Moving in with boyf, but can't actually cook!!

Carolyntia

I learnt all my basics from:

Easy cooking for one or two - Louise Davies
More easy cooking for one or two - Louise Davies

Step by step instructions and even help on Storecupboard basics and what utensils you really need.

babyshoes

A roast is always easy, though it takes time to cook the prep is simple. I do all my veg for the meal in a roasting tray under the meat. Chop up veg that is suitable for roasting. Basics are onions, parsnips, leeks, mushrooms, bell peppers, garlic and butternut squash. Chop all veg into smallish bits, even sized if possible - though I don't normally bother! Put it in your roasting tin and drizzle a little olive oil on top. You can throw some potatoes in too if you aren't doing roasties, either pieces of big ones or whole baby ones (yummy). The meat goes on a grid on top, so it drips the juices onto the veg but doesn't end up stewing on the bottom. You can plunk it on top of the veg if you don't have a grid - it doesn't make that much of a difference!

For roast potatoes, you can make from scratch but they are just as nice if bought frozen, and not heinously expensive either. Ditto for yorkshire puddings. Just read the instructions for when to put them in the oven. If they need a higher temp than your roast, just put them in for a bit longer instead!

Afterwards, put your meat on a board ready to carve and scoop out the veg with a slotted spoon, if you have one, or use a normal spoon and try to leave the juices behind. Put the juices in a small pot, then add some boiling water to the empty roasting tin and scrape to get all the nice meaty bits out. Add to the pot. Top pot up to required level with water, then sprinkle in bisto, and stir over a low heat until boiled. Add more bisto if thicker gravy is required. I like to add some port at the beginning, and for rich meats a spoonful of cranberry/blackberry/whatever jelly for a touch of rich sweetness.

For chicken, pat the skin dry with paper towel, rub a little olive oil on it and if you like sprinkle some 'chicken seasoning' spice over the skin. There are millions of ways of doing chicken, but that's my way coz it is simple and the spice is tasty! I also slice the legs partly away from the body so the juices can run out. I think it cooks a little quicker that way too. You can use stuffing, but I just shove some garlic inside the chicken, as stuffing affects the cooking time.

Pork crackling is not easy, but I usually have success with this method - choose a roast with thick fat on top! Slice into it with a sharp knife, almost down into the meat. Dry it well with paper towel, including between the cuts, then rub in a fair amount of salt - more salt makes it crackle easier, but too much salt is inedible! It just takes practise. Immediately place in a very hot oven (I use gas mark 8) for half an hour, then turn the oven down to the correct temp and continue with cooking normally.

Lamb leg - make little slits or crosses with a sharp, pointed knife. Stuff these with slices of garlic, calamata olives and bits of fresh rosemary. Cook lamb on a slightly lower temp for a little longer than other meats to get it nice and tender!

Never had any real success with beef, so someone else will have to tell you about that.

Most meat I cook on gas mark 5 for an hour per kilo, plus half an hour - using this method I have never had underdone meat. For example, if my roast is around 1.5kg, I would cook it for 2 hours. If in doubt, use a lower temp for longer! Chicken and other poultry is done when the juices run clear - to test this, stab the meat in the thickest part, and if the juices are clear it is ok, but if they look a bit bloody or cloudy give it a bit longer.

pammyj74

Jacket potatoes are really easy to do and healthy and very filling, sometimes fillings could be as easy as just beans and then sprinkle grated cheese on top when done. or just add some tinned tuna, bolognese, anything really.
Can be zapped in the microwave or baked in the oven for about an hour and a half wrapped in foil, make sure you poke them with a fork a few times. If you like crispy skin then take the foil off for the last half hour

pasta is quite easy to do, just boil the water and chuck it in for how ever long the packet says and this can be done with tuna, mince.
Sometimes when i do mince I chuck in a tin of tomatoes or a tin of vegetable soup. or just a plain oxo cube or knorr stock cube.

Buy a big chicken to roast and then you can use the left over meat for the next days meal using a sauce from a jar and use pasta or jacket spuds as before

I am not a very confident cook myself but have been experimenting with different things. If you do enough for two lots of meals then you can freeze the other half for the following week. Then when you want to use it take it out in the morning so it defrosts and then zap it in the microwave. You can zap it from frozen but it takes longer to do and uses up more power.

Good luck with your cooking