When I first started cooking...the biggest successes were soup. Easy but can pack big flavor.

Eggs can be easy to prepare. And they can be different every single time. Omlettes, scrambled, boiled .... The supermarket can be a fascinating place for the novice and also for those pressed for time. Having frozen veggies in your freezer means you can steam and have them, or put them in a soup, or in a curry [heated from a pre-packaged bottle], or in a salad, or thrown in with rice in the cooker. Oil, butter, salt, sugar and pepper are the mighty five. You will be surprised how many ingredients taste fantastic just by the use of salt, sugar or pepper.

Keep it simple, food tastes better raw[except meat of course!], half-cooked, steamed, roasted ... instead of lengthy and elaborate preparations :)

Depending on learning style, finding a junior-mentor could be one approach in acquiring basic kitchen skills. In '93 I had a Peace-Corp friend in Russia... he was similarly limited in the kitchen and the market situation was an added stress... I said he could come over and eat as often as he liked as long as he came over a couple of hours before he hoped to eat and help and/or watch... The day I left Russia he came over with all the ingredients prepped for an omelet breakfast... I was impressed by his new skills, really enjoyed that "Last Breakfast" and discovered kitchens do make for the best parties and friends!

Just have olive oil, salt and pepper and you're set. Sprinkle on vegetables, fish, steak, anything... then put it in the oven (have to experiment or look up how long for each thing) but that's it! Good luck!

watch the food network (or any cooking show that interests you). Pick one host that you like & watch his/her show on a regular basis. By picking one host, you'll get to know their style/terminology quicker. After a while, you'll understand what they're talking about & feel adventurous enough to try a recipe or two. (the network or show will probably also have their own website where you can get additional recipes & tips).

Good luck!

I agree, we who find cooking comes naturally take so much for granted. Sometime ago I posted a recipe for pitta bread on my blog. Recently I was contacted by a young teenager in Asia who wanted to make them. For the past week she has emailed me every day with a different question on the process. It really has made me realise there are people out there who require very detailed instructions. When the instructions say "pull off a piece of dough and flatten out" I know what it means but some people want to know "how big a piece, how flat " Making pitta bread is probably ambitious for a young person starting out but I admire her willingness to try

http://www.cookingforengineers.com is a site with step by step photos and instructions that seem to be geared more toward the male thinking process.

Also his country gave us the queen of basic cookery, Delia Smith. I can't believe that her books and tv programmes haven't been of any assistance to him.

Really, it sounds like he needs someone to teach him how to do a shop and how to make basic things. He should look for some cookery classes in his area.

Join a cooking class. Not only will you learn to cook, but will also meet people

Just mess about. The best food comes from not thinking. The way i taught myself how to cook was:

"ok what do i like - chicken.... okay what goes with chicken?"

If you burn it, you burn it!

Cooking classes are so much fun too. Meet people, burn things with them. I remember my friend tried to make popcorn in a saucepan in cooking class one day. Even now it still makes me laugh.

Food is fun, even when its terrible.

pepper is your friend :D

When I started cooking, my adventures were often funded by my parents and I frequently tried to cook meals that were a little more than I could handle - at least, in time to have dinner on the table at 6:30pm. In fact, one of the first meals I ever cooked was duck a l'orange, complete with whole roast duck and a home-made orange sauce. Still, I found myself merely following recipes often found online, which I didn't find particularly difficult to read, though I did have some basic sense of what went on in a kitchen.

A few years later was when I really began to grow as an "at home" chef. For me, I try to cook things I like or that I think I would like. I suggest picking a simple dish (or two) that you like and trying prepare it. While B.B. laments about pasta, that was one of the first places I started. If you have ground beef in tomato sauce, try Italian sausage to do something new. If tomato sauce bores you, try a store-bought pesto.

Try simple meals with simple flavors. This requires some creativity on the cook's part, but I find that browsing through cookbooks can help with the inspiration, even if you never read an entire recipe.

Though Heidi is a vegetarian (I think?!) and may not agree with me here, I think that a great place to start with cooking is chicken breast. It is easy to cook and easy to season. For cooking, my rules of thumb have always been that it should feel firmer than when it was raw and, if you must cut it to check, there shouldn't be any pink. I think that after B.B. cooks a few chicken breasts, he'll get the feeling for when it is done. The seasoning is where the creativity and imagination of the budding "at home" chef can really blossom. Do you like pineapples? Get some pineapple juice and marinade (i.e., soak) the breast in it overnight (no metal containers). Not quite the flavor? Try adding some soy sauce, garlic, or ginger. Going a different way, try some Worcestershire sauce and sesame oil. At this point, the flavor you will taste is entirely dependent on your imagination.

I am also a fan of the incredibly generic "stir fry." Pick a few green-ish vegetables you like (e.g., broccoli, greenbeans, onions, asparagus) and toss them in a hot skillet with some oil. Be careful and add some liquid (maybe water, maybe soy sauce, maybe pineapple juice) and cover until they start to appear more cooked. Toss in some chicken that you cooked in a previous pan and you have a meal! Just try to plan complimentary flavors.

So, while this reply is much longer than expected, this is very much how my love of cooking got started. I am rather inexperienced when compared to many, but I think I have learned a couple things: cook foods you enjoy or expect to enjoy and start simple and later add layers of complexity.

Guess we all have to start somewhere and I started a long time ago; but for a 'novice' a good very basic book is the "Joy of Cooking". It won't be long before he has moved way beyond 'tv dinners'!

I'm with Pat. Joy Of Cooking is great. get an older used copy if you can, pre-1997 (the 1997 revamp wasn't so good IMHO)

remember that you can do this!

I second the Cooking for Engineers recommendation as well as the Food Network... especially Alton Brown. He breaks down in detail how to make even "simple" foods like pancakes. If you don't get the Food Network, their website is also a great resource with instructions, videos and recipes: http://www.foodtv.com.

The first cookbook that really inspired me to learn to cook was How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I think it's a great choice for beginners.

Dear Englishman,

My blog is a place where I have been putting my recipes mainly so that I can access them from anywhere - but also for my friends. I have a lovely cousin Bill, and I am encouraging him to cook, so all the easy recipes on my site that are tagged "For Bill" are easy and especially marked for a beginning cook.

Since you live in England, you can watch Nigel Slater and Delia Smith on television, and I would recommend you find out when they are on and check them out.

You should also go to the bookstore and look at the following books (after Heidi's):

Delia Smith's Complete Cookery Course Volumes 1 - 3 in 1 Volume. This is the basic cookbook for every British kitchen. It might look a little intimidating, but it is the English "Joy of Cooking" and should be in the kitchen of every Englishman (woman) who wants to, needs to, learn to cook. I would suggest you get this book for sure and then ONE of the following:

Nigel Slater's Real Food (NOT Real Fast Food). This is a book about the food you really want to eat, not fancy restaurant-chef kind of food. In other words, real food.

Nigella Lawson's How to Eat. It's fun to read and easy to follow if you pick the right stuff. And you can keep reading, and cooking, and eating.

Neil Perry's The Food I Love. This book I don't own (but I'll probably order it now). I have seen it here in Barnes & Noble in the States, and it looks like a good book for a beginner and judging from the comments on the Amazon.co.uk site a lot of people who use the book feel that way so I think it is especially worth checking out.

There is also a Jamie Oliver book that I have never seen over here - My Guide to Making You a Better Cook, so I can't recommend it except to say it might be worth looking at. It is supposed to be a book for people who are learning to cook, so while you're poking about the bookstore, check it out too.

Having said all that, reading the comments on Amazon about any cookbook you want to buy gives you some insight into who is profitably using the book - and sometimes tips on what recipes are particularly good and easy.

Also, never forget B4D (breakfast for dinner).

Good luck and happy eating. You might be in for quite a lovely adventure. I hope so.

Sincerely,

Victoria

More often than not, you don't even need to do much more than be creative with pre-made or pre-boxed stuff. One of my favorite quick fix things to make is nothing more than Rice-a-Roni with bits of cooked chicken.

All you need to do is cook the chicken in some olive oil or butter or whatever you liek until it's lightly brown, then set it aside in a bowl. Then proceed to follow the box directions, and once you get to where you simmer the Roni, add the chicken back in. It may not be restaurant quality stuff, but it's still really good.

I also do a similar dish with boxed vegetable soup mix (same direction as for the Rice-a-Roni, really).

Just be creative. Just because you "can't cook," doesn't mean you can't be creative with what you have available. Eventually you'll become confident enough to try more complicated dishes.

I would also recommend watching Alton Brown's show on the Food Network. He has a cookbook out called "I'm Just Here For The Food" and although I have not yet read it, from the reviews on Amazon.com, it is apparently appropriate for the novice cook. It "won the 2002 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Cookbook in the Reference category, was one of the bestselling cookbooks of 2002 and has sold over 300,000 copies to date. It was also chosen by Amazon.com as one of the top 50 books of 2002 by both editors and readers". The quote is from the Food Network site.

I have always found Mr. Brown to be informative with regards to not only the origins of the food in question, but explains things in a fashion that even my "uncook", as my husband calls himself, feels able to make the day's highlighted food.

Good luck and along with the other folks who commented, I foresee an interesting future as well as a possible new hobby to enjoy!

You might need some enthusiasm but the advice I have given to friends who wanted to expand their skills was to start one spice at a time.

Don't buy lots of ingredients you know nothing about and try to learn to use them all. By one item and keep using it in different ways until you learn where you like it and where you don't, how much you like/don't. Even 'simple' items like salt and pepper - start with them, get to know them, and then add one more.

It is also a way to build your kitchen without blowing your money on lots of items all at once.

I would agree with Victoria - Delia's latest 'How to Cook' series comes the closest to really detailed step-by-step instructions. Unfortunately, there is no Food Network in the UK, and Joy of Cooking is hard to find here.

The other advice I would have is to taste everything all the time. Too few home cooks do this, expecting it to all be OK in the end. Taste as you go, even if it's just to understand what it tastes like at that stage of the recipe. Taste a rare steak, a medium one and a well done one - keep putting it back into the pan until it's done the way yo like it. Developing a good palate will make it so much easier to just throw some things in a pan - you can taste and adjust things to the way you like later on.

The cookbook I started with was the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. The front & back flaps have handy info that includes a basic pantry list to help you with the start up grocery shopping. The sections are easy to follow: meat, vegetables, soups, ect. In the front of each section is a basic overview for chopping, cutting, preping, cooking methods, tempatures, and times. In editions 1995 to present there are recipies marked "easy." They take minimal ingredients, and very few steps. It makes it almost painless. Almost.
Soups, stews, and chilis are a good place to start. It usually involves throwing some stuff you chopped up in a big pot on the stove top in the afternoon, and dinner a few hours later. In the meantime enjoy some well deserved brew from the "beer cold box", watch a game, walk by the stove top occasionally to make sure nothing has caught fire, grap another brew and wait it out. Not a bad way to spend Sunday afternoon. In the end you'll have dinner for that night and, if you make a large enough batch, leftovers for lunch and dinner during the week.

There is no Food Network in the UK but there is UKTV food if he has digital or SKY TV. I would also recommend buying one of the Delia collections of books, possibly How To Cook. Nigel Slater is a very readable cook but does rely a lot on vague measurements which may not be what you need when starting out. I don't think you can go wrong with a roast chicken - buy a small chicken, rub with butter, salt, pepper, squeeze over some lemon juice and roast at about 200 degrees for 20mins per 500g plus another half an hour. Check it is cooked through by piercing the thickest part of the thigh and checking that the juices run clear. You'll have a great meal plus leftover meat for a curry or sandwiches, and can very simply make stock for soups. Good luck!

My suggestion??
Order in!
A Personal Chef that is!
Personal Chefs have been in business for nearly 15 yrs in the USA and run in England too. Me, personally, I run a national network in Australia.
What does a PC do? We ask you what you would like for dinner. We personalise that menu to your tastes. We shop for the groceries. Then we spend a day in your kitchen, preparing those groceries into two weeks of yummy food that you just have to reheat or finish off with a slap of cream or similar. Easy Peasy for the cook who doesn't want or have time to cook.
That's my suggestion anyway. And I cant nab business cos this is for some poor hungry chap in England and I'm in Sydney. sigh.
Anyway, love your site, I check in almost daily and drool every time. You are welcome in my home any day! Next trip, eh!
Culinary Regards,
Maggie T
The Gourmet Saint

3 years ago I also could not cook almost anything, maybe just rice with tuna from can and frozen vegetables, still not knowing how much water or salt I need. I thought kitchen is a big waste of time. When I started dating a guy that was cooking for me almost every day, I just felt ashamed. I HAD to cook, and I started to LIKE to cook. Now I am crazy about new recipes :) Cook for somebody, and it will become fun. Start with close friends first, that will be happy with unsuccessful experiments. It is fun to invite people and have cosy dinners together, you could also do cooking parties - just get some easy and fun recipes. Nobody ever did that in your environment before? You can be the first! A great occasion to socialize, to make everyone happy, and start to enjoy cooking. Cooking classes should be fun as well, I want to do that too.

Heidi,

you need to encourage the BB's of this world. Over here in the UK (I must live within 20 miles of him) the stats show that 69% of all food purchased in this country is precooked - ready to heat and eat - (lobster newburgh in a plastic bag - ugh) It is so bad that it is becoming difficult to find basic ingredients (unless you have a very large bank account) and even when you do thery are in small packets. Of course, going to a health food shop you can find really raw stuff, grains and pulses etc, and they are the one hope for finding things.

Me: also a 60+ yr old male; I do a lot of cooking and I love all your recipes - much of the time I have to think about substitute ingredients - You used something last week that I had never heard of - (quinoa) and could not find a source for over here (I couldn't have afforded it anyway) but a mixture of 1 * sunflower seed, 3 * buckwheat seeds and 2 * wild rice worked nicely.= just needed to cook the sunflowers for quite a while and the buckwheat not so much.

Encourage BB to experiment, its only food after all and if its a stcky goo, then dry, shape and bake it and use it as paperweights.

Keep up the good work!

JohnB

I also recommend Cooking For Engineers. They use a visual cue system that tells you exactly what to do, and in which order to do it, with precise measurements. In addition, the recipes are usually tasty :)

I faced this problem as a 30-something woman. I could cook basics but I was utterly bored and had no idea how to progress. I *knew* I could do better than stirring a sauce through a pasta.

I ended up asking a friend who is a great cook to come and show me all the basics of kitchen management: how to keep a store cupboard, how to plan food, how to relax about following recipes etc. We've nicknamed it "How to Cook Like a Grown Up" and I've gone from someone who regarded food as fuel, as your correspondent does, to someone who actually enjoys cooking. We're planning to draw it up as a book - a modern guide to kitchen managing - but the tips I'd offer are:

- try a book like 'New to Cooking' by Leslie Waters
ISBN 1841728292. Even if you don't like the recipes, the front section details how to stock a store cupboard and the key items you need (like wooden spoons etc). So take that part of the book as a guide and don't worry about the rest. Although the rest breaks the recipes down by skills e.g. the section on roasting explains what it is, offers tips on how to do it and then some basic recipes.

- I actually find Delia a bit too 'Nanny Knows Best' so if you don't like her, don't feel like you're a failure. Just ignore her. Alternatively, if you want someone like that, she's great.

- always invest in a hand blender. You can get a decent philips one from Argos for about a tenner.

- When you think about a meal, start by deciding on your carb. Do you want rice, pasta or potatoes? Then narrow it down: do you want something quick because you're going back out, or slow? Do you have left over veg to use up?

- Soup is great. Leek and potato is a good one to start with. This is where that blender comes in. Once you are confident making soup, you will always be able to make youself something hot and filling inside 20 minutes.

- Jamie Oliver's new book assumes you already have skills so isn't ideal for true beginners.

- There's a book called Comfort Food which you can get in Next. That has a 'lazy risotto' recipe which I adore (although that does mean tracking down risotto rice).

- Nigella is a goddess. she's the kind of cook who says "use a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes" instead of "skin and chop 400g of tomatoes" - she knows people are busy.

- make use of the local library. It's free and normally has a shelf or two of cookbooks. Borrow the books people suggest here and make notes. I have a big A4 spiral bound book I keep my notes in.
(You can use the UK's inter library loan to get that Waters book after I've returned it, if your local service doesn't have it.)

My advice is... my Nigella Lawson's "How to Eat" recommended by many other commenters. Open the book at the roast chicken recipe. Buy a whole chicken at the supermarket and a roasting pan for your oven (and salt, pepper, olive oil and a lemon), then just follow her instructions. She gives great easy to follow rules for cooking times based on weight of the chicken. Once you can cook roast chicken everything kind of flows from there, and if you live alone, it is great to have tasty leftovers in the fridge. Plus, the smell of a chicken roasting in the oven (sorry to the vegetarians) is one of the most comforting smells in the whole world and will make you feel like a great cook!

Delia Smith - she makes no presumptions about ability or enthusiasm. Nice recepies as well.
Saturday Kitchen and whatever it's called on ITV, the Anthony Worall Thompson one.
Everything is well explained and they are good for answering questions. Best of all they are over before Football Focus.
The biggest problem with cooking for one is what to buy, and feeding just yourself not your compost heap. Have a look at The Greengrocer's Cookbook by Gregg Wallace, the bald chappie off Masterchef, he started on a stall in Peckham and now grows good quality veg for restaurants. It's very straight forward.
Have a look at this site they might be close to you, if not, they might help
www.warbornefarm.co.uk
best of luck

Oh, Sweetie! I wish you could spend a few afternoons with me in the kitchen! I learned by being in the kitchen with my dear Mom who was a fearless farmwife and mother of 10. There is no substitute for standing alongside someone who is enthusiastic about cooking and getting your hands in there. There are no mistakes in the kitchen...it is just sometimes easier to eat the results than others.

I like stir-fried cooking..it's easy and quick. Almost anything can be stir-fried. A little onion (optional) makes it yum. Adding water seems to be your problem..about that, just take a sec to get the feel of the stuff you are cooking, soft;;;;hard?! Aso depends on how you would like it turn out, in the sense ...are you into crispy veggies and chicken or mashy?
Hope it helps

I actually teach people just like Mr. BB! I start from a basic grocery store tour, go to how to make a shoping list while planning a menu, and then we take the groceries home and prep them for meals later in the week. After two sessions they really catch on! It's great to see the lightbulb click on. And we do emailing and calling in-between to see what they're doing right and wrong as they branch out. It's fun!

Otherwise, my advice is that frozen vegetables aren't necessarily evil. They get a bad rap.

And "semi-homemade" is really the way to go if you are a reluctant cook but still want good taste and nutrition. Mix fresh ingredients w/ prepared ingredients.

Also, the more you cook, the more confident you will become, and the tips and techniques of the pros will begin to make more sense. So roll up your sleeves and dive right in!

Try the book "Help! My Apartment has a Kitchen" -- it is for a beginner. Not glorious, but it will get you on your way. Then, move on to "Joy" and Food Network.

To reiterate some of the points made above - get a good book - Delia is the queen when it comes to pretty-much fail-safe recipes.
Make sure you read the recipe thoroughly before going shopping. Make a list. When you're ready to cook, first sit down with a cup of tea and re-read the recipe - make sure you know what's going to happen and when.
Then, get all your ingredients ready - if you need softened butter, for example, get it out of the "beer cold box" an hour in advance. Measure things out and put them in little bowls as if you were a TV chef.
Then cook!

Build confidence by trying simple dishes first, then move on to more complicated offerings later.

A couple of other tips:
1) Shop seasonally - there are books on this such as Nigel Slater's Appetite or Gary Rhodes has something on seasonal food. Alternatively, ask the greengrocer/fishmonger/butcher about what's good and what's in season.
2) Get a good knife and keep it in good condition - go to a specialist shop and ask them
3) Don't be afraid! The more you experiment, the better you'll get.

And BB - depending on where you are in Surrey, I'll come out shopping with you one Saturday and help you out!

You remind me so much of my British father. Like you, he had to learn to cook for himself at around the same age, and not just for himself but for his teenage son too. First of all, my father kept an open mind. Second, he found a small local grocer with a helpful, friendly staff he felt comfortable asking the dumbest of questions. Third, he kept it simple. In the end, he actually learned to enjoy cooking and he became a talented chef of flavorful, healthy creations. Best of luck to you. Cheers!

I can recommend one book, though it's out of print (but still easily found online): the I Hate the Cook book by Peg Bracken. Very simple recipes, no assumed knowledge, no overly expensive, difficult-to-find ingredients. My partner now likes to cook, and he still uses this book.

Dear BB,
Just a few thoughts from an American living in the UK...
It's worth noting that written measurements in recipes and cookbooks vary depending on the country. Most American recipes are based on cups, teaspoons, tablespoons, fahrenheit, etc. UK recipes tend to be written in metric. (For example: American recipes might say 'one stick of butter' - this translates to 8 tablespoons or 100 grams) You might find it worthwhile to invest in some 'cups' and 'measuring spoons' as well as a small kitchen scales (all readily available in most asda, tesco, etc) to help you get to grips with correct measurements. There is also a helpful conversion chart on the Waitrose website: http://www.waitrose.com/food_drink/recipes/conversioncharts/index.asp
Good luck!

My first go at cooking as an inexperienced single male was the CROCK POT. Its a wonderful thing. Pretty hard to mess things up when you toss your food in a flip a switch. I started getting more and more creative and have branched way out from there. Excellent tool for a single male of any age...

I started cooking when my wife went to work nights. I stumbled on Elise's website, Simply Recipes at www.elise.com/recipes, and through her site, yours :-) I've made a half dozen dishes from her web site, and unlike cook books, I tend to get hers right the first time. Simple, elegant, easy. Perfect for the budding male chef extraordinare.

Sometimes recipes can be intimidating because it requires you to go out and buy a whole lot of ingredients that you don't have on hand. I like to start with one ingredient (usually whatever's on sale or in season) and look up in the Joy of Cooking how to prepare it. Each ingredient (i.e., type of meat or vegetable) has an "about" section that will tell you pretty much every way to prepare it on its own (such as roasting, steaming, boiling, broiling, baking etc.). You can start by just putting a little salt and olive oil or butter, and then move on slowly to adding seasonings and sauces as you get comfortable with them. An all-purpose seasoning (in your supermarket's spice section) is a good place to start.

In addition to Joy of Cooking, I also really like Heidi's Cooking 1.0 which gives lots of variations on the same preparation method.

Good luck!!

Cook what you love. Think of your very favorite dishes, and then set out to learn how to make them! In the process, you will learn skills and techniques that you will use forever.

I think one of the most important things though is having good equipment to use. Without a great knife, a nice big cutting board, and good basic ingredients (olive oil or butter, good salt, and fresh ground pepper) cooking isn't nearly as enjoyable.

Grab a beer or a glass of wine and just set out to have fun in the kitchen - find some friends and make it an evening!

And it wouldn't hurt to take a basic knife skills or basic cooking class!

Best of luck to you - enjoy the ride!

Hello,

I am part of a cooking forum here in the US, and we would be delighted to have any under-informed cook to join us! We post many recipes, and discuss them. There are many active members who would love to help with definitions, procedures - you name it! Here is our address
http://thequalitycook.com/phpBB/ Please join us!

I love "Cooks Illustrated" magazine in the US and a book by one of the authors, Pam Anderson - "How to Cook without a Book." I don't know if they print in the UK but I used to order books from Amazon UK for US delivery all the time for college classes, and the magazine's been serialized into large hardcover books for each of at least the last two years.

It's the simplest cookbook I've ever seen, probably way too simple for any 'real' chef but it pulled me from "terrified of cooking" to "ah, I can probably cook it and not botch it too badly" in just a little while. Also got me thinking about how food goes together.

I second Alton Brown's cookbook. It's a bit more advanced-level but fun to read even when you're not cooking. He's a genius.

Dear BB, one of the most important lessons I ever learned was from my mother (I will never admit to her that she was right, however!). That lesson was this - take some time each weekend to plan out meals that you can readily buy ingredients for in one grocery trip. For example, if you are planning to eat mostly sandwiches for lunch, rice as a side dish for dinner 3 times that week, asparagus with 2 dinners, and hot tea thruout the week... Then I make a list on 2 pieces of paper. One paper has Sunday thru Saturday listed - and my ideas for meals. (Sunday: brunch will be scrambled eggs and toast, dinner will be rice with....etc) The SECOND paper is a grocery list of items I ONLY need for the meals that week.

This skill helped me a lot because when I first started cooking I found all the items at the grocery store overwhelming. But I also found that by making that list both my budget AND my kitchen benefit from this. So I tape the list of possible meals for the week to my refrigerator, and when I am hungry I know I can pick from anything on that list... I know the ingredients are already in the kitchen, too. Many a bad meal is made in haste when someone is hungry... HOPE THIS HELPS and Good Luck! You may find that after time passes you will take more interest in food and cooking... that's how it started with me!

What do you like to eat? If you start with something you like, you will be more motivated. Also, you know what it should taste / look like, so this will help you know what the results should be.

Look at cookbooks for kids. The Farm Journal, a United States publication, has a wonderful cookbook called "Let's Start to Cook". You could probably find a copy on ebay. It isn't too cute, and covers the basics quite well.

Believe in yourself--you can do this!

I don't know much about basic cooking sites, as I've been cooking for years now, but the best place to look up unfamiliar terms is probably the food dictionary at www.epicurious.com. It give simple and clear definitions of many cooking terms. The dictionary is based on The New Food Lover's Companion 3rd Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst, which is also an amazing reference. Not only does it define over 6000 cooking terms, but it also has 30 appendices, covering everything from the differences between American, British, and French measurements/terms to how to decide what oven temperature to use. Other than that, www.wikipedia.com can be a useful source as well, especially when looking up unfamiliar ingredients. The Epicurious food dictionary can be accessed from the main page (click on "dictionaries" near the top), and I'm sure the Food Lover's Companion can be found in some bookstores (I purchased mine from Amazon).

I have 2 sons who had no interest in cooking when they lived at home but now, living on their own they need to cook for themselves. I encouraged them to buy a slow cooker and to start off with that. I told them they can cook a roast with onions, carrots and potatoes or make a soup with chicken or chunks of sirloin steak and a bag of frozen veggies, fresh garlic, some sea salt and pepper...to taste [I just had to add that :)].

The possibilities are endless with a slow cooker. The great thing about the slow cooker is you can throw everything in it before you go to work and your meal is ready when you walk in the door. Your whole house will smell delicious.

You can buy a slow cooker at any department store and the food at every grocery store.

I apologize if this is a repeat suggestion but there are so many great comments I did not have the time to read them all.

Best of luck to B.B.. With a little practice he'll be cooking away in no time at all.

S

I like Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything." He has it sorted by ingredient (example, you look up chicken and he lists recipes for chicken three different ways). The recipes are easy and made with ingredients that you usually have at home already.

As others have said, get a basic, all purpose cookbook--one that I haven't seen mentioned yet is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. He also has a column in the New York Times called The Minimalist, which now includes video instructions based on the column. Donna Hay's Off the Shelf has great pictures and helps with how to stock a pantry.

Learn basic cooking terms. It looks like this site, Reluctant Gourmet, is aimed at people who don't know where to start. It also has tips on how to choose cookware. Epicurious has also added video clips that demonstrate cooking techniques. Getting the visual can really help explain what that paragraph describing how to chop an onion really means.

Think about what you like to eat. That's the best way to get excited about cooking. If you have a favorite food, look for a recipe for that and give it a try. Know that much of cooking is forgiving, that if you mess up a little it won't ruin things, that eating the part that isn't burned is probably going to better than the tv dinners anyway, so you have nothing to lose.

I can't offer advice, but your letter helped my to find this website, and I am with you in every word...

And yes, cooking for engineers does seem to make more sense than most cookbooks I know.

You aren't the only one on this journey...

I second the book "How to Cook Everything" I also agree with cooking classes...I went to one recently for college students who were new to cooking and saw that people 40 years out of college outnumbered the youngsters. You are not alone sir, consider buying some very basic books like "How to Boil Water" and you might soon be hosting dinner parties! Good Luck!

I think most people would be surprised what they can do when they open their minds. For example, try really tasting different combinations of simple ingredients to see what appeals to you. You don't need a cookbook to tell you what tastes good to you.

Try the cookbook, 'A Man, a Can, a Plan: 50 Great Guy Meals Even You Can Make'

You can find it on Amazon. It provides pictures of almost all the ingredients you need; very simple. Even has a section dedicated to cooking with beer. A good introduction to cooking.

http://www.amazon.com/Man-Can-Plan-Great-Meals/dp/1579546072

Check out kraftfoods.com, its a bunch of really easy and tastey recipes that only have 3 or four things in them. Great for bachelors :D

taste everything as you go, all the time. salt and pepper everything as you're cooking, all the time.
to make simple food, use the freshest ingredients and the outcome will be far superior and easier than trying to doctor up frozen corn and deli ham luncheon meat slices. fresh means it has more flavour on its own.

those are the three most important lessons for a novice cook, i suppose?

If you want a no-frills, made-for-people-who-don't cook cook-book - check out the Abs Diet Cookbook. (created by the editor of Men's Health magazine.)
Yes, it features "healthy" foods, but it is written for the stereotypical male-who-can't-use-a-kitchen.
The recipes tend to use non-cook terminology such as "dump into pot" and "shovel the mixture into the pan".
I found it frustrating since I'm used to more traditional recipes, but it is easy to understand...and the food is actually really good, too.

To BB:
Advice piece #1: I would start by letting go of the fear. So what if you mess something up? Throw it out and start over, or try to determine what went wrong and fix it.
My husband and I have these discussions quite often. He does cook (a little), but he's very intimidated by some very basic things, so I just constantly remind him that if something doesn't come out like he wants, we can always toss it and order out. Granted, this is not the most economical approach, but if you start with inexpensive ingredients, you can do this relatively guilt free, esp if you are cooking for one (since most everything comes packaged for 4+, you can toss out the first try, and still have plenty of ingredients left over for the second try).
Advice piece #2: Start with recipes that are basic "assembly" style recipes, meaning that they are more like "dump-ingredients-and-heat" than gastronomic chemistry. For this, I would recommend starting with a soup. Dump a can of tomatoes and a can of black (or other) beans in a pot, add as much spice as you like, blend a bit if you want it smoother, and sample. If you don't like it, add something different- a can of corn, some raw veg, etc. It's the "technique" (as much as opening a can is a tecnhique!), the process, not the specific amounts that matter.
Along with this bit of advice, my own personal favorite "assembly"-style cookbook is Moosewood Restaurant Cooks At Home. Almost all the recipes there will turn out great even if you can't follow the exact instructions, or if you add more or less of specific ingredients.

Also, IMHO, I would (just for now) stay away from Joy of Cooking, How to Cook Everything, even Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. I have all of these, and many more like them in my collection, and though they are great resources, they are not for the novice cook. I still come across recipes in Joy of Cooking and How to Cook Everything that are so convoluted and precise that they frustrate me, and I've been cooking and baking for a very long time. I would compare these to encyclopedias; if you were teaching a person to read, you wouldn't hand them an encyclopedia, you'd give them something shorter, more simple, more clear, where the sentences were concise and not overly wordy. Get these types of cookbooks eventually, but don't necessarily start out with them, IMHO!

Also, I have found that one of my non-cooking computer-ish friends really enjoys cooking occasionally now that she has read Shirley Corriher's Cookwise, which is a food science book. If you are interested in what is actually happening to the different ingredients as you cook them, you might enjoy reading food science (not as cookbooks, necessarily, but just as entertainment!). It might spark your interest to try more ambitious cooking eventually!

I can relate to the frustration. Creaming sugar and butter when baking is not an intuitive thing, but it is an important step and is NEVER written in directions.

There must be a resource that explains these "secret steps" to making food

Thanks for sharing the letter. It was so well written. A joy to read.
There are a lot of good suggestions here. First cookbook that comes to mind is "Joy of Cooking" - but now I need to rush home and see if it gives directions for mincing garlic...

Good Luck B.B from England. I'd suggest getting a basic cookbook and just plunge in. We've all started at the same point you are whether 20 or 60. I think Chicken is the easiest to cook and so many ways to prepare it, soups are easy and lots of basic veggies too. Keep us posted on your progress, it would be fun to see how you are doing.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a "For Dummies" book. I have "Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies", and in addition to recipes, it has a whole section on how to cut things and, more importantly, how to grocery shop. It even breaks things down by things to buy every week, every other week, once a month, once every few months, etc. And in the back, there are suggested menus, including holiday menus. I'm not familiar with the "Cooking Basics for Dummies", but if they're available in the UK, you may want to take a look and see if it's helpful. Amazon also lets you peek inside if you plan on ordering it online.

I'm a college student and here's how I've figured some of this out:
1. what to eat and how to shop? = "The Food Bible" by Judith Wills. Has great advice on healthy food.

2. "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bitman has great recipes that I find more interesting than joy of cooking, although i think "joy" has better directions for basics- like how to hard boil an egg.

Well I don't have much advice as far as cookbooks, but perhaps enlist the services of a friend to help you with this. Someone who lives in your area will be good because they will know where to shop and what the resources are in your area. You'll want to stock your cupboard with the basics. There are lists everywhere, I see two off the bat here and
here.

Once you get stocked up on a few basics, menu planning is the best tip I can offer. That way you know what you need to purchase for the coming week or so and you're not simply floundering about in the grocery store.

One that I really liked is Marion Cunningham's "Cooking with Children." (1) It takes you step by step and (2) it teaches how to cook Real Food (as opposed to some of the odd recipes you find in kids' cookbooks). If he'd rather not read something with that title, then he could try her "Learning to Cook," which is geared towards adults who have never cooked Also step by step, also real food. (There's a review of the second book in Epicurious)

Dear Englishman,
I wanted to add one more possible cookbook for a reluctant beginner. There are more than one of these books, I think the name is " The 4 ingredient Cookbook. " The recipes are, obviously super simple, not gourmet at all, but a starting place to develop some confidence. Like, how hard can combining 4 things be? I hope you may find as you start your reluctant journey that a whole new fun world can open up. Someone suggested a cooking class, which is a great idea. Hope things go well for you.
Kay

I haven't read thru the replies so don't know if this has already been suggested but how about joining a community kitchen? A small group of people with common tastes get together to cook meals that they can then take home and freeze to eat later. You get to socialize, learn something about cooking and get good food in the end. The fact that you are even inclined to cook for yourself says alot. My husband (who is only 41 so maybe there is hope yet) can go in a grocery store and not see anything there to eat except maybe in the deli department.

Nigella Lawson's How to Eat is invaluable even if used only for her pantry list and instructions on what you should have in your kitchen at all times.

There are several books out there that are "5 ingredients or less" style.
Also any of the recommended books both in and out of print may be found used and very reasonably priced through www.abebooks.com
Also basic chops, bangers, chicken and meat joint cooking are easy to master and a good place to start.
Casseroles with quality purchased components are healthy and easy to master. Like lasagne with quality bottled sauce and the no boil noodles make it a good starting dish to learn.
And watch lots of cooking shows. That's how I learned to branch out from the regular Sunday joint/chicken type cooking. Actually watching some one do it makes a world of difference.

Debbie in Canada

i think starting with one of your favourite dishes is always a good thing. you know whats in it and its something you like to eat. so you dont really mind doing this funny thing called cooking.
a got a few friends cooking like this. and - yep! - they dont eat no cornflakes for lunch any more.
give it a go!
*m

Mr BB in Surrey, you need Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries. He will take you from the market through the cooking process and something to do with the leftovers. His reading will make you hungry for his simple day by day recipes giving you the needed enthusiasm to begin. Think of yourself as a new bride lucky enough not to subject another to your learning experiences !

Hi!

To be honest (and not patronizing...), I would suggest getting a children's cookbook. They tend to have very good, satisfying recipes, but are really good at spelling out all of those specific techniques (such as mincing, putting water in the pan, etc) that you are unfamiliar with, B.B.. Dorling Kindersley has a good one.

Beyond that, just trust yourself! YOU CAN SEASON TO TASTE!!! Just season a little and then TASTE it. The best things come out of "mistakes"!

best, Hannah

I second the suggestions of A Man, A Can, A Plan, and Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Book.

Mr 60yr old Englishman, Can I suggest you go to your local supermarket and find out from the store manager when they hold cooking demonstrations. Try to attend a few, not only will you see up close how to cook, the products being used will be available close at hand and you can ask as many questions as you like. You might meet some others like yourself and possibly put them on the track to success also.

Have fun.

A few years ago, I knew nothing about cooking except reading the cooking time written on the pasta bag. I was affraid of the oven, and had no will to cook whatsoever. Now I even write my own food blog! How did I change? I had a friend who forced me to participate: she was making an olive and ham cake, and made me do it so that I could see how easy it was. Then I made it again and again because my friends kept telling me it was so good... Then I decided I would try something else, and little by little I got hooked to cooking. So here's my advice: learn with a friend, and cook for friends (cooking for one self is not so fun...)

I reccommend buying an electric rice cooker. It requires no attending once the rice is put in, and turns out fluffy steamed rice every time. You can experiment with different kinds: white, brown, long-grain, short-grain, jasmine, basmati, sticky, and the process is the same for all of them. Then you can add a steamed vegetable and a fried egg, or a piece of fish, or a piece of chicken, and you will always have a good meal available.

Also really handy: frozen raw shrimp. They defrost in ten minutes in a bowl of room-temperature water, and cook easily and quickly.

The magazine Cook's Illustrated once had an insert that clearly explained what standard recipe instructions mean (one cup of flower, sifted versus one cup sifted flour, for example). Try to find the magazine at a library, or subscribe to www.cooksillustrated.com. The $20 a year is well worth it.

There is a television program from BBC which we receive in Israel featuring Delia Smith and each show covers a very basic aspect of cooking, like soups, stews, pulses, potatoes. Becvause the "language"will be familiar to you and the ingredients it will probably be very helpful for you. Good luck!!

for bb-

I just got married 2 1/2 years ago. I had never cooked anything before my marriage. In the beginning the only things I could cook with confidence was rice and cornbread.

Now I love to cook and am one of those people who eats at a restaurant and then says, "I can make this." and then does! I have to admit I'm proud of myself.

For me cooking was totally a journey, finding out what I liked, finding out what methods suit me best, discovering which flavors go together, discovering what my husband liked.

All I can say is the more you do it the easier it will get.

It's easy to give up, especially in the beginning, when you've worked so hard and then your dish is burnt or the flavors are off.

But trial and error truly does pay off in the kitchen, it's how you acquire an instinct after a while.

It also helped me to cook with someone knowledgeable. My husbands grandma taught me how to bake a cake, and that lesson was priceless. A friend, and longtime cook, would have me prep foods for her, (chop, dice, mix, etc), while she explained what she was doing.

Cooking with someone is the best way to learn the little tricks and secrets they don't go into in the cook books.

As for myself I've learned that I'm not to good at cooking on the stove. My timing is off, and it leads to burnt food.

But I'm really good with baking, casseroles, broiling and the crock pot.

You don't have to be good at everything.

I've also learned it's best not to substitute items, when you're trying out a new recipe, and especially when you're a novice and don't know what goes together, ( I made some foul food in the beginning).

Do what you feel comfortable with and maybe incorporate just a few new ingredients or one new method at a time.

ok, I'm done,

-Annabelle

Jacques Pepin has a nice little website with very simple recipes and even videos showing you how to make them! Check here: http://www.kqed.org/w/jpfastfood/recipes.html

Being from Puerto Rican decent, and married to an Italian we both would recommend starting with a 'soffrito'. Depending on where you are from the ingredients may vary. In it's simpliest form it can be garlic and/or onions sauted in olive oil -- period. Then add your chicken or steak, or just veggies (like tomatoes and aspargus). To me, nothing accompanies more types of food (meat or vegetables) than garlic and oil. Good luck.

My boyfriend used to be one of these men, younger of course, but of the military mindset. His fridge was for beer and Chinese leftovers and the supermarket a very scary place he did not wish to explore. I love to cook and knew that if he lost his fear he would share my love of making food, not just eating it. If i had a complicated ingredient I thought he'd have trouble identifying I got him a picture online and printed it out so he wouldn't bring home parsley instead of dill. Incorporating things I knew he had around the house (a jar of salsa or bottle of beer) helped him to see that ingredients for cooking are everywhere. This bachelor or newly single male is much the same. They want to eat good food but have no idea how to get to that point and aren't really sure its worth the effort to begin with. My guy and I now cook together and he even makes meals on his own now . He's proud of his ability to tell when eggs are cooked and chicken ready to be be eaten. Knowledge I've held since I was a child in my mother's kitchen were not passed to him. I often thought he'd get mad and tell me to stop treating him like a child but I was surprised to find he had no idea I was giving him information I thought he should already know.

My advice? Come see us! My sister and I love to cook, and have lots of friends who want to love it too, but aren't quite there yet. We're trying (slowly, but surely) to put together some helpful tips and guidelines for cooking, rather than just recipes. B.B. asked some wonderfully specific questions (how much water to put in the pan) that I'll try to do a post on soon!

I'll second the Cooking for Engineers website. It's fantastic for beginners, explains cooking terms, has step by step photos of simple recipes. He can't go wrong with it!

Although I do cook from cookbooks, I learned from my mother, who is a chef. Before she was a chef though, she was a mom and mom's substitute a lot. I figured out recently that just about all of her recipes I adore are simple techniques. So for a starter cook, I think it's better to learn the techniques with simple recipes and then go from there.

Do you have a friend that cooks? Or maybe you can take a class. I've seen some of Nigella Lawson's shows and she's pretty good about technique. You need to no how to bake something (I'm talking meats and such), how to saute and stir-fry, how to make a basic tomato and cream sauce and really thats about it for me. If you can get those few down, you'll be good for thousands of recipes.

I didn't read through all 80+ replies so forgive me if it has been mentioned, but the blog www.corduroyorange.com has an entire series on basic knife skills. It inludes how to hold the knife, and the difference between different cuts like dice and julienned. He also has a series on "mother sauces" covering things like a basic bechemel and how you can take that further.

Well, I always love an opportunity to add my two cents worth, so here goes! I, too, once did not know how to cook. When I moved away to college on my own, my mom packed me off with a wonderful for-beginners cookbook that I have referenced many times: Betty Crocker's Cooking Basics: Learning to Cook with Confidence. This go-to source helps with measuring, converting quantities, substituting ingredients for what you actually have on hand, and understanding nutrition basics. Additionally, the recipes are manageable, all-time [American?] classics.

There are other cookbooks that boast recipes with five ingredients or less, ones that require no cooking, recipes that only have seasonal ingredients in them, and quick, fast recipes. A cookbook that has all (or most) of these qualities is Real Simple’s Meals Made Easy.

Lastly, many cookbooks like to include a grocery or pantry list. I often find these to be exhaustingly long or very specific to the recipes in that particular cookbook, not to my life. I make my list every week by thinking about what I want to eat for each meal, starting with breakfast. Oatmeal? Banana & yogurt? Lunch. Turkey sandwich & apple? Soda & coconut cake? I write those things down. The evening meal is more challenging because (if you’re like me) it requires planning. This is when cookbooks come in handy because I can flip through them, see what looks good, and then write down the ingredients for those recipes. Simple as that.

It’s never too late to learn a new skill and, for me, discovering the delicious world of FOOD has been one of my favorite, most-indulged in pleasures.

First, get a good knife. I remember my college days when cooking was so tedious because I was using a pathetic steak knife! Also, never cook for one. Either find a friend to share, or make extra and feed yourself for another day. And I agree--Alton Brown is excellent.

I always recommend starting small. I never want to overwhelm my friends, when I show them how to cook. So eggs are good, hamburgers are better. Taking into account the english background, you could always start with bread pudding.

When I began to cook, right after I got married, I unfortunately started out trying to make difficult things and that was so stupid. Start with simple things - eggs, sandwiches, roast chicken, maybe a pork chop, or pasta. Find simple flavors that you already like and use them in your cooking.

Someone suggested watching Food Network for some ideas. That is a good idea. I wish I had had that when I began in 1989. I am such a good cook now because I've had experience. So start with simple things, maybe foods he had as a child or in a pub, things that are simple and go from there.

Also there are some books out there for people who are not great at cooking - books with pictures of all the techniques in each recipe. That is a good thing.

Good luck. Just remember, cook chicken until it is no longer pink inside, and the same with pork, but feel it. Make sure it has a tiny bit of give once it is cooked and get a good thermometer to test with!

I am a huge fan of a rice cooker. You can do so many things with it. veggies, rice and throw in a chicken leg, olive oil, salt pepper and your good to go. Salads are my staples for everyday. You can't go wrong. You can put anything together and throw some canned tuna or chicken or a chopped avacado and you have a complete meal. On my blog I give a lot of detail and lots of pictures so people can see every step. A good book for beginners is the good old tried and true Betty Crocker cook book. My boyfriend used his all through college.
Good Luck,
Shara
from www.pinkladyproductions.blogspot.com

I use Penzey's Spices which can be ordered online or catalog. They tell you what each spice is used for. The catalog is so helpful to read and understand what spices you would use or like.
You can invite a few friends over each bringing a dish to prepare for an entire meal. Cooking together learning the dish and enjoying good company how much better does it get.

Dear Mr. Englishman,
So many people have already left you such good advice, but no one has really addressed the question of your lack of enthusiasm. I imagine that you are not only feeling lost in the kitchen, but that you are feeling like a three-legged stool that has a loose leg. I say that the best thing you could do for yourself is figure out what your favorite foods are. What do you like to eat? If you've had someone cooking for you all this time, you probably weren't designing the menu either. If you first figure out what you wish to eat, it will then most likely become more interesting to figure out how to make it. I agree with those who suggest that you find someone to cook with as well, because it can be awfully lonely and unsatisfying if you have no one to share the meal with. My husband is a fine cook and claims that he learned how to cook when he was in graduate school in order to be able to invite his female classmates over for dinner. That's why he's really good at pasta and chicken breast and vegetarian lentils - the three dishes that made those girls swoon. Food for thought, I hope.

The English gentleman needs Mark Bittner's "How to Cook Everything." He wrote that book exactly waiting for B.B. in Surrey to need it.

Hi, B.B.:

Even as "advanced" cooks, some of the best meals my husband and I make come from simply buying good ingredients and not doing much to them other than cooking them through. Roasted whole chicken, steamed veg with a bit of butter added at the end, etc.

Once you master the basics, then you can get fancy, if you want: Put a little butter under the skin of the bird with some herbs mixed in. Steam two different types of vegetables together, or stir cooked vegetables into some cooked pasta with a little butter and shaved parmesan cheese.

In time, you will be cooking real food as easily and quickly as the boxed, frozen kind, and you will feel much better for having done it.

I do agree that a basic cookery class would be a great way to start, and a fun way to meet people. You might even meet someone who would want to cook with you, from time to time: You make the salad and I'll cook the steak... that sort of thing.

Do they have George Foreman grills over there? Impossible to mess up meat or fish in one of those, and they cook terribly quickly.

I second what everyone said about the Joy of Cooking--it definitely overexplains basics like how to cook meat, veggies etc.

But I still need someone to show me how to chop up enough vegetables for a stir fry without it taking three hours! : )

try on of the meal plans..like menues for MOMS, gives a pretty good meal for 5 days of the week, tells you what to buy and how much, and goes through preparation.
There are others,, Saving Dinner, etc..
there is a new magazine in the US, called Best of Home, NEW COOKS.. tells you everything, moslty simple but good meals.
janei

First, I am with you ! I got my first Betty Crocker cookbook as a Christmas present from my boss when I was 18 years old and still use it, over 20 years later, more than any other for 'base' recipes. It explains the cuts of meats and types of measurements. Try all of these that are available on amazon.com:

Betty Crocker Cookbook: Everything You Need to Know to Cook Today, Tenth Edition

Betty Crocker 4-Ingredient Dinners

Betty Crocker Bisquick II Cookbook: Easy, Delicious Dinners, Desserts, Breakfasts and More

GOOD LUCK !

Buy yourself a Campbells Soup Cookbook, or go to their website and veiw the recipes online. The recipes are usually very simple with few ingredients. Great for beginners or people who are busy/in a hurry. Good luck!!

Here's a great dish for a 60 year old man to make...it only involves one fresh item (assumes basic knife skill) and is a great anti-oxidant, loaded with lycopene.
Green Bean, Tomatoes & Onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can green beans
1 can diced tomatoes (look for w/out sugar)1 small to medium sized white onion
Cut the onion into 1/2" to 3/4" sized pieces, place in a skillet in which you've just begut to heat the oil. Add both green beans and diced tomatoes and cook, uncovered, until the liquid from the vegetables evaporates. Season lightly with salt and pepper, to taste. Enjoy - make into a full meal by sprinkling grated cheese on top (your favorite hard cheese).

I have a friend in the same situation -- he may have heated water for instant coffee while in college but that was the extent of his kitchen experience.
I gave him a subscription to Cook's Illustrated Magazine and Cook's Illustrated "The Best 30 Minute Recipe" Cookbook.
He is actually beginning to enjoy cooking and becoming quite competent in the kitchen.

It seems like everyone has good advice on easy things to cook, and how learning just a few simple techniques can make you seem and feel like a culinary genius.

To add to the advice on cultivating enthusiasm, while I think that not having to administer tv dinners to your offended taste every evening should be sufficient cause for embarking on the learning-to-cook adventure, I have found that coming up with occasions to cook for other people, not just myself, makes me much more willing to learn new things in the kitchen. Now that I can kind of cook, I find a recipe that looks good in a magazine (magazines give really specific instructions), and use my friends as guinea pigs (they're my friends--they won't dump me if I make something poorly). Keeping in mind the prospect of being able to have friends over for dinner is a good way to motivate yourself to learn to get around with the "cooking box."

Yes, being able to cook is a good way to get girls to swoon, but I think that it's even more appealing to have the option of staying in rather than going out when you want to spend quality time with friends. When you're the chef, you control the lighting and the music, the wine is much cheaper, there's no waiter to make you feel like you need to leave, and best of all, you don't have to drive or cab home and you're at liberty to drink perhaps a tiny bit too much.

Three options for a simple microwave omelet.

Crack 2 eggs into a glass/ceramic cereal bowl.

1. Add a couple drops of hot pepper sauce, or just sprinkle with a couple of shakes of salt and pepper. Stir vigorously (scramble or beat) with a fork, making sure the yolks break, until a consistent light yellow color. Microwave uncovered on high for 90 seconds. Make sure the egg is cooked. If not, cook longer at 15 second increments.

2. Add a couple tablespoons of your favorite jarred salsa before you beat the eggs. If desired, add a couple of black olives sliced into 4 or 5 pieces. Microwave uncovered on high for 1 minute 45 seconds. Cook longer at 15 second increments if not fully cooked.

3. If veggies are desired, pick up a bag of frozen stir fried vegetables, or another favorite frozen veggie that is not corn or peas. (Mushrooms work too, but those must be bought fresh and sliced.) After scrambling the eggs