ok anons, I'm lost. I've been in charge of the cooking

What kind of stuff are you trying to make? Give some examples of what you cook.

>>16543501
chicken, pork, beef, rice, roasted vegetables, salads... i am also bored of the same and wish to try new recipes, but i get discouraged when i think that I'm gonna screw the new things up too.

if you keep coking and trying to improve you will make small adjustments everytime you cook

as for compliments, when people make food they ask the person who is eating if they like, if there's something that they wanted different, etc

>>16543518
they say " it's alright"

every
single
time

Put many ingredients in your recipes, foods usually taste like meh when they lack complexity and/or spice

>>16543525
that's great, it looks like they are happy with it

if you still think they don't. you can ask if there's something different you can do to make the food better

>>16543529
i don't cook spicy hot food, because i have small children who might get an upset tummy. other than that i use garlic, onion (both fresh and on powder) cumin, pepper, fresh sweet peppers, salt, all purpose seasonings, tomato paste, soya sauce, Worcestershire sauce, sesame seed oil, coconut oil, olive oil, oyster sauce... and many others...

>>16543512
Ok. Well, the first order of business is to learn how to properly prepare meat. Learn what cooking methods are best for each type of meat, and how thoroughly you should cook them. Your next focus should be on seasoning.. a little can go a long way. At the grocery store they have ready-made marinade and combination spices meant for easy meat seasoning. It can make a huge difference. Then, you want to think about pairing, like what veggies go well with what meat and so on.

It's really just a lot of trial and error, but if you keep at it you can learn to make yummy home style meals. Maybe ask the women in your life for advice, if they're good at cooking.

>>16543541
they won't tell me. they also say it's alright with Buster Keaton's face expression...

>>16543552
If you have small kids, you might be thinking TOO complex. Learn how to make a really amazing mac and cheese or breaded chicken or spaghetti and then go from there.

>>>/ck/

I bet you don't even know how to make dessert ramen pleb

>>16543558
my mom never measured anything when cooking...so she's not much help. she has also never had my food (we live in different countries, and neither of us can afford to travel) so she wouldn't know whats wrong with mine. MIL is too protective of her family secrets to tell me anything. I've asked... i need to relearn from 0.

I recommend learning to cook a variety of dishes in an ethnic cuisine such as Indian

The process, the seasonings

that will give you the skillz to branch out into a wider variety of recipes

>>16543572
i actually do make a nice homemade mac and cheese. my kids love it. but then again what kid doesn't kike that hahaha

What cookbooks do you use? If you are following directions closely, and you are coming out with something edible, then I am thinking it's a problem with the recipes you use than your own cooking skills.

I personally have two cookbooks that I use exclusively. They are "general" cookbooks, so they don't focus on any one dish or style in particular.

>>16543577
no hahaha

I didnt mean spicy, just well balanced
I dont know what standards you have but my family enjoys everything that doesnt taste really bad

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48KB, 432x413px

>>16543587
>what kid doesn't kike

Topkek

>>16543582
that would be great, my husband loves indian food.


>>16543588 may i ask what books are those please? i have a book on one pot meals. specific recipes i usually get at allrecipes.com or food.com

>>16543595
well mine eats my stuff, but i just wish I did

>>16543587
There you go. The problem probably isn't with your cooking skills, it's with your kids. Small kids have no taste whatsoever and wouldn't know good food if it slapped them in the face. They just do not have complex palates. Focus your attentions on foods that small kids will enjoy for now.

>>16543599
lmao i hadn't seen that

>>16543595
we eat a lot of Cuban food...because that's the only type i can make...or have tried so far

>>16543615
but on the other hand, my husband is west indian and likes spicy foods. I've asked him a gazillion times to teach me but he's too lazy

>>16543626
well, it's just tough for him then, he'll have to suck it up. When you have small kids you just gotta deal with eating what they like until they're old enough to know better.

>>16543643
when would you say they're old enough?

>>16543645
It's different for every kid. At the very earliest, probably 6 or 7 is when they become a bit more open to enjoying more complex flavors.

just torrent good eats show.
Alton brown actually explains /why/ you do something on that show. So if you have problems with your chicken coming out dry every time or don't understand when to do things, just work through that tv show. His book is okey too, but much better with show.
.
Most cookbooks you know are not learning books but just collection of recipes with some "cooking tips". You have to learn why before you can use recipes well, if, like me, you were never taught the basics.

There is actually a lot to it, heating types, timing, pan surface type , etc. Even being a lot, it is actually all very simple at the starter level, but you really need a teacher to get you over that hump.

>>16543668
not yet then. thanks

>>16543704
had never heard of that show. thanks a lot.
i was never taught anything, but to be 100% honest i was never interested in cooking. I don't love cooking...I do it because I have to feed my family. There isn't a day I don't wish I didn't have to cook so I could play with my kids more and do more stuff. But I don't know how much of that feeling stems from the fact that nobody looks forward to doing something they suck at, or if i suck at it because i don't love doing it. Nobody taught me anything, I kinda asked some and remembered some, fucked up a few meals and learned from it, but i still suck. maybe that show will help.