s/o off how to make dinner every night. How to become a better (at least decent) cook??

[Anonymous]

Ugh. I seem to suck at cooking. My kids are okay eaters.. but I'm realizing that I'm really giving them less than tasty options, and expecting them to eat up. (My huz will eat anything, but of course I'd like to make better tasting things for him, too!)

Aside from the obvious - practice -- any been there, done that tips to becoming a better cook? And I'm not talking about becoming a great cook, I'm just talking about putting a meal on the table that is basic and healthly in nature, but tasty - not overyly dry chicken breasts. Another issue I have is following a recipe that gets 5 starts, but it still not tasting great. AARGH!

[Anonymous]

if you have time to spend and are truly interested, I recommend a few things.

First, read anything by cooks illustrated/america's test kitchen/cooks country. Even if you dont try all the recipes, they really explain a lot about food science and why food performs the way it does. you will pick up tricks like how to brine a pork chop (keeps lean meat tender and flavorful) and how to know when to take a chicken breast out of the oven (internal temp 170, it will rise 5-10 degrees while it rests) even if you dont use their cooking style.

second, try very simple recipes, like things by Mark Bittman - you will start to get a feel for working with a few ingredients.

third, make sure you have a few important tools: a great saute pan, an instant read thermometer, cheese grater, garlic press... cant think what else...

fourth, start slow. I think good cooks have a feel for ingredients and how food works - they dont rely on recipes. As my aunt who is a professional food person says, 'cooking is an art; baking is a science.' you need to have the tools and understand the basics to master an art.

it can be fun!

[Anonymous]

Do you have friends or family who are good cooks? If so, ask if you can cook a couple recipes with them. I'm a pretty cook and have done this with a couple friends who wanted to learn more. There are lots of little things about what size you cut things, what heat you use to cook, what order you add ingredients that really matter to the taste of the final product. It is much easier to learn this stuff by doing.

Also, I would really avoid internet recipes (Alton Brown is my only exception). Invest in some good cookbooks. Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything books are good. I like America's Test Kitchen as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Also, I would really avoid internet recipes (Alton Brown is my only exception).

+1. I peruse internet recipes frequently for ideas, but not specifics. AB is definitely the exception.

Cook more forgiving things. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts will dry out and become yucky so fast. Try boneless, skinless thighs instead - they stay moister so if you overcook a wee bit it's not a disaster.

[Anonymous]

Watch Cook's Illustrated on TV--America's Test Kitchen.

Taste as you go.

Fat and salt do wonders for taste, but ultimately it's the quality of the ingredients that will make or break a dish.

Understand heat (temperature). This is why chicken will dry out. You can make great, juicy chicken breasts by marinating, cooking on medium high just to brown the breasts (use enough olive oil and/or butter), reducing the heat to low, and covering the dish for 10-12 minutes so that the breasts "steam". Don't overcrowd the pan.

Can you pinpoint what it is exactly about your cooking that makes it less than satisfying? It's hard to help someone who can't be more specific about their cooking technique.

[Anonymous]

Try Martha Stewart's Fresh Food Fast cookbook. The recipes are healthy, tasty, and not too involved. A great thing about Martha is that she tells you EXACTLY how to do everything (doesn't leave out any steps or assume that you know what she means). She'll explain right down to telling you how to cut up the mango, etc.

I like Mark Bittman too but in my opinion he is better for when you have more experience. For example, he often doesn't say precisely the quantity to use of ingredients - this is easier to wing when you are a more experienced cook.

[Anonymous]

Alton Brown's Good Eats is a good place to start. I think it's helpful to understand the why and how of cooking, so that you can get a sense of why the recipe unfolds the way it does. He's also a good tutor to learn how to riff on a particular ingredient or technique -- that way you're not buying basil for one recipe and chucking the rest. Instead, you learn how to say "OK, I'm using the green onions for miso soup on Monday. I'll have some left over, so I can do quesadillas/bulgogi/frittata on Thursday and use up the rest." Joy of Cooking is another good place to learn how/why.

Honestly, though, practice is what's going to do it. Not just knife work or stirring technique, but learning to map out your battle plan, do two things at once, use your ears and nose as well as your eyes (hmmm, that pan's sounding dry -- better add some more liquid) -- this stuff is only going to get easier if you do it, and do it regularly.

[Anonymous]

If you're just getting started cooking, never cook ANYTHING without the bones and/or skin on it. Do split breasts of chicken, bone-in pork chops, fish that's gutted and cleaned but not fileted. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to overcook something with its bones/skin, as they help maintain stable internal temperature and hold in moisture. Then, just peel the skin off or debone before serving.

It is cheaper, too!

[Anonymous]

I would focus on a getting really good at a few simple things rather than trying to "learn how to cook". So rather than imagining that the aim is to open a cook book a pull out a new recipe each night, how about say you want 4 great week night meals:
- stir fry
- beef stew
- roasted potatoes and chicken
- spaghetti with sauce

Find a good simple book (I like Bittman, or Alice Waters) and then make your chosen recipes again and again, getting better each time. After a while you'll find yourself thinking "hmm, I don't have any potatoes to roast tonight, I wonder if I can roast carrots?" And you'll try it, and find you can. Good luck, OP!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you're just getting started cooking, never cook ANYTHING without the bones and/or skin on it. Do split breasts of chicken, bone-in pork chops, fish that's gutted and cleaned but not fileted. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to overcook something with its bones/skin, as they help maintain stable internal temperature and hold in moisture. Then, just peel the skin off or debone before serving.

It is cheaper, too!

I agree.

[Anonymous]

I took a knife skills class at L'Academie de Cuisine. Not like I chop like a professional chef but it definitely gave me a good base and work more efficiently.

[Anonymous]

Alton brown recipes always have about five times more salt than I use.

[Anonymous]

I highly recommend using a crock pot and learning a few recipes in it. I make soups, stews, and a rockin' roast in a crock pot, and there's virtually no chance of what you're making drying out. AND, it's super easy. Set it and forget it.

[Anonymous]

start making stuff you like to eat when you eat out. What are your favorite restaurants and dishes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try Martha Stewart's Fresh Food Fast cookbook. The recipes are healthy, tasty, and not too involved. A great thing about Martha is that she tells you EXACTLY how to do everything (doesn't leave out any steps or assume that you know what she means). She'll explain right down to telling you how to cut up the mango, etc.

I like Mark Bittman too but in my opinion he is better for when you have more experience. For example, he often doesn't say precisely the quantity to use of ingredients - this is easier to wing when you are a more experienced cook.

I agree. Fresh Food Fast was amazing for weeknight cooking and really explained all the steps.