Help I need to cook but I can’t cook

[FeckArseDrinkGirls]

I’ve got my fairly newish partner coming round to mine at the weekend for dinner. I went to his for similar a couple of weeks ago and, despite having told me he’s not really into cooking but is a bit of a foodie, cooked me one of the best meals I’d ever had. A really decent restaurant level meal.

I also told him that I couldn’t cook despite loving good food but I was actually telling the truth. I used to cook a bit but since having ridiculously fussy kids I have just done a variety of chicken nuggets, pasta and pesto, salmon and rice etc. very, very bland meals.

I’m also ridiculously busy on the day before he comes over for the evening so I’m going to have very little time do spend cooking.

Any good go to recipes that anyone would like to share? Ideally aimed at someone incredibly inept. Happy to spend a fair bit on ingredients but just want to make a balls up of it. I could order takeaway I guess but that seems a bit of a cop out when he went to such an effort to cook for me.

This crayfish tagliatelle recipe is soooo quick and easy and tastes really good. Could buy a ciabatta with caramelised onion to go with it or garlic bread.

realfood.tesco.com/recipes/crayfish-and-wild-mushroom-linguine.html

If you try it, use fresh pasta.

Buy some confit duck legs, they just need heating in the oven, peel and cube some potatoes and roast in the fat with a couple of squashed cloves of garlic, serve with a bitter leaf salad with a dressing made of olive oil, wine vinegar, dijon and a pinch each of sugar and salt.

I'm a big foodie and I'd be very happy with that with a few large glasses of red!

I’m going to attempt lamb shank in red wine in the slow cooker and shrikeattacks duck legs as I have a whole day free tomorrow to spend ruining food. Hopefully one of them will be relatively edible.

I wish people would just tell the truth when they say they can’t do something.

Just be careful with a slow cooker in that you need less liquid than you think.

It won't reduce as with conventional cooking which is why so many people comment that slow cooker food is watery and lacking flavour.

Thanks derigueurmortis, I’ll try not to drown it. Should I make sure the meat is covered the whole time or should I just turn it occasionally to make sure the bit out of the juice doesn’t dry up?

Yes you can turn it.

The alternative is to cover it but accept that you'll likely need to decant the sauce into a pan and reduce it after slow cooking.

Sorry just to add if decide to turn them then be v careful towards the end of the cooking time.

Lamb shanks are meant to be tender to the point of falling off the bone - but you want that to happen on the plate not in the slow cooker!

So it's better to just turn a few times earlier on then just baste them by spooning liquid over the top in the last hour or so.

I'm glad you're doing the duck legs FatherJack.

Have you bought confit legs?

If so, the legs will take about 25 mins but the potatoes will take about 45. Take the fat from the confit, heat it in the oven and chuck the potatoes and garlic in, a really good sprinkling of Maldon or other seas salt. Give it a good shake. Oven at 180 or gas 6. Give it about 20 mins and give it a good shake so the potatoes turn over (if you'vegot some fresh thyme, throw a few sprigs in).

When they're starting to look a bit golden round the edges put your legs in the same tray. Give it another 20 mins, shake and check.

Make salad.

Pour wine!

If you haven't bought confit legs let me know and we'll talk you through that too!

Cooking isn't that hard, you can do this.

Generally the difference between a good cook and a great one is seasoning and timing.

There's no great secret. If you like to eat good food, you can cook it.

@ShrikeAttack

Generally the difference between a good cook and a great one is seasoning and timing.

There's no great secret. If you like to eat good food, you can cook it.

I totally agree with this!

I think people are a bit scared of salt these days DeRigueur.

I have a friend who trained with Raymond and he was watching me cook and said 'You cook like a chef' because I salt properly (at the right time in the process). I think home-cooks have been made scared of salt and fat. I see MN food threads where it's a point of honour not to add salt to food.

Madness. I liberally salt and add fats and oils, but if you're cooking with ingredients it will always have less salt, fat and sugar than prepared foods.

Everyone bloody loves my food, I make lard pastry, cook with animal fats, butter, lard, dripping, goose and duck fat.

But also olive, sesame, sunflower and rape.

Cooking is all about balance and enjoyment. Food should never be punishment, just joy!

It’s ok OP, I’m in a worse situation than you! Our oven gave up last week and we nearly replaced it with the same bog standard one that let us down... until I seen a range master I liked the look of (big one with all the bells and whistles) Partner gives into my request, that we should rip out presses, hob and cut counter top. Two days later, I have my range master and partner is waiting on some delicious food but I haven’t got a clue how to cook!(we’ve been together 5 years so he should know better) I just liked the look of it!🧐😂 so if anyone wants to help me, feel free to throw me some ideas. Our kids live off anything that comes out of the freezer and only one will eat potatoes and normal stuff so that’s why I don’t cook it that often! 😁

Why did you buy a cooker that you can't cook on Princess?

I'm not being disparaging, you liked the look of the cooker. You clearly had fantasies of cooking with it.

What do you imagine? Let me help you.

Ultimately it's a 'workman and tools' situation.

If you want to cook, you'll make do with what's there and produce fantastic food on basic equipment.

Bells and whistles won't help you if you're not interested.

An example.

My BIl is a good and competent cook, he's a bit of a performance man cook, he's made me good food that I've enjoyed. My sis and him have just had a 75k new kitchen installed.

He still cooks the same dishes.

They still taste the same.

It just looks better.

My friend who trained with Raymond Blanc private chefs for celebs and oligarchs. He cooks what he's told. In whatever environment.

I cook food I want to eat, I've moved around a lot with mine and DH's work. I generally have a single oven in rented houses. I cook amazing food. Because I want to.

A new cooker won't make you a fantastic cook unless you have the urge to be one.

Gusto or hello cook are easy and look fab!

Confit duck is perfect, excellent choice.

My go-to fool proof meal is just a roast chicken and (usually skin on) roast potatoes and a rocket salad when I want something fuss free/no hassle - especially when I am cooking for someone new. It's simple but hard to get wrong.

@ShrikeAttack

I think people are a bit scared of salt these days DeRigueur.

I have a friend who trained with Raymond and he was watching me cook and said 'You cook like a chef' because I salt properly (at the right time in the process). I think home-cooks have been made scared of salt and fat. I see MN food threads where it's a point of honour not to add salt to food.

Madness. I liberally salt and add fats and oils, but if you're cooking with ingredients it will always have less salt, fat and sugar than prepared foods.

Everyone bloody loves my food, I make lard pastry, cook with animal fats, butter, lard, dripping, goose and duck fat.

But also olive, sesame, sunflower and rape.

Cooking is all about balance and enjoyment. Food should never be punishment, just joy!

I think we are on the same page

You will always find goose fat/beef dripping in my fridge.

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

I make my own stocks (I'm lucky as I'm 2mins away from the village butcher and he knows I'll buy his leftover bones but they cost hardly anything).

I have a herb garden - chervil, marjoram and lovage are some of my favourites. I'm no gardener but herbs are so easy to grow

Me too DeRigueur.

I've spent seven hours today cooking Venison stock and then made a game pie with bone-marrow mash and braised red cabbage.

It was stupendous, layers of flavour.

I do always make my pastry so short it takes an age to roll, but it's so crisp.

I think I was so frightened to add water to pastry and overwork it that I make the least 'worked' pastry ever.

Takes an age to roll it and can be a bit messy.

The lightest end crispest though.

And YES to homemade stock. Bones from the butcher and my game dealer.

And yes, I have a herb garden.

Thyme is my absolute favourite. I prefer woody herbs to soft ones.

I've spent seven hours today cooking Venison stock and then made a game pie with bone-marrow mash and braised red cabbage.

That sounds fabulous

shrikeattack you’re not available for hire by any chance are you?

There's no excuse for not being able to cook these days, just learn!

Cooking is just a series of basic instructions. If you were to stop me in the street and ask me the way to Acacia Avenue, and I said 'turn left, go over the bridge, go straight ahead at the next lights', you wouldn't say 'OMG, I can't follow that, I don't have the confidence! I can't do it and I can't learn! You would just do it. Cooking is the same, just with more steps or sometimes even less steps!

Gazpacho - no cooking involved, always impressive. Just remember to stick in fridge the day before.