Hello, I'm planning to start learning how to cook and I don't know where to start. I want to know the basics so I won't mess up and waste ingredients. Like how to tell if the ingredients are cooked; e.g. Chicken, Vegetables, etc. Could you guys give advice, tips, and knowledge to get better?

Looking forward to kind responses! Thank you

Stupid question but let's say I have a bunch of mac salad. It's fine but I'm not crazy about it. Can I just wash off all the mayo and stuff and then just cook it with marinara sauce?

update: I rinsed off a small portion of the pasta salad in a collander while heating up some sauce. mixed them together and it was okay. not great but not horrible, def had a chef boyardee taste

I’m 27, single, live alone, and I’m trying to start cooking at home more instead of relying so much on takeout and convenience foods. I’m definitely a beginner, so I’m looking for simple meals that I can learn and slowly add into my rotation.
I have cerebral palsy, which affects the dexterity and use of one of my hands. I’m pretty independent, but cutting and chopping ingredients can be difficult for me, especially things that require using both hands at the same time. I can use the stove and oven, but I’m still learning even pretty basic cooking skills.
I also work a lot and I’m only cooking for one, so I’m mostly interested in meals that are fairly simple, don’t require a ton of prep, and can preferably be reheated for leftovers. I’m completely fine with shortcuts like pre-cut or frozen ingredients, seasoning packets, etc.
Just to give an idea of my current skill level, one meal I’m comfortable making is taco dip with ground beef, taco seasoning, and Velveeta. Beyond a handful of simple things like that, I really don’t have much cooking experience.
What are some genuinely beginner-friendly meals you’d recommend? I’d especially appreciate things that don’t involve a lot of chopping or knife work. I’d also love to hear about any kitchen tools, shortcuts, or ingredients that make cooking easier for someone with limited hand dexterity.
ETA: I am allergic to shellfish, tend to stay away from seafood altogether. I also get really paranoid about chicken and stuff not being fully cooked.

Hello!

Title's a bit self explanatory; I'm an autistic adult who's primary issue is learning step-by-step processes, and doing everything from bare-bones scratch. Bit of an issue when it comes to cooking, for sure.

Currently, I'm struggling to understand how to make a proper meal out've anything, and how to even cook everything properly.

For example-- I've got a bunch of ramen, onions, garlic, ginger, some bok choy, soy sauce, mushrooms, fish sauce, chicken broth (From a store), and poor quality, very small chicken breasts.

What do I do with all of that? How do I prepare everything properly? How do I build the broth? Is there something else I can make with all of this?

I've tried just boiling everything in with the ramen, but that turned out very bland and soggy. Can't figure out how to saute garlic properly, nor with onions and the mushrooms. The only thing I can cook with consistency is chicken breast.

Please help. I have been lost with cooking for a few years and really do not know where to begin.

I have 4 cups of pot roast juice in a pot. I stupidly followed a recipe that called for 4 tablespoons of flour mixed with 1 cup of cold water. It was very thin. I poured it into the pot and stirred but it's not thickening. I made a slurry of 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water and added it to the pot. It's still not thickening. At this point what do I do to make a gravy? All my pot roast juice is in here and without a gravy the pot roast will be very dry. Help!!

Total beginner to cooking and i am planing to buy a new airfryer because i live alone and i want to start learning cooking because buying food is expensive here i can't afford more of wasting so much money on food , ok i want airfryer for these :

Frensh fries( can i get a decent taste ? )

Chicken breasts

Eggs (if i can do it in air fryer instead of boiling)

Meat( can i cook meat balls in air fryer for pasta ? )

I am planing to buy 3.5 litre it's enought for 1 person? Also i was planing to buy tefal 3.5l easyfry but many reviews said it's slow to heat and cook , i don't know maybe suggest another brand ? What i should know before buying airfryer ?

Hi guys, I was living on my own with my girlfriend for over a year, since she left and I never cooked for myself, I’m just eating things that don’t require any cooking whatsoever, like ham sandwiches, or frozen pizzas. I recently tried to cook chicken, but I don’t know what happend, it tasted horrible, and some pieces where raw, other burnt. I tried making pasta with pesto, and somehow managed to make pesto soup with too much salt. What are your beginner friendly suggestions, so I don’t die of starvation ? lmaooo

I'm not sure what to do with them. Not sure if this is the right place to post but I have about a week before they expire because I forgot to check their expiration dates before I bought them. I have plenty of basic baking material, and basic seasonings + cooking ingredients.

So I'm lactose intolerant and limit my milk intake, and my wife refuses to drink milk. As result, if we buy it, often times most of it goes bad. For things like cereals, I use almond milk. However, for dishes that need milk for cooking is it possible to use Almond Milk? Or is maybe evaporated milk so it can be stored and used when needed?

hello! sorry if my title was a little confusing I’m not from a natively english speaking country, but

I’m 18 and have had to live alone for the past months of my life, I have an okay source of income that allows me to buy the necessary stuff in my life but im very poor when it comes to my food making knowledge, my usual diet includes portions of beef, the occasional instant noodle and alot of shrimp but my food lacks flavour and or just that kick that makes it actually enjoyable

I don’t know what i should be eating or how I should prepare my food I tend to cook everything in soya sauce and garlic powder and other spices but I don’t know what else could be good

SO.

does anyone know any savoury and simple sauce recipes, good ways to prepare food, any other simple recipes or just general good tips for cooking, anything would be appreciated. no allergies!

and I’m sorry in advance if this was a loaded post

Just left a roomateship I had with a girl and left all of our shared cookware like pans pots etc. Taking this as a chance to get my own set!!! I’ve been doing some research and what are our thoughts on cast iron? Where should I buy it? Any other important pieces you recommend?

Every time I try to recreate the famous Mayonnaise recipe which is all over the I internet, all I get is runny mess

I've 3 failed times up to this point, I am too frustrated really

I began suspecting that the container which I got with my hand blender is the problem as it's not a straight container

It has a curved middle part almost oval shape

Can anyone help me out on this problem ? I really want to make mayonnaise from home

The recipe I followed: 1 Large Egg 250-270 Ml of Oil A bit of vinegar Pinch of salt

My main issue with leftovers of all kinds, especially meats and fries and what not, is that microwaving them dries them out so they become so bland.

How can I avoid this and re moistruize different dishes so the left overs aren't dry and closer to when I first cooked them

I saw a yt vid any idea regarding this

I mean do I need to cook it more for the induction method?

I am a little confused Cooking edible

I really enjoy kale and arugula , I usually eat them raw with olive oil/lemon as a salad , however my whole life I’ve purchased a container of either one or the other, had a great lunch that day , and the next day the container smells off to me

i’ve never found any actual rotting leaves or anything mushy so it’s not that , and normally after i wash them (even though it’s a prewashed container) the smell goes away

am i doing something wrong ? is it common for greens like this to go bad this quickly ? and if so why don’t stores sell smaller portions of them ?

Sumac (which is itself part of zaatar) and Aaatar spice blends are popular on the internet right now. However, I'm not familiar with them, as they weren't spices used in my childhood home.

I wonder, how do you use one or the other, or both? I see that some people add them to salads. Another popular dish is dipping bread in olive oil and zaatar. It also seems that you can use them in chicken marinades.

But I'm curious about your personal experience, to understand where you think they work best.

But mostly strips/tenders.

The way i usually do it.

baking pan
Layer of olive oil
Cleaned strips with shake/bake mix
30m cook according to the box.

The result - parts of the bottom of the strip is burnt and unchewable. I can't tell if it was in there too long or if the oil got away from the cooking surface and that caused it to burn. I do have to make an effort to pull the chicken off of the pan.

Am i doing something wrong with the prep? Would it be easier to put down parch paper than oil?

Hello all, currently my oven is broken meaning our stove tops and main oven aren’t working at all, until it gets fixed(and we live in an apartment with landlords that don’t have any sense of urgency so we aren’t sure how long this will take) I’m asking for recipes and advice on how to cook for a beginner!!

Backstory I’ve never been one to cook but I at least used the stove occasionally, but in the last year I’ve had a wedding and experienced the birth of my first child. It’s been a whirlwind but I realized very quickly I need to grow up. That being said now my oven is broken and I need to learn how to cook without it for now to save money on home cooked meals and practice the skills needed to make said meals.

Right now we have a microwave, crockpot/skillet combo 10 in 1 multi-cooker by Drew Barrymore if anyone knows that, a basic air fryer, toaster too. Are there any solid recipes out there that i could live off for the next few weeks depending on how long until my oven is fixed?!

TL:DR - my oven is broken and it might take a few weeks or more to be fixed. What are some recipes/advice for cooking with only a microwave, air fryer and 10 in 1 multicooker for someone with basic cooking skills?!

Thank you in advance!!

i asked here about a year ago how to cook salmon, because my partner loved salmon but i didn't know how to cook anything meat or fish.

i took every suggestion into account and did my best, and i couldn't have done it without y'all. they loved it!!! i've made it a few times since and it still turns out good! (i still do refer back to the comments occasionally to make sure i'm remembering things correctly, lol)

anyway, we're engaged now! i have all of you to thank for helping me up my cooking skills so i can be a good fiance to my beloved, thank you all :] i appreciate everyone who was willing to share their wisdom with a goofball just tryna make a meal for their partner lolol

So I'm prepping a wedding present for a couple newlywed kids I know. I'm basically going to stock their freezer with prepared foods that'll be easy to cook up. I've done this before, but I'm running into a problem that has me second guessing. When I've done this before, they've had small crock pots or instapots, these guys only have a 6 quart pot.

Is there a lower limit to how much can be cooked at once without burning stuff? Like I'll usually just do 2 chicken breasts and a bit of veg and sauce, but those portions are gonna look lonely in the big pot and I'm worried it won't work right.

Should I do three, or four, or more instead?

Is it a safety or quality thing? If it’s quality, I don’t mind - I’d rather throw something in the freezer than chuck it in the bin! Equally, don’t want to make myself sick…

I bought the linked dispenser 6 months ago right when we bought a bag of brown rice and I loved it. Easy to load. Easy to use, kept it in a nook near my fridge

https://www.homedepot.com/p/SPT-1-Piece-26-lb-Capacity-Rice-Dispenser-SC-12A/317134667?g_store=630&source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&fp=ggl

6 months later I checked and the rice became mostly and full of weevils. We dumped the rice and when I was cleaning the thing, I filled it with water and dumped it on its side and noticed how water was flowing through the cracks meaning my keeper was not air tight.

Did my rice go bad because it was airtight or was it because it was old? I want to know as I have no idea if I should clean this and go again OR I need to buy a new dispenser.

I purchased fresh salmon fillet and fresh chicken from the local artisan butcher on Saturday to cook for dinner on Sunday and Monday. Things got delayed and now I'm looking at Monday and Tuesday. I know the FDA says 1-2 days but that seems way too conservative. The butcher prides themselves on super fresh, perfect condition proteins and I've never had a reason to doubt that.

So, that said, which of the salmon or chicken would you do Monday, and which waits until Tuesday, purely from a spoilage perspective. Both being fully cooked. Or does one get trashed because the FDA is correct?

Thanks