Thread: Learning how to Cook for dummies like me

I never cared about learning to cook. Mom always cooked great meals, in college I lived off of microwave dinners and when I got married my wife took care of me. A few months ago my wife found herself being tired all the time and we found out she was pregnant. Naturally, I had to start doing more things around the house so she could rest.

I decided that at 31 I was going to learn how to cook so I could actually help out my tired wife. I looked for cooking schools and they were all super expensive. One class was like 250 bucks for 3 classes. I didn’t want to be a chef, I just wanted to learn the basics. I looked around and found a website, Learn How To Cook | (and eat your mistakes)!, in which Chef David James Robinson teaches you the basics on a set of DVDs.

I dropped the 50 bucks and a couple of weeks ago started learning to cook. This series has tons of good information and I am definitely glad that now I can actually look at a recipe and make something edible. It’s not like I had this untapped talent in the kitchen, heck, I once burned Cup O’Noodles because I forgot to put water in it. So if anyone would rather have a set of DVDs of good instruction instead of paying a couple hundred bucks for a couple of classes, go ahead and give it a go.

You will never go hungry with pasta dishes.

Originally Posted by Kingsfan626

You will never go hungry with pasta dishes.

while this is true, his wife will probably get fat and possibly get gestational diabetes if all she ate was pasta...

good job, man. i cooked all throughout my pregnancy, but that's not to say i wouldn't have appreciated my husband helping out with that at the time. instead, i just spend his money...

Learning to cook an egg is a simple skill and applies to so many things. I genuinely don't understand people who can't do it. I applaud you for learning. I would think being able to fry/grill/bake(maybe) will take care of the vast majority of your cooking technique needs.

Cooking For Engineers - Step by Step Recipes and Food for the Analytically Minded

Start with Salad Dressings....oil, vinergars, herbs. Work to cream based dressings. From there go to marinades....the rest of the process works itself out.

Find this at the used bookstore:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/JOY-COOKING-Irma-S-Rombauer/dp/0026045702/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1302757267&sr=8-2]Amazon.com: JOY OF COOKING (9780026045704): Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ginnie Hofmann, Ikki Matsumoto: Books[/ame]

The 1975/80/85 version of Joy of Cooking is a classic, just don't use the recipes for cooking cow's brains...:P

This is also a classic that Mom used quite a bit and I have found quite helpful:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Better-Homes-Gardens-Cook-Plaid/dp/0470556862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302757896&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 15th Edition (Better Homes & Gardens Plaid) (9780470556863): Better Homes & Gardens: Books[/ame]


Doesn't have to be the newest edition, Mom used one that was published in the late 60s IIRC.

congratulations on the new soon-to-be-born kid. and please don't burn down the house.

Joy of Cooking is a must in every Kitchen. I rarely cook but when I need to figure something....