What is your best advice for teaching someone who is learning how to cook? Should they learn techniques? Or use recipes?

In addition to all the great thoughts here, I wanted to echo the approach mentioned by many of learning technique from basic recipes the student actually wants to eat. And ideally cooking with someone else who has more experience. Cooking classes for beginners are a fantastic way to learn but if they're not an option, cooking meals with a friend or relative who is more experienced is a great way to learn (and then you get to share a meal together!). There are so many things that happen when you're cooking that are great learning opportunities, and the answers or advice don't always appear in the recipe. Having someone at your side who can guide you (the "grandmother" model) and cheer you on is wonderful encouragement. And with the right people, it's a really pleasant way to spend time together.

Thanks for all the advice everyone! I've been fairly new to cooking over the past year or so. I'm trying to progress but I feel like I'm not progressing as fast as I should be. I've learned through techniques but I fill like I need recipes to instill those techniques. I've been cooking without recipes which can be overwhelming. I think I will work with recipes that incorporate a certain technique from now on.

I taught my Dad to cook after my mother died and there has probably never been anyone more clueless in the kitchen than he was at that time (sorry Dad!) because my Mom spoiled him. Now he's a pretty competent cook and is able to feed himself without relying on takeout or convenience foods. I used recipes as a starting point and I would demonstrate how to do it the first time and he would actually take notes and write down the recipe in a way that made sense to him. Then he'd do it for himself and I'd watch and correct as necessary until he got comfortable enough to be able to attempt things without me being around, which is what he does now. The important thing was to always choose basic recipes with lots of variations so that he could see how to apply the basic technique to other meals he might want to make. Now that he's got some basics under his belt he's able to make recipes he sees demonstrated on TV or that he reads about but when he first started recipes were too daunting for him because he didn't understand what the terms meant. So while I agree with others that recipes can be used as a starting off place to teach techniques, I think the best way to do it is hands-on, rather than relying on books or video, especially if you're dealing with a real beginner.

One way to get the best of both worlds as others have mentioned... read the books by Michael Ruhlman. Especially now since he is coming out with some very useful single-subject books. His book, Twenty, I read cover-to-cover and it made a huge impression on me.

That being said - I am self taught via recipe following. And in the last year I have been cooking 5-6 nights a week for two, plus breakfast and lunch for myself, and I have used the internet to source things I never would have attempted before (or spent money on a book for) and my cooking skill has more than doubled. And I've made enough variations on a few basic themes that I just make it up as I go along a vast majority of the time now with good success.

It depends on the person, as noted above, but if they're a complete beginner, I would go the "Home Economics" route (i.e. using recipes to learn technique).

Some good starter recipes would be:
Macaroni & Cheese -- thickening sauces with flour/how to make a bechemel
Simple stir fry -- cutting techniques, cooking times
Biscuits, scones and muffins -- an intro to quickbreads

I'd also supplement this with instructional YouTube videos or old cooking programs--watching someone cook, and seeing how simple the process can be really helps to inspire creativity and confidence.

I think it is best to teach some basic techniques and strategies that will get someone through day-to-day, weeknight cooking: Using a good sharp knife, how to keep knives sharp, how to prep your mis (so important!), how to make a basic omelette or scramble, how to do a braise, how to roast meat or poach fish (and check for doneness), how to make a basic vinaigrette dressing, how to make a soup, stew, or ragu, etc.

Mastering a few dishes in these categories will give most folks a solid range of technique and skill they can use to branch out and try new things. Once you know to fully chop and prep your ingredients ahead of time, a quick stir fry is easy. Once you understand what mire poix is, you can make almost any soup.

I think it helps to be realistic about what's worth tackling and what isn't. I'm a pretty confident cook and I cook mostly from scratch, but I often use stock or broth from a tetra-pak or a jar of instant boullion. I can bash out a tray of muffins, but I rarely (if ever) attempt homemade bread or pastry. That's one mistake I often see people make when they attempt to teach someone to cook: They will jump in with things like bread baking and it's all just too overwhelming. Start with basic techniques that will get someone through a busy week and they are that much more likely to stick with it.

A staple go to recipe for each technique is best, or was for me. I had French and Italian grandmothers who trilled simple, yummy, go to recipes into me. I didn't realize until years and miles later that they had taught me the basis for nearly every cooking style. They had made me comfortable with everything from braising to roasting, grilling to saucing. Once I learned that all recipes that pick up have the same few basic principles I am a confident cook.

In my opinion, cooking is about confidence that you can do things right and that the dish you envision will turn out the way you want it to be. A part of that confidence is knowing how certain things should be made (like how you make stock, roast a piece of meat, or poach a slice of fish.) Therefore, a good way to start is by selecting some fairly basic recipes and preparations, and practicing a little. Basic chicken stock. Basic white bread. Roasting a chicken. Roasting potatoes. (Needless to say, the selection depends on what you like to eat, or what you enjoy cooking.) Another part of kitchen confidence is understanding why certain things are done in certain way (for example, why broth should never go beyond simmer, why folks like to inject steam while baking bread, how yeast works, or knowing the difference between a piece of pork shoulder cooked at 325F for four hours and the one cooked at 200F for eight hours.) That comes with practice, but it also helps to read recipes. (Or Harold McGee.) Sometimes, reading recipes gives you that sense and knowledge, and things begin to fall in place. Another piece of confidence comes from understanding flavors and flavor combinations, and building imagination as a cook. I believe that reading recipes helps with that a great deal. But at the end of the day, it is really the practice, and the hours spend holding spatula in your hand. Nothing beats that.

Find out what kinds of foods the student likes to eat, create some meal plans, and set aside time once a week for "cooking class".

I think that if first you learn as much as you can about preparing eggs, then the rest will naturally follow--but don't hurry because it's a great trip.

Agree with previous comments. Another way to think about this is ask what the student wants, most, now. To be able to make everyday meals? Manage a food budget better? Indulge In weekend fancy cooking for family & friends? Learn a particular cuisine or food, like bread or pastry? Harness that interest, learn a few things, practice, eat, rinse, repeat. it can all be self education, from books, web, videos, but cooking with others - family, classes, dinner club - is also fun, helps you with techniques, visual & other sensory cues, passing along lore & experience.

i am amazed at the amount of knowledge to be found on youtube. technique, recipes, understanding the why of things....it's all there. i figure i have gotten a pretty pricey culinary education for free from youtube. the great culinary schools have their own sites. i am now watching both japanese and chinese cooking videos without translations and they are really good too. to quote francis from "cooking with dog" youtube channel, "good luck in the kitchen!"

I've been a culinary educator for the better part of 40 years, and I like to use recipes to teach technique. For a rank beginner, I highly recommend a series of cooking classes designed for beginners, where one can learn to properly hold a knife -- that skill alone makes cooking so much easier, hence more fun.

I don't think its an 'either-or' situation. Recipes are a good guide until you build up a sense of balance, e.g. acidity, saltiness, layers of flavor, etc. I suggest using recipes, but picking one technique at a time to master - techniques take practice and may require buying some equipment, so pace yourself. Braising is a good technique to start with - almost foolproof and makes some of the great dishes. Evaluate each dish you made and imagine what could have been better done, try changing your technique slightly (e.g., brown the meat more darkly, cook the aromatic vegs more or less, etc). Once you have nailed braising, search thru the many, many recipes for braises and enjoy.