Top Tips for New Cooks
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A Collection of My Favorite Tips, Tricks and Gadgets for New Cooks
Pictured is an easy Creole sauce - the recipe is listed below. Happy Cooking!
Tip #1
Don't overcrowd the pan. Putting too much in a saute pan or a skillet can do two things:
(1) not leave enough room for simmering bubbles, and instead simmers onto the range
(2) doesn't allow meats to be seared correctly or be evenly crispy.
Learning to Cook
Great Articles that Cover the Basics
Norpro Triple Blade Herb Scissors
Check out these articles for tips on basic cooking: everything from choosing the right cut of beef or spices, to learning to peel fresh tomatoes.
- Betty Crocker Cooking Conversions
- Recipes, cooking ideas, baking tips, and more from Betty Crocker.com
- Martha Stewart's Cooking 101
- Learn cooking recipes, cooking tips, cooking basics and lessons for cooking salmon, cooking steak, cooking pork, cooking prime ribs, cooking crab, cooking mushrooms, and more at Martha Stewart
- Spice It Up! - InfoBarrel
- Choosing the right herbs and spices to add when cooking can make all the difference to the success of the dishes you create. Here's a look at the basic spices that are used in different types of cooking such as Italian or Chinese.
- How to Peel and Seed Fresh Tomatoes - Former Chef
- A simple and quick method for easy peeling of fresh tomatoes.
- Avoiding Common Kitchen Disasters
- Exploding microwaves, pots boiling over, smoke billowing from an oven... these scenes are all funny in a movie, but rarely when it's happening to you in your kitchen. Here's a few tips to help you avoid common kitchen disasters:
Tip #2
Read the ENTIRE recipe before you start. It sounds like a no-brainer, but we've probably all skimmed through the recipe then found out in the middle of cooking or baking that we'd either missed a crucial step or a crucial ingredient.
Cookbooks and DVDs for New Cooks
it's a great "all-in-one" reference cookbook.
Here are some other good suggestions as well:
Tip #3
Taste as you go. This is really an important tip for sauces, stews and soups. Oversalting is one of the most common errors made with novice cooks.
Easy Recipes to Try
- Double Chocolate Diamonds
- A great dessert or cookie recipe for chocolate lovers
- Skillet Garlic Meatball Dinner
- Skillet Garlic Meatball Dinner - Quick Dinner in a skillet...Yummy with the garlic
- Chicken Fajita Tostadas Recipe | Food | Disney Family.com
- The kick of fajitas with the crunch of a taco combine in these tostadas. Get the recipe at Family Disney.com.
- Ham Roll Up Recipe
- A family favorite, our ham roll up recipe makes its way to our table every holiday or gathering.
- Easy Vegetarian Apricot Breakfast Muffins
- Light muffins made with Splenda
- Creole Sauce Recipe : Emeril Lagasse : Food Network
- Food Network invites you to try this Creole Sauce recipe from Emeril Lagasse.
- Crock Pot Chicken W Black Beans And Cream Cheese
- An easy crock pot recipe that is sure to please the whole family.
- How to Grill Chicken Breasts
- Grilling chicken is fairly easy to master. The marinades and spices are what make it so adaptable to most any type of cuisine.
- Easy Cheesy Pierogi Recipe
- This recipe for homemade pierogi steps you through from making your own pierogi dough to making the filling you need inside them.
- Soups Anyone?
- A collection of soups that are great year round.
Tip #4
Get familiar with your kitchen appliances. Not every range adjusts at the same speed, and there can be a big difference between gas flame and electric heating coils on stoves. The same is true for ovens. Once you've used it for awhile you'll know if you can indeed trust that the setting for 350 degrees is indeed 350 degrees heat-wise.
Cooking and Baking Essentials
Pyrex 12-Piece Glass Bake Serve ?N Store Set
Tip #5
Keep it simple in the beginning. If you're new to cooking, now is not the time to attempt an elaborate dinner meal menu. As you become more familiar with basic cooking techniques, spices and other ingredients, you'll gain self confidence. In the mean time, if you do want to create a special dinner party, look for easy recipes and get complicated or extravagant on your table decor and presentation.
How to Cook Videos
Tip #6
Assemble your ingredients, measuring cups and kitchen utensils needed before you start cooking or baking. It'll make the entire process easier to get through each step of the recipe if you can quickly find for instance, the correct measuring scoop, whisk or suitable bowl.
Check out these other Squidoo cooking lenses
They've been picked especially for new or novice cooks.
The Joy of Cooking
"Noncooks think it's silly
to invest two hours' work
in two minutes' enjoyment;
but if cooking is evanescent,
so is the ballet."
- Julia Child
Kids Love to Cook Too!
Don't Forget Your Apron!
New Cooks Guestbook
Thanks for viewing! Please share your comments and favorite cooking tips.
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MaggiePowell
May 14, 2012 @ 11:24 pm | delete
- Great tips and ideas... can't tell you often I've gotten to mid-recipe and realized I'd missed something vital...
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poutine
May 13, 2012 @ 2:02 pm | delete
- Also added your lens to "Soup Anyone" lens under explored related lenses.
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Upon-Request May 15, 2012 @ 10:11 am | delete
- Much appreciated :)
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poutine
May 13, 2012 @ 2:00 pm | delete
- Pinned it under Cooking for beginners
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Stella @
Mar 14, 2012 @ 11:04 am | delete
- Love the tip on not overcrowding pan.
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teristazko
Mar 2, 2012 @ 12:15 am | delete
- great new cooks lens!
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DeannaDiaz
Feb 23, 2012 @ 12:39 pm | delete
- Fantastic collection of practical tips for new cooks! This lens is a great resource!
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AndyPo
Feb 6, 2012 @ 5:18 pm | delete
- Excellent tips. I've been cooking for years, but these tips are still great advice.
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sheezie77
Jan 18, 2012 @ 1:00 pm | delete
- Amazing lens thank you for posting!
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karmicchristian
Jan 13, 2012 @ 12:51 pm | delete
- I love cooking and this helps me to keep reminded about the basics! Well done with the right amount of salt! :)
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kathysart
Jan 12, 2012 @ 11:16 am | delete
- This is so great.. for young and old alike.. sometimes we get rusty. Blessed lens.
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Electronica
Jan 7, 2012 @ 1:53 pm | delete
- Fantastic tips! I'm not a new cook, but I'm not a great cook either, so this is helpful.
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JoshK47
Jan 6, 2012 @ 11:51 am | delete
- Wonderful work here - definitely good tips for people just starting off in the kitchen!
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GramaBarb
Jan 4, 2012 @ 11:14 pm | delete
- Thank you so much for adding my binder! So kind of you.
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Jewelsofawe Jan 4, 2012 @ 7:49 pm | delete
- Cool tips! Great helpful lens! Blessed!
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