I'm 24....and I don't know how to cook!?!
I'm 24....and I don't know how to cook!?
My cooking skills consist of making hamburger helper. lol I might not be able to fry a pork chop, or bake a chicken, but I can make every type of hamburger helper available in the grocery store. This is what I live off of. That and sandwiches and Ramen noodles. I have tried watching the food network but some of that stuff is too complicated for me. I just want to learn the basic stuff. I grew up never really having to cook because my Grandmother and mom always do but I have now moved away from home, am in another city, and on my own as far as cooking goes. I do try recipes out of cookbooks but none of what I make seems to taste quite right to me. Do any of you have any simple recipes? I am a very simple person when it comes to eating and not picky at all. My favorite dishes are with chicken and I am a pasta fanatic. Any easy recipes or tips on easy dishes are greatly appreciated. :-)
Additional Details1 week ago
Okay everyone thank you so much for all the wonderful advice and recipes! You've all been a tremendous help and I love all the suggestions. Much appreciation to all of you that took out time to put in your fav recipes and cookbooks. I cannot possibly choose a best answer on this one because they are all great! So I am putting it to a vote and letting you all decide. Once again, thanks for all the help!!!! I will attempt to try all these recipes because none seem all that difficult. :-)
Answers:
1 week ago
Okay everyone thank you so much for all the wonderful advice and recipes! You've all been a tremendous help and I love all the suggestions. Much appreciation to all of you that took out time to put in your fav recipes and cookbooks. I cannot possibly choose a best answer on this one because they are all great! So I am putting it to a vote and letting you all decide. Once again, thanks for all the help!!!! I will attempt to try all these recipes because none seem all that difficult. :-)
Fried chicken cutlets.....very very easy.
Buy the thin sliced boneless chicken breasts (that way you don't have to remove the bones and fillet them yourself)
Wash the chicken under cool running water and pat dry with paper towels.
In a separate bowl mix up a couple of eggs.
In a paper plate put some breadcrumbs.
In a frying pan put about a half an inch of olive oil. Heat up the pan on med-high heat.
When the oil is hot you dip the chicken in the egg and then coat it with the breadcrumbs. I use a fork just to keep my hands from getting too icky, but when I was first learning I used my hands.
Then you gently place the chicken in the oil. Put a couple of pieces of chicken in the pan without crowding them.
Depending on how cooked you like the chicken you can cook them for 2-4 minutes on each side. Remember that these are thin sliced cutlets so they don't need as much cooking time as the thicker ones.
After you are done cooking them place them on a separate plate with a paper towel on it to catch the oil.
Serve with pasta or instant potato's. And canned gravy if you like.
***Remember to wash your hands a lot and thoroughly to prevent the spread of salmonella. Also clean the sink and all the counter tops well.
Try this site: http://easy.betterrecipes.com/
start out with making sandwich and scramble eggs
I am willing to give you lots of tips. Answer mw back, and we can chat. Too much info to put in an answer here.
A really good one is Chicken Alfredo. First just make your favorite kind of pasta, then you can either make your own chicken or buy the rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. Then pour a jar of Alfredo sauce over the pasta and mix in your chicken. You can add any seasoning you want and you can make it in about 15 minutes. I think it is delicious.
Welcome to my recipe-world! Buy a skinned chicken breast, a jar of honey-mustard sauce, a pack of frozen mixed vegetables, a small onion, cooking oil and your favorite pasta. Cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces. Put your fry-pan on to heat, put your hand on the lid and when it feels WARM, put a large spoonful of oil in. Rock the pan to spread the oil and drop chicken pieces in and LEAVE THEM ALONE until the pan has turned them brown on the bottom. Now turn them over, throw in finely chopped onion, add a big handful of frozen vegetables and tip the honey mustard sauce in. TURN THE HEAT DOWN NOW! If the heat was 10 before, turn it down to 3 now (30 percent of full heat) and lid the pan. Boil your pot of water and cook the pasta, checking the chicken every 5 minutes and stir it. Total cooking time for the chicken is 20 minutes all together. Turn it off covered with the lid until pasta is cooked.
Pasta on warm plate (run plate under hot tap to warm it) and chicken on pasta. YUMM!! Enjoy!
You say that your Grandmother and Mom cooked most of the food. Since you must have liked at least some of their cooking, maybe you could get them to write down some of your favorite recipes. Crockpots are always an easy solution when you don't have time. You can cook about anything in them. Recipezaar.com has thousands of recipes and hints.
here is something way easy that my family loves all you need is.
1 can Rotel 1chicken breast and what ever kind of pasta you like. Boil the pasta, dice up the chichen add salt and pepper if you like and satue in a little olive oil. After that is all cooked just put the pasta in a bowl pore the chicken on top and then the rotel on top of that. I also put Feta cheese on mine but you don't have too. toss and eat
Lol, I've watched the Food Network for a good part of my life (I'm almost fifteen) and I can cook a number of things that don't come out of cans/packages. You just need to watch and rewatch the programs and mimic what you see; eventually, you'll be able to have something other than Hamburger Helper. :)
This salad is fantastic tasting, easy to make and goes with pretty much anything(chicken, fish, hamburgers, sandwich) and on it's own* Mmm*
Tex Mex Salad
3-4 medium tomatoes (chopped into pieces)
1/2 large green pepper (chopped and cubed)
1/2 large yellow or red pepper ("" """ """ """)
3 tbsp. olive oil
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic Minced(finely finely chopped and squished down large knife)
2 tbsp. chopped broadleaf parsley
1 tbsp chilli powder
2cups rotini pasta (cooked and drained)
1/4-1/2 cup cheddar cheese (cubed)
salt and pepper to taste -dash
Combine tomatoes and peppers in a large serving bowl
Combine oil, vinegar, garlic parsley, salt, pepper and chilli powder in a cup. Mix well. Pour over tomatoe mixture.
Sprinkle cubed cheese and pasta into tomatoe mixture, gently stir. Chill in Fridge for 1hr to enhance flavours. Give it a light toss before serving*~
With leftovers..put in sealed container and put back into fridge~*
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Mince and Gravy
1 lb ground beef
onion diced
salt , pepper to taste
3 carrots (peeled and cut into sml chunks)
Bisto powdered gravy(mix with water)
potatoes ,(cooked , drained, mashed)
Brown ground beef in fry pan, drain fat..add diced onion, salt/pepper, diced carrots ,pour water ontop, just above ground beef....put lid on and simmer for 30-40 minutes.,
In a cup, make up gravy (2 tbsp. bisto mix with 1/2cup water) stir so not lumpy, pour in pot of ground beef, carrots/onions.....stirring constantly on medium heat, thickening the gravy* add a lil pepper for taste, continue sitrring until gravy is to your liking* (not too thick but not runny* If too thick you can add a Bit more water, stirring on low heat till it comes to the consistancy that you like.) leave on minimum heat
Peel and chop up 3-4 potatoes, put in pot of water, bring to a boil, turn dial down to medium (6-7) until potatoes are tender when a fork goes through them. Drain...put back in pot, add a tablespoon of margarine or butter, and about 1/4 cup milk, mash your potatoes>
When serving, put mashed potatoes on plate and then put mince/gravy ontop * Enjoy*~ It will fill you up and the left over mince/gravy...you can have the next day, but make home fries instead with it and perhaps add some peas!~*
Home Spicey Fries*
1 potatoe, with skin on, sliced into wedges*
put into bowl
drizzle a little canola oil, or veg. oil over the potatoes
sprinkle chilli powder or garlic powder over potatoes
toss in bowl so coated*
In Preheated 425F oven* on baking sheet put into oven for 10min turning over and cooking another 5-10min until golden* Then just reheat the mince/gravy in micro or in sml pan the next night and have that as a great meal*~
Hope this helped* :)
I make this for my family and they love it.
Easy Honey Mustard Mozzarella Chicken serves 4
INGREDIENTS
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup prepared mustard
lemon pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, cut in half
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Place the chicken breast halves in a baking dish, and drizzle evenly with honey and mustard. Sprinkle with lemon pepper.
Bake chicken 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Top each breast half with 2 bacon slice halves, and sprinkle evenly with cheese.
Continue baking 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear, bacon is crisp, and cheese is bubbly
Buy the book The Joy of Cooking. This book helped me when I became a wife and mother at 18. Also watch the food network especially 30-minute meals with Racheal Ray
I think any good cook would tell you the same thing.... experiment using a cook book. Betty Crocker or any other one. You can also go on line in Search and find hundreds of receipts. Or if you want you can go to a Culinary School and learn how to cook. If you have favorite food items you like better then others, substitute or add those different things to receipts. All of us have made mistakes in cooking and you learn from that and you don't have to start out with simple receipts either. Just pick out one and follow the directions. Myself, I have never learned how to cook Italian ways but by experimenting I can make a few that are pretty good. Once you pick up a few basics and start to enjoy what your cooking it will start coming to you naturally. It doesn't take a Chef to boil an egg.
Check out Randy's Famous Cookbook on ebay for $3.99. It is being sold in a series of volumes and it is perfect for people in our situation. The first two volumes are killer and the guy walks you through everything in exciting ways so that you really will learn and enjoy cooking. I never thought I could learn how but now3 I laugh about it. Good luck and hope this helps.
The best basic cooking reference I've found is the book "The Joy of Cooking." It lists recipes based on ingredient and tells you how to pick good produce and cut meat correctly.
Hi there, I did not learn to cook until I was 38 years old and got divorced. "The Joy of Cooking" is a great book for getting information about food, like how long to cook some cut of meat, but I don't like most of the recipes.
You said you like chicken. The greatest book I have for chicken is "365 Ways to Cook Chicken". It is filled with a years worth of easy recipes.
For pasta I buy the sauce in a jar, but I don't stop there. I start by browning some Italian sausage, add the jar of sauce and a little extra herbs, rosemary, basil, thyme and/or oregano. Then I add up to a 1/2 cup of red wine. I simmer over low heat until it thickens again. Cook the pasta, I am partial to rigatoni or shells. Lots of cheese, french bread and a salad.
I can help you out a lot! E-mail me with any questions or for simple recipes.
im 11 yrs and know how to make almost every thing and u have aprblem
You should go to allrecipes.com they all kinds of really easy recpes.
My Aunt gave me one of the greatest wedding gifts: she bought me a copy of The Joy of Cooking. It's a huge cookbook, but it is like the bible of the kitchen. It can tell you anything and everything. It's basic, easy to understand, easy to follow, and the recipes go from plain to fancy. I strongly suggest you invest in one and start learning on your own terms. Women really shine in the kitchen because it's natural for us to want to create beautiful food for our family and friends. You can do it. Now, here is my favorite chicken and pasta dish-it's super quick, super easy, and all in one pot!
You need a pound of pasta, a cooked chicken from the deli at your local grocery store, a head of brocolli, some olive oil and garlic, and parmesan or romano cheese.
First, put up your water for pasta. Meanwhile, chop up your brocolli, just the florettes, in small pieces.
Start cooking your pasta. FIVE MINUTES before the pasta is done cooking, you are going to add the broccoli to the pasta. It will turn a beautiful bright green while it cooks. Meanwhile, you are pulling the meat of the chicken off the bones, and cutting it up into small pieces.
When the pasta and brocolli are done, pour it all into a collander to drain. Put the pot back on the stove, medium heat. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and warm it, then add your garlic. Then add the chicken to the oil and garlic, stirring it around to coat it. Once it's warm, add your pasta and brocolli to the pot. Gently stir it and turn it over until it's mixed well. As you're doing that, sprinkle about a third of a cup of the parmesan cheese over the mixture. You can also salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately. My little ones LOVE this, and it's the only way I can get them to eat brocolli. Serve it with some fresh crusty bread and a salad. Good luck.
Go, now, to the bookstore and buy Betty Crocker's Easy Basics. Read it cover to cover. Try the recipes. Then buy Alton Brown's (Good Eats) book "I'm just here for the food" he does excellent step by step. Watch his shows on Food Network!
The final stop on the cookbook journey is "Joy of Cooking." Don't start with that one...it's very good for an experienced cook and as a reference.
Remember, cooking is about learning the rules and then making up your own dishes!
Have fun. Pasta packages almost always have recipe suggestions on them - just pick up a package of pasta at the supermarket, and then get everything you need from the ingredients list.
Enjoy! Good luck and happy eating.
This is one of my favorite EASY dishes!
It's Chicken Pesto with Pasta
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package of Knorr Creamy Pesto Sauce (NOTE: It MUST be the CREAMY pesto! Not the plain one!)
1 cup milk
1 small can tomato sauce (about 8 ounces)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
8 ounces of cooked angel hair pasta
Directions:
1) Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet.
2) Saute chicken cubes in the margarine over medium-high heat until cooked through (not pink inside). About 7-10 minutes.
3) Remove from heat and set aside.
4) In a large saucepan, mix together milk, contents of creamy pesto sauce mix, and olive oil.
5) Bring to a boil on high and then reduce temperature on stove to low.
6) Add the tomato sauce to the mixture and mix well.
7) Add the chicken to the mixture and mix well.
8) Let it simmer for about 10 more minutes.
9) Serve over cooked angel hair pasta.
10) Just a note: This tastes great with garlic bread on the side!
There is a book you would probably LOVE! It's called "A man~ a can~ a plan". It simply takes simple canned food, mixes it other premade grocery items and you come out with a new tasty dish! Normally 4 or 5 items to a recipe.Simple recipes like tuna pot pie. You can also substitute chicken, which is what I do because I love chicken too.
It was made by David Joachim for "Men's Health". Maybe you can contact the "Men's Health" magazine and see where you can get it. This particular book has 50 recipes. We have made many of them and they are good! A number in the book is 1-800-848-4735. It's for Rodale kitchens. They would probably know how to get a book. I paid $6 for mine new. Also a website it gives is www.menshealthbooks.com .
I had gotten mine for my son when he started cooking from a book sale through his school.
I hope this helps. I have been told there are other books like it as well.
Fried chicken to do for....you'll need raw chicken...i prefer drumsticks because they're the easiest to fully cook. in a bowl mix about 1 cup of flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp pepper, about 1 tsp garlic powder. Easy non complicated ingredients right? Defrost your chicken, rinse under cool water...preheat your pan. put about 1 cup of vegetable oil in the pan to heat. Roll the chicken and fully coat it in the flour mixture. Place in pan to cook. It usually takes me about an hr to make my chicken so its not raw at all. Use low heat instead of trying to rush the cooking. Enjoy.
I am a master cook so i can make it easy and simple for you. First i need for you to contact me first so please email me.. if you have AIM that's fine... but i also need to know your email.. please email me at.. christine95sstar@yahoo.com
CHICKEN POT PIE
INGREDIENTS: *One and one half pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces. *One can of Cream of Chicken Soup thinned with about one half can of milk. * 2 Pre-made pie crusts (look in your grocers refrigerator section by the biscuits and stuff). * Vegetables of your choice (I like small broccoli florets and mushrooms) *Pie pan (I use the foil ones)
Cook the chicken in a small amount of vegetable oil until golden brown. Drain well and set aside. In a large bowl mix the soup, milk, vegetables. Add the chicken and mix well. Place one of the pie crusts in the bottom of the pan. Fill with chicken mixture. Spread evenly. Top with the second pie crust. Press the edges together to seal the top and bottom crusts. Trim off the excess. Cut 4 small slits in the top. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling starts to bubble out of the slits. Enjoy!!