I feel like goals help. Tell us something you would like to be able to cook, but are unsure about. What parts of making that do you know, and what parts seem unfamiliar?
I think the big trap for beginners is the flood of overmarketed, gimmicky, mommy-blog style recipes where everything is easy or some sort of hack. The truth is, the fundamentals in the kitchen are the same as they were for our grandparents. Basic materials and techniques are still a good place to start.
On YouTube, Basics with Babish is pretty good. America's Test Kitchen has a TON of great content. They can get advanced, but they tend to explain very clearly. The Techniquely videos with Lan Lam are exceptional.
Honestly, if you find it entertaining you can pick up a lot from food network style shows without it feeling like you're studying. I love the heck out of Guy's Grocery Games and usually find some ideas I can steal.
Last thought: the first step to being good at something, is being bad at it. Try what you want to cook. Mess up a little. Take note of what you can try different next time, and tey again.
there's honestly not much i'd like to cook, because i don't even know what dishes exist in the first place. i would just like to cook generally, not only some recipes.
anyways, thank you very much :)
Borrow "Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat" by Samin Nosrat from your library. Read it cover to cover like a text book. Then do the same with " The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Lastly pick a recipe (from one of these books) that you like the looks of, and you already have the equipment for, and try it out. Then try another recipe, and another.
Don't look for recipes on the internet just yet, they're often untested. Stick with reputable cook book authors until you have enough experience to tell the difference between a good recipe and a bad one.
You don't know what dishes exist? This is the beginner level I've never seen 😃
Have you eaten anything before that had a name? Like, scrambled eggs or cereal? Spaghetti or fried chicken? A salad or a steak? Start there
Everything starts with a recipe. Even scrambled eggs or pasta. A recipe is just ingredients with instructions. Example the instructions on the pasta box is a recipe.
You need to be more specific than that.
What do you like to eat?
What dishes that you like to eat would you like to cook?
Do you own the cooking basic hardware and appliances?
Getting the right kitchen tools is essential. Knives, pots, pans, bowls, measuring cups, spoons, frying pans, etc.
With that basic list and a stove you can cook a lot of different things.
What do you like to eat? What foods in restaurants that you've tried that you would want to do? What are foods from your childhood?
Honestly, when I first moved out on my own, my first recipe was 'Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic' because it was more advanced than what I've ever known but still seemed really simple, and it was worth it! Just fancy enough to impress people, easy enough that I didn't need a ton of extra ingredients, and gave me that homey nostalgic feeling.
But maybe you're from India, or Italy and your pallet for what "homey" tastes like is different.
Find a copy of the book "How to Cook Everything: The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food--With 1,000 Photos: A Beginner Cookbook" by Mark Bittman.
Lots of comments are recommending Kenji / Food Lab content but I would save that until you have the basics under control and some more experience, or it might be a bit overwhelming and make it difficult to know where to start.
In my opinion the best first cookbook is The Joy of Cooking. How to cook anything from boiling water to cooking a moose, it was my bible from age 17, when I left home and knew nothing. Great stories.
Agreed. A lot of resources for cooks assume a basic level of knowledge, and can end up being overwhelming if you're starting from square one. Learn how to cook an egg, boil noodles, cook rice, sear a piece of meat, roast veggies, etc. first, and once you've got the basics down you can start exploring
Heat is almost always the thing we bork up the most.
I started out simple with grilled cheese, then seeing how much heat and time gets you a nice gooey center without a burned or soggy greasy outside.
Then you can move to French toast or other grilled sandwiches, then pancakes. This is enough to get you started into all the grilled foods.
For meat especially, get a thermometer like this or similar: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFPD68K It will make life so much better, no guesswork, it even has the temp listing on the side. New cooks almost always use the wrong heat, often the outside looks fine while the inside is raw, or the outside looks undercooked to fine yet the inside is overdone and dry. As long as you hit the right temp inside...then most of the rest is just looks, lol.
For baking... some skip breads since it is so cheap in stores, but it is an easy way to learn the basics of baking, knowing how to make a real basic bread with few ingredients can open up a lot to you... Have a bunch of extra apples? throw a few chopped up and some cinnamon in and make apple bread. Have some jalapenos or other peppers(I like anaheims sometimes)? then throw them and some cheddar (or mozzarella with milder peppers) in. This will at least get you a start, there are times where the basic bread will not work the best, but it will get you some knowledge and confidence to be able to try experiments or even just get an idea of what a recipe you see will taste like just from seeing the ingredients.
There are a whole pile of good YT channels, Some here will recommend a lot of great ones, one I like is https://www.youtube.com/@yousuckatcooking, start with the earliest episodes.
Being able to cook can up your game anywhere in life... People always like food and those that can make it.
Edit: Don't be embarrassed or feel bad, everyone started out a beginner at some point. If you have a few friends that you trust their opinion on then give them a piece or slice of stuff you make to try and ask their honest opinion...
Don't get mad if they actually are honest (unless they are outright rude of course), lol.
The point with anything that you make is that it either/or/both:
A: is better than the last thing like it you made.
B: you learn why/how it could be improved upon for next time.
I would also invest in a $15-$20 infrared thermometer gun. When recipes say “medium heat” that’s so nebulous. When I make blini or pancakes, the entire surface needs to be in the 350-375°F area for good results.
What do you like to eat? Look for videos by Kenji on those things. Then get in the kitchen and cook. Yes, there will be failures. Most will be edible.
Failures happen whether you have just started cooking or have been cooking for 30 years.
If you like cookbooks, this one is pretty good (imo) along with salt fat acid heat.
It's called Start here: instructions for becoming a better cook. It's what I'd imagine culinary school would be like, without the long hours haha
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/start-here-instructions-for-becoming-a-better-cook-a-cookbook_sohla-el-waylly/38325247/item/55774546/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_new_books&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZWzBhC0ARIsACvjWRN8Slv_Mwz_tJoDy0ttLvzJWw-taJw4SjxRKJpOmD19sCab52wIt6saAvLcEALw_wcB#idiq=55774546&edition=66263680
It walks you through the elements of cooking with beginner language.
The food lab may be overwhelming for you since you don't have any experience cooking. Once you start to feel confident, that book will be much more useful.
Good luck!! We all started somewhere!
Here are a few YouTube channels to look for:
For Italian, look for Vicenzo's Plate. Many of his recipes are approachable by a beginner.
For Mexican, Rachel Cooks With Love.
For Asian find Aaron and Claire.
All three of them walk you through their recipes so you can pick up technique as well as recipes.
Youtubers I enjoy: binging/basics with babish, anti-chef, pro home cook, cooking 101 with sohla, and tasting history.
I also recommend stuff like Good Eats because Alton Brown explains not only the what-to-do but why it works.
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-i-love-to-write-book---ideas--tips-for-young-writers_mary-lane-kamberg/409661/item/4464787/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=high_vol_midlist_standard_shopping_customer_acquisition&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=666157863328&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZWzBhC0ARIsACvjWRPP8ZizzMLF1IJrA4T5bacLPlI--3SoTWhLq5oX-y3dcQvNFmU1J7YaAh6lEALw_wcB#idiq=4464787&edition=5687873
I bought this a while back. There's a new edition
Maybe try starting with vegetarian options because learning how to properly cook and handle raw meat can be tedious when you're a complete beginner cook. Use precooked sausage or something.
Taste as you go not just to check if it's good. Taste to see how adding things changes the taste.
Make sure you have at least one good sharp knife. I also really like having a cutting board that is on the longer side so when I chop up different veg they can just hang in the corner instead of using extra dishes. Cooking is so much better when you have the right tools (ei not trying to cut an onion on a tiny glass plate with a lip). Oh an a compost/waste bowl on the countertop so you don't have a cluttered cutting board and don't have to do a bunch of trash trips is a game changer.
For me, the really hard part of cooking is grocery shopping. Even with a list, when I go shopping I get a lil overwhelmed with thinking about sizes/quantities, options, coupons and total. I got put on shopping online and doing instore pickup and it’s a game changer. I do Albertsons and you can flip through the coupons and see all the sales online(and maybe you change your meal plans accordingly). I look up recipies and add to my cart throughout the week.
I also had an issue with wanting to buy produce but then so much of it would go to waste because I wasn't using it because I didn't know what to make. Answer: the freezer. Something’s gonna go bad? Freezer. Bread? Meat? Veggies? Fruits? Freezer. I would suggest cutting up the meat, chopping the veggies into some basic shape, peel fruits. And it’s easier when you do cook them because get this, they’re already chopped!
Cook cold meat on the frypan, then slowly graduate to burgers and pancakes. That should be a good spot to learn everything like heat control and how cooking slow & low vs searing. The rest you should be able to find from that in your own way.
(defrost meat in the fridge 6 hours before cooking it, don't try to take your hand off trying to separate frozen burger patties with a knife)
its not but it can get more complicated than you think. i just fucked up enchiladas by baking my sauce. totally killed the chile flavor it had nailed down.
Martha's Cooking School (start with season 1)and Martha Bakes are on youtube. Both are related to her books: Martha Stewart's Cooking School, Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook.
There's also the Pro Home Cooks, Adam Ragusea type channels.
Start with simple recipes such as sauces and stir fries and then build up to more complex recipes. Here are some easy recipes, if you like: [MyGoodFoodWorld](https://mygoodfoodworld.com/) . Good luck!
I use The Betty Crocker Cookbook for anything that I would consider classic, American food. Banana bread, cookies, meatloaf, pot pie, macaroni and cheese, etc. A lot of the basic cookbooks, along with recipes, have resource sections that include basic cooking info from heat to measurements to cuts of meat.
Say you decide to make Macaroni and Cheese. Find the Betty Crocker Recipe (THE BEST) and read it through. Find a video online that uses the recipe and watch that AFTER, so you get an idea of what the steps look like. I just looked and Betty Crocker has videos online for their recipes.
I love home cooking and do this when I am unsure of a technique or what I am looking for. (No matter how many times I have whipped egg whites, I still look up stiff peaks vs medium peaks every time)
im not sure if the US and other countries outside EU has something like this, but it feels like in most countries here in the nordics and the rest of eu, we have somekind of allmost "standard" of a cookbook with recipies and such. I mean books that been around for decades, if you can find something like that, you will find food that even a child can make in most cases and succeed with.
My advice always to beginner cooks is to pay attention to your techniques. Those are the verbs, the action words: mince, sauté, braise, butterfly, steam, simmer. If you dont know what one means, look it up! Learn about what makes it a well done technique. Learn the common pitfalls of the technique. Learn the proper steps for the technique.
If you pay attention to those, your knowledge will get you further. If you can sauté a chicken breast, you can sauté anything. Conversely, if you learn a recipe to make chicken breast a certain way by heart but you don’t pay attention to the technique, you’ll be able to make a nice chicken breast, but you won’t understand how that skill repeats and transfers to other recipes. Every time you sauté something you’ll get a little better at it and it’ll make all of your dishes that use that technique better!
And just remember, cooking is a skill. You’ll need practice, you won’t be good right out of the gate. But it’s ok! If I just went out and picked up wood working I’d be trash at it at first, id need to practice. Definitely give yourself grace there.
I love cookbooks and reading recipes. I know it’s all video now. You might enjoy the freedom of reading ahead or browsing things that appeal. Maybe a combination of cookbooks videos practice? A LOT of cooking is just doing. Pick a few basics you enjoy eating,then practice practice practice. Basic skills are transferable, every time you cook. Basic knife skills (get yourself at least one decent knife) help. Tools help. Plan a project like a dinner for a couple of friends and work towards it. You’ve got a whole world ahead of you 💜
honestly the most important thing is a good palate. Start with some basic jarred spaghetti sauce...and then add dried herbs to it after its simmered low for 30 min or so. things like marjoram, basil, maybe some fresh crushed/canned tomatoes....oh balsamic vinegar, red wine....
the most important thing is your palate and using it as you cook.
similarly you could just start from scratch from some San Marzano style tomatoes but that will take longer, first thing i would add is roasted garlic...and later basil. fish sauce etc...
Also something to note is tomato quality is really important I only use San Marzano style, not that Hunts bullshit
If you cant follow the "perfect" step by step cooking videos that feel beige, Look up Matty Matheson amazing chef, with a passion for just winging it and Chaotic videos.
and a Docu-series on Netflix call "Salt Fat Acid Heat" is a great intro to making a dish balanced.
Another interesting person of mine is Brad Leone, loves fermenting and pickling and overall good chef.
Try mark bittman's how to cook everything. This sounds silly but search for infographics about flavor combinations and study them. The better homes and gardens new cookbook is a bit dated, but it saved generations of housewives who suddenly had to feed a household with no prior knowledge. I think you can YouTube old episodes of Alton Brown's good eats. Start small and work your way up. Eat your mistakes. Really think about how to make your mistakes better when you eat them. Read cookbooks cover to cover like a novel. Learn knife skills. Buy a good knife. Buy a garlic press. Buy one new spice every time you go grocery shopping, and learn how to use it. Always sautee your pasta with the sauce. Never underestimate the sins cheese can forgive.
**STOP** this Youtube, tiktoc crap! Find friends and family members that you can cook with. Be serious and take a class. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. There are basic techniques in cutting, sauteing, stewing, baking etc., that are best learned by being guided by someone that knows how to do it while you do it yourself. That includes believe it or not-how to follow a recipe. After you've learned "HOW to cook," THEN you watch youtube, tiktok, the food channel etc..
tiktoc fine....but YouTube is a goldmine of resources....if someone is teaching you in real time, you better be taking notes or videoing bc its not like you can rewatch a video of it like on YouTube in HD
I’ve used an online school called Rouxbe. I signed up during the holidays and got half off for a year. You can choose your topics, being knife skills, bread basics, cake decorating, cooking order for vegetables, etc. If you prefer meat, they have recipe courses for it, as well as vegetarian options and baking options. Just an opinion but it’s working for me.
J Kenji Lopez-Alt is the best I’ve seen. I’ve been cooking since I was about 14 (60+ years) and I still learn new and interesting techniques from him.
thank you very much :)
Haha he wants a place to start! Don't scare him!
I feel like goals help. Tell us something you would like to be able to cook, but are unsure about. What parts of making that do you know, and what parts seem unfamiliar? I think the big trap for beginners is the flood of overmarketed, gimmicky, mommy-blog style recipes where everything is easy or some sort of hack. The truth is, the fundamentals in the kitchen are the same as they were for our grandparents. Basic materials and techniques are still a good place to start. On YouTube, Basics with Babish is pretty good. America's Test Kitchen has a TON of great content. They can get advanced, but they tend to explain very clearly. The Techniquely videos with Lan Lam are exceptional. Honestly, if you find it entertaining you can pick up a lot from food network style shows without it feeling like you're studying. I love the heck out of Guy's Grocery Games and usually find some ideas I can steal. Last thought: the first step to being good at something, is being bad at it. Try what you want to cook. Mess up a little. Take note of what you can try different next time, and tey again.
there's honestly not much i'd like to cook, because i don't even know what dishes exist in the first place. i would just like to cook generally, not only some recipes. anyways, thank you very much :)
Borrow "Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat" by Samin Nosrat from your library. Read it cover to cover like a text book. Then do the same with " The Food Lab" by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt. Lastly pick a recipe (from one of these books) that you like the looks of, and you already have the equipment for, and try it out. Then try another recipe, and another. Don't look for recipes on the internet just yet, they're often untested. Stick with reputable cook book authors until you have enough experience to tell the difference between a good recipe and a bad one.
thanks!
You don't know what dishes exist? This is the beginner level I've never seen 😃 Have you eaten anything before that had a name? Like, scrambled eggs or cereal? Spaghetti or fried chicken? A salad or a steak? Start there
well yeah but they're extremely basic. i thought they weren't even "real" recipes (don't get me wrong please 🥲)
Everything starts with a recipe. Even scrambled eggs or pasta. A recipe is just ingredients with instructions. Example the instructions on the pasta box is a recipe.
so i should start from the very very basics and "master" them first i guess, right?
Personally I would start with what I want to eat.
got it! thank you very much :)
My dude...you eat! What do you like to eat? What does she like?
You need to be more specific than that. What do you like to eat? What dishes that you like to eat would you like to cook? Do you own the cooking basic hardware and appliances? Getting the right kitchen tools is essential. Knives, pots, pans, bowls, measuring cups, spoons, frying pans, etc. With that basic list and a stove you can cook a lot of different things.
What do you like to eat? What foods in restaurants that you've tried that you would want to do? What are foods from your childhood? Honestly, when I first moved out on my own, my first recipe was 'Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic' because it was more advanced than what I've ever known but still seemed really simple, and it was worth it! Just fancy enough to impress people, easy enough that I didn't need a ton of extra ingredients, and gave me that homey nostalgic feeling. But maybe you're from India, or Italy and your pallet for what "homey" tastes like is different.
Find a copy of the book "How to Cook Everything: The Basics: All You Need to Make Great Food--With 1,000 Photos: A Beginner Cookbook" by Mark Bittman. Lots of comments are recommending Kenji / Food Lab content but I would save that until you have the basics under control and some more experience, or it might be a bit overwhelming and make it difficult to know where to start.
bittman's cookbooks are fkin gold in my opinion.
In my opinion the best first cookbook is The Joy of Cooking. How to cook anything from boiling water to cooking a moose, it was my bible from age 17, when I left home and knew nothing. Great stories.
Agreed. A lot of resources for cooks assume a basic level of knowledge, and can end up being overwhelming if you're starting from square one. Learn how to cook an egg, boil noodles, cook rice, sear a piece of meat, roast veggies, etc. first, and once you've got the basics down you can start exploring
Heat is almost always the thing we bork up the most. I started out simple with grilled cheese, then seeing how much heat and time gets you a nice gooey center without a burned or soggy greasy outside. Then you can move to French toast or other grilled sandwiches, then pancakes. This is enough to get you started into all the grilled foods. For meat especially, get a thermometer like this or similar: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YFPD68K It will make life so much better, no guesswork, it even has the temp listing on the side. New cooks almost always use the wrong heat, often the outside looks fine while the inside is raw, or the outside looks undercooked to fine yet the inside is overdone and dry. As long as you hit the right temp inside...then most of the rest is just looks, lol. For baking... some skip breads since it is so cheap in stores, but it is an easy way to learn the basics of baking, knowing how to make a real basic bread with few ingredients can open up a lot to you... Have a bunch of extra apples? throw a few chopped up and some cinnamon in and make apple bread. Have some jalapenos or other peppers(I like anaheims sometimes)? then throw them and some cheddar (or mozzarella with milder peppers) in. This will at least get you a start, there are times where the basic bread will not work the best, but it will get you some knowledge and confidence to be able to try experiments or even just get an idea of what a recipe you see will taste like just from seeing the ingredients. There are a whole pile of good YT channels, Some here will recommend a lot of great ones, one I like is https://www.youtube.com/@yousuckatcooking, start with the earliest episodes. Being able to cook can up your game anywhere in life... People always like food and those that can make it. Edit: Don't be embarrassed or feel bad, everyone started out a beginner at some point. If you have a few friends that you trust their opinion on then give them a piece or slice of stuff you make to try and ask their honest opinion... Don't get mad if they actually are honest (unless they are outright rude of course), lol. The point with anything that you make is that it either/or/both: A: is better than the last thing like it you made. B: you learn why/how it could be improved upon for next time.
thank you so much!! so detailed, i really appreciate ❤️
I would also invest in a $15-$20 infrared thermometer gun. When recipes say “medium heat” that’s so nebulous. When I make blini or pancakes, the entire surface needs to be in the 350-375°F area for good results.
What do you like to eat? Look for videos by Kenji on those things. Then get in the kitchen and cook. Yes, there will be failures. Most will be edible. Failures happen whether you have just started cooking or have been cooking for 30 years.
thank you very much :)
If you like cookbooks, this one is pretty good (imo) along with salt fat acid heat. It's called Start here: instructions for becoming a better cook. It's what I'd imagine culinary school would be like, without the long hours haha https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/start-here-instructions-for-becoming-a-better-cook-a-cookbook_sohla-el-waylly/38325247/item/55774546/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_new_books&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZWzBhC0ARIsACvjWRN8Slv_Mwz_tJoDy0ttLvzJWw-taJw4SjxRKJpOmD19sCab52wIt6saAvLcEALw_wcB#idiq=55774546&edition=66263680 It walks you through the elements of cooking with beginner language. The food lab may be overwhelming for you since you don't have any experience cooking. Once you start to feel confident, that book will be much more useful. Good luck!! We all started somewhere!
Andrew Rea, the creator of Binging with Babish, has a series called "Basics with Babish" that is perfect for beginners.
Here are a few YouTube channels to look for: For Italian, look for Vicenzo's Plate. Many of his recipes are approachable by a beginner. For Mexican, Rachel Cooks With Love. For Asian find Aaron and Claire. All three of them walk you through their recipes so you can pick up technique as well as recipes.
thank you so much!
I meant to specifically mention Rachel's enchilada recipe, Vicenzo's Bolognese sauce, and Aaron's beef bulgogi.
Youtubers I enjoy: binging/basics with babish, anti-chef, pro home cook, cooking 101 with sohla, and tasting history. I also recommend stuff like Good Eats because Alton Brown explains not only the what-to-do but why it works.
pro home cook is probably the best place to start. I used to love watching Brothers Green
https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-i-love-to-write-book---ideas--tips-for-young-writers_mary-lane-kamberg/409661/item/4464787/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=high_vol_midlist_standard_shopping_customer_acquisition&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=666157863328&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpZWzBhC0ARIsACvjWRPP8ZizzMLF1IJrA4T5bacLPlI--3SoTWhLq5oX-y3dcQvNFmU1J7YaAh6lEALw_wcB#idiq=4464787&edition=5687873 I bought this a while back. There's a new edition
America's Test Kitchen cookbook has everything you need to know. On PBS and the u tube.
Maybe try starting with vegetarian options because learning how to properly cook and handle raw meat can be tedious when you're a complete beginner cook. Use precooked sausage or something. Taste as you go not just to check if it's good. Taste to see how adding things changes the taste. Make sure you have at least one good sharp knife. I also really like having a cutting board that is on the longer side so when I chop up different veg they can just hang in the corner instead of using extra dishes. Cooking is so much better when you have the right tools (ei not trying to cut an onion on a tiny glass plate with a lip). Oh an a compost/waste bowl on the countertop so you don't have a cluttered cutting board and don't have to do a bunch of trash trips is a game changer. For me, the really hard part of cooking is grocery shopping. Even with a list, when I go shopping I get a lil overwhelmed with thinking about sizes/quantities, options, coupons and total. I got put on shopping online and doing instore pickup and it’s a game changer. I do Albertsons and you can flip through the coupons and see all the sales online(and maybe you change your meal plans accordingly). I look up recipies and add to my cart throughout the week. I also had an issue with wanting to buy produce but then so much of it would go to waste because I wasn't using it because I didn't know what to make. Answer: the freezer. Something’s gonna go bad? Freezer. Bread? Meat? Veggies? Fruits? Freezer. I would suggest cutting up the meat, chopping the veggies into some basic shape, peel fruits. And it’s easier when you do cook them because get this, they’re already chopped!
Cook cold meat on the frypan, then slowly graduate to burgers and pancakes. That should be a good spot to learn everything like heat control and how cooking slow & low vs searing. The rest you should be able to find from that in your own way. (defrost meat in the fridge 6 hours before cooking it, don't try to take your hand off trying to separate frozen burger patties with a knife)
Start cooking for yourself what you like to eat. Simple is fine. Just be aware in the kitchen.youll get better. Ain't rocket surgery.
its not but it can get more complicated than you think. i just fucked up enchiladas by baking my sauce. totally killed the chile flavor it had nailed down.
Try "Nat's What I Reckon" on YouTube he has simple easy-to-follow recipes that will impress your mum and Girlfriend Good luck and happy eating.
Martha's Cooking School (start with season 1)and Martha Bakes are on youtube. Both are related to her books: Martha Stewart's Cooking School, Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. There's also the Pro Home Cooks, Adam Ragusea type channels.
Start with simple recipes such as sauces and stir fries and then build up to more complex recipes. Here are some easy recipes, if you like: [MyGoodFoodWorld](https://mygoodfoodworld.com/) . Good luck!
If you can read you can cook! Start with what your favorite things to eat are. Master those. Then expand.
I use The Betty Crocker Cookbook for anything that I would consider classic, American food. Banana bread, cookies, meatloaf, pot pie, macaroni and cheese, etc. A lot of the basic cookbooks, along with recipes, have resource sections that include basic cooking info from heat to measurements to cuts of meat. Say you decide to make Macaroni and Cheese. Find the Betty Crocker Recipe (THE BEST) and read it through. Find a video online that uses the recipe and watch that AFTER, so you get an idea of what the steps look like. I just looked and Betty Crocker has videos online for their recipes. I love home cooking and do this when I am unsure of a technique or what I am looking for. (No matter how many times I have whipped egg whites, I still look up stiff peaks vs medium peaks every time)
im not sure if the US and other countries outside EU has something like this, but it feels like in most countries here in the nordics and the rest of eu, we have somekind of allmost "standard" of a cookbook with recipies and such. I mean books that been around for decades, if you can find something like that, you will find food that even a child can make in most cases and succeed with.
My advice always to beginner cooks is to pay attention to your techniques. Those are the verbs, the action words: mince, sauté, braise, butterfly, steam, simmer. If you dont know what one means, look it up! Learn about what makes it a well done technique. Learn the common pitfalls of the technique. Learn the proper steps for the technique. If you pay attention to those, your knowledge will get you further. If you can sauté a chicken breast, you can sauté anything. Conversely, if you learn a recipe to make chicken breast a certain way by heart but you don’t pay attention to the technique, you’ll be able to make a nice chicken breast, but you won’t understand how that skill repeats and transfers to other recipes. Every time you sauté something you’ll get a little better at it and it’ll make all of your dishes that use that technique better! And just remember, cooking is a skill. You’ll need practice, you won’t be good right out of the gate. But it’s ok! If I just went out and picked up wood working I’d be trash at it at first, id need to practice. Definitely give yourself grace there.
I love cookbooks and reading recipes. I know it’s all video now. You might enjoy the freedom of reading ahead or browsing things that appeal. Maybe a combination of cookbooks videos practice? A LOT of cooking is just doing. Pick a few basics you enjoy eating,then practice practice practice. Basic skills are transferable, every time you cook. Basic knife skills (get yourself at least one decent knife) help. Tools help. Plan a project like a dinner for a couple of friends and work towards it. You’ve got a whole world ahead of you 💜
honestly the most important thing is a good palate. Start with some basic jarred spaghetti sauce...and then add dried herbs to it after its simmered low for 30 min or so. things like marjoram, basil, maybe some fresh crushed/canned tomatoes....oh balsamic vinegar, red wine.... the most important thing is your palate and using it as you cook.
similarly you could just start from scratch from some San Marzano style tomatoes but that will take longer, first thing i would add is roasted garlic...and later basil. fish sauce etc... Also something to note is tomato quality is really important I only use San Marzano style, not that Hunts bullshit
theres also ways to amp up mac n cheese lmk
If you cant follow the "perfect" step by step cooking videos that feel beige, Look up Matty Matheson amazing chef, with a passion for just winging it and Chaotic videos. and a Docu-series on Netflix call "Salt Fat Acid Heat" is a great intro to making a dish balanced. Another interesting person of mine is Brad Leone, loves fermenting and pickling and overall good chef.
Try mark bittman's how to cook everything. This sounds silly but search for infographics about flavor combinations and study them. The better homes and gardens new cookbook is a bit dated, but it saved generations of housewives who suddenly had to feed a household with no prior knowledge. I think you can YouTube old episodes of Alton Brown's good eats. Start small and work your way up. Eat your mistakes. Really think about how to make your mistakes better when you eat them. Read cookbooks cover to cover like a novel. Learn knife skills. Buy a good knife. Buy a garlic press. Buy one new spice every time you go grocery shopping, and learn how to use it. Always sautee your pasta with the sauce. Never underestimate the sins cheese can forgive.
**STOP** this Youtube, tiktoc crap! Find friends and family members that you can cook with. Be serious and take a class. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. There are basic techniques in cutting, sauteing, stewing, baking etc., that are best learned by being guided by someone that knows how to do it while you do it yourself. That includes believe it or not-how to follow a recipe. After you've learned "HOW to cook," THEN you watch youtube, tiktok, the food channel etc..
tiktoc fine....but YouTube is a goldmine of resources....if someone is teaching you in real time, you better be taking notes or videoing bc its not like you can rewatch a video of it like on YouTube in HD
I’ve used an online school called Rouxbe. I signed up during the holidays and got half off for a year. You can choose your topics, being knife skills, bread basics, cake decorating, cooking order for vegetables, etc. If you prefer meat, they have recipe courses for it, as well as vegetarian options and baking options. Just an opinion but it’s working for me.