oberon

I am a junior/senior in computer engineering at Purdue University (http://www.purdue.edu/, http://engineering.purdue.edu/ECE/). Next year I will be living by myself in a studio apartment. Up until now, I've been living in the dorms. As you might expect, this has limited my ability to experiment in the cooking arts.

I am hoping this change of lifestyle will help me become a better cook, eat better, and lose weight (and keep it off).

Why am I posting now? Well, because finals will be over in two days and I will be going home for the summer. I'd like to use the summer as an opportunity to prepare my cooking skills for when I am living by myself (among other things).

Right now, I am planning to ask my mother and grandmother to teach me a few recipes and approaches, particularly for cooking styles I've never done before. As I see it, they will probably help me, since it means I get to do the fun stuff and all they have to do is eat. Usually, in my family, it's the other way around. They cook, and the men eat (and some do the cleanup.. fun!).

But I'm looking for additional tips on how to learn how to make good cheap and healthy food. I like all kinds, particularly Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese, and Thai. I'm a big fan of chicken. I'm definitely willing to try new stuff too. About the only thing I don't really like much is seafood (lobster, crab, any kind of fish).

Thanks in advance!

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JadziaDax

One thing I highly recommend is going to your local Border's Books or Barnes & Noble when you have time to spare. Look through their cookbook section (make sure you bring a notebook and pen). There will be a ton of "Easy" cookbooks and beginners cookbooks that you can take notes from. And if you find one of the books to be of particular interest, you can always purchase it.

No, learning doesn't end when college does

Daval

the best cookbook i've ever used which I got from my mom is called 'the jewish cookbook' i found it on Amazon.

We are not jewish, but every single recipe i've ever done has been a resounding success. and they are all very easy.

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yangwar

I am by no means a great cook but this is my advice....

1. Cookbooks are great. I'd recommend you find some good ones and get those. Cookbooks are really a very personal thing so I won't recommend any; just get some you feel comfortable with.

2. Recipes are easy. Don't be intimidated by them. They're just directions. If you make a meal and it's bad and you followed the recipe exactly, don't feel bad; the recipe is bad. Find new ones.

3. After you cook enough, you'll start getting a feel for what ingredients you like and what you can do with them. Browse the aisles at a supermarket someday with no real intent on buying anything. Just browse and stay away from the pre-made stuff. You'll feel your creativity kick into gear and you won't even realize it.

Congratulations on your degree.

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Cynthetiq

that's some great advice... it's really about getting your spices and flavors to blend well and to your liking. Once you know what goes well together you can make lots of things.

I had posted a list of different ingredients that made up a type of cuisine. I'll have to see if I can find it again

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Peetster

"Joy of Cooking" is a great start. It has a ton of general cooking advice, as well as a lot of definitions.

oberon

Sorry for being so late getting back to y'all. I've been so busy since the end of the semester (fortunately I kicked ass on finals, and took names afterwards ). Moving to a dialup connection has made it harder for me to find time to post on TFP. But I decided to make some time.

So anyway, I suggested the idea to my family and it was well received. I've been a little lazy lately and have let my grandma do the cooking. But I did a bunch of stuff last week, like:

1) Sweet & sour chicken plus Italian herbed potatoes (excellent dinner as my family's guests said )
2) Fettucine alfredo with grilled chicken (I screwed up the sauce and had to make some from a mix to salvage the dinner)
3) Chicken dumplings (flat kind, awesome)
4) Tacos using ground deer meat instead of the usual ground cow beef (tasted pretty good)

(you can tell I love chicken by now )

Shoot. I can't remember what else I cooked last week. Oh well. So let me just say, it was fun doing all that cooking. I learned that the best way to learn how to cook is to read the fine manual(s) and practice, practice, practice (and have fun while you are at it)!

I found a nice website called Recipe Source that has a huge recipe database. But I think real cookbooks provide better details and plans.

Oh yeah, and my grandma liked not having to cook every day.

Thanks to everyone for their comments!

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"There are finer fish in the sea than have ever been caught." -- Irish proverb

Bobnik

One of the problems cooking for one is that it is hard to find portions for one that are not premade. I often cook something for four or five, and that is the meal for the week. With curries, they only get better as they age (up to a certain point of course) You can cook the accompaniments fresh each night, like rice. This is also very useful for busy times.

Two warnings: Things with dairy products in them tend to go off faster, and make sure you limit yourself to one serving at a time if you want to keep the weight off.

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Ratman

In addition to the advice given so far about recipes and books, let me add this: Buy good equipment. Buy good knives. Buy a good sharpening steel, and learn to use it. Buy good pots and pans. Buy a few good tools- spatulas, scrapers, etc.

The consistency that good equipment (and by good, I don't mean professional, just better than cheap) gives you in learning to cook is well worth the investment, both in terms of your time to master the art, and in terms of the stuff you have to throw out because it is inedible.

Oh, and keep your stuff clean. Try not to leave dishes dirty, even overnight. This helps your investment last longer.

Good luck!

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oberon

Yeah, there are issues with cooking for yourself, since you usually have to cook a large meal in order to maintain some efficiency in cooking. But there are lots of excellent meals that can be reheated over the course of a few days and re-served.

Does anyone shop at places like Sam's Club? I'm interested in saving money by purchasing large amounts of stuff in advance (non-perishables that is).

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yabobo

Learn how to do your dishes. It will make you think while
cooking. If you have to clean your mess you will use less pots and pans, knives ect.. cooking is easy cleaning is work!

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Cynthetiq

i cook and clean at the same time... i use lots of dishes and pans when i cook but when I'm done... you'll find only a few pans left to clean.

I prep everything first, I sometimes will use small ramekins to hold my preped vegatables and seasonings. I also will put things together as they need to be put into the pan. Since some vegatables take longer than others etc. For example, as something is simmering on the stove, I wash the cutting board.

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Minx

The best thing my Mother ever told me was "If you can read, you can cook."
The Joy of Cooking is great - very very detailed and will tell you everything you need to know about, well...everything! ('cept sex )
The main thing....use good, fresh ingredients....have the right equipment (nothing worse than needing a certain pan and realizing mid-way through you don't have one).....and have fun - don't be afraid to experiment. Try a recipe and if you think you can improve upon it - then go for it...what have you got to lose other than a few taste buds?
Best advice....just have fun, and enjoy....one day your lady will love your efforts!

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Doos

Exactly what I was going to say, except for washing up
Good knives are essential.

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LutherMac

Also, definately check out "Good Eats" on The Food Network... teaches less of the "how" and more of the "why" when preparing dishes. Think of it as Mr. Wizard meets Emeril. Definately something to check out for anyone interested in learning how to cook...

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rockzilla

I think all the best advice has been given already. A good, sharp knife is essensial, like Ratman mentioned, get a good knife, a good steel and a sharpening stone, use the steel after you've sharpened the knife on the stone to hone the edge. Using a dull knife makes life miserable, not only does the food come out ugly, you can squish out valuable nutrients too.

Go into the grocery store with some idea of what you're making for the week, that way you avoid having to run out to get one or two ingredients or even worse, throwing something away because it went bad before you can use it.

Other than that, the key is practise, and don't be afraid to experiment, try a recipe as written once, then do it your way next. Before you know it you'll be able to cook in your sleep.