Never cooked before...

[Iamadoorknob]

Hey...I'm new to this forum. So let me introduce myself!

I'm Brian...I'm 18 and I'm a freshman at Cal State University, Fresno. I've never cooked anything before (I've set some brownies on fire by accident though) and I'm really getting tierd of going out to eat every single day. Can someone give me some easy stuff to cook...and how to make it and stuff. thanks!

 

[callie]

Welcome, Brian - interesting nic...

What kinds of things do you like to eat? I'm sure we can send lots of ideas your way...

 

[ironchef]

Watch a lot of cooking shows. Every day. You can get the recipes but you'll need someone to teach you some sort of technique. That in itself is much more important then the recipes.

Just don't watch Emeril Live.

 

[Dina]

Welcome Brian! I've always thought that if anyone can read and know the basic measurements, they can very well follow a recipe and cook. I would suggest you get ahold of some essential herbs and spices, your favorite staples (pastas, rice, legumes) and some good cuts of meats and poultry and visit us here often. You've come to a great place full of awsome cooks.

 

[Iamadoorknob]

Welcome, Brian - interesting nic...

What kinds of things do you like to eat? I'm sure we can send lots of ideas your way...

Well...I like burgers, pizza, tacos, shrimp, anything thats fried, Um...I dunno I never really eat good stuff anymore

 

[Aurora]

I suggest going to www.foodtv.com and looking for any of Rachel Ray's recipes. She is into fast and simple but very flavorful and satisfying recipes. You will easily recognize everything that she prepares and her recipes will get you going without any fear of screwing anything up.

Her cookbooks are also very nicely written and edited.

 

[callie]

Another question, Brian...what kind of cooking appliances do you have? Stove with burners and oven? Microwave? Toaster oven?

 

[Iamadoorknob]

Another question, Brian...what kind of cooking appliances do you have? Stove with burners and oven? Microwave? Toaster oven?

I have access to all of those things...But its really hard to get into the kitchen in the dorms. In a few months I'll have my own kitchen but for now all I have is a microwave and a few mini-refridgerators.

 

[abjcooking]

I love to make taco salad when I want something easy and quick to make. This would be a good recipe to start with.

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey if you want it healthier
1 package taco seasoning (This is in a small package by the mexican food or spices)

Put a little bit of oil in the bottom of a pan, just enough to coat the bottom, and cook the meat until color just changes to brown. The oil will keep the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Strain off the liquid from the meat. Now add the package of seasoning to the meat and stir until blended.

Put some frito scoops on the bottom of the plate and add the meat mixture on top. Now top the meat with whatever sides you like.
lettuce
tomato
cheddar cheese
green onion
sour cream
hot sauce or salsa
cantalina salad dressing
ect.

 

[Piccolina]

Hi Brian a big welcome to DC

Cooking is not scary and but needn't be difficult (even if it can come across as a little to a newbie). I'd suggest that you take out a stack of various cookbooks from your closest library. Pick ones with titles or themes that appeal to you and see if any of the recipes in them catch your eye. There are lots of great books with titles like "1000 recipes for college students" (I don't know if that's a real one, I just made it up as an example) which can help provide you with some easy and (hopefully) economical meal ideas.

Life with a microwave can be tough, but it's not that brutal. I've lived in a place with no stove (I did have a small hot plate) for a while and I learned that you can make tons of stuff in the nuker. From rice (an old Pyrex microwave-proof baking dish is awesome for this purpose) to a whole cooked chicken. They are also good for steaming veggies, cooking eggs and a lot of other things (while at the library look for some microwave cooking books).

A lot of things like (some) vegetables and fresh fruit don't have to be cooked. Do you have a blender? Or access to one? Fresh fruit, yogurt and perhaps some oats or seeds for fibre make great smoothies which can be really filling. Things in wraps, pita pockets and tortillas are also handy. You can cook chicken breast (or thighs, which are often more economical) in the microwave (I suggest adding a few TBSP of water to the dish, it helps to prevent them from drying out) then season them to taste (fresh herbs are great), maybe with some salsa, pesto, tomato sauce, cut up chillies, or anything you like. Add the meat to a wrap (or whatever you like) with your favourite vegetables and salad greens for a pretty healthy and quick supper or lunch.

The best way to learn is to experiment! Have fun, be creative and see what kind of yummy dishes you can whip up while your dorm-mates look longingly at your plate of homemade food over their take-away bags

 

[jkath]

Welcome home, Brian~!
Warning: this site can become addictive!

You are in the company of everything from beginners to home cooks to pro chefs. Any questions will be answered, and generally in a very timely manner too!

Since you've only got a microwave for a couple of months, it'll be tricky. Are you allowed a hot plate? (Actually, maybe I shouldn't mention it, lest we have another episode of "the brownie inferno" )

Here's no doubt the quickest, easiest thing I can think of for the nuker:

On a plate: flour tortilla, topped with grated pepper jack cheese. Heat till cheese is almost melted. Top with chopped up tomato (make sure it's not a mushy one or nobody will ever ask you to cook for them), a half dozen slices of an avocado, a couple of shakes of tabasco, and some chopped up cilantro (find this in the produce section of your grocery store. It's usually in a little plastic container, generally above lettuces and cabbages).
Fold the bottom 1/4 up, then fold the two sides in (like an envelope).
You can also add a few pieces of lettuce, or some good deli meat. (I'm trying to think of what you can store in your fridge)

Again, welcome!

 

[Constance]

Brian, you can find a lot of easy, nutritious microwave dishes here:

http://www.campbellkitchen.com/default.aspx

I don't know how large your nuke is, but I even make chili and spaghetti sauce in mine.
I suggest you peruse the shelves of your supermarket for convenience foods.
I assume you know about Easy Mac...fix 2 pkgs, add a can of drained tuna for tuna casserole.
Rice-a-roni works great in the nuke, and you can make all kinds of creations with that... Steam a chicken breast, chop it in pieces, then add to the RR as it cooks. Add a can of drained vegies toward the last. Or buy a bag of broccoli & cauliflower florets with the baby carrots and toss handful of those in when you add the liquid. You could also use canned chicken to speed things up.
Or add shrimp, a can of chop suey vegies, and season with a bit of soy sauce.
The boxed Au Gratin and Scalloped potatoes are surprisingly tasty. Get a nice thick slice of Virginia ham from the deli, chunk it up, and cook in with the potatoes. A few florets of fresh broccoli or a small can of drained green beans and let them cook along, too.
If you like Cajun food, all of the Zatarains mixes can be done in the nuke.
Look into some of the good canned soups on the shelves, too. Cambell's Chunky and Progresso have some delicious soups that, with crackers and cheese, can stand as a meal on their own. The Chunky Chili comes in several flavors, and it's really good. Nuke some dogs to go with.
And don't forget Velveeta Cheese dip...mix it with Pace Piquante Sauce, nuke until melted, and use as a dip for raw vegies, chips, spoon in your chili, or drizzle on your dogs. I start with about 1 cup for 1 lb. of cheese. If it's too thick, add some more sauce and nuke a little more.

Really, the only thing I didn't have much success with was cooking dry pasta. I'm sure there's probably a method, though.

 

[Iamadoorknob]

I love to make taco salad when I want something easy and quick to make. This would be a good recipe to start with.

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey if you want it healthier
1 package taco seasoning (This is in a small package by the mexican food or spices)

Put a little bit of oil in the bottom of a pan, just enough to coat the bottom, and cook the meat until color just changes to brown. The oil will keep the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Strain off the liquid from the meat. Now add the package of seasoning to the meat and stir until blended.

Put some frito scoops on the bottom of the plate and add the meat mixture on top. Now top the meat with whatever sides you like.
lettuce
tomato
cheddar cheese
green onion
sour cream
hot sauce or salsa
cantalina salad dressing
ect.

Sweet! That sounds really good! Thanks!

 

[Iamadoorknob]

Brian, you can find a lot of easy, nutritious microwave dishes here:

http://www.campbellkitchen.com/default.aspx

I don't know how large your nuke is, but I even make chili and spaghetti sauce in mine.
I suggest you peruse the shelves of your supermarket for convenience foods.
I assume you know about Easy Mac...fix 2 pkgs, add a can of drained tuna for tuna casserole.
.

I tried making easy mac once...after my mom wouldnt make it haha. Well I ate the whole thing...and an hour later I had the worst stomachache ever. I followed the instructions to the T! Maybe I'm just challenged in this area=P Tastes fine when mom makes it...and my mom isnt very good at cooking either (although she would disagree). Hopefully bad cooking isnt hereditary (I hope to cook for my wife when I get married)

 

[pdswife]

We've always enjoyed breakfast for dinner .

French Toast is easy and good.

Mix a few eggs with a small amount of milk
add some white sugar and some cinnamon and
some vanilla.

melt some butter in a frying pan
then quickly dip a piece of bread in the egg mixture.
Place in the pan (over a medium high heat) and cook on each
side until nicely browned.

There are tons of easy foods to make at the store too.
100's of different kinds of jarred pasta sauces, hamburger/tuna helper,canned soups and chilis.
preformed hambuger patties that you can fry up in minutes add a bun and some sliced veggies and some frozen French Fries and you have a meal.

Something else easy to make ( I used to make my son make it for us all the time) is Scallopped Potatoes.

Peel 2 pounds of potatoes and slice thin (1/4 inch)
Grease bottom and sides of a baking dish and
Put down a layer of the potatoes, dot these with a little of the butter
and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.

Continue to add layers of potatoes dotting each with butter and sprinking each with salt and pepper.

When you've used all your potatoes pour one cup of milk over the top and dot with some more butter.

Bake at 350 for one hour.

You can also add cheddar cheese and bits of ham on each layer if you wish.

Have fun!

 

[Constance]

I tried making easy mac once...after my mom wouldnt make it haha. Well I ate the whole thing...and an hour later I had the worst stomachache ever. I followed the instructions to the T! Maybe I'm just challenged in this area=P Tastes fine when mom makes it...and my mom isnt very good at cooking either (although she would disagree). Hopefully bad cooking isnt hereditary (I hope to cook for my wife when I get married)

Oh my! You must have an allergy to something that's in it. I'll have to look at the ingredients...Goodness knows what they are.

By the way, my mother wasn't really much of a cook, either. She had a few excellent meals she made for special occasions, and her everyday meals were nutricious, though bland. She enjoyed baking for Christmas, but cooking in general really wasn't her interest.

 

[Iamadoorknob]

Oh my! You must have an allergy to something that's in it. I'll have to look at the ingredients...Goodness knows what they are.

By the way, my mother wasn't really much of a cook, either. She had a few excellent meals she made for special occasions, and her everyday meals were nutricious, though bland. She enjoyed baking for Christmas, but cooking in general really wasn't her interest.

Awesome, so theres still hope. I don't think I was allergic...although I get nausea from a lot of random stuff...like onions (but not fried onions for some reason) and chocolate milk (but not chocolate by itself or milk by itself) and apple juice gives me stomachaches. How weird. Anyways, that easy mac idea with tuna is a really good idea!! Maybe it's like nothing to you cooking buffs but I would never have thought of it.

Oh yeah I just remembered...I can make tuna melts in the toaster oven...and I make em really good too! And I've cooked eggs...but I burn them every time. I didnt mention those cause someone (not on this forum) told me that those dont count as "cooking".

 

[thumpershere2]

Welcome to DC, you are going to enjoy it here.
Mac and cheese for when you get your stove. This amount will last you a couple days I'm sure (love the left overs).In a 3 quart sauce pan bring water to a boil and add 3 cups of macroni any style will do, stir.When water starts to boil again turn heat down so it doesn't boil over.(stir again)Cook mac until tender. While the mac is cooking, brown 1 pound of hamburger, 1 medium onion chopped.Add salt and pepper to taste. When mac is done, drain and then add the hamburger,onion and cubed velveeta cheese. Use as much cheese as you like.I usually use 1/3 of the brick of velveeta.Add about a cup and 1/2 of milk. More or less depending on how you like your sauce, thick or kinda soupy. Put all this in a microwave dish and nuke for 6 min., stir and nuke longer until heated through and the cheese is melted. Simple and good.You can do the same but add tuna, not the canned but the pouch tuna, so much better.HAve a veggie on the side and your ready to go.

 

[thumpershere2]

Hamburger/Tomato hot dish
in a 3 qt sauce pan bring water to a boil and add 2 cups of mac. Brown 1 lb of hamburger,1 onion. add salt/pepper . Add one lg can of crushed tomatos, a few shakes of garlic powder or more if you like.Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup catsup. Mix the hambuger and tomato mixture together, add to macaroni and serve. Now you can start with a few slices of bacon chopped up and fried then add the burger and onion. This a great flavor additive to the hot dish. Make sure you drain the greese from the bacon. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon greese for flavor tho.Serve with a dish of cottage cheese or veggie.

 

[BigDog]

I think there is one key cooking appliance every bachelor should have; a George Foreman (or similar style) Grill. This is not a plug for the GF, as there are many others out there that are similar. I use the GF name simply because that is what I have.

Anyways, you can quickly grill pretty much whatever you want on it, and cleanup is a breeze. They come in a variety of sizes, so if space is an issue, go for one of the smaller units. Burgers are done in less then 5 minutes (depending on thickness). I've had a nice rib eye done in less then 10. I cook chicken on it as well.

That, and maybe a griddle type machine would serve you well. All the veggies can be nuked, so you got that covered. Spuds can be nuked too, and really aren't bad that way. Not as good as standard methods, but not bad either.