Conference turris::cooks

Hi Renee,
If *I* can cook, anyone can cook. I recommend you get _The_Joy_of_Cooking_.
I never use it for the recipes, but it's a great "dictionary/encyclopedia". 
It tells what to look for in purchasing fresh fruits, veggies, meats, etc. 
Also, nice hints are included for preparation and serving...
Cambridge Adult Ed. (Brattle Street) used to offer great cooking/eating
courses. I'm in Detroit now, but check out their latest course offerings
booklet.
Happy Cooking!
--Ginger

       I went to chef school a long time ago and love to cook. I'm not
    to sure what you really are looking for as far as tips are concerned,
    but the best place for you to start is local high Schools. A lot
    of schools have adult ed programs with cooking classes included.
    If you can't find one you want to try, then as .1 suggested get
    a copy of The Joy Of Cooking. If you can follow a recipe you can
    cook. You may not be great at first, but at least you will be able
    to make a few of the easier things.
       If I can be of help to you let me know.
    
    Good Luck,
    Nils

    One more question,  what is the easiest type of food to prepare.
    It doesn't have to be the fastest just kind of easy.
    
    thanks again,and again and again ect...
    
    Renee

    There's a note titled something like "help a starving man" that
    was somewhat in the same vein - things to make that are EASY.
    I don't remember the number, but you could look it up.
    
    If you want to impress someone with a meal that looks/smells/tastes
    great, roast a chicken and make a salad and rice and peas/beans/other
    green veggie to go with it.  Follow the directions on the package
    the chicken comes in.  Make sure you remove the giblets before
    roasting (neck, heart, liver, all in a little bag inside the chicken).
    You also might want to take a little of the fat out of the bird.
    When the bird is done roasting, take it out and sit it on a carving
    board.  It's good to let it cool just a tad before carving (or you
    will burn yourself), so you can make gravy now.  Take the pan
    drippings.  Put them in a separater container (one of those little
    "pitchers" where the spout is a tube from the BOTTOM, so you can
    pour off the juice and leave the fat) or in a small measuring cup.
    Remove the fat with a spoon or by pouring off the juice from the
    bottom.  Put the juice in a little pot or pan.  Take a tablespoon
    or so of flour, and mix it in with some cool water until it's smooth.
    Add a little more water if you need to so the mixture is as thin
    as pancake mix and will pour.  Pour it into the pot/pan and blend.
    Put this over medium heat on the stove, add enough milk/broth/water
    to make about 2 cups of liquid, blending it in.  Add some salt/pepper
    and some herbs (parsley, sage) and/or garlic, to taste.
    
    Let your boyfriend carve the bird.  After all, men are *born* knowing
    how to do it..... ;-)
    
    --Louise

Don't be so hard on yourself...I taught myself to cook because my mother
HATES to cook, she's good at it but hates it.

First, try simple things ...we always seem to go for the fancy
recipes first and scare ourselves to death...AND DON'T LOOK AT THE
PICTURES!  Nobody but a pro will make it look that good, but it can
still taste wonderful.

Basic hints:

	get everything you need for a recipe out on the table or
	work surface before you start.  As you use it, put it
	away...when all ingredients are replaced or the containers
	are thrown away, you know you haven't forgotten anything.

	If you don't have something called for in a recipe, you
	know it before you start, so you can borrow or run to
	the store.

	Start making soups....they are the most forgiving food
	in the world and taste wonderful even if everything
	in the recipe isn't available...just add some other
	kind of vegetable.  Your boyfriend has to be impressed
	with homemade soup and fresh bread from the local
	bakery followed by pears, apples and gouda cheese for
	dessert.  I recommend the pea soup that is on the
	package of dried peas you can buy in the market.  While
	at the store, pick up the rest of the ingredients
	and follow the directions.

    Try the lentil soup in note 737.8 by Karen Portosa.  It is the epitomy
    in easy, but delicious soup.  When I tried it the other day, I almost
    modified the recipe --- anything that stark in ingredients *must*
    be bland --- WRONG!  This will become a standard in our household.
    
    Make some buttermilk biscuits to go with it.  Maybe include 1/2
    cup of grated Swiss cheese plus 1/4 tsp of dill in the dough.

    
    re   experience      When Betty was a new bride, she couldn't cook
    worth a darn.  After 30 years or practice, she is the very best!

What is it about the traditional world (read: sexist) that the best restaurant 
chefs were always men, while the best home cooks were always women.  I'm glad 
that rubbish is finally being carted away!  My mom was always a real mediocre 
cook (liver chips, cardboard fish, gray beef, etc.).  My dad was the cook for 
his PT boat crew in the war, and is a great cook.  I somehow managed to pick 
up my dad's recipe-less style, while my sisters followed in Mom's footsteps.

Try taking a class together!

						     
							- JP

    Hey, was your boyfriend "born" with the knowledge to repair your
    car??  Send him over to my house!!
    
    One idea that no one has mentioned yet regarding learning to cook:
    try watching "The Frugal Gourmet" or similar TV chefs (Julia Child
    is good, but a little fancy for beginners).  Or start hanging around
    your friends who are good cooks as they prepare meals.  Nothing
    like getting it straight from the horse's mouth.
    
    Good luck!

    Renee, try some of the rcipes in the TLE::COOKS notes file - there
    have been a few similar requests.  Also, the cookbook *my husband* 
    presented me with before we got married was the Betty Crocker
    cookbook - mineis like a 3-ring notebook, and lies flat open so
    you don't lose your place.  This cookbook is pretty basic and
    uses mostly basic ingredients, and also has sections of hints
    and definitions (EX:  How to mash potatoes).  The basic recipes
    work well, and there are some fancier things in there, too, for 
    when you feel like trying them.   Good Luck - and get your boyfriend
    to learn to cook, too, so you can share the experience.

    I like to cook, but I wouldn't bother learning unless you want to
    yourself.
    
    Anyway, my advice is, to pay attention to the quality of your
    ingredients, and to look for helpful gadgets.  
    
    For instance, a pretty easy and good dinner is steak with steamed
    broccoli.  The best I've had is made with the best steaks you can
    buy from Bread and Circus, coated with coarse mustard and broiled;
    and with really fresh, firm broccoli, cut up (you can peel the
    stems and cut them up, too), steamed until a fork goes into them
    with just a little resistance.
    
    Some examples of helpful tools-
    - my husband uses an egg separator, because he can't separate the
      eggs from whites otherwise
    - I have a gadget to mash potatoes, which makes it incredibly easy
    - Pies are easy to make, except that it's easy to ruin the crust
      by handling it too much.  Or to ruin your temper trying to break
      up a hard piece of butter in the flour.  There is a gadget called
      a pastry cutter, which does that portion of the task quite well.
    
    As long as I'm at it, I'll tell you my favorite pie recipe:
    
    Cherry Pie
    
    Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
    
    Crust:    
    Mix together in a bowl:
    1 cup flour
    1/2 tsp. salt (I always omit this, actually)
    Add:
    1/3 cup of cold butter
    Mix till you get small lumps of butter with a pastry cutter or 2
    knives.  Sprinkle in:
    2 1/2 Tbsp. cold water
    Mix lightly with a fork.  Then start rolling into a ball; you may
    have to add more water, as much as 2 Tbsp. more.  Roll out and place
    in a 9 inch pie plate.  (I roll it on floured wax paper.)  Flute
    the edge up high (just fold the dough over and stick it together
    with your fingers).
    
    Filling:
    Drain the liquid from:
    1 can (#303, about a pound, I think) tart cherries packed in water
    Keep liquid in a small sauce pan.  Add:
    2/3 cup sugar
    1 Tbsp. cornstarch
    (I never have the cornstarch, so I use another cereal, like oat
    meal, oat bran, cream of wheat, or ralston.)  Heat at a medium
    temperature and stir.  Bring to a boil for several minutes, until
    it clears and starts to thicken.  Add:
    2 Tbsp. butter
    1 Tbsp. lemon juice
    Remove from heat.
    
    Crumb Crust:
    Mix in a bowl (the pie crust bowl will do):
    2/3 cup flour
    1/2 cup sugar
    Add:
    1/3 cup cold butter
    Mix with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the butter is in small
    chunks.
    
    Assemble pie:
    Place cherries from can in pie crust.  Cover with filling, then
    with crumb crust.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce
    heat to 325 degrees, and bake another 40 minutes.  I always put
    the plate on a cookie sheet in case it overflows.

    
    good luck,
    Beryl

    HI RENEE;   THE BEST PLACE TO SEE IF THEY HAVE A COOKING CLASS IS
    THE ASSABET VALLEY REGIONAL VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL ON FITCHBERG
    ST. IN MARLBORO, MA.  I WENT THERE WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL AND
    GRADUATED FROM CULINARY ARTS (GORMET FOOD) AND BACK THEN THEY DID
    HAVE A NIGHT CLASS FOR TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO COOK THEY ALSO HAVE
    A BAKE SHOP AND TEACH YOU HOW TO BAKE BREAD, CAKES, AND EVERYTHING
    ELSE.  MY MOTHER WHO IS A GREAT COOK HERSELF TAUGHT ME WHEN I WAS
    YOUNG AND AFTER TAKING THE CLASS AT ASSABET FOR 3 1/2 YEARS I CAN
    COOK PRETTY GOOD MYSELF. I KNOW ASSABET HAS EVENING PROGRAMS FOR
    ADULT EDUCATION JUST CALL THEY SCHOOL SOME TIME AND ASK THEM IT
    WOULDN'T HURT.
    
    
    LIZ

    Just in case you missed it, note 836 has cookbook recommendations
    for adult beginners.
    
    Cooking is pretty easy.  All you have to do is follow the directions.
    (Using the references listed in note 836, you should even be able
    to decipher them.)  That's how I started, and now, I rarely use
    recipes.  After a while, you'll discover which flavors you like, and 
    you may want to improvise.  That's when the fun begins.
    
    As long as others are posting recipes here, I'll post one of the
    world's easiest chicken recipes.  I don't know where it came from,
    but I suspect it originated in the kitchen of Kraft or Lipton. 
    Don't let the ingredients scare you away; it sounds vile, but it's
    really very good.  I've served it to lots of people and have never
    heard a complaint.
    
    	CHICKEN APRICOT
    
    	1 jar apricot preserves
    	1 bottle of Kraft Catalina salad dressing
    	1 packet of onion soup mix
    	Chicken pieces (I usually use about 6-7 breasts and 8-10 thighs)
    
        Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix jam, salad dressing, and 
        soup mix together in a bowl.  Dip chicken pieces in to cover 
        them, and spread them in a single layer in one or two pans.
    	Pour remaining sauce over the chicken.  Cook for 1 hour.

    To echo the sentiments in previous notes - get your boyfriend to
    learn with you.  His attitude sounds perilously close to men who
    think things like knowing where the scotch tape is or how to turn
    on the washing machine are biological!  Now is the time to start
    - get one of the cookbooks mentioned, and he can read the directions
    while you measure or vice versa.  Start with something you both
    like, e.g. spaghetti sauce is pretty easy, and will enjoy, and can
    tell if you've done it right.  Also, at first, don't be afraid to
    use mixes or processed foods - I mean, if you make a quiche (another
    easy one) get a frozen crust instead of tackling a scratch crust.
    Then, when you feel more comfortable with the whole deal, you'll
    want to move away from the processed foods and experiment.  Then,
    maybe he can make the crust while you make the filling!
    
    Watching other cooks is a good idea, too - most people who enjoy
    cooking would enjoy sharing, I think.  Ask a friend if you can come
    over the next time he/she makes that special meatloaf or whatever;
    they'll probably appreciate the company.
    
    Go for it and good luck!

    
    
    Renee,
    
    I agree with the last note, cook something you like to eat. And
    
    DON'T pick a difficult recipe to start with. Here's an easy one.
    
    
    Buy boneless chicken breast.
    
    Wash the breast
    Place them in a baking dish
    Cover the chicken with Orange Juice
    Let cook for 45 minutes - 1 hour (depending on size)
    
    You won't believe how moist and sweet your chicken will be. If
    I think of it, I usually soak the chicken in the OJ overnight. 
    
    I serve white rice with oranges slices in it! Yummmy.
    
    Good Luck!
    
    Bonnie
    
    

    I really only have 2 suggestions. First, try to find a book that
    is an encyclopedia/dictionary/how-to book of cooking techniques.
    By this I mean, how to seperate an egg, how to sift flour, how to
    scald milk, etc. Look for picture books. Unfortunately, I do not
    have a specific one to recommend and, to be honest with you, I don't
    know if such a wonderful book exists, but one surely should. My
    second suggestion is to read your recipe through COMPLETELY. And
    then re-read it again. My mother used to make me do this and I finally
    understood why when I would discover timing issues, like chill the
    dough for an hour before making the butter cream. (If you don't
    know about that hour you may completely throw off your schedule
    or you may have someone making the butter cream and what do you
    do with it while the dough chills?!?!?) My mother would even ask
    me questions about the recipe to make sure I knew what I was about
    to do. Another argument for reading the recipe through is that
    sometimes hidden within the instructions and added ingredients.
    Wouldn't it kill you if at the bottom the recipe it said to sprinkle
    with powdered sugar and you didn't have any around. 
    
    I'm of the belief that if you can read, you can cook!!! Read first
    and if you need to look up something do it before you start so you
    won't get caught in timing issues. Best of luck!!!

    "Joy of Cooking" ill intimidate most new cooks - start out with
    Betty Crocker.  Anyhow, most things you make (if you stay away from
    obvious gotchas like Hollandaise sauce!) will turn out to be FOOD,
    even if they don't come out looking like the picture in the cookbook.
    It can be lots of FUN to help/watch a friend cook something that
    you like - several people have invited themselves over to help make
    the croissant dough the evening before a champagne brunch at our
    house, for example - it's nice to have the company when you are
    chopping, rolling, etc., anyhow!
    
    PS - It was a MALE friend of mine who taught me to separate eggs
    using half of the eggshell - my mother (dad was a terrible cook
    - except when he made pizza!) never learned to do that and would
    do it with a spoon, which would puncture the yolk about a third
    of the time.  She used to avoid recipes that called for separating
    eggs.

    RE: Note on OJ Chicken 848.16
    
    Your recipe sounds wonderful and I plan to try it on Monday evening.
    
    However, I'd like to make sure of a few things:
    
    1) You don't mention any spices (salt, paprika, ???)
    
    2) Should it be covered or uncovered during cooking?
    
    3) What heat?  (high, medium or low)
    
    4) I any fat used at any point in time?
    
    Thanks in advance for your help.
    
    Joana

    What great weather to cook in!
    
    I don't use anything but the OJ, I don't cover it either. I do
    turn the chicken after 20 minutes to make sure the top of
    the chicken doesn't dry out. 
    
    Cook in a 350 oven for 45- to an hour (no longer). You can
    tell when chicken is done by putting a fork into and gently
    twisting the chicken, it should pull away very easily. 
    
    Good luck!
    bonnie
    

    Renee,
    
    This is an incredibly easy and tasty chicken cordeon bleu recipe.
    
    Ingred:
    
    1 pkg. bonless, skinless chicken breasts (usually 2 to a pkg)
    1 can cream of mushroom soup
    1 8 .0z  sour cream
    4 slices of mozzerela cheese
    4 slices of ham
    
    Wash the chicken and cut off visible fat (the yellow stuff).
    Cut the breasts in half.  You'll be able to see where.  Remove that
    cartilage thing in the middle.  (Don't worry, all you have to do
    is cut it out) Now you have 4 chicken breasts.
    
    Lay 1 piece of ham and 1 piece of chees on each, fold it over and
    place them in a cassarole dish.  (Corningware works great).
    In a bowl, mix the sour cream and soup, pour over the chicken and
    cook (Uncovered) for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve with rice.
    
    Good Luck!!

    Gosh, I'm a male and I've been living alone for four years.  I had
    to either learn how to cook or starve!  I took the former.  Now
    I cook meals for others occasionally (including my girlfriend and
    my parents) and they enjoy it!  I can tell because they always ask
    me when I'm going to invite them over again for dinner.  My dads
    favorite is the meat pie recipe I got from this notesfile.  That's
    a pretty easy recipe but you need all afternoon for it to cook.
    It's good for a Saturday afternoon when you have nothing else to
    do.  
    
    I've never had a cook book or took any lessons or ask anyone how
    to cook.  Just jump in with two feet and *don't* let it overwelm
    you because it's easy.
    
    Yes, you guessed,  I'm proud and bragging about myself!
    
    dave

    re: -1
    I'm also a male who likes to cook.  I admit that my wife does do
    most of the cooking, but for 2 reasons: 1) She's much better at
    it, and 2) She says I take too long and make a colossal mess of
    her kitchen.
    Some noters should remember that the original topic was for easy
    easy recipes and beginner tips, not on sexist cooking.  Give her
    boyfriend a break for Pete's sake.
    -Don
    
    

    I'm male too and I've been cooking professionally and so I don't
    starve for about 12 years now. Everyone who's ever had it has said
    that my Pizza is the best they've ever had( Recipie should be in
    her somewhere, note 70something I think). Cooking is a breeze. If
    you want to make something you've never tried follow a recipie and
    use common sense in seasoning to taste. 
    
    			Seasonings are the spice of life:-)
    
    			Geoff

    I'm a male also who cooks. My wife and I both work and when we split
    up the household chores I got the cooking (mostly because she could
    burn water). I agree about using a cook book as a guide or for ideas
    but have fun and try things. The more experience you get the more
    times you will end up with something great. After several years
    living as a batchelor and 8 years married, my kids will not let my
    wife near the kitchen for fear of posioning :') 

    				Dick
    

    I agree that your best to enroll in an evening cooking class at
    your local Vocational School if you have one.  It's alot of fun
    even for the experienced cook.  
    
    And alot of Cook Books are very good as far as explaining the different
    techniques that you need to know in order to follow the recipes.
    After you have come to understand the basics, cooking is alot more
    fun when you experiment and try different things.
    
    Here's a simple little recipe, nothing fancy, but easy to make and
    tastes very good with a baked potatoe and vegetable:
    
    1-2 pcs of Chicken (any type) per person
    Pkg Shake & Bake (chicken type)
    fresh lemon (or bottled)
    
    follow the instructions for the Shake & Bake (place chicken, after
    washing in plastic bag provided with Shake & Bake, coat chicken
    well).  Bake as instructed(on ungreased cookie sheet).  10 minutes
    before the chicken is done, squeeze lemon juice on it.  continue
    baking til done.