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2. Buy Julia Child's set of French Cooking cookbooks. It's not just recipes. She tells you what kind of pot to use, how to boil an egg....everything. It's filled with detailed instructions.
3. Buy other cookbooks, also with instructions..not just recipes.
4. Other suggestions about Youtube and Julia Child videos seem great.
5. I wouldn't pay that much for a cooking class, when you can get so much instruction for free. I think the suggestion of a cheaper source for a class sounds good. They must exist. If you insist on a class.
6. If you have a friend with an interest in cooking, you could help each other with your different areas of skills.
I've noticed classes like that offered by restaurant chefs teaching one or two signature dishes offered by their high-end restaurants. The class usually ends with everyone sampling the dishes. It's time/money wasted if you don't already have decent cooking skills.
my thoughts as well; you don't spend $100 for a class if you do not have basic skills already. These types of classes are for those who intend on cooking gourmet style, not basic cooking.
I would stick with shows and cookbooks before taking a class as in my experience you will only learn how to make one (usually gourmet) dish instead of learning any basics.
I was never taught how to cook at home and only learned by recipes and trial and error. I second getting a vintage Better Homes cookbook as it actually describes the very basics (why you sear meat, what temperatures to cook various foods, etc). So often gourmet sites will say "cook until done" but if you've never cooked before how do you know what that looks like?
I have to slightly disagree: I would take a class if I could find a reasonable one. Without being taught basic skills all the reading and watching will not help a bit. When I think of classes, I am talking adult education classes for instance. Years ago I did work with adults teaching a basic cooking class on a budget. It was several weeks, offered through the school district. I am not sure if classes like this are still being taught. But if they are, yo have a real live person to ask questions to and hands on with that person.
Honestly, if you can get your hands on them all, go back and watch Alton Brown's "Good Eats". You won't find any better teacher and he will point you in the right direction on what you need in the kitchen without spending lots of money on trial and error. He's keeps it as simple as possible and he's entertaining at the same time.
+1
His books are very helpful for a beginner, too. He explains the why of what works & the "gear" that succeeds. I read "I'm Just Here for the Food" from beginning to end when I received it as a Christmas gift a few years ago. And I do know how to cook -- it actually helped me understand why some things I instinctively did (like clarifying butter) work. Good luck!
I have to slightly disagree: I would take a class if I could find a reasonable one. Without being taught basic skills all the reading and watching will not help a bit. When I think of classes, I am talking adult education classes for instance. Years ago I did work with adults teaching a basic cooking class on a budget. It was several weeks, offered through the school district. I am not sure if classes like this are still being taught. But if they are, yo have a real live person to ask questions to and hands on with that person.
I agree with you. That's why I asked if he knew anything about cooking. If you don't know the difference between chop and dice or how to properly measure flour--among other things--you can really mess things up.
The "Secret" of Good Cooks
. . .
Balance the four major taste groups : salt, sweet, sour, bitter... (and umami - MSG)
Know the four major food groups : salt, grease, vinegar, sugar (2 or more in most junk food, condiments, etc)
Understand that an oven is a constant temperature means, while a stove is not a constant temperature means of cooking.
Eat your mistakes.
You really need to watch out on some of these cooking classes. Some of them are trying to sell you something. One class that is held locally will NOT be "hands on". Rather the instructor will lecture on spices and herbs (and try to sell you some). That is great I guess, but you are not going to learn much for your $45.
Currently, I'm enjoying Martha Stewart's Cooking School on PBS. But I already know how to do most of what she's teaching. I don't know how it might seem to someone who doesn't know how to cook. There's a cookbook to accompany the series, also titled Martha Stewart's Cooking School, in which the first thing she shows you how to do is chop an onion. Maybe the two together would work for you. I can tell I'm old now, trying to read this book. The arthritis in my hands makes it hard to hold in my hands for very long (there's a Kindle version, too), and the type is way too small.
I discovered last night that the cookbook that was published in association with PBS' Martha Stewart's Cooking School series does not necessarily contain recipes for the dishes Martha makes in the series. Last night, in the "Stewing" episode, she made a beef stew with red wine. Though the cookbook contains recipes for other dishes in which chuck is braised or stewed, the exact recipe from the show is contained nowhere in the cookbook. I took a look at the reviews on amazon.com, and discovered that lots of recipes from the show are not to be found between the covers of the cookbook.
The actual recipe for last night's beef stew is available online. It is called "Beef Stew with Fresh Horseradish." The horseradish is used only as a garnish. It is not a cooked component of the stew.
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