Foolproof cookery text books - help needed

liz545

Usbourne do some really good beginner's cookery books - I still use this one that I got over 20 years ago - the recipes are really easy to follow, and tasty. This one also looks like it might be good. You could ask at your local library - if they don't have them, they might be able to order them?

BitterAndTwisted

This is such a frustrating thread! I really, really want to know what it is about the recipes that the OP has looked at which are such a challenge. Perhaps it's the terms which don't reveal themselves easily: if I hadn't been shown I'd have no idea what "rubbing in" is when making pastry for instance. Or perhaps it's matter of not having the right tools for the job? You can't make a decent white sauce without the right sized pan and a wooden spoon imo.

Swampmonster please come back and put me out of my misery!

vesper

My partner got me the BBC Goodfood recipe book for xmas. It's got about 500 recipes in it as if by far the easiest recipe book to follow. It's my favourite (after the good old Be-ro book for baking).
(I think the OH didn't know what to get me for xmas, he knows I like cooking but I think getting me 6 recipe books is taking it a bit too far!)

ab7

There is a really good river cottage book that is designed to teach families how to cook including kids called the family cookbook that would definately help with pics too wh smith were selling it for £7.50 recently

PasturesNew

Jacket potatoes.... hot, filling, can't go wrong.

Jacket potato + baked beans
Jacket potato + cheese
Jacket potato + some tinned tuna mixed with a bit of mayo

Can't go wrong. Cook it, cut it open ... if it's not done, wrap it up in foil (for the oven) and do it another 20 minutes .... or, microwave method, just bung it back in as it was for another 3-4 minutes.

PasturesNew

Also, there are some great videos available now online that you can watch for free.

e.g. http://www.videojug.com and even http://www.youtube.com - loads of sites have recipes they show you.

One of the hardest things is knowing what they mean, recognising the stages. e.g. it was only recently when I was watching Jamie Oliver that I realised that when they say "pinch of salt" it's more like half a teaspoon than the 12 grains I used to add; I took it literally as the amount of salt you could pinch between your thumb and finger, and I have small fingers too.

Seeing and hearing and reading, all in one, is the best way to learn. Not just reading a book.

Pick something you fancy and find a good video recipe online.

Pitlanepiglet

My OH is dyslexic and struggles with cookery books - way too many words for him to focus on and it's enough to put him off. He cooks beautifully though and watches loads of cookery programmes.


TV programmes might be your best bet, I wonder if the Ministry of Foods programmes are on Jamie's website or on the Channel 4 on demand still? If not, when I did a free Lovefilm trial I put loads of cookery programmes on my wish list and watched loads of different stuff. That might be worth a go. Your library might also have DVD's.

I taught myself to cook at 19 with the aid of Delia Smith. I'd baked cakes with my grandmother as a child but never cooked with anyone after that so had to start from the beginning.

I started with minced beef (I was skint!) and my stock meals were spag bol (with sauce from a jar initially) and cottage pie - with a packet base to start with.

From there I moved to stir fry type meals using soya sauce or with other sachets of sauces - usually chicken and mushroom or tuna and mushroom with dried noodles (the type you just bung in water and leave for 5 minutes).

Then it was onto casseroles - chicken thighs are cheap, put some flour in a bag and toss the thighs in it, chuck into a casserole dish (check out car boot sales/charity shops for crockery), add chopped carrots and mushrooms, add a stock cube and water and a handful of mixed herbs and put in oven for a couple of hours. Add frozen veg as well if you want to, preferably a bit later in the cooking time.

I have loads of recipe books that I read but virtually never cook from, I use them to learn techniques and to get ideas but I very very rarely follow a recipe (other than cake/bread/biscuits). The type of food above, along with roast meats, probably form the bulk of what we eat now some 20 years on (oh and soup making but that took me a while to get the hang of).

I also wonder what worries you about books like the Ministry of Food? This was developed for folks exactly like you, those who would reach for a takeaway rather than a saucepan. One episode of the TV prog starts with a young mum who has been feeding her very small children mainly with takeaway food and she progressed to helping others to learn to cook. Very worth trying to get this on DVD or on the internet.

Good luck, you can do it, despite what people who intimidate you may tell you, cooking isn't rocket science, it's very straightforward and very simple. You don't have to follow long recipes every time, you just need to lean some basic techniques and get yourself a bit of confidence.

Please come back and let us know how you're getting on?

[Deleted User]

Go into your local pop-in parlour and ask any of the ladies there .Old folk have already been through, and seen a lot of things, and very few are bad cooks .Most are delighted to pass on their knowledge.If you lived near me I would be happy to teach you the basics.When I got married back in 1962 I exploded bolied eggs so we all have to start somewhere.No one is born with a ladle in their hand Start small with simple dishes then as you get braver move on to harder ones if you want or just keep food as simple as you can.I learned to put tiles on the wall with a trowel in one hand and a book in the other

alec_eiffel

meritaten wrote: »

I was lucky and was taught basic cookery skills at school. but my bible since I have married (nearly 35 years ago) was the 'Good Housekeeping Cookery Book', I am told that Delias book on basic cookery is good too.
In my experience you need to know
How to cook meat - weigh it and calculate 25 mins cooking time plus 25 mins over. at gas 6! for well done and poultry.
how to cook veg - plenty of water and only add about a teaspoon of salt then cook until the knife will just go through it. you can keep it warm without over cooking by reducing heat until its just below simmer.
pastry - bit tougher but a general rule is half fat to flour - rub in the fat with the flour til it resembles breadcrumbs then add water a little at a time until it rolls together..........then roll it out! you can wrap it in cling film and leave in the fridge for a day if you want to make it in advance.
pasta - get a huge pan of water boiling and add a good heaped teaspoon of salt.........fresh pasta only takes a few minutes, dried will tell you on the packet but usually its about 12 minutes. test it by tasting it.........any hard bits and it isnt done........its done as soon as you can bite into it easily! thats 'al dente'.

My mum was given the Good Housekeeping Cookery Book when she got married and I now have it. I still use it - especially for jam buns!

minerva_windsong

Fiona Beckett's Beyond Baked Beans is my cookery bible - it's aimed at university students living away from home for the first time but presumably would work for you if you haven't cooked much before, and there are veggie and budget versions as well. If you want to 'try before you buy' there's also a website at www.beyondbakedbeans.com.