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Voyeur
- Joined
- Aug 7, 2021
- Posts
- 2,880
I still feel like I left something important out.It is easy to cook. And you already know how, you just don't think you do.
Start simple. Just boil water. Then figure out how to deal with it safely. Next butter some bread and grate some cheese to put between the slices. Heat the pan lightly. Medium low. Do both sides so the butter gets wet and soaks into the bread evenly. Then up the heat and watch for the bread to toast and melt the cheese. From that learn/remember how the food interacted with the different heat levels.
After that shop for an instant read thermometer. That way as you try various meats you can be sure you have cooked it to a sustained minimum temperature as to kill anything that may harm you. If no thermometer, practice with an egg. You will know when it is done. And if you want to flip it you will get some practice on something delicate.
If you "really" don't know how to cook, I also suggest naked food at first. No salt pepper or anything. Use oil butter and broth as the base for vegetables. When doing meat start with no bones. Chicken, no skin. Watch how the meat cooks. Always start with a dry warm pan. Don't use a lot of heat at first. Ease up to higher temperatures and you will find the effect you want to have on what you are cooking.
Cooking often for one I find it is simplest to steam vegetables. And I prefer to cook on the grill. I enjoy making the different type fires that have a specific heat or duration for what I am trying for. Inside on the stove a wok shaped pan 13" at least 6" to 8" deep with a lid. I found a Korean one that is marble and ceramic surface and I am not sure the light metal. It distributes heat super even. I steam in it with a little basket. And I can cut almost any meat to chunks and create stir fried anything.
Which is your next lesson. What flavors do you like? Soy and terriyaki are easy to find. A little salty.
Once I figured out what Mom did to make stuff I branched out. I only use recipes if I am trying to make something I had and want to see if I can make it or if I am baking. The rest of the time trial and error or combining spices I think I liked. One of the best things I did to learn was use the internet. And now you have chatGPT. Go to the grocery store, preferably an Asian fresh market like Lottie or H-Mart. Each visit experiment with various vegetables you have never seen before. Figure out how to cook them or prepare them in a dish. OR simple things you already like. Cabbage or Brussels sprouts for example. Figure out how to get that hot and still crunchy. Test what kind of peppers you like with them...
I guess what I am trying to say is you obviously know how to eat. You can cook.
Maybe it is the pursuit of texture. Mind that tenderness and juiciness is the goal. Which is why I said start with naked food first. Spice you can use like an amplifier when you have some confidence.



