I can't cook! Where can I find simple recipes to practice?!


Question: I'm really hopless in the kitchen, the only thing i successfully make in the kitchen is a mess!! When I lived at home my mum did all the cooking, we ate frozen pizzas, chicken nuggetts ect. Partly my fault because I was a fussy eater as a kid, I didn't like veg. When I moved in with my boyfriend two years ago we ate pretty much the same thing. He does nearly all the cooking. We eat loads of take-aways too. I would like to be able to make something nice and different. I'm lacking inspiration and have no imagination with food. I've looked online at some recipes and tried to find a cook book I could use but can't seem to find thing i would like and could make. Both me and my boyfriend hate mushrooms, italian and spanish food but we love chinese, indian and kebabs. We also eat loads of chicken! Does anyone know where I can find simple recipes?


Answers: I'm really hopless in the kitchen, the only thing i successfully make in the kitchen is a mess!! When I lived at home my mum did all the cooking, we ate frozen pizzas, chicken nuggetts ect. Partly my fault because I was a fussy eater as a kid, I didn't like veg. When I moved in with my boyfriend two years ago we ate pretty much the same thing. He does nearly all the cooking. We eat loads of take-aways too. I would like to be able to make something nice and different. I'm lacking inspiration and have no imagination with food. I've looked online at some recipes and tried to find a cook book I could use but can't seem to find thing i would like and could make. Both me and my boyfriend hate mushrooms, italian and spanish food but we love chinese, indian and kebabs. We also eat loads of chicken! Does anyone know where I can find simple recipes?

Its ok you have to learn sometime and asking your boyfriend for help is a good idea too. But here are some very simple fewer then 5 ingredient recipes to choose from. Find a few you want to try and modify to your liking if need be. Good luck in the kitchen and remember even the best of Cooks/Chefs still make mistakes. Try the links below and if you still want to try something simple let me know Im more then willing to help with my vast aray of recipes I have in books and saved in my recipe files.

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/simple
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/lf_quick...
http://busycooks.about.com/library/recip...

meatloaf is pretty easy to make.
Sevres it with a salad,potatoes,
add a vegetable.
pie and ice-cream.

kraftfoods.com are great! really easy stuff with step by step instructions not to mention the fact it shows all nutrtional information! It is so easy soon u will be a pro making up ur own recipes!

You can cook you just don't want to. If you can put something in a pan and put the pan over heat, you can cook.

Start out slow with something easy. I suggest you get some Hamburger or Chicken Helper from the grocery store and follow the directions on the box. Also try baking with store-bought brownie and cake mix. It will help boost your confidence in the kitchen.

Once you can tackle that, then try some of the online recipe sites. With so much online today, there is no need to spend money on cookbooks.

My favorite site it www.allrecipes.com. Go to the advanced recipe search page http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes-Adv... and type in what you want in the recipe and what you don't want (i.e. mushrooms) and you will find a good selection. Start with low prep time recipes and you will be on your way.

Try the Cooks Illustrated magazines- also called America's Test Kitchen- The recipes are clearly written, with vivid explaination, and fantastic results. If you can read then you can cook! Good Luck!

try www.foodnetwork.com you can look at their recipes and each recipe will tell you how hard it is to prepare.

here are some tips:
1) always follow the recipe exactly as it's written the first time you cook it, the next time you might feel like switching it up a bit according to your taste.

2)Have the right tools: Wooden Spoons (various sizes), A good spatula, a rubber scraper, good measuring spoons and cups, 1, 2, and 4 cup glass or plastic liquid measuring cups,

Pepper Grinder (Pepper is always better fresh ground, it retains it's flavor much longer),Basil, bay leaves, dill, marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme are the most commonly used herbs.

Spices: Allspice, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, ground cumin, curry powder, ginger, dry mustard, nutmeg, paprika, poppy seed, sesame seed, vanilla.

Get a good set of pots and pans, these make all the difference, the better the pots and pans, the easier cooking will be. Try "Cooks Essentials" from QVC.com, they are awesome, and last forever or they will replace them!

3) Don't use 'high' for anything unless the recipe tells you to. A lot of people have problems when they turn their burners up too high. Rule of thumb use Medium heat and go no hotter than Med-high heat.

4) Take your time, don't rush through things, read directions carefully and often. Measure everything while you are learning, later you can 'guesstimate' your measurements.

5) Practice, Practice, Practice! Cooking is like anything else, it takes time and lots of practice.

6) Don't be afraid to try new flavors, you might find you really like them!

If you want, you can email me and I'll give you some really good ideas for starting out in the kitchen.

I would start off by buying a simple recipe cookbook like Betty Crocker (not sure if you have that in UK) or a healthy food cookbook. Start buying fresh veg and make salads and your own stir fry. You can enjoy Chinese and Indian without all the horrible fats and additives if you do it yourself. There are lots of sites like recipezaar.com online that will have recipes and directions. I love Moroccan food and this is a dish I love to make, it's simple and the spices are nice and sweet, so yummy :) Moroccan chicken thighs
http://www.recipezaar.com/154133

Good luck and make sure you have lots of colorful foods in your diet so you'll be healthy! :)

buy a cook book or look online, you can find tons of stuff to "practice"

Check out this free cooking E-book, it might have what you're looking for.





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