r/cookingforbeginners

I’m 17 and never cooked a thing in my life apart from the microwave. Lately I’ve been frying up steak and eggs and it’s sparked something in me. I want to get into it but just not sure where to start. The idea of having lots of different spices for different occasions seems fun and really appeals to me. Where do I start with this?

I feel like scrambled eggs should be the easiest thing in the world but mine always turn out dry and rubbery or somehow still liquid in the middle. No in between. I've watched so many videos and everyone says low and slow with constant stirring but when I try that they just take forever and still end up weird. Is my pan too hot or am I just overthinking this? What's your actual foolproof method for soft creamy eggs that aren't a disaster?

Hey everyone, im 30M. I work 7 days on 7 days off. 80 hours during the work week. Ive always hated the time consuming nature of cooking and plus my food isn't really that good. I do a meal prep the day before the work week where I make my work dinner. That is the only cooking that I do. The rest is fast food. Im stuck in a rut. I dont know what to do and I hope that I can get some advice.

I really want to make chipotle style food. Bowls and burritos, even salsa. I feel like there is enough variety in that to never get tired of it.

There are a ton of recipes online but it's a bit overwhelming trying to figure out which ones to follow. Does anyone have any favorite resources that focus specifically on that style of cooking/flavor profile? Or even just your favorite recipes for things like that?

I've made a lot of authentic Mexican food and even tex mex, but I want to start focusing on that specific style of food.

Asking because i just moved back into my apartment and am looking for new stuff to cook that can last

I finally made my first burgers at home and they tasted good, but I kept cutting into one to check if it was still pink inside. By the time I served them, they were a bit dry. I know people talk about using a thermometer or the touch test, but I don't fully trust myself to guess correctly yet. How do you actually know when a burger is perfectly cooked through without slicing it open and losing all the juices? Do you have a specific temperature you aim for or a trick that helped you learn the feel of a done patty? Also, if you use a thermometer, where do you insert it on a thinner patty? I want to get this right without turning my burgers into hockey pucks.

I was about to make egg salad, but when I cut open the eggs there was a milky white goop in the middle. The rest of the egg was cooked. We got the eggs straight from the coop, rinsed them, and boiled them. Is this safe to eat because I reallyyy have been craving some egg salad. There’s an image in the comments of what it looks like

Hello! So, I love cooking a good omelette for breakfast. Usually, I’d make it with tomatoes and some parmesan cheese. But lately, I’ve been adding some potatoes, so it’s more fulfilling for my rumbling stomach. The thing is, the potatoes always turn out a bit raw.

Any good ol’ tips to cook potatoes properly when coooking an omelette? I’m guessing I’d have to pre-cook them since the egg always cooks way too fast. But what method would be best? And faster as well? Would it be to boil them or steam? Thank you for any input in advance! :)

i tried cooking fried rice like several times now, but still not that great, i only use cooked rice a day ago, scrambled eggs, oyster sauce and soy sauce, with sesame oil... im a totally beginner when doing this, and im pretty sure something im doing is wrong... it might be the seasoning, or salt, or using wrong proportion of soy sauce or something not sure...

i experimented last time with rice, i deep fried lefover rice, and they just kinda popped up and floated on the oil... should i do this when doing fried rice?

please help me

edit: i mentioned deep frying the rice because when i cook fried rice, i noticed they are steaming instead of frying

edit 2: when i add lefover rice to hot pan with some oil, i also add soy sauce and oyster sauce and sesame oil, is this wrong? should i leave them till the end?

So I bought some boneless thighs, I dabbed all the water off with paper towel, then added all seasonings

Garlic, salt, pepper, soy sauce, lemon juice, smoked paprika, olive oil, pepper flakes.

I then rubbed it in, good and proper! And placed in a bag, and in to the fridge for 6 hours...Now I take it out, 30 minutes before to let it get to room temperature, I heat up a pan high heat with olive oil.

I then bring it down to about gas mark 4, and place the thighs in the pan, 8 minutes each side without touching. Both times! End result it looks good....But all I can taste is burn? And barely any flavours...is there something I'm doing wrong?

For the last 15 years, I've been using an air fryer, and the pressure cooker, becauase i just cant seem to cook food, and get flavours any other way.

So from what I did is there something I did wrong?

I’m finding the selection limited to non existent. I’ve found double wall insulated bowls but they are mostly way too large (7” diameter) and the thermoses are all too deep and narrow for dipping.

I suppose you could argue this is sort of a niche thing, but it’s almost impossible to eat white queso quickly enough without it hardening or getting cold. I microwave it 2-3 times per meal

Majority of dishes I've cooked are: rajma, chole (kidney beans and chickpeas curry) , cheese corn sandwich , nachos dip, tofu burji and dahl chawal. I've also tried roti but haven't perfected it.

Not a do it yourself recipe.

Edit / Update: I tried the Just Bare and they were so good and juicy just a little bit small but definitely the most juicy frozen chicken filet that I have tried. I wish they were bigger. And cheaper because they're kind of pricey.

I'm a beginner and I keep running into the same problem. A recipe will say "heat your pan over medium high heat until hot" and then add oil or butter. But I never really know if I've waited long enough. Sometimes I add the oil too early and it doesn't sizzle when I put food in, so things stick or don't brown right. Other times I wait and the oil starts smoking and I panic and throw the food in anyway. I've heard the water drop test works for some pans but not for nonstick, which is what I have. I've also heard you can hold your hand over the pan to feel the heat, but that seems vague and I'm not sure I trust my judgment yet. Is there a more reliable way to tell when a nonstick pan is at the right temperature for sautéing or searing? I'm not looking for professional chef level precision, just something concrete I can look for so I stop hovering and wondering if I should add the chicken or wait another minute. Also, does the right heat level feel different depending on whether I'm using butter versus oil? I've burned butter more times than I want to admit and I'm not sure if the pan was too hot or if I just wasn't paying attention.

Hello! I was wondering if people could suggest meals. I am trying to say around $100 a week for groceries and I am trying to think of high-protein, high-fiber dinners that aren't just... chicken-rice-veggie. I am living on my own for the first time and I am not good at cooking. I just don't really know how to tie a meal together. I don't know what seasoning to use or what veggies enhance a dish etc. I am just struggling to make meals, not just clumps of some food.

Hiya!

I usually use MyFitnessPal. I want to be able to say I threw X amount of pasta, Y amount of sauce, Z amount of meat into a pot and know the deal. Now, the app can tell me the calories of the whole pot, but it wants ME to choose how many servings it is. I like to cook from the heart. I don’t want to know I’m making 4 servings or whatever. I want something that can say “ok you added all these ingredients, you should eat 1 cup of this dish to achieve your macros/calories.” Does anyone know of a feature or app that does that?

TIA

Editing for clarity: I’m not asking how to calculate the calories per serving. I was hoping for a way for an app to suggest, ok based on your daily goals of carbs/fats/calories etc, you should eat X amount of the dish you just cooked. But I have gotten some great suggestions to cheat the calculations so thanks for those ideas!

Hi so i’m a bit of an anxious person when it comes to rice. i have ordered an indian and got egg fried rice with my order but i wont eat it all i plan on saving it in the fridge with the sauce to make a curry for tomorrow but im really nervous about how to store it properly so its safe to eat? any help?