Beginner's guide to cooking

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Come for a visit, I can provide the opportunity to get yourself a bear if you would like to try out your acquired skill.

How much is it these days for a bear license? When I lived in Montana (1964-1973), it was about $2.50 for a bird and bear stamp. You could get all of your hunting and fishing stamps and tags for under $20.
 
How much is it these days for a bear license? When I lived in Montana (1964-1973), it was about $2.50 for a bird and bear stamp. You could get all of your hunting and fishing stamps and tags for under $20.

$19 - Resident for a Black Bear License, $350 for a non-resident

No hunting/licensing for brown bears, they can only be killed if they are directly threatening you.

I've never hunted in Montana, I think Salt & Pepper could give you better information on hunting regs.

Besides, I was just being silly to make Mad Cook laugh.
 
I was 31 years old when I found myself alone after my wife left me. I knew nothing about cooking, and nearly made myself sick just eating the bare minimum to get by. I lost weight (I didn’t have much to spare to begin with), and friends started commenting about how skinny I looked. It was then that I realized I needed to take charge and learn how to feed myself without anybody else’s help, in a way that was enjoyable and healthy.

It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, hands down. This February it will be 6 years, and, while I’ve still got a ton to learn (who doesn’t?), I can hammer out tasty and healthy meals for myself or a group of guests on any day of the week, with or without a recipe, with or without meat.

I think anybody can do it, but I will say that it REALLY helps if you view it as less of a chore and more of a hobby. If you find the craft interesting, then even if you don’t know a thing, you’re at an immediate advantage.

If you can swing it, strongly consider picking up some basic tools: a decent chef’s knife, a nice cutting board of decent size, a skillet… things that you may not even realize you’re missing if you’ve never used them.

Different people have different ways they prefer to learn, but I started by watching cooking shows, then just started cooking meals from scratch several nights a week to accumulate experience. There were lots of missteps and screw-ups, but that’s how you learn. The most general advice I can offer is, whenever you make something that is really good, try to understand what it is about the recipe that made it good. Was it a combination of flavors? Was it a technique you applied? This way you learn “concepts” that can be carried over into other situations, rather than being a “blank slate” every time you walk into the kitchen.
 
Agree with everyone else here. The Joy of Cooking ought to be given out with every high school graduation certificate IMO.
Now Youtube is really helpful. Just be sure to watch a bunch of them re. the dish you want to make. Follow recipes exactly. No substitutions or shortcuts allowed! LOL
Mainly becoming a really good home cook is about the attitude you literally bring to the table.
Preplan. Be organized. Be 'into' what you are doing. Cook in the 'now moment'. Have all your ingredients at hand. Do not be tempted to veer off the road. Error on the side of using a bit less heat rather than the other way. 'Low and slow' is always a better course than using screaming hot pots and pans.
Have fun.
 
...Now Youtube is really helpful. Just be sure to watch a bunch of them re. the dish you want to make...

I agree Youtube can be very helpful in providing visual instruction for everything from how to use a knife to complex recipes.

One caution. Any jerk can post a cooking video and some of them are awful and just bad cooking practice. Select videos carefully and they can be a great help.

BTW, the same goes for recipes posted on blogs, etc. They aren't all great. Some contain gross errors that will really screw up a dish. Again, use reputable sites.
 
Agree with everyone else here. The Joy of Cooking ought to be given out with every high school graduation certificate IMO.
Now Youtube is really helpful. Just be sure to watch a bunch of them re. the dish you want to make. Follow recipes exactly. No substitutions or shortcuts allowed! LOL
Mainly becoming a really good home cook is about the attitude you literally bring to the table.
Preplan. Be organized. Be 'into' what you are doing. Cook in the 'now moment'. Have all your ingredients at hand. Do not be tempted to veer off the road. Error on the side of using a bit less heat rather than the other way. 'Low and slow' is always a better course than using screaming hot pots and pans.
Have fun.

Not if I'm cooking a steak medium rare. ;) Most anything that requires creating a crust or crispness needs more heat than "low and slow". However, I agree that when just learning, it's better to start slow and work your way up.

Another thing I'd add is to record results to find out how your range cooks, and to be able to repeat results when you find the right settings. They are all different - the medium heat setting on one can be quite different from the medium heat setting on another. Ovens are notorious for being off, sometimes by quite a bit, so an inexpensive oven thermometer can be a food saver.
 
It looks like Layla did not need help that bad. Otherwise she'd be asking more questions, trying some recipes, searching for my guidance.
 
It looks like Layla did not need help that bad. Otherwise she'd be asking more questions, trying some recipes, searching for my guidance.
Maybe she took the advice of the first post, i.e. referring to helpful cookbooks.
 
It looks like Layla did not need help that bad. Otherwise she'd be asking more questions, trying some recipes, searching for my guidance.

Maybe she took the advice of the first post, i.e. referring to helpful cookbooks.

I sort of agree with Charlie that it's rude not to at least come back and thank folks for the assistance. We post here and help people out because we enjoy doing so, but it's still nice to know that our efforts are appreciated.
 
I sort of agree with Charlie that it's rude not to at least come back and thank folks for the assistance. We post here and help people out because we enjoy doing so, but it's still nice to know that our efforts are appreciated.
Well we don't know that any further posts were read for sure do we? The first post may have been enough. In which case they would not know that the thread has developed. Maybe the marriage got cancelled!
 
The lack of a simple "thank you" from a first time poster happens so often here, and it can be discouraging to be sure.

I think we need to just keep in mind that the information we offer could be of help to strangers who just come here to read. Keep up the good work friends! :chef:
 
The lack of a simple "thank you" from a first time poster happens so often here, and it can be discouraging to be sure.

I think we need to just keep in mind that the information we offer could be of help to strangers who just come here to read. Keep up the good work friends! :chef:

Definitely. I'm not running off in a snit over it. I'm involved in golf and photography forums too, and it happens everywhere. :rolleyes:
 
I often wonder which recipes people try when they ask for a recipe...would like to hear feed the back.
I have many years ago stopped caring if a 'newbie' bothers to say thanks or give their feedback on a recipe other forum members offer. Who cares?
I'm always much more interested in exchanging ideas and information with like minded folks.
"This is my first post. How do I roast a frozen turkey?". LOLOLOL!
 
Looking at Layla's profile, her last activity on DC was 45 minutes after she started this thread. So no, she didn't even read the first post.

You have to love it when someone says "I look forward to hearing from many people," but apparently didn't look forward to it enough to ever bother checking back again. :rolleyes:
 
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Looking at Layla's profile, her last activity on DC was 45 minutes after she started this thread. So no, she didn't even read the first post.

You have to love it when someone says "I look forward to hearing from many people," but apparently didn't look forward to it enough to ever bother checking back again. :rolleyes:

It makes no sense when drive by posters post and move on.

But the info is still valid and makes for interesting conversation.
 
Hi Layla
I am going through the same phase as yours. Even I want to start of before I start a life with my partner. I have tried out many recipes through youtube and have also depended on cookbooks too. Some of these came up really well. Now I am concentrating on trials with herbs and spices blend. These add a different taste and also is healthy.
 
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Hello Lucretia and Welcome to DC. If you are just learning, this is a great place to start. Really good people here. If you have a question, boy do we have answers. We love pictures. So don't hesitate to show us yours. Even your failures. You learn from your failures. Stick around and jump into the fray. It's a lot of fun here. :angel:
 
In the event that the OP comes back, I'm new, too. Much older, but learning. I so agree with the person who said to just make food and remember that if you need to, you can eat something else.

So far, I've made exactly one thing that I couldn't eat. LOTS of mistakes, but most were still okay and some were really good, even with the mistakes. :)

I really like the Kitchen Confidence book by Kelsey Nixon. It has tasty things that aren't too terribly difficult to make...but are involved enough that you learn some things as you go. It's where I started and I keep making things in there...they're all good. Every single one I make, I like.

Check out the cooking shows and see if you can't find someone you like. I like Alton Brown on Good Eats. :)
 
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