If cooking intimidates you because you lack cooking experience and cooking terms look like a foreign language, don’t worry there’s still hope. Many experienced cooks all around the world have been down that same road a time or two. Even they had to start somewhere, you know.
I’ve been asked many times where I learned to cook, and I almost always provide the same answer: my mom taught me when I lived at home (my mom is an excellent cook). She taught me the basics plus some, the rest I learned through study and making mistakes.
Unfortunately, it’s the basics that so many people are missing, and that’s one reason this blog exists. In time, we’ll uncover and chat about all the basics, but until then, here’s some basic cooking advice to wet your palette.
One thing you must remember is that you’re going to mess up. Pessimistic, I know. Life will go on, I promise. Various versions of this Thomas Edison quotation exist, but I like this one the best, “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb.” This can be applied to anything, observe: “I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT flip an egg.” Having this attitude will help you out when you burn your 5th crape in a row.
Cookbooks can be your best friend. Don’t buy a gourmet cookbook if you’re just starting out. They’re a lot of fun to look at, but you need something practical for every day kitchen cooking. “A Taste of Home” produces seasonal magazines that include recipes from regular cooks, just like you. That’s a great place to start. There are also hundreds of recipes on-line. When you find a cookbook that appeals to you, stick to the recipes. Resist the urge to experiment because you want to be an amazing chef—it will come with time. Following recipes teaches you what types of spices and foods mix well together as well as appropriate temperatures and baking times—an essential skill.
You need a crock-pot. If you don’t have one, stop reading this article and buy one. You can make almost anything in a crock-pot (pot roast and stews are my favorite) with little preparation and hardly any maintenance. It’s almost as easy as breathing. Another plus about crock pots is that if they’re large enough you can make enough for 2+ meals all at once. I’ll be posting some of my crock-pot recipes on this blog later.
Take some risks and learn to laugh. This seems contradictory to what I said earlier about following the recipe exactly, but that’s okay. Experiment with recipes you’re comfortable with or with more common foods that don’t take a lot of preparation and are cheap. As a kid I could never get my eggs to flip without breaking the yolk, so one day I went through two egg cartons (sorry mom) until I figured out how to get them to flip and not break the yolk. Do the same. Live free. At the same time, keep it simple. Experimenting too much may lead you back to frustration. If one of your experiments ends up filling the house with smoke, laugh it off and start again.
Everyone has to start somewhere, and for most people it’s at the beginning. With each step in the right direction, you’ll find that cooking can be a lot of fun and you’ll take pride in every tasty meal you make.
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