Learning to Cook, HELP!

Cheryl - posted on 08/23/2011

I agree with Mimi, Crock pot will be your best friend and they are so affordable.The internet is a wealth of recipes. Nice thing too is you can take a cheaper cut of meat and after it cooks all day it is moist and tender.

Mary - posted on 08/16/2011

My very favorite site is Taste of Home. Try Tasteofhome.com. Everything I've ever tried from that site is delicious.

Michele - posted on 08/14/2011

yes allrecipies.com and cooks .com are good I am a Chef, Do not be afraid to cook just follow the recipes and soon you will be making things with out them and trying new things and learning as you cook to figure out what flavors go with each other. Good luck and have fun

Tara - posted on 08/14/2011

Two things I love the most try allrecipes.com and my crock pot. Don't be afaid to try things....not everything you try will work but most of the time it does.

Sandi - posted on 08/14/2011

I found my cooking speed and skill really improved when I learned how to use knives properly. A sharp knife is essential, it keeps it from slipping off the item you're slicing and cutting YOU. I should start posting videos, I'm fanatic about proper knives!

Lorena - posted on 07/28/2011

A box of Penne Pasta, a jar of Ragu Cheesy Alfredo Sauce and a little Lawry's Seasoning and you have Alfredo!! So easy and so inexpensive!! I've also added cubed chicken, diced mushrooms(kids didn't even realize what they were eating), and bell peppers!! Hope your family enjoys!!:)

Lorena - posted on 07/28/2011

For an easy and super quick meal, I take a box of penne pasta(1.00), cook and drain it, then a jar of Ragu Cheesy Alfredo Sauce and some Lawry's seasoning. My family LOVES it!! Plus it is so inexpensive!! You can also add cubed chicken, bell peppers, mushrooms!! Hope your family enjoys!!:)

Kristin - posted on 07/24/2011

Check out my blog! cuisinedekristin.blogspot.com. My recipes are all really easy and have only a few ingredients. You can scroll through by date or use the search button for a certain ingredient (ex: chicken or pasta). Also, allrecipes.com is a good site.

Alison - posted on 07/21/2011

Delish.com is a good site to find some simple but yet delicious recipes. But like alot of the ladies were suggesting find some simple things to start with. I subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens, along with Southern Living. As I have progressed through my cooking career I've done alot of experimenting. Start small and before you know it you'll be finding out what types of herbs and spices go with which dish. Coming from a cook in training to be a chef...: )

Tamara - posted on 07/21/2011

I have found many great recipes on www.allrecipes.com. I One idea I have for spring/summer time when everyone likes to grill is to grill multiple kinds and packages of meat. For example, I'll marinate chicken (breasts and tenders) in Italian dressing for 24+ hours and then grill that, burgers, hot dogs, Italian sausage and/or anything else we've gotten for the grill. We then have enough meat to eat on for several days, and you can eat something different each day. All you have to do is add your favorite sides, and in summertime, baked fries and a salad or fruit are simple and yummy. We grill like this on the weekends mostly so that we have quick food if we're on the run or coming in from church and kids are starving. You can then take the chicken and cut up over salads or chop up left over burgers and put in spaghetti sauce.

Alison - posted on 07/18/2011

No-Peek Stew: 1 1/2 lbs raw stew meat (already cut up), 1 envelope Lipton onion soup, 4 medium potatoes peeled and dice, 1 baby baby carrots cut in half, 1 can green beans with juice, 1 can cream of mushroom soup. Layer 1st five ingredients in order, then pour soup over top. Put lid on and bake for 4 hours at 325 degrees F. Great to get ready and put in after lunch, before church etc.

Callie - posted on 07/16/2011

Well most of the time i improvise will cooking, and it turns out great most of the time, and plus my husband is Liberian and we eat alot of his national food and i learn mostly from him, and its not as hard as it may taste.

Charleen - posted on 07/14/2011

easy easy dish it is called pancit. It is a filipino noodle dish. This is how you do it. Cook chicken in a pan very little oil cut it into cubes set aside. add a little more oil and fry up some veggies (onions carrot cabbage and corn or peas green beans) make sure you have the cabbage and carrot and onions the other is optional. then get some top ramen noodles or rice noodles or spaghetti noodles( usually made with rice noodles ) and then add them all together with minced garlic and then add about a 1/2 cup soy sauce or to taste then serve

Tiffany - posted on 07/12/2011

I know it's summer, but soup is something anyone can make (gazpacho, ginger-carrot and cucumber soups are good in summer) and the great thing about it is you can't screw it up and can customize it to your preferences. Smoothies, salads, stir-frys are also basics to start on without need for a recipe (except maybe find a great dressing and a go to sauce for your stir-fry). Remeber, a salad doesn't have to be iceberg lettuse and carrots. You can use different grains (quiona, couscous and wild rice are all good choices), fruits, proteins (i like beans), and veggies (love to add grilled or pan fried veggies to a bed of fresh dark leafy greens). Panzenela salads are great summer fare too. Slice up some tomatos. Drizzle some olive oil and spike it with garlic. Bake it up. Add some day old bread and diced cucumbers a little sherry vinegar, sea salt and pepper and there you go! You can go Mexican by adding avacados, salsa, black beans, and grilled or pan fried peppers to your salad. You can go Mediteranian by adding any of the following: lentils, chickpeas, prepared tabouli, couscous and hummus or lemon tahini as your drssing. Just have fun with it. If you by jarred tomato sauce you can add pureed or grilled veggies and proten to your pasta/sauce.

Constance - posted on 07/09/2011

Is there anything in paticula that you would like to cook?

Shannon - posted on 07/09/2011

You can find recipes anywhere online, even local grocery store websites. I first started cooking when i got a Land o lakes cook book. but to find recipes think of some of your favorite or most often purchased brands at the store like pillsbury, kraft or velveta.

LIDIA - posted on 07/09/2011

try allrecipes.com

Constance - posted on 07/08/2011

Try sites like www.foodnetwork.com Thousands of recipes and step by step videos. Look for recipes from Paula Deen, Racheal Ray, 5 ingriedent fix. Tons and tons of information.
Also if you looked around your area you can usually find cooking classes.

Jane - posted on 07/08/2011

Go find a step-by-step cook book with lots of pictures - that way you can learn what various terms mean and how to do certain procedures. Once you have that down, then you can start collecting recipes or using online sources such as Allrecipes.com or epicurious.com.

Alternatively, if you have a friend or relative who is a good cook, perhaps ask them to come help you cook as an informal cooking class. The reward, of course, is a good meal.

Brittany - posted on 07/08/2011

To figure out how to make my own pasta sauce I would buy the jared sauce that I really liked. I would taste it and try to figure out what I liked about it and what I thought it needed. Eventually I found that I didn't need the jar at all, I could get a can of tomatoes and make a sauce. I found that I like mine with lots of fennel seeds and garlic. I use dried basil, but fresh is better (really wish I could find a basil plant). I also found that I didn't like the sugar in my sauce (unless I'm making pizza then it's only 1/4-1/2 tsp depending on how much I'm making).

Mimi - posted on 07/08/2011

Learn to love the crock pot, its the easiest thing in the world. Throw a roast in for 5-6 hours on low then shred and mix with bbq sauce and a little vinegar you've got bbq sandwichs. Or cook the roast the same way with potatos,carrots onions and celery. You can make vegetable beef soup in the winter in it. Throw in chunks of steak,vegetables 1 small can of beef broth and 1 small can of tomato soup.

Crystal - posted on 07/08/2011

You can look up easy recipes online for maybe Chicken Casserole, Manicotti or Jambalaya.