Help me become a cook!!

[Seaair2]

I am the first to admit I’m not very confident in the kitchen and this year I really would like to improve and mix it up a little.
Please tell me where to start?!
What simple dishes can I start with?

I made it my resolution to be a better cook this time and last year and I feel like I've done pretty well with it! Some good advice here but I'll add: seasoning, seasoning, seasoning! Along with salt and pepper, garlic and ginger are absolute life savers. Stock up on seasoning, spices and herbs. They make all the difference.

Mary Berry books are v good, and not too fussy

Everything takes longer to prepare than recipe books suggest

If you make something and don't like it, don't worry. You probably cooked it fine, but the recipe didn't work or just isn't to your taste

And don't be over ambitious. If you do one hot dish and everything else cold eg lasagne and salad, that is a LOT easier than eg roast meat with hot veg

I love the recipes in the Sainsbury’s magazine - particularly the midweek meals - always easy to follow and not too many ingredients.

If you are a complete novice use YouTube at least that way you can compare yours and know how the meal is supposed to look at different stages.

Are you able to make a consistently good roux? It’s the base of many sauces and gravy including soups.
Learn to use (store bought) phyllo or puff pastry, you can hide a multitude of things in them.
Expand your vegetable repertoire.

My DH was a terrible cook but managed Gousto. They give you step by step recipe cards with pictures and if you like something, it’s easy to recreate in future, as they are usually just a few ingredients. It gave him a bit of confidence in the kitchen.

Also make sure you have a good oven! I thought I was shit at baking and avoided it for years and then we moved somewhere with a lovely brand new oven and things vastly improved. And really sharp knives make life so much easier.

I agree with a pp re bbc good food. You can also watch videos on cooking techniques.

Jamie’s How To Cook is a great starting point. Or the Delia links above.

Or just picking a simple recipe and doing it. Evaluate it at the end, what could you have done better? You get good at cooking by doing the same recipes over and over.

I think it’s also good to build skills that can be applied to lots of different dishes.
So if you can make a white sauce you’re half way to fish pie, lasagne, macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese, chicken and bacon pasta bake etc.
Similarly learn to make a batter mix for Yorkshire’s, toad in the hole, pancakes.
Shortcrust pastry for pies, tarts and pasties.
A basic tomato sauce, pizza, pasta sauces, a ragu, a chilli, shakshuka etc etc
Learn to roast a joint of meat and cook a piece of fish.
Curry’s are a whole cuisine to confer but most start from similar bases.

Also, tray bakes where you just chuck it all in are great for tasty food where you don’t need to worry to much about coordinating lots of elements.

Also if it seems a bit overwhelming, don’t feel bad about taking some shortcuts e.g using ready chopped veg, or serving along side ready made sides.

Learn to make a Yorkshire pudding

Or some basic sauces (carbonara, bolognese, roux)
And learn how to get flavour into casseroles and stews and curries.

One of the things I like about the BBC Food section is that it includes an area of Techniques, with a huge range of invaluable information.
With everything from the straightforward ,like how to fry an egg or chop an onion, to the complex such as spatchcocking a chicken or jointing a rabbit, look there for anything you need to know!

Try a Gousto box. All the ingredients come with it, they are pre-weighed, and you get a recipe card.

DH can't cook for toffee, and I'm sick of being responsible for 98% of our meals. He's done about 8 meals in the last few weeks, and he's really enjoying it.

Highly recommend it!

Angelic - I made your dish this evening, lovely, thank you for the recommendation!

Does anyone have any simple recipes for traybakes?