whipped up a quick reduction sauce to throw over some broccoli for a side without really thinking about it and now you can cook! edit: Btw, I love throwing some oil in a pan, searing the meat, and then throwing in some vinegar and stock, slapping a lid on there, and finishing it off with a good simmering poach, but I didn't really get taught how to do this, I just started doing it because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Cyberpunkey Monkey fucked around with this message at 18:25 on Apr 13, 2018 |
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Apr 13, 2018 18:21
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Lots of good advice itt. Back when I learned to cook in ye olden days before the Internet, my first cookbook was the Better Homes & Gardens one. It's meant for harried housewives, so it's a great starter book with simple recipes that often call for prepackaged stuff. Once you get them down, you can start experimenting using fresh ingredients. Joy of Cooking is also a great investment because it goes into a lot of depth on the ingredients used. If I see a cut of meat or a kind of fish on sale, and I'm not familiar with it, I'll buy it anyways and look it up in JoC. They'll tell me the basics on it and what method is best (braising, baking, sautéing, etc). The actual recipes go from "how to boil an egg" to fancy stuff with French names that I can't pronounce. My one equipment suggestion: get a timer, and don't be afraid to use it. I cook professionally, and I still use a timer both at home and work because poo poo happens that can distract you. Say you're cooking meat at 4 minutes per side, and then at 3 minutes your cat hucks a hair ball, you go to clean it up because your girlfriend's coming over, next thing you know you glance at the clock and shiiiiiit that meats been cooking for 8 minutes on that side. Your timer will tell you "hey buddy, flip that meat, the hair ball can wait for a second". Extra emphasis on this if you like to drink/get high while cooking.
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Apr 23, 2018 16:25
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Oh yeah timers are almost essential. I just use my phone cause I can say "Hey siri, set a 10 minute timer" and it's done.
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Apr 24, 2018 11:07
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I wonder if the OP is even reading this thread.
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Apr 24, 2018 13:38
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ColdPie posted:I wonder if the OP is even reading this thread. I'm gonna guess "no", since he's got a more recent A/T thread about the best way to keep his gf's favorite foods from a restaurant take-out warm in a 30 minute car ride. Plenty of goons suggesting "learn to make it yourself?" with no response. Eh, the advice here might help someone else out, though.
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Apr 24, 2018 23:14
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JacquelineDempsey posted:I'm gonna guess "no", since he's got a more recent A/T thread about the best way to keep his gf's favorite foods from a restaurant take-out warm in a 30 minute car ride. Plenty of goons suggesting "learn to make it yourself?" with no response. As a goon who can't cook, I am going to start watching good eats during my downtime at work and maybe try throwing together some simple stuff because of this thread. Eventually, I want to be able to make food for my professional chef of a Mom, because even though she's going to call it poo poo no matter how good I make it, the look on her face when she finds out that I actually cooked something will be 200% worth it.
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Apr 25, 2018 10:38
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WhatEvil posted:Oh yeah timers are almost essential. I just use my phone cause I can say "Hey siri, set a 10 minute timer" and it's done. I have an Alexa in the kitchen that gets used more for timers than anything else.
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Apr 25, 2018 16:59
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