I’m terrible at cooking and struggling with it…

[MeganBoo]

Kinda embarrassed to admit this but I’m bad at cooking and struggle to make enjoyable meals. I’m 25 and was never taught how to cook by my mother as she’s not much of a cook herself and we grew up on things you could just chuck in the oven. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying it’s my mums fault however it seems a lot of people have learned from their parents how to cook.

One thing I really struggle with is cooking chicken, I only eat chicken breast but whenever I try to cook it it’ll be chewy (I assume I’m over cooking it). I’ve even followed recipes and looked online at what temperature/time to cook it yet it’ll still be chewy! I tried to make fajitas today for me and my partner but once again the chicken was chewy and I felt awful serving it to him, he promised me it was nice and ate it all but he’ll eat anything 😅.

Id love to be able to cook properly especially now I have a partner who I sometimes make meals for when we spend the night with each other but I dread stepping into the kitchen and know my cooking skills aren’t the best. I know it takes practice but where do I even start as I’m finding it overwhelming! I also feel like making recipes/meals from scratch is much more expensive as you have to buy loads of individual ingredients for one meal. Also any tips on how I successfully cook chicken breast fillets would help as it’s my worst enemy.

Start with something like Hello Fresh. Step by step with the ingredients all prepped.

Or a local cookery class?

Chicken breast fillets: don’t buy value ones from cheap supermarkets. You don’t have to get the super-expensive organic ones, just the normal ones from Tesco or Sainsbury or similar.

You can use a metal baking tray or a Pyrex dish but they’ll cook more quickly in a metal baking tray.

If I’m using a baking tray, I use a tiny amount of vegetable oil to stop them sticking and put in a pre-heated oven for 45 minutes at 200C.

If I’m using a Pyrex dish, I’ll add a bit of liquid (lemon juice, white wine, for example) and cook for an hour at 200C.

You’ll get moister chicken if you cook it in liquid. I think it’s particularly nice done in cream and lemon juice in a frying pan: cut it up, fry in a little oil at 3 or 4 until starting to go brown all sides, add double cream and lemon juice, turn down to 1 for 15 mins, stirring regularly.

My cooking seems better if I’m relaxed. I always have a disaster if I’m on a deadline for people coming round or trying to make it nice and am convinced that somehow attitude affects the results. Sounds bonkers but works for me. Allow yourself lots of time say a non work day to try something new, then next time it’s much easier. Go through the steps of the recipe a few times too before you try something to get to grips with it - good luck

Re chicken breast or fillets, squeeze lemon on them, black pepper, maybe a bit if olive oil, not much, wrap in foil, put on tray and bake in oven, the foil keeps it moist- don’t over cook

Cooking from scratch is definitely cheaper - you don’t need lots of different ingredients for each meal. If you start looking online you can get lots of inspiration.

Stick a slice of lemon in with it too.

Buy a good knife, a large chopping board, and a temperature probe. A rubbish knife is horrible to use, and a too-small chopping board is a pain. The probe takes the guesswork out of anything you’re cooking. Gousto is better than Hello Fresh in my experience, and a good way to start. But to learn to cook, Delia remains queen. She may be old school but her recipes work. They’re mostly online, but try her books which are so informative.

The key is to learn to cook the things you really like to eat.

One easy chicken breast recipe as follows. You need a meat mallet/tenderizer, a meat thermometer, a frying pan, cooking oil, bread crumbs, lightly beaten egg, or 2, depending how much your cooking. Plastic wrap, oregano, salt and pepper, flour.
Combine the crumbs, oregano, salt and pepper.
Slice chicken in half lengthwise. Lay on plastic wrap and cover with plastic wrap. Pound it with the mallet to thin it out to cutlet size.
Heat a little oil in a frying pan.
Dip in flour, then egg, then crumb mixture. Fry in the pan about 5 min each side, depending on how thin or thick the chicken is.
Test temp with probe, cook to 165. My meat probes settings say "chicken, pork, beef" so that makes it easier for me anyways.
You can eat them with lemon or tzatziki sauce.
Look on youtube for easy chicken recipes.
Good luck.🍽

OP - Jamie Oliver on Chanel 4 is your friend. So is Delia Smith website - she has videos of "basics". Jamie gets a lot of hate, but he really teaches how to cook, understand flavor, and understand the chemistry of it all.

I suggest you go simple at first.

A few different salad dressings in the fridge (old jam jars are great for this) will set you up well for a selection of raw veg, or a variety of salads. Salad does not have to include lettuce - slice up a tomato, some red onion, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt is delicious or example.

Meat (a steak, chop, fillet, breast etc) and salad is fairly simple and the core of a quick French/Italian meal. Served with a little good bread and a glass of red, it is hard to beat!

Had the same problem with chicken breasts until I found a basic recipe with two life changing tips:

-Brine it for at least 15 minutes
-Bake it at a high temp (220) for a shorter time (20-25 mins)
I always use a thermometer now, too.

I use olive oil and salt. You can add other herbs and spices you enjoy. Smoked paprika is my current favorite.

Found the exact recipe that changed things for me:
www.gimmesomeoven.com/baked-chicken-breast/

There’s so much great advice on this thread. I want to echo this post.

Don’t be embarrassed! Not too many people were born knowing how to cook and you can learn.