Basic cooking

Ruby789

Afternoon lovely people,
I’m looking for a little bit of a steer on basic cooking.
In short my question is what would you expect / assume most people would be able to make?

To give a bit of context, my living situation will change in the next six months when I move in with my boyfriend. I’ve only ever lived in ‘fend for yourself’ flat shares so if the food I made wasn’t that nice, it didn’t really matter as only I had to eat it. I’ve also been pretty lazy and never learned how to cook properly. I’ve never made a roast for example, or poached an egg, or even made a cheesecake! He on the other hand is competent in the kitchen, and has always lived with domestic goddesses - typical :rotfl:! He knows what he’s getting into with me and is happy to do the lion share, but I would really like to be able to cook for us too.

I can make soups, stews, casseroles, curries, pastas and risottos to an edible standard. They are not amazing by any stretch of the imagination though, and often my meals have one or two cooking mistakes: bit over cooked, bit undercooked, bit too much chilli / salt, not enough flavour etc… but if I put the effort in I’m sure I can improve and become more consistent with at least a few of my core meals.

What I’m more worried about is the stuff most people I’ve lived with can just throw together without thinking, which I have not even tried to make yet or not yet made successfully. I’ve come up with the below list of things I feel I need to be able to make better / at all. I’d really love a few more suggestions so I can practice and gain some kitchen confidence over the next few months.

• Eggs: Scrambled egg (always too dry!); Fried egg (yolk usually hard, or bursts, or egg white spreads right across the pan); Soft boiled eggs (hard boiled I can do); poached (not tried); Omelettes are passable I think.
• Potatoes as sides: Home-made chips and wedges and sweet potato wedges; Mashed potato; Sauteed, Dauphinoise? Roast potatoes
• Sweet things: Basic cake; Cupcakes; Basic cheesecake; Brownies; Flapjacks; Pancakes
• Side dishes generally - not bothered with them when cooking for one.
• Sauces: B!chamel (my tomato sauce is ok I think), a mushroom sauce maybe?
• Some kind of savoury tart / pastry thing?
• Dumplings
• Home made pizza
• Cooked breakfast, or any other brunch-style meals?
• Basic vinigarette / salad dressings

Thanks in advance for your help.

fannyanna

You sound like a better cook than me

Ruby789

fannyanna wrote: »

You sound like a better cook than me

Lol, you wouldn't say that if you ate with me! I can sustain life though

Meadows

I think you are a little more than a Basic cook, and as for mistakes well they happen from time to time. Watch the Great British Chefs and see the gaffs there.
It all comes with practice and confidence in the kitchen and most times disasters can be rectified or adapted.

Loads of recipe how to sites on line plus invest in a Delia Basics cook book.

EvieSaver

I do scrambled egg in the microwave. Not sure if this is the best way but it's what I've always done. Break some eggs into a jug, add a bit of milk and give a bit of a mix with a fork. Then microwave until cooked. It will be cooked when all the juice is gone from the bottom of the jug. Then mix up again with a fork and serve.

It's simple and works but other people might now how to do it correctly.

A simple sponge is:

4oz butter
4oz sugar

Mix these together well. Then add:

4oz flour
2 eggs

Mix well. Either share between 12 little cake cases or pour into one large round grease-proof papered cake tin.

Cook on about 180 c until golden brown. It is cooked when a knife pushed into the centre comes out smooth.

These can be decorated with icing, chocolate, fondant or turned into butterfly cakes. Or make a second large cake, put jam and cream in the middle with dusted icing on top to get a Victoria Sponge.

Can be adapted to include cocoa to make a chocolate sponge.

Can go wild with decoration and make a great birthday cake.

Add vanilla essence if you like that.

Can easily be made into a lemon drizzle cake by adding grated lemon rind to the mix and cooking in a small loaf tin. When cooked leave in the tin and pour over a mix of lemon juice & sugar. Allow this to set then remove from tin.

Maybe your boyfriend will enjoy sharing his cooking knowledge with you. Everyone does things differently so it may be best to learn from him.

.

FairyPrincessk

Hi OP,

You sound fairly competent--but wanting to improve and expand your skills? The only way to do this is practice--and find a system of remembering what you do!

Eggs are a question of timing, level of heat and the quality of the pan. In most of these cases it sounds as if you're cooking them at too high of heat--or not getting the pan hot before you put them in, so they cook longer before they're done and spread/dry out. Also use a bit of fat for fried/scrambled. A bit of butter or oil is fine. Do you mix milk into your scrambled? This helps immensely.

Chips/wedges usually need to be par boiled (boil for a few minutes) then coated in some sort of fat and then baked at a high temperature, or fried. Mash is very easy--peel if you want, boil, add a bit of milk, butter and seasoning then smash up. It might take a few times to figure out how much milk etc. but just do it several days or weeks in a row and you'll soon have the hang of it.

Baking--the key is to follow the instructions until you're very experienced. Fats are not always interchangeable, leavening needs different ingredients and messing about with dry vs. wet in ways not suggested can be risky. Eventually you'll know what you can change and what you can't, but I'd say spend a few years practicing and you'll eventually get there. Plus, the results are tasty!:D

Above all, it really sounds like you just need to jump in. Your list is a good place to start. Try to find a recipe for each of these things--BBC good food has good ones--look at the ratings and comments until you get a bit more confident and make sure the recipe isn't a dud! Try recipes more than once to see what needs tweaking, and try to remember that your boyfriend isn't testing you on your cooking ability!

It sounds like you might also benefit from either a good cookbook or a place to collect recipes online (I like pinterest for this).

Tish_P

I'm surprised at your phrase "never even made a cheesecake" - I'd say cheesecakes are pretty complicated! And I find poached eggs really tricky too, so I scramble them. It's all about playing to your strengths.

It sounds like you're a competent cook, so unless you're thinking of cooking as a fun hobby you'd like to get further into, maybe cut yourself a bit more slack? Your boyfriend might really enjoy being the talented one in the kitchen, and provided you can get something edible on the table when it's your turn and make appreciative noises when it's his turn, there's nothing to worry about.

On the other hand I would recommend everyone has a cake recipe that works for them, because it's handy for all kinds of celebrations.

scaredy_cat

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Good-Housekeeping-Step-Step-Cookbook/dp/1908449322/ref=pd_sim_b_1#reader_1908449322

a book like that might be useful, it give techniques, buying guides and other useful info.

mummybearx

I would say I'm a pretty competent cook. I never used to be, my DH was a great cook, he learned from his mum who is a great cook. DH taught me to cook better, and now I do the majority of the cooking

There is lots of things I cook from scratch. Things that I used to cook from a jar or ready meal. For example, sausage casserole. Only in the last 6 months have I actually made this from scratch, rather than using a packet mix. Tinned tomatoes, stock cube and herbs, so flipping easy!

I will honestly give anything a go, will try and cook anything. And for some reason I'm really good at cooking meat, even though I'm vegetarian and never taste the dish :rotfl:

Ruby789

Thanks for the responses everyone. I am just really unconfident and in comparison all around me are very able in the kitchen and I feel I barely muddle through. Sometimes I pull it off and the food is nice, and other times its just about edible, but I wouldn’t choose to eat it. Plus I’ve had a tendency to stick to one pot meals as I’m only feeding me, so I’ve not really tried to make multi component meals (so no sides dishes) or anything that needs timing (like a roast).

Thanks EvieSaver, I will try scrambled eggs in the microwave (sounds really simple!) and the simple cake mix you posted. I am a bit partial to a lemon drizzle so that sounds like a great one to start with. Is there any particular type of flour I need to use?

EvieSaver wrote: »

Maybe your boyfriend will enjoy sharing his cooking knowledge with you. Everyone does things differently so it may be best to learn from him.

You are right, I’m sure he’ll happily help me. I just wanted to start with a bit more confidence.

FairyPrincessk, yes I can survive as I am, but would like to be a much better cook, and to get some cooking techniques right. It'd be great to produce food for other people without panicing. Think you’re right about the eggs, was chucking them into the pan pretty fast on the highest heat. Wrong twice there then! Thanks for the potatoes and baking info too. I quite like the idea of making something sweet on a Sunday which we have in the week with our lunches.

Tish P, I would like to get into cooking I suppose. I’ve always been in awe of people who can produce great food. Have cooked for him a few times and it’s never turned out well. I get in such a flap. It all goes wrong when I try to cook for others, it’s nuts. Even the dishes I normally get right have raw onions in their base, or veg turned slimy from over cooking.

scaredy_cat, that book looks like exactly what I need, step by step basic cooking techniques. Thanks for posting the link.

zepsgal,

zepsgal wrote: »

And for some reason I'm really good at cooking meat, even though I'm vegetarian and never taste the dish

Lol that’s really impressive!!!

littlegreenparrot

Fill pan with water and bring to boil (I'm impatient and put extra in the kettle as making tea anyway)

crack egg into cup (remove bits of shell )

When at rolling boil (lots of bubbles) swirl around with spoon, put in egg, and switch off heat. Put lid on pan.

Put bread in toaster, and enjoy tea while you wait.

Toast on plate, fish out egg with slotted spoon. Make sure to drain off as much water as possible (some people put it on kitchen towel, but I never have any)

Egg on toast. This is for runny yolk, a firmer one would need a couple more minutes.
Mmmm. Might have that for tea.