Please help! I can't cook! I can't operate my oven! I'm fat and unhealthy!

[frankie80]

Title says it all really.

My DH does the cooking but he works long hours, which means I wait til he's home or get a take away.

DD is fed at my mother's (looks after her before/after school) so I'm fortunate there.

My mother never taught me to cook, or to do housework (although I'm okay at that). She refuses to show me even now as she thinks I should 'figure it out' etc.

I have NO idea what the symbols on my oven mean. Nor the symbols on the packs of food. I don't understand weighing of food.

I don't know how long to cook things like steak for, I even exploded an egg I was trying to boil.

I can make a sandwich and I can use my microwave (one thing I can do, wowee)

I'm a fussy eater too. I don't like pasta/pizza/most vegetables/fish/curries

I want to be healthier and slim. I want to be able to cook for my family.

Please tell me where to start. I tried some books but they didn't help because they had food I don't like or spoke about 'settings on the oven' without me knowing what it meant!

Please give me really really simple foolproof recipes for normal meals? Quick ones too?

I'm very embarrassed by this so please don't make fun of me.

Whereabouts are you? Lots of places do really basic cooking classes.

Also if you are determined then its not hard. You can probably google and find full instructions for your oven, and how to read food packages.

As for cook books I think Delia did a really basic range a while ago, how to boil and egg, that sort of thing.

Or look for student cookbooks they tend to have a lot of really basic (often one pot) recipes.

What do you like to eat? That can be a good place to start. You say you don't like "most vegetables" - which ones do you like?
TBH vegetables are the mainstay of a healthy diet- so think about the ones you do enjoy.
A healthy meal can be simple grilled chicken, boiled new potatoes served with a salad or veg.
Healthy food can be simple, you need to think about food that is low in fat, sugar and salt.

(BTW my mother didn't teach me to cook either- but it can be learned)

Upload a picture of your oven, someone here is bound to have the same one. All you need to know is on/off and then how to set the temperature for the main oven.

I hate him with a passion but Jamie Oliver's 'Ministry of Food' book is absolutely brilliant for learning from scratch. Simple instructions, lots of pictures showing you what it should look like at every stage.

Delia's How To Cook series starts with the very basics (like how to boil an egg! ) and then shows you how to work up to more complicated dishes. I recommended it to a friend who burned water and she has now mastered a few good basics. Good luck!

You might need to tell us some meals you like, it's very hard to eat healthily without vegetables though!

yes Delia Smith or Good Housekeeping are good books for basicd.

I would suggest some cooking lessons to inspire you and help you. Check if your local council does some, or ask your friends to come and show you how to cook a meal.... You just need to get started and gain some confidence and skills.

can't do cooking classes as I am deaf (probably outed myself now actually). So it can also cause problems with smoke alarm/cooker timer!

Foods I like - scrambled/boiled eggs (which I explode lol), burgers, chips, chicken, pork, turkey, lamb, potatoes, carrots, some soups chinese food (not indian/italian), steak, most fruit, mince, steak pie, sausage, bread, muller yoghurts, mini babybel, rice crackers, chocolate (too much), crisps,

I can eat most veg in soup but not with a meal.

God that looks really short doesn't it? I can't think of anything else, gone a bit blank

I learned to cook through books, so hopefully the fat that you are deaf won't be too much of an obstacle.

You say you like carrots, any other veg?

As other have said eating vegetables is the key to a healthy diet. Do you like salad? Stir fried veg?

honestly, I don't really like vegetables. I can eat mushrooms and peppers, but I'm not a fan. I hate tomatoes.

I did look at books online. Jamie's books, looking at the reviews, are not for those who don't know how to use an oven. My MIL has delia's books which were a bit wordy and old fashioned (the ones I looked at anyway).

I need a book that tells me how to work things as well as doing simple recipes that don't involve buying everything in the shop, plus all sorts of kitchen utensils too cos that will just panic me even more!

I think you need to persevere with the veg.

I can't really see a healthy diet without them. Sorry.

I have a small george foreman grill but I can't seem to cook things 'properly' on it - some parts look cooked, other parts aren't iykwim

you probably could get some support to enable you to go a class. may be worth looking into at a nearby college

not getting much help am I?

For cooking timer can you use your phone instead with a vibrate on the alarm?
www.amazon.co.uk/Cooking-Basics-Dummies-Spiral-bound-hardback/dp/0470742585
www.amazon.co.uk/Learn-Cook-Cooking-People-Learned/dp/0988673606/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403122458&sr=1-2&keywords=learn+to+cook

Would you eat a smooth textured vegetable soup?

I think you need to help yourself and try things, I did o level cookery but learnt much more when I had my own place and family.

If you feel you need someone to help you hands on, is there anyone in RL you can ask? I bet there'd be someone happy to show you the basics and you can build from there. Don't be put off - you've got the desire to change and do something which is fab. Good luck

Dur, just seen your post saying you would eat some soups. You have had some good advice, I would second Jamie's ministry of food and also delia's how to cook. Get some decent chopping boards and three good knives - Victorinox are a good make and reasonably priced. Start off small. And also - make something you fancy. Good luck - and have faith in yourself.

You can't really have a healthy diet without veg though. but seeing as how you like veg soup, you could decide on two courses for your main meal. You could make a big pot of it once a week it will easily last 4 days and you won't have to worry too much about veg on a plate. I do that sometimes, more of a winter thing for me but it does help the waistline too.

Easy veg soup

Fry a chopped onion in olive oil in a big pot. Put dial about 3/4 of the way up
While that is doing chop loads of other veg - I tend to use whatever aldi has on offer tis week, maybe a carrot, courgettes, parsnips, broccolli, mushroom, and a small bit of turnip is lovely for texture, a stik of celery. Mix and match any of them.
Put them into the pot with a made up stock cube, veg or chicken.
when veg soft, blitz with a hand stick blender.

I don't have exact quantities, you don't need them apart from howmuch you need to get a few days out of it.

Cooking classes at a college should be available with extra support for a deaf student. Colleges are absolutely used to providing support for any additional needs. Don't be afraid to ask for it.

Classes would almost certainly be the most useful for you, as they'll give you practical support while you get the basics down. That should give you the necessary skills and confidence to start working with basic cook books at home.

Also, think about investing in a slow cooker. I am a convert and I always make chilli and bolognese sauce in them now. I got my slow cooker in Tescos for approx £12 I think.

the manual from your oven will tell you how to operate your oven and probably give you instruction for basic stuff like how to roast and grill.

loads of products on the market to assist those with hearing loss with day to day tasks. vibrating smoke alarms, timers etc.

then learn how to roast a piece of meat and boil potatoes and veg. buy a meat thermometer

then make soup.

then an omelette.

Its all trial and error.

But I agree with posters saying ask for help - there will definitely be stuff out there.

yes I really think classes would boost your confidence. there is excellent provision for deaf students, and you learn from others and socialise

What sort of oven have you got? Gas or electric?

And what is it about the settings which confuse you?