Cooking Newbie. Where do I start?

[Michael in FtW]

Rob - when you get it ... get a tasty beverage of your choice, kick back in a comfortable chair - or on the sofa, and spend a little time getting to know it. What makes this edition of Joy so great is not the collection of good recipes - it's the "about" sections. Irma not only gave recipes - she also gave you cooking school basics. Want to know the differences between different flours, or rice, or yeast, or ....??? To me - knowing how things work is more important than just a recipe. I've probably spent more time learning about stuff than reading the recipes.

Let us know what you think when you get it!

 

[rcald2000]

What makes this edition of Joy so great is not the collection of good recipes - it's the "about" sections. Irma not only gave recipes - she also gave you cooking school basics.

Whoa, that's exactly what I need. I find that I have trouble following simple recipes because I don't even know the basics of cooking. A good analogy would be someone trying to build a house by hand without any tools in their toolbox.

In addition to saving money and taking pride in creating delicious meals, I'd also like to be able to cook for a dinner date couple of times per month. I wouldn't mind impressing a potential girlfriend with my cooking abilities.

 

[PanchoHambre]

hey RC I feel you on the takeout. I used to live in NYC and it is so easy to get caught up in eating takeout every day because there is just so much but I always started feeling crappy after too much.

a couple thoughths on NY specifically in addition to the advice you have here... NYC has some of the greatest food markets and selections you will find anywhere my personal favorite is Union Square Farmers Market you will find all sorts of interesting and fresh produce, meats breads etc. Go there or any other foof market and find something that inerestes you then figure out what to do with it. TraderJoes just a few blocks away has alot of semi pre made sauces marinades and condiments and stuff that are sort of cheating but make it easy especially when you are cooking only for one or 2.

The only other thought is no need to be complicated and you can really never go wrong with a simple olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper combo

 

[Wart]

Whoa, that's exactly what I need. I find that I have trouble following simple recipes because I don't even know the basics of cooking. A good analogy would be someone trying to build a house by hand without any tools in their toolbox.

In addition to saving money and taking pride in creating delicious meals, I'd also like to be able to cook for a dinner date couple of times per month. I wouldn't mind impressing a potential girlfriend with my cooking abilities.

I survived for quite a few of my single years with little more than an 8" cast iron skillet and two sauce pans.

Since you claim little knowledge of cooking a good place to start is using "prepared foods" to create a third dish. Hot dogs are a good starter, their relatively cheap so you don't feel too bad if you have to toss them.

Slice and sear some dogs, toss them in a pot with sauce, boil pasta. Try different dogs and sauces to get a feel for the different qualities.

Sear/ par cook chicken breast in a skillet, add a can or two of condensed cream of mushroom soup. Cover and let simmer. Serve over rice. Try different spices and herbs.

About herbs, you can pretty much tell if you want to add them by their smell.

My suggestion is, learn how to 'cook' and modify prepared or partially prepared foods first. Use them as a base, later you can worry over making your bases from scratch.

Breakfast sandwiches, take a crossaunt, slice it, butter it, toss it in a hot skillet (golly I Love pan toasted breads). Remove bread, scramble a plane egg, then quick fry a piece of thick sliced deli ham. Put it together, add cheese, better breakfast sandwich than you'll get from just about anywhere. When you get good at making them these are faster than stopping at Mickey Ds.

Equipment? Goodwill is your friend.

 

[Witchlord]

First off, welcome to DC!

For me, cooking is a series of processes, not recipes. Once you know a process, you can add or remove flavors to your hearts content. This is why i highly recommend getting a text book for a cooking school. You can find them at barnes and noble or online at amazon.com. They contain basic recipes and offer a step by step approach on how to make dishes. If you want to do something like a soup, but dont have the 12 to 24 hours to make your own beef stock, you can easily substitute canned broth or stock, you dont have to adhere to their guidelines. But it gives you a great place to start. and its broken down into easy to find sections so your not searching for hours to find what your looking for. Oh and you cant forget the pictures! Seeing the various stages of a cooking process helps you to know your doing something right!

 

[Witchlord]

Oh and wart, Im sorry, but i completely disagree with you. "you cant open two cans and a box and call it dinner" as my father used to say, and is what my mother used to do. Thats what drove me to become a chef, tasting my dads cooking in comparison to my moms. Im all in favor of using canned beef stock, just due to the sheer amount of time is involved with making it and more importantly the scarcity of good quality stock bones. But how hard is it to make vegetable stock? leftover veggies, bay leaves, peppercorns and water is all it takes. and a total of 15 minutes actual work time. I also dont mind using tomato paste for semi-homemade tomato sauce (though if tomato's are in season, than theres no reason not to use them.) But if you want to impress a girl, or eat healthy, and your willing to put the time into learning, stay away from boxes! The only thing its going to teach you is bad habits and laziness.

 

[PastaKing]

Oh and wart, Im sorry, but i completely disagree with you. "you cant open two cans and a box and call it dinner" as my father used to say, and is what my mother used to do. Thats what drove me to become a chef, tasting my dads cooking in comparison to my moms. Im all in favor of using canned beef stock, just due to the sheer amount of time is involved with making it and more importantly the scarcity of good quality stock bones. But how hard is it to make vegetable stock? leftover veggies, bay leaves, peppercorns and water is all it takes. and a total of 15 minutes actual work time. I also dont mind using tomato paste for semi-homemade tomato sauce (though if tomato's are in season, than theres no reason not to use them.) But if you want to impress a girl, or eat healthy, and your willing to put the time into learning, stay away from boxes! The only thing its going to teach you is bad habits and laziness.

I agree 100%. My sister in law was watching my 4 year old once. She said that she wouldn't eat her lunch because "the soup is yellow and has spegatti in it". ROFL!! This is because I always make homemade soups. Even my 4 year old is learning how to eat right!! lolol!!

 

[expatgirl]

Rob, this is IMHO a perfect example of what happens when you don't follow the sage old advice, "if it ain't broke don't fix it!" I was excited when the NEW JOY was first published - but then as I flipped through it I felt as betrayed as I did as a child when I found out that the jolly old elf's lap that I sat on, and whispered my most intimate wishes into his ear at the department store, wasn't really Santa - he was just a pretend "helper" in disguise!

Personally, I would suggest picking up a copy of the 1975 Fifth Revision hardcover edition (published between 1975-1996) the last edition that had Irma's original style. On this amazon page just click on the "x number used and new for $x.xx" link and look at the list - there is one on there at this time that is new for $8.95 + $3.99 S&H. Just read the comments on the condition of the books ... I've never been dissapointed in the condition of the used books I've gotten thru the book sellers on amazon.

Now, I'm going to quickly run and take cover under my bed because there are those who actually like the post 1997 editions of Joy amd I'm sure there will be plenty of arrows headed my way.

I won't be searching for you, Mike, because I totally agree with you. I took my 1975 Joy edition to Egypt before Google was even heard of (yep, you young'ins there was a time) and it was my "Bible". It told me how to make yogurt, how to make a turkey tender because I couldn't find Butterballs in Egypt, gave me info on fruits and veggies and herbs & spices that I had never heard of but found were wonderful (a few not so), temperature conversions (Egypt is on the metric scale), wonderful substitutions, etc. etc. ---their Chicken Marengo recipe is to die for and apparently they give historical facts as well---Napoleon's chef made this special for him after a significant battle had been won..........

 

[Wart]

Oh and wart, Im sorry, but i completely disagree with you. "you cant open two cans and a box and call it dinner" as my father used to say,...

Actually, in the context of where do I start, yes, you can open two cans and a box and call it dinner.

Remember who your writing for.

and is what my mother used to do. Thats what drove me to become a chef, tasting my dads cooking in comparison to my moms.

I was raised with a garden, Mom is a scratch cook.

Funny how two people can come to the same motivations from completely different venues.

stay away from boxes! The only thing its going to teach you is bad habits and laziness.

That's your personal experience.

Not mine.

The guy wants to know where to start, not end. I addressed the starting point.