Foolproof cookery text books - help needed

wssla00

What about a steak and ale stew?

chop up 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, one onion and 2 potatoes into pieces the size of ice cubes, add them to a casserole dish, put in a pack of the chopped up stewing steak, mix them all together with a tablespoon of flour add in one tin of chopped tomatoes and a bottle of ale (don't worry the alcohol will go when it cooks) stick in the oven on a medium low heat (about 160 in an electric) and cook, with the lid on the casserole dish for about three hours.

It's very easy and has veggies in it too

Swampmonster

Thanks ever so much for the ideas and recipes so far. :T

Its shopping day tommorow (provided this snow doesn't get us) so I can go and get some the ingredients for any meals that you mention and give them a try.

So keep them coming please.

Thanks!! :T

meritaten

please dont be offended - but if you really cant cook and dont know the basics............then there are two brill cooking programmes on Cbeebies 'Big Cook Little Cook' and 'I can cook'! if you look on the Cbeebies website you will find recipes on there - and they explain what things like rubbing in fat to flour are! for the nicer recipes then I Can Cook has some really good ones. I have actually done a couple of recipes from this - although it was with the grandkids and they were suprisingly nice! (the results I mean) er - as a grown up you would be allowed to cut spring onions with a knife and not scissors! lol

lostinrates

meritaten wrote: »

please dont be offended - l

That's actually a great idea.

The other thing that occurs to me is that learning to do this WITH your daughter might be something you can share now, and as she grows up....so that this is never a problem for her and her children. and could be a bonding point when she's grown and flown the nest. I call my mother most often to ask about recipes and her secret ingredients.:)

Rebob

AlwaysAllie wrote: »

Hope this isn't too basic/patronising but what about trying a kids cook book. This may build your confidence and/or prove to you that actually you can do more than you think.

AA

I was going to suggest the same myself. They usually use less ingredients and have less stages.

The other thing is to get a slow cooker or borrow one. Just put in some chicken thighs (remove the skin as that is very fatty), a pack frozen stew veg, couple of oxo cubes and a tin of baked beans. Leave to cook for 6 to 8 hours on low. There are many more meals that can be made easily and cheaply that are full of flavour that use a slow cooker. Just look for slow cooker threads on here.
x

tsstss7

A simple meal I do sometimes is a steamed salmon with new potatoes and veg (whatever you have for the veg but french beans are my current favs) You literally just bung them all in a steamer, cook for around 20 mins and serve.

The fish is cooked when it is no longer translucent and the new pots need to be softish but still firm. Dab of butter (small!)...lovely.

Best Advice though is just go for it we've all made hideous mistakes in the past...I've burnt more things than I'll care to mention but you learn as you go along. So long as meat is cooked through properly most mistakes re minor and wont mean much more than a slightly unappetizing meal.