How to learn to cook meals for everyday? I realise I don't really know how to make alot of foods / or I don't know they exist & I want to know more meals / recipes for myself.

InevitableKiwi5776 · 2023-08-14T21:42:03+00:00

I made this Italian Wedding soup last night and it was surprisingly easy. We actually subbed some premade falafel balls instead of meatballs and it worked really well.

Cooking takes time and trial and error, so don’t get discouraged when things don’t go right.

First off, get a small variety of cooking tools, I feel like Ikea actually has some good pots and pans for pretty cheap. And get a good knife. Basically spend as much as you reasonably can on a kitchen/chefs knife. A good sharp knife if so important. Dull knives are dangerous because you end up using a lot more force to cut, so you’re more likely to hurt yourself.

Meal delivery services can be helpful to see the variety of dishes and to get acquainted with cooking lots of different things.

I get food ideas from pinterest sometimes, but what I like to make regularly are fried or scrambled eggs, overnight oats, vegetable soups, oven baked chicken, basic green salads, taco salad, sort of a peanut sauce stir fry thing, turkey meatloaf, garlic/lemon/yogurt sauce, roasted vegetables, chili over spaghetti squash, creamy lentil soup, pot roast, roasted garlic, sautéed mushrooms.

I think you just need to be adventurous and try stuff out! I’m very much a recipe follower, so I will look through multiple recipes to find the version that I want to make, you don’t have to make the first one you see, I generally prefer simpler recipes.

Also: r/cookingforbeginners

m_owom · 2023-08-14T23:56:30+00:00

Jamie Oliver has a series called 30 minute meals and it has helped me so much when I was first learning how to cook. I believe it's available on YouTube and he might have a book as well. It shows you how to put meals together pretty easily and quickly, which flavors go together, along with basic cooking techniques.

As far as family dinners go, I always serve meat, starch and vegetable side. So I would encourage that you come up with options for each of these categories, this way you can mix and match and make meals more exciting throughout the month.

For lunch 99% of the time we'll have last night's dinner leftovers. Breakfast is pretty simple as well, eggs, bacon, pancakes or toast. It's a lot easier to eat the same breakfast everyday than dinner.

Generally when grocery shopping I have two categories in mind: pantry staples and fresh ingredients for this week's meals. Pantry staples would be things that I know I use consistently and are shelf stable, fresh ingredients will be meat, eggs, milk, potatoes etc.

Pantry staples I always keep stocked: - flour - rice - sugar - baking powder - vanilla extract - seasonings (start with salt, black pepper, garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning, sweet pepper and build up from there) - baking soda - cornstarch - olive oil - peanut oil (I use it for deep frying) - pastas - tomato paste - canned crushed tomatoes - oats

fresh ingredients I get on weekly basis, replenishing as needed: - milk - heavy cream - butter - cheese - Greek yogurt - yellow onion - garlic - eggs - potatoes - carrots - frozen vegetables (fine green beans, corn, Brussel sprouts etc I generally buy frozen) - variety of fruit (I have a toddler and go through a lot, otherwise don't overbuy because it spoils easy) - meat (now I generally buy meat in bulk and freeze anything I don't use right away, I always try to have chicken breast, ground beef and steaks available on hand) - bread

ToughCollection7460 · 2023-08-14T22:10:29+00:00

If you’re up for a reading, I highly recommend “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.” It really teaches you the science behind cooking. I found it not only interesting, but super informative so I could learn to cook without a recipe.

Also you might really enjoy the “Buddha Bowls” cookbook. Basically teaches you all the things you can throw into a bowl (salad, noodle or rice dish) and how to mix it up to create a delicious and nutritious meal. My husband and I make curry bowls all the time now because of this cookbook (rice or noodles, curry sauce, some meat & whatever veggies we have available!)

My main “learn to cook” recommendation is to start with the basics. Don’t be afraid of making a “simple” grilled chicken or baked fish entree and a side for dinners. You can get creative with the side (explore veggies/carbs whatever recipes you think sound good) as well as start to master the foundational cooking of the main dish.

I also highly recommend investing in a crockpot, they’re so versatile and make cooking really delicious meals so much easier!

Happy cooking!!

pieorstrudel5 · 2023-08-14T22:22:18+00:00

Instagram: traderjoes5itemsorless

If you don't have a trader Joe's, just use comparable products..don't over think it.

Fae_Leaf · 2023-08-15T01:56:34+00:00

With cooking, you just have to start doing it. There are millions of recipes out there, many with videos to show you exactly how it's done.

Margareydragonslayer · 2023-08-15T05:13:53+00:00

Don’t get overwhelmed with feeling like you have to make a new thing every time! I have a couple of “templates” that i always revert back to:

Sautéed veggies, a grain cooked in broth, mix ‘em together and add lemon juice
sauté veggies, shred a rotisserie chicken into the pot, add a bunch of broth and herbs and simmer for 30 minutes.
flat bread sandwiches with… whatever I have
I’m not a pasta person but pasta is a really great template!

You can tell a recipe is a really great template because it has: * protein * carbs * vegetables * some flexibility

Once you find a template you like, just make that a lot! It makes grocery shopping easy, it gives you confidence in yourself, and if you have extra you can give it away to friends (who will be super appreciative because hardly anyone has time for home cooked meals these days).

FluffyHandle1990 · 2023-08-14T22:44:19+00:00

Ina Garten’s Lemon Capellini! I add sausage to mine and put it on top of a bed of arugula for green! You can easily do chicken, salmon, etc.! I cook all the time and I promise- it doesn’t have to be a chore!

Jenneapolis · 2023-08-14T22:58:49+00:00

I have recommended before The Joy of Cooking to new cooks. It’s essentially an encyclopedia of recipes and will tell you anything you want to know about the basics of core foods like preparing meats, spices, kitchen tools, measurements, etc. The recipes are basic, not mind blowing, but simple enough to use basic pantry staples and get you used to just cooking meals. Later you can figure out how to make more complex involved recipes.

KaptynEllie · 2023-08-15T04:11:29+00:00

I’d recommend getting a Pinterest board and looking up recipes that “look good”. If you are budget conscious, look for recipes that have similar ingredients or substitutions. If you have a more generous budget, just pick ones that look absolutely amazing and plan your meals for the next three days (as a week may be too daunting for a beginner). Try experiment a little, figure out what you like and don’t like. It takes a while but you’ll eventually find a rotation of keep-worthy recipes. If you go to a restaurant and notice a dish you especially liked - take note of it and look up a similar recipe (you can even ask the waiter what the dish contains and play around with the ingredients). I’ve always found better recipes on Pinterest than YT as the Pinterest ones are linked to the online cookbooks. I’ve always had a hard time getting a YTer to reply to my comments while websites have forums where the creator is very active on.
The Modern Proper is someone i definitely recommend. Her recipes are absolutely delicious (my husband is a picky eater and he loves all the recipes). She even has a cookbook and her website is easy to navigate.

Charming-Paper-1564 · 2023-08-15T12:26:55+00:00

Following this! i am learning atm too :) you got this!

AutoModerator · 2023-08-14T21:08:21+00:00

Title: How to learn to cook meals for everyday? I realise I don't really know how to make alot of foods / or I don't know they exist & I want to know more meals / recipes for myself.

Full text: I realise I don't really know about many meals often i hear or see foods and I realise I never had them before. I didn't have much stability growing up nobody taught me and where I can do basics (?) I'd like to know more foods for everyday, easy simple and I can work from there.. Sometimes If people ask me my favourite food I don't even know what to say as I don't know many different foods! I just need some guidance from a sweet lady lol! I know I could start watching cooking shows etc I have already made a YouTube playlist of foods I'd like but I still don't know many meals. Like for everyday... Breakfast, lunch, dinner... I want to eat healthily - but not too extreme. I also don't really know what groceries to get when I'm shopping.. I don't know exactly what to get and for what meals. Breakfast sure but I don't know enough. I'm probably overthinking all this, but I'd just like to know more different meals. I also want to start baking one day as I find I'd enjoy it... I know everyone starts somewhere, so I'm just wondering if anyone else is/was in a similar situation and how they taught themselves. I always feel like I don't know ENOUGH. Because I don't honestly.

I'd especially like to know how to make different salads ( I don't know what to even put in a salad .. ) and pastas.

I didn't know where to post. I sometimes lurk on this sub and I feel the women here will be understanding and kind. :)

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Ok_Economist_7176 · 2023-08-15T01:00:06+00:00

Esp for pastas you don't need much ingredients. Fresh + good quality is much more important. Onion + oil + herbs is a good base for every meal. If you feel something is missing it's mostly more fat or more "sour" like vinegar/ lemon or some salt/ sugar. Look up some easy vinaigrettes (a good balsamic + oil one goes a long way, also honey-mustard). You'll find tons of video recipes on TikTok/ insta. Also don't be shy about spices!

Uglypostwall · 2023-08-16T12:25:30+00:00

My answer may not be that helpful, but I want to share it with you. I hate cooking and sometimes don't feel like cooking. How did I get into it? I started by learning recipes of my favorite foods (both healthy and junk foods) and started experimenting, then slowly got into other recipes.

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