/r/cookingforbeginners
Just moved into your first apartment and don't know a thing about cooking or have lived on your own for years and have existed on take out and fast food? Then this is the sub for you!
Learn how to cook simple recipes for yourself and find it isn't as hard as you think it is.
Post your questions about cooking and links to easy recipes and basic techniques. Come to learn or to teach.
Join us on Discord! https://discord.gg/FfKqrtZ
Related subs: /r/Cooking /r/AskCulinary
Just moved into your first apartment and don't know a thing about cooking or have lived on your own for years and have existed on take out and fast food? Then this is the sub for you! Learn how to cook simple recipes for yourself and find it isn't as hard as you think it is. Post your questions about cooking, share easy recipes and basic techniques. Come to learn or to teach!
Rules (read before posting):
1. Be civil to each other!
Don't be a troll! Be polite to others -- even if you don't agree with their opinion or method. When in doubt, assume they have good intentions.
2. No posting outside links or self-promoting (except in the megathread).
We're trying to cut down spam and self-promotion in this sub, so please submit all outside links (so anything other than reddit text and image posts) to the stickied megathread. Links in comments are okay! And you're welcome to share links to your own blogs, videos, etc. but only if requested.
3. Please be mindful of other users' skill levels.
While we welcome cooks of all skill levels, this is still Cooking for Beginners! So please avoid posting things that are incredibly advanced (for example sous vide cooking, molecular cooking, butchering a hind quarter of an animal, etc) to the average beginner cook. We want this subreddit to be a resource for new and beginner cooks. Reddit has a magnitude of other subreddits that can help out with more advance technique and discussions, go out and explore if needed.
Note: If you report someone or a post, please let us know why, thank you.
Related Subs:
Semi-related subs
/r/cookingforbeginners
And he wanted me to tell reddit. He’s 8, and we’re just learning kitchen safety and knife skills. I’d love to be able to show him the support of reddit and some suggestions or advice for making food. Here’s a few of our main points or considerations:
Treat every knife like it’s sharp and every pan like it’s hot.
Always tell people that you’re behind them to avoid running into each other.
Peel vegetables away from the hand holding the vegetable.
As you can see, I don’t have many. What else should I be bringing up and teaching him about? He’s not actually cooking anything yet, but I do tell him as I’m doing things like how draining pasta is dangerous bc you’re carrying a hot pan full of boiling water and how seriously you could injure yourself or others, but it’s not hands on for him yet. I’m kinda confused bc I had a real baptism by fire when I was a kid and was making full on dinners at 8. I think that’s too much risk and responsibility, but I also don’t want to protect him so much that he’s not learning in a timely fashion.
Thanks for any advice!
I love cooking, but after a long workday and running after my little one, I need meals that are fast, easy, and actually taste good. What are your absolute favorite “lazy but delicious” recipes? Bonus points if they don’t require a million ingredients!
How much salt do you add to a pound of ground beef or a pound of stew meat or any other type of meat?
My cooking is never consistent when it comes to the flavor and I find myself constantly adjusting the seasoning.
I like gnocchi, but my boyfriend doesn’t (weird) and I’m making this for him. So I’m wondering if there is a type of pasta or other alternative I can replace the gnocchi in this dish with, and how can I adjust the time?
Here’s the recipe for context:
https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/a46278812/cajun-spiced-chicken-and-gnocchi-recipe/
i’m getting more into cooking and something i’ve noticed is that i have a hard time keeping my dishes “juicy”? especially with meats
what are some things i can do to avoid dry meat/dishes so i’m not getting cottonmouth while i eat 😭
I had super bad food poisoning from luke warm rice once at home and also Chipolte (colder here) and been paranoid since
But I love rice and quinoa but the microwave packs have too much in.
Could I open these packs (microwaved ) and transfer them to a freeze bag and mix my own combos, flatten and freeze and snap off what I need to cook when I need it?
Does the exposure of opening the microwave packet rice create bacteria or anything?
Posting this on my alt because it's honestly embarassing. I was banned from cooking too much/beyond necessary by family because it's seen as the women's job. I tried to manage with what I was allowed (mug cakes, pasta, mac and cheese, toast ect...) but I no longer live with my parents and now have access to an oven and stovetop. Like I said, I can make a surprising amount of things considering that I've mostly just had a microwave and toastie maker to work with, but I've never used an oven or stovetop in my life.
What should I start off with? I'm going to have a crack at frying eggs (pun intended) because the microwave really didn't work well for eggs. Or maybe pizza? Beyond that, I'm not so sure. I've looked up YouTube videos on how to preheat an oven and whatnot and while it's a little scary, I'm excited and want ideas/recipes. Thanks!!
i have a toaster oven that has a timer and it only goes to 30 minutes. is there some way it can stay on or what or is it ideal for it only to be on for that amount of time because i dont want to cause and start a house fire or blow /pop a fuse in the kitchen? lets say i want to cook something for an hour, can i just wind it up 2 times with no break or cool down time? thank yu
Hi, I have a tabletop oven and it has heating options of just top heat, just bottom heat or both. I'm struggling with my cooking times. I tested using heat from both sides on a part baked baguette. 200 degrees at 10 minutes it says on instructions. I tried heat from both sides and it was burnt both sides. I tried heat from the top only at 190 top was less burnt and bottom was barely cooked. Is there a rule of thumb when cooking with one of these like with a fan oven turn down heat by 20 degrees I don't want to risk a joint of meat if it's jyst going to be burnt
Boiling eggs is simple, right? Not for me it wasn't. For years I couldn't boil a batch that was consistently easy to peel. What I would get most of the time was a membrane that was stuck to the egg white and a disfigured shape due to chunks peeling off with the shell.
So what did I do? I searched Reddit, Google and YouTube. Lots of advice but none of them worked. Not one of these things were cruical to solving my problem and I tried all of them:
Even when I asked ChatGPT, these were the same solutions I got.
Anyway, I noticed that when my wife cooks eggs they turn out perfectly fine. I asked her for help, but she wasn't really helpful. She didn’t know what she was doing right or what I was doing wrong. So I watched her.
Turns out, boiling eggs is really simple. She just uses boiling water. Nothing else. She doesn't even care about the temperature. The electric stove is set to max and it stays on max the whole time. She even puts the eggs directly from the fridge inside the boiling water. Sometimes they crack, sometimes they don't. But they are always easy to peel. What is going on?
And then I noticed it. To boil a perfect egg you need to use less water.
This whole time I was using whatever pot I found and filling it up almost to the top. My wife on the other hand was using smaller pots and putting just enough water to cover the eggs. In fact, when 10 minutes of boiling pass (we like hard boiled eggs), the eggs aren't even fully submerged.
Why does it work and why nobody ever mentions the amount of water? I have no idea but I've been using the same technique for a year now, and my boiled eggs are perfectly easy to peel every single time.
Just to be clear and not omit anything. I still "shock" my eggs. Not with an ice bath but with cold tap water. I don't know if that does anything. I just do it to lower their temperature so I can eat them right away. However, my wife doesn't and they are still perfectly fine.
Hope this helps.
I’m trying to get more into cooking, but I always feel overwhelmed by recipes that call for a dozen different ingredients. Lately, I’ve been thinking about simplifying, focusing on a few key things that I can always have stocked and use in a variety of meals.
If you had to pick one ingredient (other than salt and pepper) that you always keep in your kitchen, what would it be? Something that makes a big difference in flavor or that you find yourself reaching for all the time.
Even better if you can share a favorite way you use it. Looking for ideas to build a solid foundation without cluttering my pantry.
Okay this might sound disgusting to some people but I just want to know.
I absolutely love dairy and milk and I love rice. My grandma makes this coconut rice with coconut milk and it's amazing. It's milky rice basically but the coconut milk is added after it's boiled in water.
I've moved abroad for a placement year and am trying out lots of different cooking styles, but rice stays as my base usually. I can't seem to find coconut milk anywhere here and adding plain milk feels too liquidy like rice pudding. I just want thick milky rice (I know it won't taste the same like coconut milk bc it won't taste like coconut)
I was wondering if it would work to boil rice and cook it in milk to get kind of a milky rice texture - is it stupid? Is it possible? Is it weird? I just want some milky rice.
I bought a beef rump cap well within the use by date and used a meat grinder at home to make minced meat with it . I vacuum sealed it instantly and put it in the freezer
When I went to the freezer a few hours later I noticed it is patchy with brown parts . I am so confused as the meat was perfectly fresh when I did it and I thought vacuum sealing it would combat the issue of oxidation ( but I’m not a good science person so I was obviously wrong on that front .
It looks very un appealing now , but is it safe ?
Thanks !
hey guys is it ok if i drink the same wine with the lemon chicken piccata. I am not very experienced with wines and I am unsure about how well the pairing is edit: thanks a lot for advices
My stove goes 1-10 on heat. What’s best for a burger?
I've picked up cooking as a hobby almost 2 years ago and I've been mostly sticking with American and hispanic because I'm Guatemalan and also live in the Southern US (tho unfortunately I don't know how to cook Southern dishes 😔). I've been wanting to explore different kinds of food since it's really interesting to see similarities and such. It's also because I wanna learn tasty foods from different cultures. I'll share my food: huevos con salchichas. This is gonna be weird but stay with me. Basically, cut up some hot dogs and fry them on a pan then add some eggs. It's basically scrambled eggs with hotdogs. I know it sounds weird but it's actually really good. Some people eat it with ketchup but I'm personally not a fan. Anyways, drop your dish of choice and I'll try some of them out!
hello, i would like to clarify that I make rice all the time and it usually comes out fine, but every since i switched to the heb brand, i have been coming into complications with my rice. I follow the recipe on the back everytime and it always comes out the same: cooked in the middle, hard on the corners of the rice. i even tried adding an additional cup of water to my rice since the recipe calls for 2 cups. but still rice comes out bad, and i have no idea why. any help would be appreciated, thank you.
Heb long grain white enriched rice
Recipe:
1.) bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2.) stir in 1 cup of rice; cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed
3.) fluff lightly with a fork and serve.
I follow all these instructions but results are usually the same, i am unsure if it is the pot i am using since it asks for a saucepan, do the pans matter? if so why do other brands work fine in my pot.
I really don’t know what sub to post this in, but I’ve been really worried about it for like the past few hours. I boiled chicken to put in empanadas, and then I started shredding it after like a day of it being in the fridge and some pieces of the chicken looked a little pink/red kind of maybe like blood, but my friend was saying it was raw. I then put it in a pan with oil, along with other vegetables and I kind of tried to leave out the pieces that looked weird. I ended up making them and just eating them anyway and now I’m scared that it was raw and I actually have food poisoning. If I cooked it in the pan, do you think it’s like fully cooked and okay to eat?? Idk where else to post this soo.. sorry if it’s unrelated
Every single time i cook steak, something is wrong with it. If i get a good sear, theres parts that are burnt. If i get a good sear without burnt parts, the fat is still tough. If i manage to not burn anything, something is undercooked. My process goes as follows:
I have absolutely no idea what im supposed to be doing outside of getting a cast iron skillet, which i doubt would help in my case. Is the temperature too high? Too low? Ive tried lower temps and it just cooks everything all the way through before it can get a crust. If anyone has had success with a non stick pan please give me your exact step by step process because im completely inept in the kitchen lol
hi, i’m horrible in the kitchen and i made progress with learning how to make simple things but i am super clueless about beef.
i bought thin strips of beef from the store out of inspiration and i guess my first real question is can you marinate beef the same way as chicken? also what can you make with strips this thin?
i’m sorry if i sound dumb as hell but i legit am blanking out.
Do I lightly cook the garlic and onion and add it in with the seasoning?
Do I drop them in the water before/during boiling and before I add the noodles?
What’s the process?
Also, what’s some other things I can add to beef ramen to improve it and when do I add them?
(I’ve searched for this sort of thing on this subreddit, and seen lots of suggestions for ingredients to add, but never seen it mentioned WHEN to add them)
Thanks in advance!
We have a Russell Hobbs rice cooker and the first few times we used it it was great. I love it because it’s easy to clean and never has the rice sticking to the bottom.
However after a few uses it now seems to sort of explode everytime we use it, we end up with starch all over the kitchen and the water bubbles so much it almost knocks the lid off. At the end there’s lots of starchy webs around the rice cooker and the surfaces it’s on.
What are we doing wrong? Is it just a bad model? Should we get one with a more secure lid that clicks in?
So I’ve seen chicken stock question come up a lot and I have searched but I still have a couple questions.
The question is surrounding frozen vs non and cooked vs raw bones.
If I have a mix of old rotisserie carcasses in the freezer as well as some uncooked bones and scraps (also frozen). Can they be used together in a stock? Do I need to thaw them or can I use them frozen?
I see roasting the bones is better for richer deeper flavor. If they’re frozen should I thaw and then roast? Seems that only the raw bones need roasting not the rotisserie carcasses bones as well after being frozen.
I rarely make stock because it usually results in me buying chickens just for stock instead of using what I have leftover.
Edit: the title should be “How long should I let canned beans cook after they simmer”
I was trying to find out how to cook canned black beans and this is the recipe in found that made it simple enough for me to do, but I’m not sure about part of it.
It seems to be saying that you should remove it from the heat as soon as it simmers. Is that right, or should I let it cook for a while? I tried to smash the beans with my cooking spoon (which is kind of soft, not made of metal) after draining them, but they were too firm. They tasted fine, but I wanted to make them into mashed beans.
Thanks in advance!
The handmade dough was crumbly and I didn’t have any yeast of baking powder. The toppings were jar sauce and mozzarella balls I bought for a salad. It was NOT good.
That said, I think I kinda liked cooking it myself and not relying on a company or frozen box. I’m going to start more cooking projects.
I've been looking at getting a nice stainless pan, but one thing I've noticed is that a lot of people who cook with it use enormous amounts of oil, but is it possible to cook in one without 300 kcal worth of oil? This coming from a person who goes to the gym a lot and wants to watch the amount of calories from fats.
Hi!
I want to make beef potato dumplings with a sauce. I’ve made Kartoffelknödel filled with pork and onions, with a mushroom and cream sauce. It worked well with the pork. I’d like to make beef version.
Firstly, any recommendations on how to add flavour to the mince? I think I’ll precook the mince so I can taste the seasoning, I haven’t cooked mince before. Unless someone has another suggestion. When I made the pork version, the uncooked pork filling went into the dumpling and was cooked along with the potato/flour dumpling.
Secondly, would a creamy mushroom sauce still work with mince beef? I imagine a stew would go better, but it seems too complicated to try all of these things at once. If a creamy mushroom sauce would taste bad, do you have any other suggestions?
Thank you!
Last summer I got in the habit of, when I use an orange, lemon or lime, I zest it first and freeze it in a little ice cube tray.
Now I have small containers of each in my freezer, filled with teaspoon sized cubes of zest, and I was just wondering if there was a lifespan or if it just good in perpetuity so long as it remains frozen.
I've read this is an old wives tale from a time when fridges weren't very cold.
My partner worked in a restaurant and says to let it cool.
I figure surely it will cool faster and be less chance of bacteria the sooner it gets cold?
So I just chuck hot food into a glass dish or sealable freezer bag and pop it in freezer