Learning to cook

[CatsintheKitchen]

I would like to learn how to do a lot more in the kitchen (meals).
Due to various life events, things going on, depression etc, I have never learned to be a good cook. I don't want to make excuses for myself as I know others have it hard sometimes but still learn basic life skills.
SO:

If you had a friend who was learning to cook and they wanted your help, what easy food would you teach them to cook?

What websites/books would you direct them to?

I would suggest heading for the library. The adult cookery section can be a bit intimidating to someone just starting but there are lots of good books out there Books aimed at students starting university are good and there are a few student cookbooks out there. Also the Usbourne Children's cookbook was what I learnt to cook from originally and it's very good - often children's books are good when you are a novice because they don't assume any knowledge whereas adult cooking books might assume a lot.

If I was teaching someone personally I'd teach them things like how to cook pasta, rice, mince and things. I'd buy them some herbs and spices and tell them to choose what to put in a meal by smelling them and using their own judgement. I'd probably teach them pastry because I'm good at that but I think it's one where it's easiest to learn when a person can teach you personally.

This section of the BBC website is useful: www.bbc.co.uk/food/techniques First click on easy and work through those, then onto intermediate etc.

If you are cooking a specific thing don't be afraid to ask for help or watch a video to see how it is done.

MsWeatherwax Thankyou, that's a brilliant link! Lot's of useful stuff on there.
I have bookmarked it

You can't go wrong with Delia or Annabel Karmel.

The first stuff i ever cooked was very simple Spag Bol. You could also buy a slow cooker and experiment with stews and casseroles - again very simple, bung it all in and add your stock sortofthing.

There are also lots of sauces like Pataks that you can add to chicken and make curries.

Keep it simple to start with, then you can start to experiment with other ingredients.

Once you've done a Sunday roast (It's all about the timing) then you can do anything really.

Delia's How to Cook for all the basics, and Jamie's Ministry Of Food for great, easy and tasty meals.

I second the idea of using a children's cookery book as they're great for basic techniques. And I'd recommend you get the Good Housekeeping cookbook (the massive one) - has recipes for everything, easily described.

Thanks for replies so far. I do have some of the books mentioned above, I suppose I need to set some time aside to look through them. Just been having a bit of a rough time lately so cooking properly has been put on the back burner.

I will consider getting or looking at some children's books too as they should be easy to get to grips with.

I'd recommend asking yourself 'what would I like to cook?', finding a simple (not too many ingredients) recipe and having a go. Assess the results critically, work out what would make the dish taste or look better and then try it again with your changes. Things rarely turn out perfectly the first time but don't let it put you off. The more often you cook something, the easier it gets.

Equipment helps as well. I'd advise any novice cook to invest in a set of scales and a good kitchen timer. Accurate quantities and timing make a big difference, especially when it comes to things like baking. Good luck and have fun.

Yy to children's book. sam sterns ones are good.

I agree that Delia's 'How to cook' is good for the basics. I would suggest as Cogito says, to figure out what you actually like to eat as a starting point. Don't even try and do complicated things yet,make sure you get the basics done first, and by basics I mean understanding how ingredients work, how to cook them so they are not over/undercooked, how to season them. Understanding things like this will build the foundations of your knowledge, and you will find you can move on to other dishes and start cooking from your own knowledge because you will know how an ingredient might work IYSWIM.

Take a look at this book. It has loads of great recipes (for all the family) that are designed to be easy enough for a child to cook.

Or how about Jamies Ministry of Food cookbook? He also runs courses at centres around the country (mainly Northern) so depending on where you are there may be one near you.

I learnt to cook with Jamies Ministry of Food, and have gone from there. I love cooking now, have a blog about it and regularly cook for friends. Sooo different to a couple of years ago!