Help me learn to cook/Cookbook recommendations
July 26, 2015 7:49 AM   Subscribe

I’m spending a fortune on NYC takeout and want to start cooking. I know NOTHING. Like can't even cook an egg. So I’m wondering if you kind folks might suggest a) some basic resources on cooking fundamentals and b) some really easy vegetarian cookbooks. Thanks so much.
posted by captainscared to Food & Drink (27 answers total) 11 users marked this as a favorite
 
Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" and also "The Joy of Cooking" can get you started right away.
posted by xingcat at 7:50 AM on July 26, 2015 [6 favorites]


Can't even cook an egg? Teach yourself how to cook an egg.

At this stage, just getting in the kitchen and getting used to how food works is going to be an important first step. And eggs are a pretty fantastic place to start. (They're cheap and small, so if you really screw one up it's no big deal.)

There are so many ways to cook eggs. Boiled (you will need a pot), fried, scrambled, in an omelette (you will need a nonstick pan and spatula), baked (you will need an oven-safe dish)--teaching yourself to cook eggs a bunch of different ways will give you skills that you can't read out of a book. Some things you just have to get a feel for.

So go buy a dozen eggs, go into your kitchen, google "how to ____ an egg" and just get started!
posted by phunniemee at 7:58 AM on July 26, 2015 [4 favorites]


"Help My apartment has a kitchen" has good basic recipes, and portions that are good for one or two people. The Moosewood Cookbook is a good vegetarian cookbook.
posted by nalyd at 8:00 AM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]


Seconding How to Cook Anything by Mark Bittman.

You may also find videos helpful. There are lots of (free) videos on YouTube and elsewhere that can show you how to chop, dice, sauté, etc.

I also like Chow.com for simple dinner recipes. Their Easiest Way series is very good, though it may lack a lot of vegetarian options.

I would start with the easiest dinner basics -- boil spaghetti, heat jarred sauce. Scramble eggs, make toast, etc. Then you can start learning how to chop vegetables and make homemade sauce once you get the hang of the simplest tasks of heating stuff up.
posted by Fairchild at 8:02 AM on July 26, 2015 [2 favorites]


I started cooking by going to websites like AllRecipes.com and FoodWishes (which has videos). I would suggest NOT buying a book of any sort right now. Watch other people cook and use free resources for awhile.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:02 AM on July 26, 2015 [2 favorites]


I really like The America's Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook as a starting book. It has recipes for things like how to cook an egg, but more importantly explains why eggs are cooked that way. It's a great way to learn basic skills that you can then apply to a cookbook like Bittman's.
posted by Nelson at 8:05 AM on July 26, 2015 [4 favorites]


Don't overlook the power of YouTube: Cooking basics.

If you really know nothing, you need more than a cookbook. You need to learn skills (how to cut something, how not to cut something, how to saute, how to roast, boil vs. simmer), you need to learn technique (the basic mother sauces, for example, from which you can expand), and then you're ready for recipes. I think videos would be a great start for you on skills and techniques, and from there you can start playing with recipes.

You will make mistakes! Some of them will be edible, and some won't. It's a lot of trial and error, and also a lot of fun, and a year from now you will be very glad that you learned how to cook.
posted by mudpuppie at 8:07 AM on July 26, 2015 [3 favorites]


Ignore the awful title: Dad's Own Cookbook. It's a really excellent primer for people who have zero clue in the kitchen -- IMO, better than Bittman, which I think is sometimes a bit intimidating for beginners. I got it for my ex, who didn't know how to boil water; I won't say it made him a genius cook, but it definitely got him from completely incompetent in the kitchen to being able to make a very simple dinner. (Again, I know the title sucks, and I hate it, but put that aside.)
posted by holborne at 8:08 AM on July 26, 2015


The classic Better Homes & Garden's Cookbook is nice because it's basic as can be. It goes through info like types of pots and knives and what a dice and a mince look like. It also has step-by-step pictures which I find easier than trying to watch a video while wielding a knife. I don't think Bittman is for absolute beginners.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 8:17 AM on July 26, 2015 [2 favorites]


Mark Bitman also has a vegetarian edition of How to Cook Everything.
posted by BlahLaLa at 8:26 AM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]


Now You're Cooking is a terrific resource, sadly out of print, but there are many used copies on Amazon.
posted by Flannery Culp at 8:30 AM on July 26, 2015


I recommend a copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. It's very basic. Your library may have a vegetarian equivalent. Maybe even before that, get a book on cooking with kids from your library. If you have friends who cook, offer to buy ingredients if they'll teach you to make a meal. Don't be discouraged; cooking well takes practice, but cooking well enough to not live on takeout is eminently do-able. There are youtube videos that show how to do many cooking basics.

Do you have a frying pan? Nonstick is nice. You need a spatula, too. Buy a dozen eggs and a package of butter. Or vegetable oil is okay. Put the pan on medium heat and let it warm up, maybe a minute. Add 1 Tablespoon of butter or oil. Crack 1 egg into a bowl - this is to make sure you don't get eggshell in your egg. Put the egg into the pan, wait until the whites are solid, slide the spatula under the egg, then flip the egg over. When the yolk is done to your liking, slide the egg out onto a piece of toast. Due to variations in how cold the eggs are, how hot the pan is, etc., the timing is variable. Practice until you learn how to fry an egg the way you like.

What do you need for tools?
posted by theora55 at 8:33 AM on July 26, 2015


If you are really a total beginner, I think you will be overwhelmed by most cookbooks, especially Bittman's (the recipes are simple enough but the mass of the book itself is intimidating).

Since it is hot, why not start with salads? Look up recipes for meal sized salads on line that look appetizing. You will learn basics about knife skills and flavor profiles. Some of the recipes may even require you to apply heat.

Starting with salads will get you to learn the basics of vegetarian cooking in a relatively stress free manner.
posted by girl flaneur at 8:40 AM on July 26, 2015 [3 favorites]


Seconding the Better Homes & Gardens, although the Betty Crocker is good too: basic cookbooks that don't get weird about fancy-schmancy equipment or ingredients you'll use once in your life. Another good one is the Fanny Farmer, for the same reasons.

If you can, find one of these in an older version, say from the 1940s or 1950s.
posted by easily confused at 8:43 AM on July 26, 2015


What about a class? I think it's hard to learn phyiscal skills from a book and it could be a fun opportunity to meet other vegetarians. Local food coop/community college/learning annex could be resources.
posted by latkes at 8:57 AM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]


I like The New Moosewood Cookbook and Alternative Vegan.
posted by neushoorn at 9:11 AM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]


IIRC there is a vegetarian version of the Menu Mailer. It's a subscription service that emails you every week with a weekly meal plan, shopping list, and recipes. It's a good introduction to figuring out how to coordinate all that stuff.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:50 AM on July 26, 2015


Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking video lessons are also good, but not vegetarian.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:52 AM on July 26, 2015


Although it is not a vegetarian cookbook, I recommend The Healthy College Cookbook for simple but really good recipes.
posted by merejane at 10:32 AM on July 26, 2015


4 Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss. It's set up assuming you can't cook at allnfor the first recipes and teaches coming as processes (using recipes as examples)
posted by thebotanyofsouls at 11:20 AM on July 26, 2015


I recommend this all the time: The Family Meal by Ferran Adria. Recipes are grouped in menus (app/main/dessert), each menu is prefaced by a two-page photo spread of all the ingredients you will need (and their amounts! if the recipe calls for five fish, there are five fish in the photo), and a timeline of what to start doing when.

Each individual recipe is laid out step by step with photographs for each step.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 1:23 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]


The New Vegetarian Cookbook for Everyone
Meant to just look up a link for this book, and found its available as a pdf.
Encyclopedic. Nearly all the recipes can be adapted to vegan. For meat eaters, you can toss a protein in any of them.
Bittman's book is great, as well as Martha Stewart's Cooking School
Alton Brown's "I'm Just Here for the Food" explains it all for you.
Check them out through your local library, to see which one(s) suit you. Break an egg.
posted by JABof72 at 2:02 PM on July 26, 2015 [1 favorite]


I did the bulk of my "learning to cook" as a vegetarian with The New Moosewood Cookbook. It's very friendly, inviting, and not the least bit intimidating. It has charming line illustrations, and Mollie Katzen's authorial voice is warm and encouraging. Everything is clearly spelled out, step by step. She has some good advice on basic ingredients and vegetarian meal planning and prep, too.

The one caveat I have is that the spicing can be...um, unadventurous. You will want to figure out how to adjust seasonings to your taste. That said, I've made some really delicious meals from it. I liked it when I was starting out because there were No Surprises. Once you become a more experienced cook that can seem a bit boring, but if you're like me when I started out, I was glad to know if I followed the recipe it would turn out like it was supposed to.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:54 PM on July 26, 2015


Seconding, "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen."

"How to Cook Everything" will be a good book to have once you have some facility in the kitchen, but I wouldn't start there. The recipes aren't always that straightforward; they are sometimes structured with a basic recipe first and then a list of many variations, which would be confusing to a beginner.

You might also want to buy some cooking magazines. As long as the magazine is not trying to be too gourmet, they typically have a range of recipes of different complexities and skill levels. Find one you like, subscribe, and make a few things every month.
posted by Leontine at 8:59 PM on July 26, 2015


Oh yeah on the topic of cooking shows that are helpful, Good Eats is awesome. Think Bill Nye in the kitchen kind of deal.
posted by thebotanyofsouls at 8:31 AM on July 27, 2015


I just saw this blog, and she has a cookbook for vegetarian beginners, and a great free .pdf on coking cheap.
posted by theora55 at 10:49 AM on July 28, 2015


Just had another idea: Start with cookies!

Chocolate chip cookies (or alternately, banana bread) are super easy to make and super hard to mess up. The nice thing about making a batch of cookies is, you then share them with your coworkers/friends/librarian/whoever, and you get this awesome good feeling of sharing something you cooked. Instant reward!

Google terms for a simple recipe would be, "Easy chocolate chip cookie recipe". You'll need a baking pan, a mixing bowl, and a flat spatula, all of which you can get at your local large grocery store thrift store.
posted by latkes at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2015


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