30 and never cooked a meal from scratch in my life - input needed

[Girlwhonevercooks]

Hi. I am a bit embarrassed to be making this post. I'm 30 and I've never cooked an actual homemade meal in my life. My diet is abysmal. I live predominantly on ready meals that you put in the microwave, meal deal sandwiches from Tesco and takeaways. I have a few questions. Do you have any recommendations for meals that can be made without using the oven? As it uses a lot of electricity and I can't afford to use it very much. I have a cooker and a microwave. What else do I need? Also if there is a cookbook for someone who is a complete beginner, please recommend one to me. Any other advice would be appreciated MN.

If you can be bothered you can soon pick it up. I had a friend that lived on takeouts, and hadn't even used his kitchen to cook for an entire year. He decided he wanted to learn, and within a month was knocking up pretty good casseroles - and cooked everything from scratch after buying a few pans, dishes, and visiting the local market. That was before recipes and ideas were available over the Internet. It was a revelation for him.

There are loads of simple dishes I can cook that probably only take 20 minutes. If you batch cook or cook more than you need you can always use the leftovers to save you the hassle of cooking another time. If you can learn how to throw a few ingredients together into a simple dish without being overtly prescriptive or pedantic with recipes you'll do well.

Which cuisines foods do you like?

Don't rush out and buy all the equipment, start with what you can make with what you've got and then buy other things as and when you feel the need for them - there is plenty you can do with what you've got.

I'd start out with the very basics, you can buy more equipment over time.

For the classic spaghetti you will need a medium or large saucepan 18cm or 20cm ish to cook the pasta. If you get one with a lid you can then drain the pasta once cooked and won't need a colander. I'd also suggest a chopping board and at least one knife for chopping, a wooden spoon or spatula for stirring, and maybe a grater for the cheese.

Same for the korma, use your frying pan to make the curry and a saucepan pan to boil the rice.

Fajitas I make in one frying pan. I use the BBC Good Food fajita recipe.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tefal-Titanium-Essential-Non-Induction-Non-Stick/dp/B0DGXK6T3M/

Op, to start with you will likely only need:

1 saucepan (large - it needs to be big enough for pasta/rice)

1 large frying pan (get one with high ish sides so you can cook a pasta sauce/curry in it)

A medium roasting dish

A colander

A fish slice, a large spoon and a wooden spoon

A speed peeler

A grater/microplane.

A chopping board

A good utility knife

of the the dishes you like the sound of go for the fajitas as you only need to use one pan, the other dishes will use two (as you will need to cook rice or pasta, whereas fajitas you can just use shop bought wraps)

Good luck!

Get an airfryer! So much better then oven and so many easy air fryer recipes available now.

Would a normal cheese grater work or does it have to be a microplane? I'm looking at this one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B087QG7QK3?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&th=1

At the moment I have a chopping board, peeler, wooden spoon, colander and grater in my basket. I am still deciding on the saucepan, frying pan and knives as there are a lot of options to choose from. It looks like fajitas can be done in a frying pan, so I won't actually need the griddle mentioned in the book.

My quick easy option is linguini in cream sauce with bacon. Boil water. Chop 2 or 3 rashers of bacon per person into smallish chunks. Dice half an onion per person. Roughly chop and then crush one segment of garlic.

Measure out linguini. I usually use the neck of a steel water bottle. If the bundle just about fits, that's two portions.

Chuck bacon in hot frying pan with a bit of olive oil or fry lite. Put linguini in boiling water and use fork to bend it as it softens so its all under water. Stir periodically with fork so it doesn't stick.

Add some dried herbs to the bacon so they soften in the juice. Once bacon is well on its way to being cooked, add the onion and garlic to the frying pan. Stir up every now and again. Add single cream. Medium size from tesco does two people. Little one if it's just you. Add some salt to frying pan. One good sprinkle should be enough.

Keep stirring it as it heats. From putting everything in to this point should take about 10 minutes. Hook out a piece of linguini and try it to see if it's cooked. If so, check the herbs have softened, otherwise they're gritty, then drain pasta and return to saucepan. Dump frying pan contents in with it and mix. Tip onto plates. Done.

OP don't worry about fancy equipment. Start with basic one pot meals. Boil pasta 11 minutes and frozen veg for around 6 minutes, drain, add a can of chopped tomatoes, grated cheese and gently warm. Try adding some mixed herbs, salt pepper and olive oil and tasting to get used to deciding how much to add.
Experiment with different herbs, chilli flakes, splash of wine. Get used to making sure pasta is cooked and tastes nice then build to browning onion and mince as a topping (and adding the tomatoes to that part).

That list is ridiculous. I started cooking with two saucepans (which I also used for frying) and a Pyrex oven dish. Other things I added as I went along when I identified what might be useful. I cook a lot and still don’t have a griddle pan, wok, chefs knives, speed peeler, extra large saucepan, micro plane or food processor.

My chopping board isn’t sturdy nor wooden, my saucepans aren’t thick-bottomed and my oven trays don’t come in threes 😃

I'd start with pasta. It's cheap, quick, easy and hard to get wrong. Look up some recipes you like the sound of that don't have too many ingredients - arrabiata, bolognese, carbonara etc and follow the recipe.
You'll soon grow in confidence.
Another good one is those Mexican meal kits - fajitas, enchiladas etc. Once you've done those a couple of times it's easy to DIY it with your own ingredients.

You don't need a griddle! I'm nearly 50 and have raised a family on home cooked meals. My young adult kids are starting to throw a few meals together now too. We've never owned a griddle (or an air fryer).

Don't overwhelm yourself. Start where you are with what you've got.

At the moment all I have is 2 frying pans, a cooker, fridge/freezer, tin opener, some forks, a few spoons and a microwave.

Add a wooden spoon and a decent knife and I could cook some good food with what you have!

I bet Delia doesn't make you buy everything Jamie does and I learned from her.

I'd think of the simplest foods in cuisines you like. Pesto pasta, egg fried rice, French scrambled eggs and so on. Get good at the basics. They taste so good and because they are easy, you get your confidence.

You don't need a microplane. I grate ginger, garlic etc using my cheese grater.

I'd say shallow frying pan, more wok style one with high sides, large saucepan with lid, maybe smaller one too, roasting tray, oven proof dish with high sides for pasta bake, colander, wooden spoon, spatula, stick blender (these can come with a jar and various fittings including whisk), chopping board and a knife set.

For the classic spaghetti you will need a medium or large saucepan 18cm or 20cm ish to cook the pasta. If you get one with a lid you can then drain the pasta once cooked and won't need a colander.

I used to do this, until my hand slipped once & the boiling water splashed all over my arm.

Now I use a colander.

Hey OP,

You can find a lot of ressources online - recipes, videos, etc.
Here''s a couple of ideas for very basic meals that don't use the oven :

• Rice and fish - you dump your rice in boiling water till cooked, you can buy the fish frozen and cook it in the microwave. First on defreeze then on normal power, check every now and then, it's cooked when solid white ( no longer translucent) and easy to cut with a.fork.
• Carrots with sausage : peel the carrots and cut in big chunks, dump in hot water, it's cooked when a knife pokes through easily. Drain the water and serve with sour cream and a bit of salt. Fry sausages in a pan on medium heat turning them over every now and then (you can also boil the sausage though it's less tasty).

Most vegetables can be cooked fairly easily, I feel like you get good results with those :

Zucchini : sautée quickly (they're full of water so better not overcook them as they turn into mush).
It works also really well in a soup (boil with a bit of water and blend with some cream, salt and curry)
Spinach : drop in a pan, fresh or frozen, with a bit of butter on low fire till cooked
Potatoe : dice and boil (it's even tastier, if a bit wasteful, to boil in milk)
Pumpkin : peel, dice, boil and blend for a nice purée

Could not disagree more. Sauces in jars are awful. It’s very little more effort to fry up a diced onion and some garlic and add a tin of tomatoes.

Now you have the basis for lots of pasta sauces - add mince for bolognaise, add fresh basil for Napoletana, add bacon and dried chilli for amatriciana etc. You can also add olives and/or whatever vegetable you have and I guarantee it will taste a million times better than anything out of a jar.

@MrsTerryPratchett is right that it's about confidence. My ex h used to all the cooking, as he liked it. So when we split amd I was by myself, I had to learn, but at least I was only messing it up for me! And I got better, and I'm a pretty decent home cook now, risottos, moussaka, lasagna, soups, traybakes etc etc

However, I will not do a roast dinner as the timings freak me out. Dp can do that. You'll find things you are happy making, and can experiment a bit, but it's a learning curve. You'll get there.

A good spice/herb cupboard helps, but can be built up gradually.

And you can freeze some for later.

Also, never buy white sauce (bechemel) in a jar. It's revolting.

Surely a basic homecooked meal could be a pork chop fried in the frying pan along with a jacket potato and some frozen peas cooked in the microwave? It doesn't even have to be as complicated as spag bol made with a jar of sauce.

True. And the microwave is great for steaming veg. Put in a not metallic dish, a few drops of water, clingfilm over the top with holes made by a knife. Really easy.

Just a cheat but, instead of bought pasta sauce (which is pricey) I usually use half a tin of tinned chopped tomatoes. I heat them up in a pan and put in maybe half a stock cube of any flavour (you can also add a few teaspoons of soya sauce and a sprinkle of dry oregano if you want).

Easy pasta recipie with that in mind:
Put your pasta on to cook in water.
Then chop up some bell pepper pretty small. And onion too.
Fry them in a little oil in a frying pan till the onions starts to brown (you can skip this step I you want to avoid oil). Then add half a cup of water to them and just let it boil down till its almost dry.
Then you add in the above tomato mix and let it heat whilst stirring it (you don't need to premix it, just add it all in).
Bring it to a boil, stir it every 20 seconds or so just to stop it sticking and make sure the stock cube dissolves.

Then once its good and hot, add in the pasta and stir until mixed.
That's it, just grate over a bit of cheese. And you can have tuna or meatballs or cold meat slices or whatever on the side. Sweetcorn goes well with it too. As does garlic bread.

Basic but I have it for supper/dinner twice a week as it only takes 15 minutes to make.

Well done for making this step. As I grew up cooking it's hard to pin down specific things that would be helpful to a newbie (particularly cookbooks)! Not quite sure what kitchen basics I would choose but you can build them up over time. Both food ie herbs and cooking utensils and pans etc.
Google how to make a white sauce and a tomato sauce as they are great basics for lots of dishes. Different flavours ie cheese can be added to a white sauce. Also these 2 sauces can be used on lots of different carbohydrate bases.
Also good to learn how to make something like a stir-fry/soup because it is a great way of using up left overs.
Good luck!

Fucking Jamie Oliver and his equipment list! I cook EVERYTHING from scratch and for 20 years do not own a griddle pan. Ikea used to do a starter cooking set, if it’s not in there, you don’t need it.

I also don't own a griddle pan!
Best tip is read the recipe first. Twice then you don't get halfway through and realise you're missing an ingredient or step

Also if you do use the oven and you're making something like cottage pie, get some containers so you can portion and freeze it and you've got your own ready meals to microwave

The beef stew recipe in the ministry of food book is really nice

Bored of lunch on Instagram has good slow cooker recipes if you get a slow cooker at any point

Once you get more into it then this website is great, you can adjust quantity and it has a little video for each recipe
I've linked one of his fairly simple recipes and it's all step by step with explanations about why and how and I find his stuff easy to follow and it turns out well

www.dontgobaconmyheart.co.uk/honey-lemon-chicken/

Agreed. I've cooked feom scratch for almost 30 years and don't have half the stuff on that list. I'm not sure that book sounds appropriate for a total beginner - I'd put it aside for now.

But for the things you do need, do you have a local Freecycle/Eco community or similar group on Facebook? I'd say you need as a minimum:

One medium saucepan
One high sided frying pan
A wooden or spoon
A spatula (not metal if your.pans are non-stick)
A chopping board
A large & a small sharp knife
A cheese grater
A peeler, unless you're competent at peeling with a knife (I'm not!l
A mixing bowl

As for recipes, I'd start with something like the following:

Supermarket stir fry deal. Noodles, veg and sauce bundle from the fresh section. If you want to add a protein such as chicken, fry that in a little bit of oil first, until it's all white/lightly browned - cut a piece in half to check theres no pink inside. Then add the veg and fry for a couple more minutes until just cooked. Then add the noodles and sauce for a final couple of minuted until it's warmed through.

Jacket potato. Rinse/scrub if visibly dirty, dry, then stab with a fork a few times and cook in microwave for about 7-10 minutes. It should feel slightly soft to touch, and when you stick a fork in there should be little to no resistance. Top with baked beans heated on the hob, grated cheese, or.tuna mixed with mayo and sweetcorn.

Omelette. Crack 2 eggs into a mug or jug and whisk with a fork. Grate a bit of cheese.
Heat a little oil in a pan on a low to medium heat. Pour the egg into the pan. Don't stir it. Keep the heat low. As it starts to set, sprinkle the cheese over, fold it in half with a spatula and serve. You can also add ham, salmon, any veg you like... it's a great way to use up leftovers.

Curry. First start cooking your rice as per the instructions on the bag (use long grain or basmati). Chop & fry some chicken in a little bit of oil..Add a jar of sauce and heat through. Omce you're confident with that, try adding some vegetables. And the next step would be to follow a recipe to make the sauce yourself.

Pasta. Cook as per the instrictions on the bag. When it's done, drain, put back into the pan and add a couple of spoons of pesto. If youre feeling confident, in a seperate pan cook some vegetables (like chopped peppers or mushrooms) and/or chopped sausage or bacon and add that to the cooled pasta as well.

Good luck!