I recommend getting hold of a decent cookbook that has a lot of good, basic, classic recipes - then make them! This will help you understand how different ingredients work, learn different techniques etc. When it comes to baking, it is also really important to follow the recipe and the quantities - mix things one way and you get cake, in another way (and in different amounts) you get cookies.
If you can make one investment, I suggest either good electric scales or good measuring cups so that you can get those quantities right!
This is the first savory dish my daughter learned to make, chosen because it was her all time favorite. It is from the first Gilroy Garlic festival winner. This is a nice tangy, sticky sweet chicken that I serve over thin Chinese style noodles with some sauteed pea pods on the side. It uses a lot of garlic but it gets very soft and sweet. You can leave the hot peppers out if you want, or just use a shake or two of pepper flakes for a slight kick. Use a whole cut up chicken or just breasts or thighs. You need a big pan that just fits the chicken.
1 3 1/2 lb. frying chicken, cut into serving size pieces, or the equivalent in chicken parts of your choice
3 tbls. peanut oil
1 entire bulb (not clove) fresh garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (use large chunks, too small with burn)
2 small dried hot red peppers (optional)
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons honey
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet and brown chicken well on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes, adding garlic and peppers toward the end. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium high heat until chicken is done and sauce has been reduced somewhat. It will thicken and coat the chicken and there will be a few Tbsp left in the skillet. This will not take long, less than 10 to 15 minutes. If you are cooking both white and dark meat, remove white meat first, so it does not dry out. Watch very carefully so that the sauce does not burn or boil away. There should be a small quantity of sauce left to serve with the chicken, and the chicken should appear slightly glazed. Serve with Chinese noodles, pasta or rice.
p.s. Flip through cookbooks at the library and browse some cooking blogs. Also you might want to check out a thread on this site, about cookbooks for someone new to cooking: https://food52.com/hotline/11476-best-cookbook-s-for-someone-new-to-cooking
Find a few food blogs that you like, and try to cook a main meal for your family once a weekend, let them cook the sides. Also, check out the bargain cookbooks at the bookstore or even TJ Maxx, that's how I started. The recipes are usually easy and good to start w. if you really want to impress, learn to bake. It's the hardest thing to get right. I'm a grill master, love guy stuff like football and powertools, but as I've gotten older, I really wish I would have learned how to bake.
Bacon on a sheet pan in the oven.
Eggs, all the ways.
Bake a chicken in the oven and learn how to use it all -- soup, salad, sandwich, pasta
Experiment with flavors using compound butter on popcorn -- you'll learn what you like.
Start with what you or your family like to eat. Learn a technique (like grilling burgers) and make it over and over, sometimes with the same meat & sometimes with a different one. Learn a few basic sauces (which, by adding a little liquid, become soups). Make some recipes enough times so you have them in your head. Then when you see something good or need to cook, you can take advantage of what's in store, and what you need. have a good time & good luck!
Hi Brendan! I'm so glad you are learning to cook, it can be so much fun! What is something that you would be interested in making? Perhaps we can point you towards a recipe that isn't too complicated and you would enjoy.
Many recipes are very easy, as long as you take the time to read them through. I'd suggest thinking of a recipe or an ingredient that you would like to cook, then searching it in the recipe searchbar (top right of Food52).
I'd say the most important thing when you're learning how to cook is to learn to enjoy it, so starting with a recipe that excites you is a really good place to begin.
11 Comments
If you can make one investment, I suggest either good electric scales or good measuring cups so that you can get those quantities right!
1 3 1/2 lb. frying chicken, cut into serving size pieces, or the equivalent in chicken parts of your choice
3 tbls. peanut oil
1 entire bulb (not clove) fresh garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped (use large chunks, too small with burn)
2 small dried hot red peppers (optional)
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons honey
Heat oil in large, heavy skillet and brown chicken well on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes, adding garlic and peppers toward the end. Add remaining ingredients and cook over medium high heat until chicken is done and sauce has been reduced somewhat. It will thicken and coat the chicken and there will be a few Tbsp left in the skillet. This will not take long, less than 10 to 15 minutes. If you are cooking both white and dark meat, remove white meat first, so it does not dry out. Watch very carefully so that the sauce does not burn or boil away. There should be a small quantity of sauce left to serve with the chicken, and the chicken should appear slightly glazed. Serve with Chinese noodles, pasta or rice.
https://food52.com/hotline/9894-recipes-for-new-college-student
For a birthday or other gift, you might want to ask for a class in knife skills. From someone local who teaches or maybe at a local cookware store.
Eggs, all the ways.
Bake a chicken in the oven and learn how to use it all -- soup, salad, sandwich, pasta
Experiment with flavors using compound butter on popcorn -- you'll learn what you like.
Many recipes are very easy, as long as you take the time to read them through. I'd suggest thinking of a recipe or an ingredient that you would like to cook, then searching it in the recipe searchbar (top right of Food52).
I'd say the most important thing when you're learning how to cook is to learn to enjoy it, so starting with a recipe that excites you is a really good place to begin.