Foolproof cookery text books - help needed

Swampmonster

Myself and my daughter recently went on the MEND programme to help her lose weight and I now know what is healthy and she did manage to lose a bit of weight.

The trouble is however she did it over the summer by eating salad and fruit mainly.

Now its winter we are back to the same old problem, its cold, she wants hot food and I CAN'T COOK!!!!

If it hasn't got basic instructions on the back of the packet I really haven't got a clue.

I asked the instructors at MEND about finding me a class to go to but nothing in my area ever materialised apart ' man in the kitchen' which is no use to me as I am a lady !

I was wondering if anyone knows of any fool proof cookery text books that they use in schools etc that may be of any good to me as I have vague recollections of the one we used in school in the 80's being really basic and simple but can't remember its name.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks :T

seraphina

Jamie Oliver Ministry Of Food - easy peasy recipes for food you might actually want to eat! Reliable as well.

kymbogs

Hiya,
I bought Mary Berry's How to Cook ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mary-Berrys-How-Cook-techniques/dp/140532077X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294233792&sr=8-1 ) for my husband who truly has no clue in the kitchen. It has bits in it which explain about different types of ingredients, cuts of meat, how long to cook things for, what equipment to use etc. It's really handy actually and I refer to it myself sometimes to look up a useful bit of information. It also has a selection of everyday recipes such as roast chicken, spag bol, basic salmon fillet. When I got it for my husband I asked him to pick one meal out of it, shop for it, cook it, and keep doing so till he felt confident with it and then do another one. It never happened but I keep trying lol!

Hope this helps
Kimberley

Swampmonster

I looked at both of those in the library and they are still to complex for me but look good for when I get to the next level.

Some of the recipes are unfortunatley too expensive as my budget is at rock bottom.

Imagine what book you would get a spotty grumpy teenager who eats nothing but crisps and chocolate to cook from and thats pretty much me apart from the age difference!

I really need help with this as sooner or later we will all get ill.

Thanks :T

Bronnie

Or clear illustrated step by step guides for all the basics online, with Delia, the Queen of How to Cook!!

http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook

The beauty of Delia's approach is that she explains the whys and wherefores of what you're doing, as we used to learn in Domestic Science lessons in the old days!!


BTW I think home-made soups are one of the best things you could master first, for healthy, cheap, easy, tasty, warming , filling winter meals for helping weight loss!

rosieben

I can't help with the book, I'm sure you'll get some good advice but in the meantime we have some threads here that might be useful - check out the links under __Basic Cooking - Learners start here in post 2 of the Complete Cooking Collection and some Healthy Eating links in post #5

not sure what kind of diet she's following but there are some low fat recipes at Cookitsimply.com

we have a couple of weight loss threads here too, might be worth a look at them for ideas?

angeltreats

When I went to college we used Practical Cookery which to be honest I wouldn't recommend for someone who didn't already know the basics (although it is a great book and I keep hoping I'll find a cheap copy as mine went missing during a house move). More recently I went back to college and we had a huge textbook called Professional Chef which the teachers absolutely hated because half the recipes didn't work due to wrong quantities etc. I'd avoid anything aimed at people training for the industry.

Jamie's Ministry of Food is a fantastic book, I bought it for Christmas for my friend who desperately wants to learn to cook but hasn't a clue where to start. Mary Berry's Complete Cookbook is also great, my husband who is absolutely terrified of anything to do with cooking managed a lovely new year's eve meal of baked salmon with watercress sauce followed by zabaglione with absolutely no help from me, just by following Mary Berry's instructions.

Edit: Sorry Swampmonster, I was too slow and didn't see your post before I finished typing!

Have you had a look at the library at any of the cookbooks aimed at students? Something like this one by Sam Sterm maybe?

What sort of things do you actually know how to cook?

stiltwalker

Not sure of a good one but why not try a student cookbook - they are aimed at teens living away from home for the first time on a student budget so should fit both criteria of cheap food and basic instructions, you might have to sift through for he healthier recipes thogh as not sure how diet the dishes would be.

Swampmonster

I can put a ready meal in the oven and boil the odd bit of veg but not alot else, if we want anything grander than that we have a takeaway which is ridiculous.

I'm really fed up of eating like this and its costing a fortune which I just haven't got since going bankrupt.

Thanks :T

ps. edit - had a look at the student cookbook mentioned but still too complicated I'm afraid. Thanks anyway :T

jackieglasgow

angeltreats wrote: »

When I went to college we used Practical Cookery which to be honest I wouldn't recommend for someone who didn't already know the basics (although it is a great book and I keep hoping I'll find a cheap copy as mine went missing during a house move).

AngelTreats I recently recommended Practical Cookery to Cranky40 and she got it on Amazon for £3 I am sure.

I always recommend it to people who want to learn how to cook properly, its a great book, and to be honest, some of the kids who were on my college course, who were school drop outs, were able to use it and get a grasp of the techniques, I think its a good book for a beginner. If you can read, you can cook, I think.

Bronnie

Swampmonster wrote: »

I can put a ready meal in the oven and boil the odd bit of veg but not alot else, if we want anything grander than that we have a takeaway which is ridiculous.

I'm really fed up of eating like this and its costing a fortune which I just haven't got since going bankrupt.

Well to start, before you learn anything else.

Buy a ready cooked chicken and some Bisto gravy granules.
Strip the meat off and portion for several meals.
Boil a good assortment of veg (whoopsies if you can get them or cheap bags of froze)and make up the gravy in a jug.
Several portions of quick, nourishing hot dinner, cheaper than a takeway.

That means you can stop buying takeaways and start eating cheaper and more healthily immediately.


That's a start!