"Cooking for Dummies"

[AnnaRaven]

HAHA I love reading about the experiments - successful and not so much so. I do remember as a kid I had a "Mickey Mouse" cook book - I thought it was boring so I added stuff

I really like to grill! Anytime I am somewhere having steaks they have me do them. I spent 2 weeks in Australia and learned to love the "barbie" - eggs, steak, tomatoes ... yum!

Another cool link, thanks AR!

My friend LOVES to cook and she is a master experimenter. She made a sweet pepper sauce and has no idea how she did it - but it was amazing on stuffed chicken breasts (that she...browned? sautee'd? cooked! - in a Cabernet and also some orange mango homemade soda!

She said she would love to teach me to cook, but she doesn't use recipes, so I would have to write stuff down as we go and then decide later if it was good or not

Ok - so, scratching the kitchenaid for now and listing:

good knives - paring, boning, butcher?
cast iron skillet - a big deep one and a smaller one?
a bigger sauce pan
various herbs

A good chef's knife like this traditional European style or this Santoku style

Personally, I prefer the European style, but people vary. GO somewhere you can try them out. They don't have to be expensive, just the right shape and decently sharpenable.

 

[abifae]

A good chef's knife like this traditional European style or this Santoku style

Personally, I prefer the European style, but people vary. GO somewhere you can try them out. They don't have to be expensive, just the right shape and decently sharpenable.

I have that Henckel. I LOVE my Henckels.

This is knife sharpening weekend. Throw on a movie, get out the whetstone and do all the knives. I have a cheap set, a good set, and my mom's only knife. It'll be fun!

Really the type of knife you prefer depends on your hand shape/size and your cutting style. Definitely play with them in the store and see what feels right to you!

 

[AnnaRaven]

A good chef's knife like this traditional European style or this Santoku style

Personally, I prefer the European style, but people vary. GO somewhere you can try them out. They don't have to be expensive, just the right shape and decently sharpenable.

I have that Henckel. I LOVE my Henckels.

This is knife sharpening weekend. Throw on a movie, get out the whetstone and do all the knives. I have a cheap set, a good set, and my mom's only knife. It'll be fun!

Really the type of knife you prefer depends on your hand shape/size and your cutting style. Definitely play with them in the store and see what feels right to you!

Actually, my favorite way is to attend a cooking class at Sur la Table or something like that where you get a chance to play with the knives in real life, before you decide.

 

[AL]

Ok so I'll put "play with knives" in my to do list for later on

I bought a 10in cast iron skillet today. My mom said it is a good heavy one. I have started my "cooking collection"

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Ok so I'll put "play with knives" in my to do list for later on

I bought a 10in cast iron skillet today. My mom said it is a good heavy one. I have started my "cooking collection"

to the cast iron skillet!! You will not be sorry. I have some real old cast iron skillets,....they have seen many years of cooking. Good investment! Make sure to season it good,..

 

[Wannabefree]

on the cast iron!!! I sure hope ya like it because ya can't kill it

 

[AL]

So .... ummm....
to "season" a cast iron skillet...? I know you don't wash them with soap.... other than that
the box says it IS seasoned?

 

[big brown horse]

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4305

I season with bacon grease now. The manufacturers idea of "seasoning" is bonk. Put that puppy in your oven and set it to clean. When it is all cooled, slather it in bacon grease and put back into a 350 degree oven, for an hour or so. Cook with it. Clean it*. Repeat last three directions.

*To clean use a dry rag while it is still warm-hot. Hard spots, you can use some salt as well as a rag to "scrub" the spot off. I cheat now and just put it back on the hot stove for 5 minutes after bacon grease is slathered on it and then dabbed off.

(I only put it in the oven on clean cycle if it is brand new or if I get one at a thrift shop. After the first initial cleaning job I don't do it ever again.)

 

[big brown horse]

Oh, and AL, I learned a ton from Paul Wheaton's video.

http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=4601

Now I can make scrambled eggs and coconut pancakes w/o sticking.

 

[AL]

Cast iron pan is seasoned with big ol' thick slabs of bacon made for a BLT YUM!!!

I bought a knife with about 5" blade, some measuring cups / spoons.

I found some OLD cookbooks my mom has had forever and we are going through those as well as her old recipes. I think my first real adventure into cooking is going to be "3 cheese stuffed chicken breast" and adding bacon