Teaching Yourself To Cook

Editor: muhanna25

The idea of cooking for yourself and others can be daunting, but it's actually very easy. A few simple tips on jumping in and teaching yourself.
I absolutely love food, and my whole life, I wanted to learn to cook it well. As a result, several years ago I started a quest to teach myself how to cook. It’s often been said that if you can read a recipe, you can cook. To be totally honest, the adage is true (with the exception of soufflés and any grandmother’s recipes with measurements such as “dash” or “handful”). More than anything, learning to cook takes just a few things: patience, time, money, and a few hungry stomachs.

One of the more daunting obstacles to learning to cook is the cost of entry. Pans, spices, ingredients – they all add up. When I first started, it seemed that for every recipe I made, I had to buy everything down to the pans and spatulas! To make things simple, first start with recipes that only require the cookware you already have; and if you don’t have any kitchen supplies, I recommend starting with the following:

• Large skillet (Teflon seems easiest for clean up)
• Spatula
• Large sauce pan
• Large Mixing bowl
• Baking dish (9X13 is standard)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• A good knife

Next, find recipes that sound good but don’t have many ingredients or steps. Keep it simple in terms of ingredients. For example, if you don’t know anything about cooking beef, don’t go for Filet Mignon for your first dish. Chicken, pork and pasta are typically simple basics.

Once you have all your supplies, just go for it. Follow the recipe as best you can while realizing you may not be offered your own restaurant after your first dish. You’ll shock yourself at how well you can actually cook when you try!

With that first meal under your belt, set a goal for the frequency of your cooking. When I started, I made it a goal to cook a new recipe every Sunday. I invited my closest friends over for dinner, warning each of them to have a contingency plan if the meal was a flop. It ended up being a blast! I loved learning my way around the kitchen, I had very few complete failures, and I had so much fun hosting a weekly dinner.

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