Help an incompetent teenager learn how to cook please...
So my parents and I basically have this eating system where it's "every man for himself" in our house - which is completely fine be me. The only thing is... I don't really know how to cook. Anything. I can follow instructions on a box but as you might have guessed, I don't eat much out of boxes anymore.
Can someone explain to me how you perform some of these basic tasks? Step by step would be nice. I'm sure I could find it online or (gasp!) ask my parents, but I like talking about foods with you guys better.
1) turning a piece of raw meat/fish into something edible and yummy
2) steaming/boiling/roasting/whatevering vegetables?
3) how to make things flavorful without adding salt/many calories
(I don't really like "low cal" versions of things, I'm just talking about natural seasons/spices here)
Thanks!
FISH: I use a cheapy microwave steamer with just minimal water, sprinkling fish with spices (garlic, lemon pepper or ms dash) and it comes out moist.
MEAT: I was horrible cooking meat until someone turned me onto the Foreman grill. So easy and the fat drains off.
VEG: Froz I cover with water and boil, fresh I use a little water in bottom and boil (which I guess is steaming).
Drums,
Way to go w/ the desire to learn to cook! I am self taught and it rocks! Great stress reliever for me!!
I liked Sun's suggestions but here's a couple more:
1. For spices: GARLIC, ground black pepper, low sodium spice mixes (go to the spice section of your grocery store and check out the TONS of options) McCormick Grilling spices of any kind (chicken, beef etc), lemon, capers (sound weird but are delightful), worstechire (sp) sauce
2. For making a great turkey burger add worstechire sauce, garlic, pepper, chopped onion, chopped mushrooms all together and make patties. Then heat a frying pan w/ pam on med/high and fry for approx 7 min/side. Flip it only once. You can take a fork and see if it's done (make sure it's 100%) white all the way thru.
3. For fish, If you have access to a grill (if not--ignore the foil part of the suggestion and make in a frying pan coated w/ pam for 4-5 min per side)
Take any fish (but salmon, tilapia, red snapper work the best) and put it on a fairly large piece of foil. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon on it and sprinkle both sides with any type of premixed fish seasoning (again look in the spice aisle at the grocery store). Add a splash (as small as you can) of olive oil and fold the foil around the fish to make a packet. Then put it on a grill for about 12 min. Should steam it awesome!!!
Veggies are great microwaved and most frozen pkgs come w/ specific instructions. As for fresh, grill them almost the same way you do the fish in a foil packet or roast them in the oven at 400 degrees on a cookie sheet w/ spices and olive oil for about...20 min? Until tender. Email me if you want any more suggestions. Good luck!
well im a teen, a lazy one at that, &i just get a tilapia fillet &put it into the microwave for a minute(my microwave has a very high heat, you might want to cook yours 1-30), &eat it like that. im always so hungry that i never really season any of my foods!
to make chicken, get some water in a pot, clean the chicken, &put it into the pot. wait till it boils for like 5 minutes, then turn it on low for another 20 (if your making the whole chicken).... cut it up onto a bed of lettuce tomatoes cucumber
one of my FAVORITE cookbooks is the low-fat moosewood cookbook. some of the ingredients are a little hard to find, but as you flip through it you'll find many foods that are in your local store and some really great ideas on how to serve them.
Take a nice fish fillet, rinse and pat dry. Put in a pan that has been sprayed with pam or a little olive oil. Spray the fillet with some Pam & sprinkle with Mrs. Dash, a squeeze of lemon, lay a few chopped green onions and tomatoes over the top. Bake in the oven (350)-- or microwave-- until the fish flakes when you stick a fork into the thickest part. Just keep checking it, depending on the size of the fillet is how long it needs to cook. Try whiting or perch first because they are less expensive. Once you have the cooking of it figured out buy some nice flounder. Flounder is a very good baked fish.
You could also use Old Bay seasoning. Or any other seasoning that catches your fancy. You will make mistakes, but you will learn from them. Just keep trying til you find some recipes you like.
Ask your parents to buy you a pre-seasoned cast iron skillet with ridges in it (I bought one for $20 at Target). The fat will drip off of anything you throw in it, and all you need to clean it is hot water and a paper towel.
For steak or lamb, you pre-heat the skillet on medium high for 5 minutes, then turn it down to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes a side depending on how well done you want it. (for hamburgers, just make it 10 minutes a side)
For chicken, you can put it on the the skillet and then throw the skillet in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes depending on how big the chicken pieces are. (fish only needs like 10 minutes a side)
You can even grill veggies on the skillet. Just pre-heat it for 5 minutes on medium and throw the sliced veggies on it for 5 minutes a side. You can season meat or veggies however you want.
Original Post by vmcbutterfly:
Get a George Foreman! That thing has saved my life. you can grill chicken for easy chicken salads, grill veggies. It is awesome.
I used to use a foreman, but the thing absolutely dried out everything I put in it. Cast iron skillets are much better, and leaves everything juicy!
Original Post by drumsareforgirls:
Thanks everyone! Hey dm84 - would the skillet need to be buttered or pam'd or anything? (Maybe now you can gauge the extent of my oblivion)
If you buy a pre-seasoned one, you just need to rinse it off with hot water and spray it with a little PAM before and after each use.
It's a little hard to teach someone to cook on a forum. I also suggest you go to the library and look at the cookbooks. You want a very basic one with lots of pictures and step by step instructions. You might find something for beginning cooks in the young reader's section - ask the librarian for help. Once you find a book that you can use, try it out for a while then buy your own copy from Amazon. Also, watch the Food network. Don't bother with Emeril because he doesn't cook anything you'd want to eat at home. Sarah's Secrets is good because she gives clear instructions, but she tends to be a little bit boring. Rachel Ray shows some basic techniques.
An easy way to cook a piece of chicken breast, or a fish fillet, or even a pork chop is to wrap it in foil and bake it. Season lightly with salt & pepper and place it on a piece of foil. Put about 2 tablespoons of salsa on top and fold the foil into a loose packet, folding the edges over and pinching them tightly. Put the foil package on a baking sheet (in case of leaks) and bake at 350 f, for 20 minutes. Take it out carefully and let it sit for 10 minutes to cool a bit, then open it up and enjoy.
1. Get a non-stick wok - they're great for making fast stir-fries or for stir-frying nearly any veggie or combo of veggies. Just add a tiny bit of olive oil and some chopped garlic (to save time you can get prechopped garlic in a jar) and maybe some gingerroot (peel it first, then chop it or grate it - doesn't take a lot for BIG flavor). Slice carrots so they cook faster - add these first because they tend to take longer; broccoli florets, zhucchini, squash, eggpant, peppers work great; onions are a must. You can also quickly stir-fry any dark leafy greens (spinach - but NOT baby spinach, it's too delicate; chard; broccoli rabe; kale) and chop it up (not finely - just hack the whole bunch into about 5 or 6 sections. Of course, you can also add thinly sliced chicken or beef or shrimp or scallops along with the veggies too. You might add a bit of soy sauce - but do it at the end only (any earlier, and you end up steaming, not stir-frying).
2. To roast any veggie, wash it first, remove any stems and other inedible parts like seeds, cut into bite-sized pieces. Layer a baking sheet with tin foil, spray with pam. OR, put the veggies into a bowl, add a TB of olive oil, some salt and pepper, cover the bowl and then toss it to coat the veggies all over. Then put them on the baking sheet spread evenly. Heat the oven to 375-400 degrees, and roast until they start turning a bit brown. Time can be anywhere from 15 minutes to 40 minutes - just depends. Keep a close eye, sample a lot, until you learn what takes how long. The longer they roast, the sweeter they tend to be. This works great with green beans (add pine nuts and onions and garlic to the roast - then toss with balsamic vinegar), brussel sprouts, peppers... really, anything! Whole cloves of garlic can be roasted - once cooled, just squeeze out the good stuff and discard the papery outer parts.
3. To steam veggies, you can do this in the microwave, just add a little tiny bit of water. Personally, I prefer to steam on the stovetop instead. I have a steamer insert that fits inside a pot that has a lid. You add water to the pot - the steamer holds the veggies above the water so they're not IN the water. This works best for asparagus in particular. Keep a close eye on it - it's best if you have a lid that is clear so you can watch it. Look for the veggie to turn a bright, richer color - that's when it's perfection. Cook too long, and it loses its color or starts to look gross.
4. To make veggie soup, take a pot, add some olive oil and chopped garlic, and a chopped onion. Keep stirring until the onion is sweaty and limp. Then add in to the pot one diced potato, and one veggie of your choosing, chopped into small, uniformly sized pieces. What works great with this idea is: broccoli, asparagus, spinach, cauliflower, leeks plus artichokes... and just straight potatoes too. Experiment with it. Toss the veggie a bit, then add enough broth to cover the veggie. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until the veggie and potato are soft. (If you do spinach, skip the potato part and it will cook very very fast - so keep an eye on it!!). Then use a stick blender to puree the soup.
5. I do not recommend Boiling. Boiling makes for very sad, unappetizing veggies. :-(
How to make things more flavorful:
Try fresh herbs like basil, sage, parsley and cilantro. Fresh herbs are delicious. You can use them by the fistfuls. Just wash, then chop up right before adding to the meal. Sprinkle parsley over soup right before serving. Sage is great stir-fried or roasted (it's a hardy herb - it will turn black and crispy but still retain its flavor - will remind you of thanksgiving!). Cilantro is very delicate and loses its flavor fast, so add right before serving and don't cook it into the dish. Cilantro works great on anything that is mexican: think salsas. Basil works great tossed into pasta and marries well with tomatoes and marinara sauces.
Also balsamic vinegar is a must... it can be added to everything. Try it in bean soups, as a salad dressing, as a condiment to liven up meat and chicken and eggs, tossed into pasta with tomatoes and basil, and even on strawberries - brings out their sweetness!!
I didn't answer the meat part of the question, because you already got some good answers, and we don't tend to eat meals centered around the slab-o-meat. Other than ground beef and the occasional crockpot pot roast, I haven't cooked red meat in.... can't remember how long!!! I think it's been over 15 years since I cooked a steak, so don't ask me. ;-)
We are more likely to cook up batches of chicken very simply in the oven, then chop it up and use it more like a garnish on pasta and rice dishes and on salads throughout the week. We do rely on a lot on frozen shrimp too - it's so easy. Just run it under the tap with cold water for a few minutes to defrost, then toss it into the skillet or wok at the last moment to heat through. We also rely a lot on canned tuna: I mix it with nonfat yogurt and a heaping spoonful of capers.
Also eggs are very easy to make. You didn't ask about that, but knowing how to make an omelet is a worthwhile skill, since it's so quick and easy.
I think the George Foreman is the best little indoor grill. It's so nice because it allows the fat to drain off, plus it's easy to clean... Annnd it gives you the ' grilled ' taste. Maybe you were leaving things on yours a tad too long, Dm84. Or perhaps your George Foreman grill wasn't working properly . It comes with a pamphlet telling you how long to cook different things so the flavor/juicy-ness remains intact.
I think dm84 has it right. I've used cast iron skillets for years.... One really good advantage is that you get extra iron in your diet just by using it instead of other non stick skillets. Cast irons can be used on the stove or in the oven, like he said.
On the other hand, the drawback is that they get REALLY HOT! So be careful not to burn yourself.
Now, my favorite recipe is homemade teriyaki. This is used as a marinade for any meat.
1. Equal parts of sugar and soy sauce (I usually like to use a little less sugar just because I don't like the extra sweet) 2. Add garlic, ginger and pepper to taste. (I like to use fresh garlic... about one clove for 1/2 cup soy sauce, and about 1/2 teaspoon crushed ginger, then grind peppercorns until I get tired or think it's finally enough) 3. Stir until the suger is mostly dissolved. 4. Pour into ziplock bag and add meat. 5. Zip bag, mix well, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but longer is better. Then cook. If you have a steak that you fear might be tough, plan ahead and let it marinate over night. It will also tenderize the meat.
right here on CC, there are cooking videos!
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/article/vide os.html
I hope they help you!
Cooking is best learned by experience, and trial and error. Roast veggies are fantastic! Oh and I find most recipes call for way too much oil when sauteing.
For seasoning, I use alot of dried basil, and also garlic cloves (a press works good to get them broken up), and black pepper. Olive oil is flavourful but it isn't good on high heat, so if stirfrying use peanut oil. Good luck and hope you end up loving to cook as much as I do.
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