Understanding cooking

[Bonafide_Blonde]

Thanks Miles, Rainshine, GiggleG, Shiny . . . and especially the long and helpful post from DutchRain. All very helpful. I hope that Thermomix can actually do the shopping and cooking and serving or else I am not paying the $3k for it!

But seriously, I did check out the suggestions and appreciate the help of all.

 

[Miles Long]

Thanks Miles, Rainshine, GiggleG, Shiny . . . and especially the long and helpful post from DutchRain. All very helpful. I hope that Thermomix can actually do the shopping and cooking and serving or else I am not paying the $3k for it!

But seriously, I did check out the suggestions and appreciate the help of all.

Now you must post pics of your delicious creations.

 

[Bonafide_Blonde]

Now you must post pics of your delicious creations.

That's a fair request. Will do.

 

[Miles Long]

That's a fair request. Will do.

*waits patiently for pics of delicious food*

 

[warrior queen]

To begin to understand flavour, first you need to understand taste.
Go online and research the five main tastes your tongue/nose can experience and work out which ones you favour (some people experience one more than another and this can influence how much you like or dislike a particular flavour).
Once you know your taste preference, you can begin to put together flavours in your food that you will enjoy.

 

[Violette_Elan]

Take a cooking class, they usually make stuff that you normally wouldn't know about. Using flavors and ingredients that are probably a little foreign to your tastes.

 

[shiny5437]

Made a 3 course meal for two tonight. Went surprisingly well and managed to handle a couple of blips using what I'd learnt from the book I mentioned a couple of posts back.

 

[mwmnpa]

Thanks to those who posted here. I am hopeless in the kitchen but very concerned about health and of course, nutrition is a big part of that. So, I think I have to learn to cook and enjoy it. I am very intimidated by long, complicated recipes -- the shopping alone wears me out.

Does anyone have a suggestion for really simple recipes with fresh, healthy ingredients? I don't want to use pre-packaged anything, but I am immediately scared of anything with too many and too exotic ingredients.

And to the OP - if you want to use fresh, natural ingredients, think stir fries. OK, you have to chop and dice, but once that's done, the cooking is easy and fast. And delicious using just a few spices and sauces.

 

[mikoli5763]

Someone may

have already suggested this, but if there is a community college or vocational school near you they may have classes for adults. They may even offer different types of cuisines to try.

 

[Blues]

This one is quick, easy and good

ZUCCHINI PARM

3 large zucchini, sliced into 1/3-inch coins
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs
Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup marinara sauce, homemade or bottled
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Blot the zucchini coins with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place the zucchini in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, turning to coat each piece. In a separate bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper.

3. Dip each zucchini coin into the Parmesan mixture, turning to coat and pressing the breading slightly to ensure it sticks. Place breaded zucchini coins in one even layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until browned and crisp.

4. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Coat the bottom of a small baking dish with the marinara sauce. Layer one third of the crisp zucchini coins over marinara, overlapping if necessary. Sprinkle zucchini layer with mozzarella. Repeat the layers 3 times (or until the zucchini is gone, depending on the size of your baking dish) ending with a sprinkling of cheese.

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

 

[wideeyedgrin]

Cooking

The first cook book I was given was called "Easy Basics for Good Cooking". I have been using this one for over 30 years. If you can find a book like this, it will pay off.
One of the first things I needed to learn was what the various spices smelled and tasted like. I bought a spice rack and went through it learning this without cooking
My parents did make sure that I knew how to do basic cooking. I passed this onto my kids as they grew, along with how to use a cookbook.

 

[robertreams]

A couple of important things.

-Always cook what you like, go by taste and to hell with recipes

-Don't be afraid to try something new

-the best dishes are a combination of opposites e.g. sweet/sour
fried chicken crispy on the outside, soft and moist inside, hash browns, french fries,

more later gotta go

 

[GiggLeGasm]

A couple of important things.

-Always cook what you like, go by taste and to hell with recipes

-Don't be afraid to try something new

-the best dishes are a combination of opposites e.g. sweet/sour
fried chicken crispy on the outside, soft and moist inside, hash browns, french fries,

more later gotta go

as a followup -

http://www.cooksmarts.com/cs-blog/2014/10/study-flavor-profiles/

I think that some people rely heavily on fat and sugar to create flavor. this article takes it a step further. good luck!

 

[Monazwx]

This is a great thread, thanks to OP for creating it. I am culinary-challenged, (just no motivation to really get deep into the art/science of cooking until now). Will definitely look for a few of these books and dive in!

 

[AlwaysHot4It]

One of my favorite cookbooks:

Is "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman. He really goes deep into the why and how of cooking. He gives you the basic recipes and then teaches you how to riff off of those. I love reading cookbooks in general and his has taught me a lot. Cooking is more of an art (subjective) than baking, which is more of a science (objective and chemistry-like). I guess that's why cooking appeals to me more. A show I love to listen to (because I have a thing for voices) is "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper on NPR. Her cookbook "How to Eat Supper" is beautifully done. I've made lots of wonderful, yummy things to eat from it.

Good luck and bon appetit!

 

[Blues]

Is "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman. He really goes deep into the why and how of cooking. He gives you the basic recipes and then teaches you how to riff off of those. I love reading cookbooks in general and his has taught me a lot. Cooking is more of an art (subjective) than baking, which is more of a science (objective and chemistry-like). I guess that's why cooking appeals to me more. A show I love to listen to (because I have a thing for voices) is "The Splendid Table" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper on NPR. Her cookbook "How to Eat Supper" is beautifully done. I've made lots of wonderful, yummy things to eat from it.

Good luck and bon appetit!

That is a great book, but the sheer size of it can be overwhelming to a new cook.

 

[Collar_N_Cuffs]

Jacques Pepin is a classically trained French chef, and he put out a great book, Fast Food My Way. Everything in it is simple and incredibly tasty.

Also, check out the Flavor Bible. It lists preeeeetty much every ingredient you will ever use and then lists all of its flavor affinities, so you know how to combine ingredients when cooking off the cuff. Very valuable.

Happy cooking

 

[Tigersman]

Justin Wilson

A favorite cook I loved was Justin Wilson. He specialized in down home Southern cooking. One really good piece of advice he gave his viewers was only use wine or liquor you would normally drink in your cooking. He said if you can't drink it out of food then it has no place in food.

 

[wideeyedgrin]

Other items that you will need are decent quality pots, pans, and cooking utensils. Get mid-line quality or better. The Revere ware line has stood by me. Some of my pans are probably older than I am, I got them from my mother, who had them as long as I can remember.

An electric skillet (frying pan) and something like a Farberware or Foreman grill is handy to have. You can cook almost anything with them.

Get a couple of potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and some celery. Slice them into strips about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide. Simmer in water or chicken broth using the electric skillet with cover until the are still just slightly crispy. Lay boneless chicken breasts on top of the vegetables and continue to simmer until the chicken is done.

I used parsley, sage and thyme when I started, but have changed the spices almost every time I make it.