Can you give me your basic cooking tips?

@Raincloudsonasunnyday

You’re in your 40s, and you’re asking MN for recipes for 30-min meals because you don’t know how to cook?
Make an omelette. Fry a piece of salmon and steam some broccoli. I mean, what do you want to know that you can’t google?

🙄 There's always one.
You know how the internet works right, and chat forums like MN? People like to ask for tried and tested recipes, get other people's opinions.
Sometimes you don't want to "just Google."

OP, this pasta is really easy and quick to make and yum - one of my favourites
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/111840/bacon-and-parmesan-penne-pasta/

I used to be a disaster in the kitchen - zero knowledge, confidence or ability in the kitchen. So these tips are from the perspective of someone who knows how intimidating the idea of cooking can be.

30-minute meals are mostly lies. If you're not an experienced cook you won't be doing the processes at top speed. And a lot of them are just taglines to sell a book, and conveniently omit time-consuming preparation like chopping a million vegetables. There's often hidden work in the ingredients list ("two onions, finely chopped") as well as the actual recipe.

Prepare everything beforehand. Start thinking about what you're going to cook in advance and leave yourself enough time to get the ingredients at your leisure rather than rushing out at the last minute. Before you start cooking, get all the pots, bowls and implements you're going to use out and clear enough space so you can use them properly. Then you can follow the recipe smoothly and avoid hurdles like "oh shit I don't have a pot big enough, wtf will I do".

Know your limits. Different people have different weaknesses in the kitchen. For me it's embarrassingly basic - I can't chop. No knife skills and I like having all my fingers. So any recipe that requires finely chopped ingredients is out. I choose recipes where I can get away with roughly hacked onions (which is actually most of them).

Cook with someone who's good at it, if you can. I've essentially become an adequate cook through hanging out with DP in the kitchen, doing things like weighing and washing up but also picking up his techniques and knowhow.

The more you cook the more you'll develop your own knowhow - once you've done a recipe a couple of times it's surprising how quickly you feel you can own it and tweak it.

For a cookbook that's both brilliantly written, easy to use and follow for those on a budget or with limited equipment, and full of varied recipes that are both interesting and without exception delicious, I can't recommend Ruby Tandoh's Flavour highly enough.

Thsnk you @sashh and@TinPotAlley these are really helpful tips

If you're making soups or sauces, look up Yondu Vegetable Umami, it's magic stuff. Basically, as it says, it adds "umami" to everything - best described as "savouriness".

Just add a splash of that to any sauce or soup (although not fruity soups, like tomato), and it'll instantly improve it but you won't be able to say exactly why.

Also, generally speaking, butter is a better thickener for sauces than cornflour because it doesn't dilute the flavour (although obviously not if you're on any kind of controlled diet).

I tend to gravitate towards the oriental methods of seasoning - soy sauce instead of salt, honey instead of sugar etc. I can't really put my finger on why, but it always has tastier results for me even if I'm not cooking something specifically oriental.

It's buttery and marmitey. Honestly it's delicious. Sometimes I make double so I can snack later 😳 if you like marmite you won't be disappointed.

A bag of frozen casserole veg, some bacon offcuts, half a bag of mixed red lentils and split peas and a stock cube. cover with water and pressure cook for 30 minutes. Blitz and you have the best bacon and lentil soup ever. Leo's for a few fats in the fridge and freezes really well.

Cook spaghetti, fry bacon in garlic , whisk eggs and finely grated Parmesan and then add the soaking to the bacon in the pan. Pour on the egg cheese mix and stir briskly. Add black proper to taste. Sometimes I add garden peas or broccoli for colour and to increase veg intake. You could also add mushrooms/peppers/spinach

I can make decent roast, sausage stew (from river cottage family book upthread). I make spaghetti bol and lasagne from scratch- can do white sauce. But I'd like the ragu to have a richer flavour but no idea how.

@Ichangedmynameonce More flavour tends to come from caramelising the meat before you add liquid.

So if you are making it with diced lamb, you should cook the cubes of lamb in oil a few pieces at a time (in the frying pan or saute pan) until they are brown.

Don't do too many pieces at once or they 'steam' rather than caramelising.

When they are all browned, you should swish the pan out with either water or water/wine and use a spoon to scrape all the brown 'burnt' bits off the bottom of the pan. This is where the flavour is when you pour it into the casserole.

I think tasteless stews are because people miss out this step and sometimes put the raw meat straight into the casserole.

It's the same process for making gravy.

Take the joint (or the chicken) off the roasting tin (ideally the meat should be on a trivet so the juices fall into the tin underneath.)

Scrape all the juices and congealed stuff off the base of the tin and then add water. Give it all a good stir then put it in a pan to make the gravy (thicken it with flour, seasoning etc.)

@Ichangedmynameonce

I think flavour in things like ragu is built up over time, someone up thread mentioned a slow cooker, you could try that.

Experiment with spices, you don't need much but a pinch of chilli flakes in a ragu can change it just enough. Try a drop of wine or tomato paste, cook and taste.

Do you have a market nearby? If you do go and ask the stall holders how to cook what they are selling, you often get customers to help too.

If you have a slow cooker try this.

1 chicken, some fresh thyme and a lemon.Oh and a bit of salt and pepper.

Stuff the thyme into the neck of the chicken and cut the lemon in half or a quarter if it is very small. Put the chicken in the slow cooker season with the salt and pepper and leave it to cook.

WHen you get home do some veg, frozen cauliflower cheese is my go to. Or in summer just open a bag of mixed salad.

If you want crispy skin you do have to finish the chicken in the oven but I just eat the meat.

@TinPotAlley I'm not totally sure - my mum brought us up on her own and isn't a great cook, so I never saw/ learned.

I often find that stuff I make from scratch is a bit bland and lacks a depth of flavour- so @Arwe comment above about the onion felt very relevant.

I can make decent roast, sausage stew (from river cottage family book upthread). I make spaghetti bol and lasagne from scratch- can do white sauce. But I'd like the ragu to have a richer flavour but no idea how.

So I think I don't know what I'm missing. I don't have that understanding/ sense of what something is missing if I taste it but would like to learn.

To make things harder, like most of us I work and have kids etc so time is limited.

I also use simply cook once a week for an easy/ thought free meal. They even provide a shopping list!

i prefer it to hello fresh etc as not tied to fresh ingredients so you can keep a stockplile in the cupboard and chose when to use it.

my favourite is Louisiana Linguine.

if you use my link below then you will get a free box with 4 meal kits. Just remember to cancel so you don’t end up with a subscription (it’s easy to do on your account.)

https://www.simplycook.com/invite/HF8364?t=cp&pg=ref&via=mb

My top tip - follow the recipe!

Honestly, it's just a set of instructions. If there are lots of things to do, write out your timings and prep/measure as many ingredients in advance as you can.

Well it's taken me 40 years to realise that the key to a good salad isn't the salad items but the dressing. Olive oil, white wine vinegar, a squeeze of lemon and some salt mixed together and poured on a salad make it much nicer imo.

But in terms of quick meals, just buy a cookery book or find a recipe on line and cook in a few times until you feel confident doing it without followed the instructions, after that you might start adapting it a bit. They repeat with another recipe.

I find lots on Instagram. Once I searched for a couple my algorithm just filled up with loads. I also love the roasting tin cookbooks - so easy and encourages you to adapt a bit.

The slow cooker is your friend, let it do all the cooking .

i use the taming twins pulled pork recipe. The good thing about it is that’s it’s versatile so can have it a few days without feeling like you are eating the same meal again and again- in brioche rolls with coleslaw and potato wedges or corn on the cob, loaded nachos, in a rice bowl, fajitas/enchiladas etc

https://www.tamingtwins.com/slow-cooker-pulled-pork/

@EmpressaurusOfTheSevenOceans If you like that recipe, look at the Roasting Tin series.

It's that- basically.

A slab of protein and veg thrown in with olive oil, herbs and spices.
There is a 30-min one and also a veggie version.

@Ichangedmynameonce What sort of things do you mean?

IMO everyone should be able to do the basics

Make a white sauce (bechamel)
Make gravy from scratch with the meat juices
Know how to make a casserole by frying the meat first
Know how to joint a chicken and use the carcass to make stock

Some Good Housekeeping cook books cover all of this.

I’m going to try this in the air fryer with marinated tofu.

This thread is actually great for people like me- I can cook and do lots from.scratch (3 kids and want to be healthy!) But it's often fine rather than actually good, IYSWIM, so I'm really interested in how to be a good cook.

@Arwe you mentioned mastering some basics, like making an onion taste good.
Can you, or others suggest more basic skills to master and how? Thank you.

I've actually tried to find an in person cookery course for this but never found one- they always seem a bit niche.

Thanks

You're not asking for recipes to write your own book are you @Cloud44 😂

Mary Berry does a 30-minute cook book and also a Foolproof cook book.

Look at the Roasting Tin series - you throw loads of things into a roasting tin and bung it in the oven.

Joe Wicks has a similar 30 minute book

My tips:
It's difficult to cook a meal in 30 minutes, try cooking at the weekend when you have longer and freezing - taking out when you need it. This works well for anything with liquid in it. Soups, stews, Bolognese sauce etc. You can make more than you need and have enough for several meals, so over several weeks you can cook enough variations to have nearly every day.
Try a recipe first, there are lots of suggestions for recipes on here - but I would go for a cookery book rather than a recipe book. That is, one that teaches the basic techniques rather than an airy fairy way to cook chicken thighs. Then once you have mastered the technique you can change the recipe to make it more to your taste. NOTE - this does not usually work for baking!
Again - 30 minutes is not very long! Don't beat yourself up about not cooking something nutritious 'from scratch' if that is all the time you have. Use things that are ready prepared if you need to. It's fine to eat sausages or similar. There's nothing wrong with bunging some chicken in a ready-made sauce and serving it with frozen veg and rice. Chicken and fish take little time to cook, especially if in small pieces.
Stir fries don't take long to cook, but they can take a while to prepare. Either cut everything up in advance or buy ready to cook packs. There's nothing wrong with buying stir try sauces either.
Freeze your leftovers, if not previously frozen. A little bit of white sauce can be jazzed up with tinned tuna, garlic and tomato puree to put with pasta, it can be mixed with cheese to put over vegetables etc. Left over veg can be fried up, put in a soup or added to a mince dish, depending on what the veg is.
I frequently provide meals within 30 minutes, but I have either used one of the tips above, or it is something tasty but not necessarily very nutritionally sound (spaghetti with tomato ketchup and grated cheese anyone?)

Cook with Jamie is a great starter book. Then Hugh Fernley Whittingstall's Meat book is brilliant for techniques and basics.

When you get more experienced look at Salt, Heat, Acid, Fat to take it to the next level.

In terms of simply following recipes, I agree that Delia and Jamie always turn out well. Shout out to the Hairy Bikers too - their recipes are a bit more complex but always deliver in my experience.

I mainly learned to cook watching, "ready steady cook" - the old one with Ferne Britton.

Delia writes very exact cook books, so you can't go wrong.

If you can afford it the gusto/green chef etc boxes give you a recipe and all the ingredients.

Don't think you have to cook everything from scratch, I stick chicken thighs in the slow cooker with sliced up leeks, a tub of creme fraiche and a tin of condensed mushroom soup.

Normally half gets eaten and I put the left overs in a foil pie tin and add a pastry lid and put i the freezer for a different day.

Check out the Joe Wicks recipe books, all healthy stuff and quick and easy to make.

Seriously, use the Internet and find out yourself.

James May did a series called Oh Cook a few years ago for people who hadn't really cooked much before. On Amazon I think and is also a book