/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.8291388]

Hey /ck/ I finally have my own apartment and I quickly came to the realization that I've never had to cook before. I was wondering if I could get some help on how to learn. Honestly I've never done anything more than heat water for soup before. Other than like pots and pans, what sort of kitchen ware should I have? Honestly I don't know the first thing about cooking utensils. And what are some easy meals that I could start with (nothing fancy at all but something that could feed a single guy for dinner). I refuse to eat fast food and frozen tv dinners everyday. I want to learn how to take care of myself in the kitchen. I really do.

[Anonymous No.8291663]

[Anonymous No.8291681]

>>8291663
>measuring utensils in baking and autism
you can get measuring spoons and jugs for a few dollars, there's no reason not to have them

[Anonymous No.8291713]

>>8291388
In decreasing order of importance for pots/pans:
Personally, I would modify the list to this:

- 1 qt. to 1.5 qt straight gauge saucepan, sauteuse evasee or curved sauteuse evasee (Amazon has a 1 qt. All-Clad MasterChef sauteuse evasee -- they call it a saucier -- for 35 bucks)

- 3.5 to 4.5 disk bottom tall saucepan (Bridge Kitchenware has a 4.5 qt. Paderno Grand Gourmet tall saucepan for 78 bucks)

- 11" disk bottom saute pan (Bridge Kitchenware has an 11" Sitram Profisserie saute pan for 68 bucks)

- 11" straight gauge fry pan (Cookware and More has a 10" All-Clad MasterChef fry pan for 60 bucks or a 12" All-Clad MasterChef fry pan for 70 bucks)

- 11" straight gauge nonstick frypan (Amazon has 11" Calphalon Commercial nonstick fry pans in occasional sales as low as 30 bucks)

- 6 qt to 7 qt enameled cast iron casserole (Pans.com has a 6.75 qt Chasseur casserole for 163 bucks)

- 12 qt to 18 qt disk bottom stock pot with pasta insert (Bridge Kitchenware has a 17.7 Sitram profisserie stock pot for 117 bucks)

[Anonymous No.8291729]

>>8291713
Following up:

Absolutely necessary that you get a good knife. Common recommendations are the Victorinox Fibrox Chef's knife, Wustof Classic Chef, Zwilling Pro Chef. If you're feeling a bit weaboo, go for a santoku, which is the glorious nippon version of a chef's knife. There's not that much of a big difference, aside from the angle which you'd grind them at. 20ish degrees for a chef vs 15 for santokus.

Your second knife should be a small utility or pairing knife for more delicate work. And if you eat breads frequently, get a bread knife. Otherwise the chef and pairing is all you really need. Also learn how to properly maintain and store your knives, get a honing steel, and a wood block or knife sleeve. Sharpen once a year by doing it yourself or taking it to a sharpener.

For both knives and pots/pans, it's strongly recommended you do not buy well sets. They are often more expensive per piece and come with a lot of unnecessary "bloat" items.

[Anonymous No.8291741]

>>8291729

Get a wooden cutting board, season with any cooking oil every once in a while to maintain it. A peeler and box grater are wonderful things to have as well. Throw in liquid and solid measuring equipment, some mixing bowls of various sizes, large slotted and non-slotted spoons for stirring, wooden or steel spatula and I'd say you're pretty well equipped.

[Anonymous No.8292132]

Here is a list of what I'd consider the bare minimum to cook. Additional items are nice but probably not necessary since you are just starting out. These items will give you the ability to cook most simple dishes.

Chef's knife
Paring knife
Bread knife (serrated)
Wooden cutting board
Bowls, various sizes
Vegetable peeler
Colander
Large pot
Saucepan
Cast-iron skillet (pref. with a lid)
Salt shaker & pepper mill
Tupperwares to store leftovers
serving spoon, wooden spoon, spatula, tongs
Baking sheet
Baking dish

Learning to cook isn't hard if you look up instructions on Youtube or online. You might also want to get a reference book like the Joy of Cooking. Start with familiarizing yourself with the absolute basics. How to make pasta, rice, potatoes; how to fry an egg; how to make bacon; how to chop an onion; how to make a basic soup; how to fry a pork chop. Figure out what you like to eat and start working from there. Also take note of what produce and meat is inexpensive at your supermarket and plan using that info.


Most healthy meals are based around a protein, a carb and a vegetable side. One freezer-based food you can and should use are frozen vegetables. You can get bags of vegetables that go straight into the microwave and cook via steaming -- an extremely easy and healthy side dish. Doesn't even create any dishes to wash.

A few basic meals to learn how to make -
Tuna salad sandwiches
Bacon, eggs and toast
Pasta with sauce (you can use the kind in a jar but making your own is easy and fun)
Lentil soup (base of carrots, celery, onion, add lentils and chicken broth, cook... simple)
Southern style greens (collards are nice) cooked till tender
Fried pork chops and a green salad
Baked chicken thighs with sweet potatoes (bake both in oven, potatoes take longer)

[Anonymous No.8292158]

>>8292132
I forgot to add that food is best shared with friends. Some of your friends are probably decent at cooking already and they will probably be willing to teach you some recipes and techniques, especially if free food is involved. Wish you luck OP.

[Anonymous No.8294188]

Boiled kale: Boil some water. Throw in raw chopped kale. Once it starts boiling again cook for 20 minutes. Let cool 5-10 minutes. Season to taste.Eat the kale, and water.