Recent change in life circumstances, and now I’m trying to figure out how to be an adult about food. I want to focus on eating healthy. I have very little foundational knowledge, so I need ELI5-level content. I’d love some online resources that I could use to learn. In-person classes are not a great fit. Anyone have any recommendations?
YouTube will be your friend for the how to cook. Though myself I learnt heaps from a book called The 4 Hour Chef by Tim Ferriss. There’s also How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman that covers a lot.
As for what to cook? I’ve found the easiest way for me has been to batch cook (or meal prep). You cook up many servings of something and then eat it over the course of a week. I find it easier to stick to because it’s less work to just heat something up, rather than cook every night.
A good framework on what to cook is using a basis of meat + veggies + starch (noodles/rice/bread/etc) + flavour. Think of what you like and you can break it down into these categories. Then experiment within this. It’s not comprehensive but it’s a handy tool.
Indeed… go through the backlog of Sorted Food episodes, and possibly even get their meal planning app.
The big thing to cooking is being willing to experiment and fail, and learn what works and what doesn’t — after learning a few basics, of course, like what equipment works, how to keep your kitchen clean, and how to store and prepare different food types safely.
Tip: the “stomach flu” is just food poisoning caused by improper food storage and/or prep and cooking hygiene.
Spot on with the experimentation. If you cook something and it’s crap - you can always go and get takeaway and try again tomorrow.
Yes. I taught myself to cook over the years, primarily by thinking of things I liked to eat and looking up how to cook them. I usually look at 3-6+ recipes and then choose one to follow.