Tips

[racrguy]

I'm new to cooking and I'm looking for some tips as to do's and don'ts. Is there anything that you more experienced folks can share with the newbs like myself?

[fordracing19]

Don't cut your fingers off.

Sent from my SPH-M900 using Tapatalk

[hotrod66stang]

Just jump into it. The easiest way to learn is to hang out in the kitchen and get your hands dirty when there's a good cook around. Offer to wash the cutting boards, mixing bowls, etc and have them explain what they're doing and why. Buy a decent ($30) chef's knife and santoku, a couple cutting boards of different colors for meat, chicken, veggies, and measuring cups/spoons.

In the meantime, buy a cookbook and pick one of your fave meals, or look online for the recipe to one of your fave restaurant meals (ex. Monterrey Chicken from Chili's ) because you know how that's supposed to taste. Mom's cooking works well, too. Get recipes from her and if it doesn't taste right, call her up and tell her what you did and she can probably steer you in the right direction. Experiment with all genres and you'll soon learn how much of each spice is enough and what tastes good together. From there, you'll be able to make anything you want from scratch, and it will be AT LEAST pretty decent on your first try. Find two recipes for the same dish online, compare the two, make sure your portions are close, and then take some liberties and make it your own. That's what I do for dishes I've never made before.

[racrguy]

Thinking of trying this sometime next week, it looks easy to make

[red95gts]

Make sure you have a very, very good understanding of what a teaspoon and a tablespoon look like. You mix those up and nothing you make will turn out right.

[bcoop]

Too much to list, really. How new to cooking are you? Anything in particular that interests you? More of a chicken, seafood, or beef type of guy? Cooking for a family or for yourself? Are you looking for cheap ad quick, or drawn out, or gourmet?

Your answers will determine any advice I can give. I'm still far from a pro, but can outcook most with ease. I am SO glad my father taught me how to cool when I wad a kid, because I've had the last 20+ years to experiment.

[racrguy]

I'm super new to cooking. I know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, and how to use various utensils. I'm not sure what's good to use as far as pots/pans go, thoughts on Cast Iron? good times/bad times to use it versus say a standard non-stick skillet?

I like all three of those Brent, so really I'm not picky. I'm just cooking for me, so cheap and good tasting are the big parts, the drawn out, while I may not enjoy it, isn't a problem. What will probably end up happening is me make a meal then eat it for the next couple/few days lol.

[Treasure Chest]

Nonstick is crap. Cast iron is great, but if you have a glass top stove, it will damage your range. There is a great Wolfgang Puck set at Sam's club that runs about $100. It has encapsulated copper bottoms. It's a really decent buy. I've had mine for about 5 years now.

The best advice I can give you is to invest in a good meat thermometer and cook to temperature, rather than cooking to a timer.

[bcoop]

Nonstick is crap. Cast iron is great, but if you have a glass top stove, it will damage your range. There is a great Wolfgang Puck set at Sam's club that runs about $100. It has encapsulated copper bottoms. It's a really decent buy. I've had mine for about 5 years now.

The best advice I can give you is to invest in a good meat thermometer and cook to temperature, rather than cooking to a timer.

Not all nonstick is crap, and it does have it's place. You've got to pay for the good stuff, though. I recommend Ceramiguard by Lincoln FSP. This is commercial grade, and if you take care of it, you shouldn't ever have to buy another.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_28d46dxwjp_b The biggest thing you need to know, is not to use metal scratchers, no abrasives, and do NOT use metal utensils with the teflon pans. They WILL scratch if you do any of the above. To clean it - nothing but a soft, non abrasive spong, and hot soapy water. Anything beyond that is going to kill it.


I use my cast iron a lot, but certain things are just difficult to cook with cast iron (fish, for example). It can be done, but it's not easy for a beginner.

racrguy - Just starting out, a Crock Pot is going to be your best friend. Load it up in the morning, let it cook all day, and it will be done when you get home. You can do all kinds of things in a crock pot. Beans, soups, stews, roast beef, pork loin, etc. Casseroles are going to be very easy as well.

Learn your basics - Browning ground beef (diced onion, FRESH minced garlic, brown beef, drain grease), learn to make a mirepoix (also called the holy trinity), learn to make a roux, and learn to make gravy. You tackle those (and the only one that's difficult and takes practice is a roux), and you'll be able to cook most anything you want.

Jen is correct. Get a GOOD meat therm, and cook to temp rather than going by time. I still use a therm, but I can usually tell where I'm at by look.


You can google crock pot recipes, and there are tons of them out there. One of my all time favorite crock pot recipes, is a plain, unseasoned pork tenderloin, and two jars of salsa verde. Salt and pepper to taste, easy on the salt. You can cook up rice, and spread it over the rice, or you can make tacos with corn tortillas, etc. Good leftover, too.

[mstng86]

Do you ever worry about using a therm on chicken or poultry? I always worry I am drying out the chicken if i check the temp and it has to stay on for a while longer.

[bcoop]

Do you ever worry about using a therm on chicken or poultry? I always worry I am drying out the chicken if i check the temp and it has to stay on for a while longer.

Not at all. I don't even use a thermometer on beef. I cook steaks, brisket, burgers, etc all by feel. I really only use a thermometer on poultry and pork.

Undercooked beef (with the exception of ground beef) won't kill anyone or make them sick. Poultry and pork, OTOH, will.

[mstng86]

Not at all. I don't even use a thermometer on beef. I cook steaks, brisket, burgers, etc all by feel. I really only use a thermometer on poultry and pork.

Undercooked beef (with the exception of ground beef) won't kill anyone or make them sick. Poultry and pork, OTOH, will.

Yea, I think I have the touch thing down on steak. I made a bad ass ribeye recently. It is hard to pass up a $10 meal for two.

[Treasure Chest]

Not all nonstick is crap, and it does have it's place. You've got to pay for the good stuff, though. I recommend Ceramiguard by Lincoln FSP. This is commercial grade, and if you take care of it, you shouldn't ever have to buy another.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_28d46dxwjp_b The biggest thing you need to know, is not to use metal scratchers, no abrasives, and do NOT use metal utensils with the teflon pans. They WILL scratch if you do any of the above. To clean it - nothing but a soft, non abrasive spong, and hot soapy water. Anything beyond that is going to kill it.
.

The typical bachelor just learning to cook isn't going to go much further than Walmart, Target, Sam's, or Costco, so I was generalizing about T-fal crap you find there. I also hate using plastic utensils and the last time I owned teflon, silicone utensils weren't readily available.

The Ceramiguard stuff looks pretty interesting, though. I may look into that to have a non-stick pan floating around.

It also sucked because my roommate would grab the first spoon or turner he could get his hands on when cooking, and he didn't understand that you don't have to use steel wool because it is NON-STICK! After my first set was ruined, I was completely turned off when it comes to non-stick.

[racrguy]

Not all nonstick is crap, and it does have it's place. You've got to pay for the good stuff, though. I recommend Ceramiguard by Lincoln FSP. This is commercial grade, and if you take care of it, you shouldn't ever have to buy another.
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&key...l_28d46dxwjp_b The biggest thing you need to know, is not to use metal scratchers, no abrasives, and do NOT use metal utensils with the teflon pans. They WILL scratch if you do any of the above. To clean it - nothing but a soft, non abrasive spong, and hot soapy water. Anything beyond that is going to kill it.


I use my cast iron a lot, but certain things are just difficult to cook with cast iron (fish, for example). It can be done, but it's not easy for a beginner.

racrguy - Just starting out, a Crock Pot is going to be your best friend. Load it up in the morning, let it cook all day, and it will be done when you get home. You can do all kinds of things in a crock pot. Beans, soups, stews, roast beef, pork loin, etc. Casseroles are going to be very easy as well.

Learn your basics - Browning ground beef (diced onion, FRESH minced garlic, brown beef, drain grease), learn to make a mirepoix (also called the holy trinity), learn to make a roux, and learn to make gravy. You tackle those (and the only one that's difficult and takes practice is a roux), and you'll be able to cook most anything you want.

Jen is correct. Get a GOOD meat therm, and cook to temp rather than going by time. I still use a therm, but I can usually tell where I'm at by look.


You can google crock pot recipes, and there are tons of them out there. One of my all time favorite crock pot recipes, is a plain, unseasoned pork tenderloin, and two jars of salsa verde. Salt and pepper to taste, easy on the salt. You can cook up rice, and spread it over the rice, or you can make tacos with corn tortillas, etc. Good leftover, too.

holy hell those are some expensive pans! I'll look into cast iron stuff. I know some come pre-seasoned, but is the pre-seasoning worth a crap? Thanks for all the pointers guys, I'll probably end up taking all this info and making a new thread to help with other newbs, maybe it'll even garner a sticky.

[bcoop]

holy hell those are some expensive pans! I'll look into cast iron stuff. I know some come pre-seasoned, but is the pre-seasoning worth a crap? Thanks for all the pointers guys, I'll probably end up taking all this info and making a new thread to help with other newbs, maybe it'll even garner a sticky.

They are, but you only really need one or two. Like a 6 or 7" and an 11" for omelletes and fish.


I can't speak on the pre-seasoned skillets. Never had one. Mine came from Cracker Barrell of all places, but you can get them damn near anywhere. They are easy as hell to season. It just takes time. Pour oil on a paper towel, and wipe it down. You want a wet look, but you don't want there to be any oil rolling around in the pan. Just a thin coat, because you will do this several times. Pre heat the oven to 500, and toss the skillet in upside down for a half hour. 450 will work if your oven doesn't go to 500. I usually do this 5 times, with a couple hour cooling period in between. Lard would be best if you can get it, rather than oil. If you use an oil, use canola. You can also season with fatty bacon or ground beef.

Any time you do a deep cleaning on it, it needs to be seasoned again. It's not necessary to do a deep, thorough cleaning on it every time it's used. In fact, not doing so will influence flavor on everything else cooked after that. Let it cool off, clean out with a paper towel and water. Deep cleaning means any time you apply a soap.