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[Discussion] I'm finally learning to cook! (slrpnk.net)
submitted 1 week ago* by to c/cooking@lemmy.world
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Well shits to expensive and I'm finally home enough so I'm learning to cook. Turns out when your not being constantly criticized for existing, cooking isn't nearly as terrible! (Trauma made me hate cooking).

So far I've been keeping it very simple. Store bought pasta, store bought sauce, put them together, that kind of thing. I think I'm getting ready to branch out and learn more.

I'd love to hear some things from those of you who know your way around the kitchen. If you have a recipe you love or, a story to tell or, a warning you learned the hard way or, a great website/cookbook/youtube channel or, anything else you feel like sharing.

I'm just here to learn some stuff, hear some stories and get some ideas to try. Thanks for having a fun cooking convo with me!

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[–] 5 points 1 week ago* (3 children)

For many meals I will mix my spices ahead of time and use that throughout.

For example, tonight I made fried chicken. Last night I mixed up some spices and used that with olive oil and vinegar for the marinade. Today I put most of what was left into the flour for the batter, and the rest I sprinkled on top as soon as I pulled it from the fryer.

You can use "better then bouillon" way more often than you think. I mean, I tossed some into my marinade last night. Would you like more chicken flavor in your chicken? Hell yes! Just throw in a tablespoon.

With few exceptions, most of the time when you are adding water, you could add stock instead and get a much better flavor. Chicken, beef, vegetable, seafood, use the right one for the meal.

It's easy to make, but you can totally buy it from the store. If you buy it, buy the one with the highest protein content.

Last thing, MSG. Use it like any spice. It's magic. It's the essence of flavor. It will make almost anything 2 levels better.

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  • [–] [S] 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

    Thank you for this. Solid advice.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 child)

    You're welcome.
    I can't believe I forgot to tell you the first ingredient in every single thing you ever cook!
    Music!
    Put on something that fills you, before you start. Make a playlist over the years that has all the music with that ungh. Anything that gets you in the belly, the booty, the spirit. It'll make your food taste better.

    And since I'm here again, round two:

    Taste throughout. Know what your food tastes like at different times throughout the process. Know what each part tastes like. Recipes are a framework, not finishing work.

    It will not taste the same halfway through. The first few times you may end up adding too much of something when really you should have just waited for the flavor to blossom. But, you'll learn how flavors change depending on your time and temperature, and you'll develop the ability to know an hour ahead of time when something needs to change. It's worth it, even if you don't add things, only taste and learn.

    Fresh ground black pepper, and white pepper are so much better than pre-ground. Buy two grinders, one for each.

    Don't leave your flavor behind! Brown your meat and veg in the same container you will be making your food or a sauce or something in. That gradu, the oil and pieces of carmalized fat left on a pan, are unarguably the best part of your meal. If you don't cook the rest of the meal in that pan, or make a sauce in that pan from those bits, deglaze that pan and pour the liquid into your main pot.

    Cookbooks are mostly shit, but a few are indispensable. Two ones you should certainly own are "Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen" and a copy of "The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine" by John Folse. Even if you don't like Cajun/Creole food (what?!?) you can learn general ideas on how to approach the art of cooking, and change the spices to your liking.

    If those are right up your alley for flavor, grab "Talk About Good (from Lafayette)", "River Road Recipes" (from Baton Rouge), and "Cooking Up a Storm" (from New Orleans).

    Above all else, have fun, be creative, and follow weird ideas to see what happens.

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