New to cooking

[TheProphecy]

Hi, i'm new to cooking and I wanted to know the basics of cooking such as the utensils and precautions. May anyone tell me some, please? Thanks

 

[Chef Ryan]

What type of untensils are you looking for?????

Precations:


1. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN YOURSELF.


to be continued.

 

[Callisto in NC]

What's your budget? We can recommend all sorts of things but if you only have a couple hundred or less, it won't do you much good. There are certainly basics that everyone uses, but my basics might not be someone elses.

1. What do you want to cook?
2. Do you have favorite foods you want to learn?
3. What do you know how to cook?
4. Cooking or baking? Which do you want to do more of?

Maybe if you can give us some guidelines, it might help us tell you what you want.

 

[Scotch]

The Basics:

• pots and pans
• set of knives
• cutting board
• kitchen utensils -- large spoon, spatula, whisk, scrapers, etc.

Good to Have:

• casserole dishes
• roasting pans
• baking pans
• kitchen timer
• instant-read cooking thermometer
• mixing bowls
• colander
• strainers

You don't need to buy it all at once, and you should put off buying things like an electric mixer or food processor until you have the other stuff and are sure you want to get more involved with the kitchen.

Also, get a good basic cookbook. I suggest something with photos, a wide variety of recipes, and step-by-step instructions, such as the recently published Taste of Home Winning Recipes.

Then watch some cooking shows, read the food section of your paper, and come here with your questions. Don't be afraid to ask about anything -- we all started by figuring out how to boil water.

 

[TheProphecy]

What's your budget? We can recommend all sorts of things but if you only have a couple hundred or less, it won't do you much good. There are certainly basics that everyone uses, but my basics might not be someone elses.

1. What do you want to cook?
2. Do you have favorite foods you want to learn?
3. What do you know how to cook?
4. Cooking or baking? Which do you want to do more of?

Maybe if you can give us some guidelines, it might help us tell you what you want.

1. I want to master this skill, so I actually need to cook. I want to be a renaissance man, and I want to start small and cook to a great extent.
2. Not really, I don't know many
3. Anything dealing with eggs
4. I want to master both, but more of cooking. A balance would be better.

 

[Callisto in NC]

1. I want to master this skill, so I actually need to cook. I want to be a renaissance man, and I want to start small and cook to a great extent.
2. Not really, I don't know many
3. Anything dealing with eggs
4. I want to master both, but more of cooking. A balance would be better.

Have you considered a cooking class or finding someone to help you. Cooking is one of those things that "doing it alone" doesn't work well for. Jumping in without help is kind of like looking at Lake Superior and thinking "I can swim across that" without ever having a swimming lesson.

2. You eat, right? Is there anything you love to eat that you want to learn how to make? Again, start small.

3. Eggs, good start. Are we talking scrambled and omlettes or eggs Benedict and quiche?

Again, what type of budget are we talking?

 

[TheProphecy]

Have you considered a cooking class or finding someone to help you. Cooking is one of those things that "doing it alone" doesn't work well for. Jumping in without help is kind of like looking at Lake Superior and thinking "I can swim across that" without ever having a swimming lesson.

2. You eat, right? Is there anything you love to eat that you want to learn how to make? Again, start small.

3. Eggs, good start. Are we talking scrambled and omlettes or eggs Benedict and quiche?

Again, what type of budget are we talking?

I'm still a freshman in HS, so I really don't have a budget. However if I were to work at publix (hopefully they accept me), then I'd be earning around $1,000 a month.

 

[Callisto in NC]

So do you have access to your mother's kitchen? I wouldn't worry about buying anything now if you have access to items in your own home.

If you are still in high school, there should be classes you can take. Cooking seems to be one of the classes that aren't being cut because it's considered a "life skill" so you should check into taking a cooking class. There's even what's called the "National Technical Honor Society" and good grades in cooking class can get you into it (it helps for college).

$1000 for a part time after school job sounds like an awful lot. Don't forget, as a student who has someone else to claim them, they'll take a lot in taxes.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I learned most of my basics from spending time in the kitchen with my grandmothers, mom and her two sisters, and in Boy Scouts. Other things I have learned over the years have come from a cousin who was a chef, uncles who knew how to butcher and smoke meats, watching cooking shows, reading, and a lot more time in the kitchen "experimenting".

I agree with Callisto and others - cooking is better learned by demonstration than just from reading descriptions from books. However, you can learn a lot of the essentials from books, too! Beg, borrow or buy (get the hardcover edition) a copy of Joy of Cooking - the 1975 revision that only lists Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker as authors on the cover. This has a lot of information on what you need to set up your kitchen, what different ingredients are, how to use them, explains different cuts of meats and how to cook them, etc.

If you want to get more into the "science" then you might want to check out a copy of On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen (Hardcover - Revised Edition) by Harold McGee.

There are some other good books, look in our cookbook forum for some other suggestions, but these two will get you started.

If your school offers a class in cooking - take it.

 

[stephenwhite78]

I would say that for fundamentals and basics, the "big Red" Betty Crocker cookbook has what any cook would need to get started. It covers pretty much anything from measurements, to cooking terms, utensils, even basic recipes. I know it sounds corny, but really, it's worth it's weight in gold. Chances are, your mom might even already have one tucked away somewhere. Again like everyone else has said, this is no match for a class at school, but I would say this is probably the next best thing.
(You can find it at amazon pretty cheap)

Good Luck & Enjoy.

 

[Willlow]

I suppose taking a class or having someone teach you would be ideal, but I don't think it's necessary. I am just learning to cook after years of eating sandwiches and frozen dinners. I don't have anyone to learn from, but I think I'm getting pretty good at it.

My tips: watch cooking shows a lot. You start to recognize basic techniques, what goes with what, etc. There are also a lot of YouTube videos of cooking demos. I also like to read cookbooks and forums like this one.

As a beginner cook, I don't think you need to spend a ton of money on supplies. I would suggest investing in one really good chef's knife (after using a "real" knife, you'll wonder how you ever used anything else.) Of course, a set of really quality cookware would be nice, but it's pretty costly. That's something you might want to buy one piece at a time.

Lastly, I applaud you for wanting to be a renaissance man! As a single woman, I can tell you that's exactly what most of us are looking for.

 

[TheProphecy]

wow willow, i really never thought of even watching the food channel/any other cooking channel. what channels are there?

 

[Callisto in NC]

wow willow, i really never thought of even watching the food channel/any other cooking channel. what channels are there?

I always recommend watching The Food Network, one channel available on cable. You might check your local listings to see if PBS has anything but FN is only on satellite and cable. They have great chefs as well as a website that does have some videos available. Food Network - Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos : Food Network

 

[Michael in FtW]

Food Network has some cooking shows, and Fine Living Network has picked up some that used to be on the Food network - these are both cable only as far as I know.

ION Life channel is an over-the-air digital broadcast station - they have 3 cooking shows (I really like the Urban Peasant).

PBS is another good free option - what programs they carry will depend on your local PBS station ... around here our PBS station has a block of cooking shows on Saturday morning and then another 2-3 hours later in the afternoon. When lived in Denver the PBS station up there had an hour of cooking shows every night plus some on Saturday. You'll just have to see what your PBS station carries, and when.

Just because PBS is free doesn't mean it doesn't have some quality cooking shows.

 

[Willlow]

wow willow, i really never thought of even watching the food channel/any other cooking channel. what channels are there?

In addition to the channels suggested, it also looks like The Food Network offers full episodes of some shows on their website.