Cooking advise for a noob!

If you are new to cooking then try to make sure you follow recipes properly, don't cut corners. E.g if you are told to simmer a sauce for an hour, do so, reducing the cooking time will massively reduce the flavour.
 
I've got a book called 'Cooking for Blokes' which has quite a variety of recipes in it, but the instructions are broken down to a pretty basic level.
It tells you what ingredients you need and what equipment and walks you through the recipe so you can do things step by step. If you have some common sense then you should be able to cook everything in there.

For general tips I would say:
- make sure you read through the entire recipe before you start cooking.
- roasting things is easy as you just prepare it, put it in the oven then leave it.
 
If you're looking to start cooking exciting and delicious food, then I can't recommend Mr Ainsley Harriott enough. ;) Even though he's considered more of a comedian than a chef by a lot of people, his literature is full of inspiration for the budding cook.

This book was what turned me onto cooking about ten years ago:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ainsley-Harri...vr_id=&cguid=5bc1715d1270a0aad361d601ffcabbf6

It's pathetically priced as well. :p He just creates simple, but delicious food. Perfect inspiration for the amateur.
 
Gustov said:
B) Give general tips!
Click to expand...

Fill out your store cupboard.

Make surey ou have a good selection of spices (they last for years) and some sea salt and black pepper in a grinder.

Other stuff like a bit of flour, rice, pasta, oils, soy, dried chillis, dried / pickled / frozen garlic (for when you run out).

Tins of decent tomatoes, some beens (like kidney beans, and others, you're sure to find some you like). Frozen peas + peppers.

For other stuff you can get individually sealed chicken breasts, frozen prawns and for beef I bag a portion into a little food bag, flatten it into a thin patty and tie it up - they will all happily live in the freezer until needed.

The prawns can go straight into anything, the chicken can be oven cooked from fozen (in foil) and the minced beef can be defrosted for a minute in the microwave then fried.

I think your much more likely to try cooking something from scratch if you've got the basics for half a dozen dishes right there leaving you to buy just the extras on the way home. If you don't have anything in and try to buy everything for whatever you have in mind it becomes a big job - you need to work out what you have in, what you need, make a list, get it all, go back for what you've forgotten. With a decent store cupboard you can make plenty with nothing extra at all and if you do have something special in mind doubtless you'll only need one or two ingredients.
 
One of my mid-week staples is a simple spaghetti carbonara. It's so easy I wish I knew how to cook it when I was at Uni :p

- Fry up some pancetta cubes (or chopped up bacon) in lots of olive oil, on a relatively high heat.
- Once this is going, get your pasta on (spaghetti, penne, whatever).
- When the pancetta starts to get crispy, add a shallot or half a white onion.
- Turn the heat down and let the onion/shallot cook slowly.
- Meanwhile, beat 1 egg in a bowl with a splash of milk.
- Grate a big handful of parmesan/pecorino onto a plate. Mix two thirds of it in with your egg.
- By now your pasta should be ready. Drain it, but not too well. A little water left is ok. Put it back in the saucepan you cooked it in.
- Transfer your pancetta/onion into the saucepan and mix in the egg/cheese mixture.
- Season with pepper (you won't need salt because of the salty bacon/cheese).
- Fold it round quickly, but not for more than 25sec. You don't want the egg to cook -- it's supposed to be a sauce (not scrambled egg).
- Serve into a pasta bowl.
- Scatter the rest of your cheese on top.

I also normally add some frozen peas to the pasta for a bit of green. Also a dollop of creme fraiche or cream is nice to add to the egg mixture -- but not neccesary.

Such an easy recipe and only takes 10mins. :)
 
I think the best piece of advice I could give a cooking newbie is don't be afraid to try new things. I'm by no means an expert but I enjoy it, I know a lot about cooking meat, what herbs and spices to use, and experimentation is always fun.

For perfect rice:
- 1 half cup of rice per person
- 1 full cup of water per person
- Bring to the boil on highest heat, lid off
- Put heat right down to lowest, cover rice. Do NOT open until water is boiled off the surface.
 
This is very good as most things Stein cooks ishttp://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/beefstroganoffwithma_71568

Stumbled upon this episode by accident and cooked all of these now as they are so good (and nobody could get anything here wrong) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n5ny9

And pretty much what everyone else has said.
The simplest recipes are the most satisfying usually.
Salt & Pepper change everything.
Store Cupboard should always have the essentials
Salad without a good dressing is not worth eating
 
Last edited:
For perfect rice:
- 1 half cup of rice per person
- 1 full cup of water per person
- Bring to the boil on highest heat, lid off
- Put heat right down to lowest, cover rice. Do NOT open until water is boiled off the surface.
Click to expand...

The only thing I do different is melt some butter first and toss the rice in the butter (unless I want it sticky) and add some salt before the lid goes on

And also: add a bay leaf, coriander & cumin seeds, green cardamom pods and cloves and you have a great rice to go with a curry (for the OP)
 
Last edited:
As the guys have said make sure you have a good selection of dried herbs, spices, vinegars and sauces. I'd reccomend you choose a selection of the classics to cook, like roasts, stews, soups, that sort of things because it's a good way to learn the basics of how to cook meat properly and get a sauce right (always season to taste!)
A great book for sauces is this book by Michel Roux:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sauces-Savo...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274347707&sr=8-1

and this is one that my cousin had when he did his apprenticeship as a chef, he swears by it:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practical-C...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274348000&sr=8-1
 
Last edited:
I regularly use BBC Food and their recipes. Wonderful stuff and easy to make.

I made this tonight (and finished the bottle of wine I used in the meal. weeee! :p )

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/6097/tasty-sausage-casserole

The easiest thing ever. Ingredients cost me about a fiver and it served 4 people. In fact, my girlfriend accused me of buying this in a restaurant and just serving it up.

Do not be scared to experiment, really. Enjoy cooking, it's an art, not to be rushed. I cook at least 3 good meals a week where I spent time making it. Crafting it. Bottle of red wine, iTunes softly sounding on the laptop, recipe book, fresh vegetables and butcher's meat. Grand stuff.

Remember to always try new recipes. Last week I made a pumpkin/chicken stew. Something I never thought I'd make or eat. It's really the best thing about cooking, new taste sensations every week if you wish.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom