Cookbook for the kitchen-impared?!
Answers: So i'm looking to lose about 40lbs... in maybe 6 months to a year, so i have plenty of time to lose the weight, but i need to learn how to cook healthy quick and easy low-fat meals the only problem is that i'm completely kitchen-impared, i own a George Foreman grill, a pot, and a pan.... so what cookbooks do you guys recommend for me? There's so many and they claim to be easy, but they dont look easy, HELP!
If you learn the cooking basics, its easy, fun and a great hobby to make healthy meals. And you'll lose weight!
If you're a real novice in the kitchen, I got a great book when I was in high school (you can probably find it online). Its called Kitchen Secrets and was published by Readers Digest. Its got all the "basic stuff" that cooks just seem to know! (I.e., how to bake a ham, etc.)
There's a great cookbook out called (don't be offended) Cooking For Dummies.
Very simple and easy to follow recipes.
Check at your local bookstore,dept. store or library.
Go for the quick and easy recipes from Rachel Ray, either from her many cook books to online support from the Food Network. The "Kraft" Website also offers quick meals from some purchased foods mixed with your home cooked items and the recipes are super easy to read and implement. I love the "All Recipes.com" site, Epicurean is fabulous, but maybe a little much for you right now. Grilling is excellent for trying to lose weight, because your food drips off the excess fat. Good luck to you!
If you want to lose weight, try adding more soluble and insoluble fiber into your diet. This means beans, oatmeal, bran flakes. They will fill you up and help you shed internal weight.
Don't use salads to lose weight. The dressings are loaded with fat.
Here is a super easy recipe if you have a $15 blender:
1 Can Chicken Stock
2 Cans Cannelli Beans(white kidney beans)
1 Can Collard greens
2 Medium Carrots
1 Large onion
1 stick Butter... yes butter-- it's ok... Don't use margarine!!
Peel the carrots and onion and cut into chunks no bigger than 2" long. Put the chicken stock in the blender and add the carrot and onion in slowly until it's fully blended cover before turning it on. Add in one can of the cannelli beans and blend until smooth.
Put the mix into a 8 cup pot and bring to a simmer. Add in the other can of beans, the Collard greens and the butter. Simmer for about 1/2 hour. This makes about 8 cups of soup with 14 gms of fat per serving and a lot of fiber. Serve with a roll. You shouldn't need to season this much since the collard greens usually have plenty.
Seems to me that you are not giving yourself a real chance to learn how to cook the type of foods you want so that you can lose weight.
Cooking is not intimidating so no fear-----------I suggest you get a book about Indian food, one for fish cookery, and one for vegetarian food------------take your time in the bookstore and really read parts of each. Then choose.
Go home and read the recipes and some things will start to appeal to you naturally-remember cooking is not intimidating!
The, based on the dishes you would like to try make your shopping list and go get what you need.
Next, and importantly, make time to cook. You are doing this for yourself; no one is going to judge you so relax.
One of the best parts of learning to cook is failing--without that none of us have ever learned to cook.
As you discover the dishes you like make notes in the cookbooks about your results, etc.
Learning is a process so treat it like one.
Not only will you lose the weight but you will really learn how to taste, how to create eventually, and your soul will feel better as will you about yourself.
Much good luck to you-remember it is a process and not a race.
Chef Jack Garrison
Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food it not so much a cook book as it's a cooking manual or guide. In it he not only tells you how to do thing he'll tell the why you do it. also you might want to check out Gear for Your Kitchen by him he give you the basic of what you need in a kitchen. If you want to know a little bit more about how he thinks and works check out his show Good Eats on The Food Network. It should give you a good idea of how he works.