[crystallizedtear]

(sorry if this kind of topic has already been posted!)
Ok, so I love anything creative, and cooking seems like an awesome creative way to make healthy meals instead of drowning myself in fast food that tastes good (but is essentially really bad for my health)
Also I would love to be able to cook for my parents one day, they've been cooking for me for 18 years already! It's pathetic of me to let this keep going on without at least trying to learn how to cook...lol.
I know my parents could probably teach me (they've already did a bit but I totally forgot since I never cook)

...but I kind of want to learn how to cook privately so that one day I can surprise them with a meal made by me, and they can say,
"Woah, when'd you learn how to cook?"
And also I'd love to be able to have fun doing it too.
And not eat my own food and say "Ew, this tastes bad." (yup this happened before )

So I just wondered, how did you guys begin learning how to cook?? Any beginner recipes that could help? (preferably asian food please, lol.)

Thank you!!!

[viedeluxe]

How about ddukbokki? It's something not too small and not too big. I make it sometimes and when I do, my parents really like it. You can probably find a ddukbokki recipe wandering around here somewhere.

[crystallizedtear]

How about ddukbokki? It's something not too small and not too big. I make it sometimes and when I do, my parents really like it. You can probably find a ddukbokki recipe wandering around here somewhere.

lol I'm not korean...so I don't even know what ddukbokki is Thanks for the help though! (ps I'm chinese)

[Carmen.]

Definitely try borrowing some Asian cookbooks from the library.
Then try out their recipe like in a more simplified way.

For example, if they add like a lot of spices and seasonings, and you don't really like it, just try putting what you like and stuff.

Like, just take a recipe from a book and make it your own to your own tasting and stuff!

And fried rice is really easy to make.
It's just cooked rice thrown into a wok and you put in a little bit of whatever you want.
Ham, egg, sausage, whatever you're into.
Then toss it altogether and serve.

[h0meb0y]

why don't you make some pad thai noodles or korean japchae?

stir fry is the easiest.

[nobody knows]

I find baking the easiest because you can take your time, and as you cook, you learn to manage time better and go faster

learning how to properly fry eggs teaches you how to flip the food to get all of it well cooked






or... watching the food channel?

[loversixteen]

how about frying an egg?? for me as a beginner, I did that.. and now I can cook instant noodles, without a microwave

[byuntae]

nahhh.. stay away from cookbooks. just watch the food network and start experimenting with stuff, that's how i learned at least

[-aimeex]

I agree stir fry is the easiest.

The first thing I ever cooked was scrambled eggs.

[Azngel]

i kinda learned cooking just by watching my parents cook so by the time i started cooking, i already knew a lot of the tricks and techniques that they use in chinese cooking. you can offer to help out in the kitchen when your parents cook and just secretly take note of what they do.

i think the first chinese dishs i learned to make were spicy tofu, bok choy and soups. stir fry vegetables are quite easy.

[boodice]

well since you dont have your own kitchen it is best to check with your parents before you cook anything big

instant mee and boilked eggs is good to start with
then you can try impressing your parents with easy dishes like spag bol
depending where your mum is from helping her cook chicken curry is always educational

most of the stuff you learn starts small and from your mum.

later when u get your own ktichen it will be easier for you to impress (and make mistakes)
its hard to experiment and learn unless you have your own kitchen or your parents are enthusiastic cooks and want to let you learn too

[kongo89]

Start with VERY simple things, cooking is harder than it looks, so overestimating your abilities will usually hurt you in the end.
Start by microwaving, if you can AT LEAST set the time right and cook something to the right time, you can move onto DIRECT heat.
For direct heat, try small, easy, two-three step meals; like ramen or scrambled eggs. Once you have that down and feel comfortable moving onto more ingredients andsteps, go for fried rice or a simple stir fry (Five ingredients or less). From that, just keep adding more ingredients and learn the cooking times for each product you add in. It'll just get easier from that point on, and let your logical thinking guide you. Pretty soon you'll be making full meals all by yourself (I.e., Fried potstickers for appetizers, fried rice and stir-fry on the side, broiled sweet'n'sour chicken and low-mein noodles for main dish, and chocolate cake or dessert) !

[broken.wings]

Maybe you can start with easy stuff like fried rice, dumplings, or stir fry. You'll just get better as you cook more.

[hae mee]

The way I started was just finding simple recipes online and doesn't require alot or expensive ingredients so if I did mess up, I wouldn't be so pissed that I spent a buttload of money for nothing haha

I usually test out this recipes on my boyfriend because he is brutally honest despite how much he cares about me haha Then I would get progressively more difficult recipes and go from there. Not everything will turn out great so don't get discouraged.

[natt2828]

u know what's the easiest way to cook?
learn hot to cook simple stuff lik eggs then put some noodles
and put some soy sauce, a little bit of this.. a little bit of that
whatever flavour u like and that's it. (:
i learned how to cook that way, now i'm a pro HAHA (:

[emceej]

i'm not a cook but im a baker
well i lerned how to cook by watching my mom and she teaches me
start with simple things like cooking an egg. when you know how to cook an egg, then try more complex foods like dumplings, egg rolls or things that you like to eat (:

[Antz]

follow recipes, and watch some shows. also, experiment. that's what i do.
i usually make things like from pasta or rice. and then i mix things in.

[x0ny]

trial and error.

pick up On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. It's a good read if you're interested in cooking

[forever.young]

i'm not a cook either.

this thread is good for motivation