Learning to cook

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RaddyKovac
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Learning to cook

Post by RaddyKovac »

Cooking lessons seem to be crazy expensive, whilst entry level positions or apprenticeships with college etc are ridiculously poorly paid.

Anybody learnt to cook to a pro standard, via either traditional or different routes?

Also, out of interest, if you could learn one cuisine inside out, what would it be (or what was it?!).
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Greatest Cockney Rip Off »

YouTube mate. There's some really talented people on there at the moment and there's some great recipes done PROPERLY. I wouldn't pay for lessons as there really is no need. Just pick a style of cuisine that you're interested in and pick out the best chefs and go with what they say. During lockdown I subscribed to quite a few channels and am now way ahead with my cooking skills than I used to be.

Three channels that I'd recommend are:

Italian
https://www.youtube.com/@vincenzosplate

Turkish
https://www.youtube.com/@Refika

Everything in-between
https://www.youtube.com/@ChefJeanPierre
RaddyKovac
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by RaddyKovac »

Nice one mate. Are they in an order e.g. building on your skills from prev eps?
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Clacton-ammer
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Clacton-ammer »

Tablet in the kitchen, learn as you go with youtube as GCRO says, you will make some cracking dishes and some dishes your dog wouldn't eat, it's how I learnt to cook and still have the tablet on sometimes when I go for something new.

Good luck, and when you start to "really" cook it is incredibly rewarding :newthumb:
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Greatest Cockney Rip Off »

RaddyKovac wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 12:26 am Nice one mate. Are they in an order e.g. building on your skills from prev eps?
I'd say go with the easy dishes first. Like German beer, Italian food is surprisingly simple in terms of ingredients. Here's one for you that'll be a real surprise. Bolognese is a dish everything thinks they make perfectly when the truth is, they really don't. Follow this one and you'll never make it any other way and believe me, everyone will love it, even my fussiest of eaters family still ask me to make this for them regularly. My missus reckons it's the best she's ever tasted. A lot of myths are busted in this one too (here's a hint, never use Spaghetti!):

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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Greatest Cockney Rip Off »

Here's another even easier one. Spaghetti Carbonara. This is the absolute correct way to make it, pay not attention to Marco Pierre ***** or Gordon Ramsey, there's NO peas and NO cream in a real Carbonara:

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Jennings
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Jennings »

Thanks for sharing that GCRO, I'm definitely going to try that, it looks amazing. And not a grain of sugar in sight, huzzah!

My uncle owned & ran a highly renowned Italian restaurant in Highgate back in the day & he gave me a bit of advice on making great food that I've never forgotten. "Always start with the very best ingredients you can afford. Buy fresh & buy quality." His point was that it's really hard to end up with an outstanding dish if you start with poor quality ingredients.

I've never forgotten that, so food and food ingredients aren't something I skimp on.

Something that works for me is that I make my own bone broth & use that as a base for stock rather than use shop bought stuff. I boil up pig's trotters and beef marrow bones from grass fed cattle along with half a dozen chicken feet. Add a cinnamon stick, a star anise along with carrots & celery & it makes the base for some cracking soups and meat dishes.

If I could crack a specific cuisine, I reckon it would be French. I've never eaten so well as when I've been in France. Yum yum pig's bum.

Happy cooking Raddy, I hope to see you on master chef one day.
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by prophet:marginal »

Always use a sharp knife.

I sharpen ours regularly.
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Dover KUMB fan »

Subscribing to something like Gusto can give you the confidence to start cooking & following recipes. Before you know it you will start deviating, adding your own twists etc. Its a good starting point
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by jevs »

When my daughter was little (she's 24 now) my ex wife got a job working from 2pm to 10pm which meant I was playing mum.....and that included doing dinners. Decided that I didn't want to feed her chicken nuggets and chips every day (or any other processed freezer crap). So i decided to learn to cook.

I watched every cookery program under the sun but loved Ready Steady Cook. So I started by getting some store cupboard essentials. Herbs and spices in jars, sauces (soy, teriyaki, worcester, sweet chilli etc) Lemon and lime juice, plus tins of food....peas, sweetcorn, fruit, packets and sachets of things such as cooked rice, different pasta, curry pastes (including Thai) garlic and ginger pastes, tomato pasata and and a tube of tomato puree and maybe a selection of oils.

I've never been a big fan of following recipes. I'd much rather know the basics and then tweak them to my taste.....eg the bolognaise recipe above has no garlic which would be one of the first things on my list. Don't be frightened to experiment a bit....again, use the bolognaise sauce but maybe add a tin of baked beans/kidney beans/both, a good dash of worcester sauce or some chilli....do what ever you like to eat and enjoy.

There are so many little hints and tips online. One thing I would say is when you're cooking, constantly taste for seasoning, chilli heat, sweetness and/or flavour and adjust accordingly. You'll have disasters....there's been a few times the dinner has gone in the bin and we've had toast but learn from it and work out where you went wrong.

If I could master any cuisine, it would either be Indian or South East Asian.

Good luck
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by fjthegrey »

jevs wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:59 pm Don't be frightened to experiment a bit....again, use the bolognaise sauce but maybe add a tin of baked beans
Yeah, my advice would be DON'T do this.
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Hummer_I_mean_Hammer »

fjthegrey wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 4:22 pm Yeah, my advice would be DON'T do this.
can of tuna?
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by vietnammer »

Think I leared to cook for other people in me late 20's, before that I was strictly 'student food'. Thing is I've regressed to that while the missus is away so I don't mind plastic noodles/spaghetti with a can of tuna or pilchards stirred into it. The older I've got, the less I can be bothered to cook. Can still turn out an edible Sunday Roast though, unless it's beef, which I have always turned into old boots.

PS: To link to another thread, my Mum was a superb cook and rightly proud of it
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pablo jaye
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by pablo jaye »

Jennings is right about getting good ingredients - had some eggs from a local farm, woodland mushrooms on sourdough bread for tea tonight. Not very difficult to do at all, but dead tasty.

I’ve always found that practice does help with cooking - if I am cooking something new, I’ll follow the recipe a couple of times and then go by memory.

Maybe also put on some music whilst you cook - might help relax and enjoy it.
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Mullhull »

Greatest Cockney Rip Off wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:13 am My missus reckons it's the best she's ever tasted. A lot of myths are busted in this one too (here's a hint, never use Spaghetti!)
You spend 5 hours making Spag bol?

I use Penne

Garlic, 5% Angus Beef, Frylight (missus on slimming world), Courgette, Celery, Onions, Tinned Chopped Tomatoes, Worcester Sauce, Passata and Italian Herbs and mine comes out really good unless people are telling me lies.

In fact I just ate it a minute ago! Topped off with some reduced fat cheddar! The only thing I'd change is Pork/Beef mince combo.

I learned to cook 6 years ago after taking redundancy and now I make all the midweek meals. My favourite being Chicken Ramen. It's very simple and you don't need to cook the broth for hours. I make the broth myself as well but not in the traditional way.

As I said before my wife is on Slimming World so I bought some books like Pinch of Nom and Slimming Eats but most of the time I'll google recipes and adapt them
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Greatest Cockney Rip Off »

jevs wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:59 pm use the bolognaise sauce but maybe add a tin of baked beans
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Greatest Cockney Rip Off »

Mullhull wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 7:05 pm You spend 5 hours making Spag bol?
Oh yes, it makes so much more difference to the meat. I wouldn't even entertain the idea of doing a bolognese for less than three and a half hours, it just doesn't taste the same. Five hours seems just about right although at a push you can get away with four.
I use Penne
Yep, that's perfectly acceptable, as is Rigatoni, Spahgatoni and Tagliatelle. Egg pasta is best IMO.
Garlic, 5% Angus Beef, Frylight (missus on slimming world), Courgette, Celery, Onions, Tinned Chopped Tomatoes, Worcester Sauce, Passata and Italian Herbs and mine comes out really good unless people are telling me lies.
Honestly, it doesn't need garlic, Worcester sauce or any herbs whatsoever if you do it the Italian way, just onion, carrot, celery, beef/pork mix, chopped tomatoes, pasata, tomato pruee and some milk or cream at the end
In fact I just ate it a minute ago! Topped off with some reduced fat cheddar! The only thing I'd change is Pork/Beef mince combo.
Try some freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (that's parmasan to you and me), it's so much better than cheddar on it.
Last edited by Greatest Cockney Rip Off on Mon Mar 20, 2023 10:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
RaddyKovac
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by RaddyKovac »

I probably should have specified my current level.

Repertoire includes a good steak, Lancashire hotpot, good roast (inc homemade Yorkshire pudding), pork and cider hotpot etc, some nice curries including milder coconut chicken ones and spicier garlic and ginger-forward lamb dishes. I know what real carbonara is (but still add mushrooms - but not cream!).

I also know the original Bolognese recipe has very little in terms of herbs beyond salt, pepper and bay leaf, and that it's meant to be beef and pork or veal, not just beef, and that it's meant to be white wine - but I don't mind deviating from that as I think the simple recipe is more relevant if you're in Italy hand-making your own pasta with access to high quality beef/pork/veal/guincale etc, San Marzano tomatoes, pecorino or Grana Padano. With our inferior supermarket ingredients some garlic, oregano etc doesn't go amiss.

But my knife skills are dreadful. I have no baking / pastry exp and follow my nose a lot.
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by Metal Hammer »

Must admit I tend to let the missus do most of the cooking as she is good at it. I'm too disorganised and will often suddenly realise I should've put something on 5-10 minutes ago so I'm normally only trusted with the BBQ :grin:
RaddyKovac
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Re: Learning to cook

Post by RaddyKovac »

BBQ is a big blind spot for me, funnily enough!

But then in my 10 years with the missus, I spent most of it as the main cook, as I quite enjoyed it and she hates it. It stresses her out and she's like the Tasmanian Devil in the kitchen whereas I can do a full roast and you wouldn't even know I'd been cooking as I wash up as I go.
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