AIBU in not being able to cook

[Wotty]

I cannot cook. Please help. I need a book or some other guide that takes you through the basics step by step. Ideally healthy recipes plus all the equipment I need to buy. Any ideas?

Old equipment isn't bad. I am sure you have a baking sheet. Start simply - research "sheet pan cooking". Simple prep, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and roast. In some supermarkets in the US we can get pre- prepped veggies and meat.

dont be, i use google at times to help me remember tips or methods etc

I also can’t cook! My boyfriend does it all in our house because I hate it and don’t feel capable, but I’m slowly trying to get into it because I think it’s a good skill to have. I tried Hello Fresh and thought it was a great starting point! It boosted my confidence when I made a meal that actually tasted good. You can find vouchers for a free first box pretty easily, I have some downstairs if you want one 😊

Some supermarkets have recipes of the week online and display ingredients together or give you a shopping list.

Btw, the reason I recommend the Delia book is because it tells you in great detail how to do the basics (eg how to cook a range of different veg, how to make gravy, how to make pancakes, crumble mix etc) and it also has lots of pretty straightforward recipes.

I agree with whoever recommended BBC good food as well.

"How about gousto or hello fresh? Step by step guides and everything provided"

You absolutely need to be able to cook before doing these! You need to know what to do if it isn't going exactly the way it's supposed to.

James May's book is excellent for complete beginners.

I second a lot of the suggestions here- Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food is a good option and it's very simple. Even DH quite likes it.

What I'd also suggest is think about something you'd like to learn to cook. eg a meal you like but don't have a clue how to make so get it as a ready meal or at a restaurant or something (I'm not talking flambeed soufflé or something, just "normal" food like spaghetti bolognaise or sausages and mash or whatever). Then look it up online. I find it really helpful to read multiple recipes of a dish gives me a better understanding overall of how it's made/flavours etc, but then I can pick the easier/simpler recipe (often from BBC Good Food as lots of people have suggested on here).

Ditto, buy food magazines and read them - there's a lot of learning there around how to prepare food or options or etc, that is useful. Or start watching the odd tv cooking show, even if you're not going to cook those specific meals. I think I've learnt a LOT about cooking from doing this.

The Roasting Tin cook book series is very good for beginners as pretty much all of the recipes can be done in one roasting dish.
I used those to build up confidence with using different herbs and spices, and have now started using the hello fresh book to learn some new techniques.

Oh, and another tip is when you're thinking about things to start learning with, choose things that are more "forgiving" in that it doesn't matter as much if you get things a bit wrong. In particular, things that are supposed to be cooked for longer on a lower heat as it won't matter as much if it's not quite right.

People often talk about chicken as a beginner food but I disagree completely - it's so hard to get chicken cooked perfectly and undercooked chicken is disgusting and overcooked chicken is so dry. Whereas with things like lamb or beef, undercooked is just a bit rare and overcooked is just a bit well done! :)

How many people are you wanting to cook for regularly? Just you? You plus a partner or guest? Family of 4? The biggest impact size of group has is on the size of pots and pan you need.
Absolute basics (that you may already have!)

• A frying pan.
• A saucepan big enough to cook pasta/rice/boil vegetables. This one needs a lid
• A smaller saucepan for boiling eggs/melting chocolate/making cheese sauce etc etc.
• A really big saucepan with a lid or a crockpot/dutch oven type thing that you can make soup in.
• a wooden chopping board.
• a mid sized kitchen knife that cuts properly. Buy one good one. It doesn’t need to cost a fortune but skip the cheapest types IKEA sells and invest slightly more and it will make your life easier. And get something to sharpen it with.
• A couple of mixing/salad bowls.
• A vegetable peeler
• a couple of wooden spoons
• a couple of spatula/fish slice type things. Wooden or silicon if any of your pans are non-stick. Can be metal if all your pans are stainless steel.
• a cheese grater (unless you don’t like cheese at all)
• If you have an oven, a baking sheet and a couple of casserole type containers are helpful - pyrex or ceramic are usually affordable and long lasting.
• Some measuring equipment - a jug with mL on it and some measuring spoons should do it. Get kitchen scales if you want to do any baking.

Just get hello fresh , cooking is easy as long as you can follow simple instructions and if you have a busy job then I'm sure you can cope with that .

It's literally step by step instructions and you will learn as you cook

Half the bother is getting the ingredients and this way they are all there

Bbc goodfood Soup , as an example. www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-make-soup

I agree that Jamie and Delia are excellent for beginners.

But to start with, teach yourself the following:

Baked chicken breasts/legs/tray-bakes of chicken thighs
Pan-fried salmon
Spaghetti Bolognese
Simple stir-fries
Steamed and oven-roasted vegetables
Salads, including basic dressings such as honey-mustard vinaigrette, lemon juice and EVOO dressing, Asian dressing

Adding lots of herbs - parsley, mint, basil, dill, fresh coriander - improves even the simplest dishes. As do ginger, garlic and lemon juice.