Please help me.Im a really bad cook (never been taught) and would love to learn. I dont even know how to use herbs. I have a large family and are having to now go on a budget. I want to plan my meals ect but its always the same packet stuff. I know alot of you guys make stuff from scratch and would love to know the recipe and advice. PLEASE HELP. I havelooked but their are no cooking classes in my town at the mo.
homecomfitz,
May 7, 3:06pm
Check out Jamie Oliver's book "The Ministry of Food" from the library - it is a really good place to start.
biggles45,
May 7, 3:06pm
Get a decent (but simple) recipe book to start with. Make some recipes from there, it will tell you exactly how much herbs etc to use. Once you are confident with those you will get to know how spices/herbs and other ingredients change the taste, then you can start to experiment. Although the initial outlay for herbs/spices can seem dear, they last for ages, and just buy the one or two that you need for a specific dish and add to them gradually. Packet stuff in general works out more expensive than buying individual herbs as long as you buy ones that you use regularly.
ETA Jo Seager recipes are very simple and don't use expensive ingredients. I think you can download a lot of her recipes too.
amyfromthenaki,
May 7, 3:11pm
I've started buying the herbs & spices in little plastic jars from Davis or use containers that are more or less airtight. Pantry moth love herbs, even the ones I use regularly - it's a curse.
olwen,
May 7, 3:20pm
I've bought a nujmber of herbs and spices from countdown in the Select range.They are at reasonable prices in nice jars.For refills I'll get it from the bulk food places or New World.The New World ones are in nice solid snaplock bags.
You might like to look at Alison Holst recipes.Some maybe dated now, but her style of cooking was designed to make it easy to cook family food.You might pick up her books at op-shops. Alison's sister was the cooking teacher at my high school.
pickles7,
May 7, 3:35pm
you tube, watch what ever you want to make being prepared and cooked.
pericles,
May 7, 3:37pm
get an edmonds cookbook, most of us started with that
olwen,
May 7, 3:44pm
Much as I love Edmonds I don't think it teaches you to cook
pericles,
May 7, 3:46pm
that's all I ever used, 50 yrs ago
olwen,
May 7, 3:49pm
50 years ago Edmonds was what I used too, for things like baking.It still is what I use for baking.But for cooking meals it is probably not ideal.
valentino,
May 7, 4:03pm
My suggestion is to start with simple recipes that has very good instructions.Some recipes wil have ingredients that gets your taste buds working before you even start. Look at recipes that have more common ingredients and have these correctly measured prior to actual cooking then follow the instructions given. The biggest factor is to allow plenty of time and to do things "undisturbed".
Now, as you start to do these things, taste your cooking after addition of ingredients as it is being cooked, this will help one's taste buds to know or start being trained to the various stages and to know what or how all comes together when one gets to the end result.
Finally, the best result is always with good, fresh and recommended items, do not take or try any shortcuts or variations, (the latter two comes once you gain more experience and the taste buds gets to know) and to follow instructions as noted above to a "Tee".
It is like a jig-saw puzzle and if every part is there then the end will happen.
Hopes this helps.
Cheers
mytime2shop,
May 7, 4:28pm
Try the "Food in a Minute" books, they really helped me, all the best
tasmum,
May 7, 5:12pm
Personally, I feel that there is no substitute for 1:1 learning alongside someone who knows how to cook and is able to teach all the tricks and tips. Maybe you could approach your CAB and see if they know of somebody or even classes that could be available in your area. Good on you for wanting to learn. I have taught my kids to cook and bake. My 20 year old has even cooked for his own dinner party and made and iced a cake (2 tiers) for his friends 18th birthday. Now my daughter harps onto her brother to make her birthday cakes!
catlover28,
May 7, 5:21pm
Get a kids cook book. Theres no need to feel silly about it. When I was young there was an Alison Holst one but its probably out of print but today I still use it.
elliehen,
May 7, 5:32pm
Australian Women's Weekly publishes in its wide range of useful cookbooks 'Cooking for Beginners'.
Jimmy500hp your profile says you are in Gore, is this right!If you are then Gore High School are running cooking classes as part of their adult education programme.
They have one running at the moment called hands on cooking, would probably be too late to start that one, but they have another called cooking for the family that starts in July.
Check out this link for more info- sorry I don't know your situation so the cost might mean that it is prohibitive for you.
Start with the edmonds book great place to start try & stay away from recipe packet mixes as after a while they can (and do in my family) induce indigestion & tummy aches from all the "numbers" in them for meals a couple of basic's to have in the kitchen are salt (not to much) cracked pepper, green herb stock & Worcester sauce add this to mince along with carrots & onions and you have a great basic, you can throw in baked beans to stretch it out or chilli beans and a little bit of cumin then you have a great mince to go with rice or on nachos - no mixes needed, hint for meet buy premium mince when on special its better value than the other stuff other wise you will have to skim all the fat off when browning ( it you drain the fat off with a sive you loose too much of the juice & the flavour ) . have fun
elliehen,
May 7, 6:14pm
I'm bumping this, because nothing beats a hands-on experience with a tutor and classmates.
fifie,
May 7, 6:24pm
1. Work out what the family like, ie chicken,beef,etc. 2.Do you have slowcooker, or do you use range top,oven. 3.Do a meal plan for the week, visit the threads above some good advice and recipes there when on a tight budget. Let us know what you like, or want to make, its amazing how you can reduce the food bill with a little planning, like your own takeaways pizza's,fish and chips,chinese, etc or even a big pot of soup is a great lunch time filler now the weather is getting colder.
karenz,
May 7, 8:44pm
Trawl through second hand shops like Salvation Army and St Vincent de Pauls for the original Australian Womens Weekly Cookbook, published around 1963, it is really basic, with no hard to get ingredients and there are pictures of all the dishes, also rundowns on cuts of meat, how to cook individual vegetables, types of pasta, cheeses, herbs and spices.It was my first cookbook and I bought one for my daughter and we still both dip into it from time to time.If you are on a budget these types of shops are a great source of all kinds of cookbooks.
beaker59,
May 7, 8:55pm
There is nothing you would want to learn that is not on You tube :)
From beginner basics to master chef level. Watch several video's though to get a balanced view some of the info on there is dubious too(just like cookbooks).
elliehen,
May 7, 9:15pm
"Australian Women's Weekly COOKING CLASS BEGINNERS - Step by Step to Starting Out"
This is the one I bought for a home leaver's flat.YouTube and the internet generally are good add-ons, but it's helpful to have a basic cookbook for reference.
valentino,
May 7, 10:14pm
Talking about AWW Cookbooks then check this one out.
Believe Whitcouls can source these seeing they took over Border Bookshops.
Cheers.
ruby2shoes,
May 7, 10:26pm
what they all said.also, Alison and Simon Holst cookbooks.And don't go past their vegetarian cookbooks, especially since you're finances have changed, you will find them a great help. Check out your local library for some of the above books, they can order them from another branch at a low fee.Op shops, etc.Ask friends/family for good recipes.
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