how do u learn how to cook

You can learn figuratively anything on the internet.

>>17793801
Start simple and learn the fundamentals--learn how to cook rice, learn how to fry an egg, learn how to cook pasta, learn how to cook meats and check for doneness, learn how to bake a potato, learn some knife skills, etc.

It's like a lot of other skills in that you have to build your way up a bit at a time. If you want to learn how to play guitar, your first move shouldn't be trying to learn a Robert Fripp solo, it should be learning your chords and scales. Same with cooking. Get the basics down and your skills will compound.

>>>/ck/

spend a lot of time on /ck/

>>17793813
This. Get basics down.

BUT make everything over and over everyday. Consistency is key. Memorize the recipes and times and also develop muscle memory. It's like learning how to wipe your ass. It takes time to perfect but once you got it down you don't think about it much and you just get the job done.

>>17793801
>pick recipe
>follow it
>repeat

>>17793813
Pretty decent advice. The problem with cooking is that a lot of the material out there (cookbooks, etc.) often assumes you have some knowledge of cooking that your grandmother taught you or some shit. Like we're all just born with this knowledge. I have literally seen the instruction "cook until done" in beginner's cookbooks and that shit is infuriatingly unhelpful. It's like when you're learning audio and production (something I've also done) and every step of the way a legion of dumbasses who take their knowledge base for granted will say "who cares about the methods and rationale just use your ears bro, just make it sound good bro, just b urself" there is literally that kind of misinformation in every pursuit in life.

I guess just be aware of that, and don't let it slow you down.

I would also encourage you to learn to make foods you like. I don't know about you, but all the classic cookbooks and shit I grew up with taught you how to make casseroles and meatloaf, which I literally never eat now that my mom can't force me to. Or they start with breakfast and I typically don't eat breakfast/I hate breakfast food. But, I really like stir-fy, and learning how to stir-fry got me into cooking. Make things you'd want to pay money for.

>>17793801

grab a cook book, or even cheaper, just look onlien for recipes. try googling 'recipes for beginners' if your'e intimidated.

you;ll still be intimidated when you look at an ingredient list, but trust me when i say its not as hard as it seems. once you're doing it its REALLY easy.

try the following:
chicken alfredo
spaghetti with meatsauce
chuck roast
meat loaf
breaded / fried chicken
salmon

all pretty easy recipes imo. only remove ingredients you know you dont actually like. not ingredients that make you think 'eh i could do it withotu that.

otherwise you'll end up with bland food

>>17793801
Get your recipes and information from legit sources like cookbooks or professional chefs, avoid meme videos and infographics.

Make sure you have a decent kitchen setup, as a minimum you need one good frying pan, one large saucepan, a good chef's knife & cutting board, spatula, large plastic spoon, tongs, baking dish, strainer/colander, measuring spoon/cup.

Start by getting good at cooking simple dishes, once you have ~5 staples you can easily do well keep branching out, try to learn a new recipe at least every month.

Don't try to multitask too much at the beginning. Do all your prep before you start cooking, that way you can really focus on getting things cooked properly.

Always keep a critical viewpoint and assess what added to and detracted from the meal so you can improve next time.

Ask other people for advice, next time someone cooks you a really good meal pick their brains or even better, sit in and watch them.

>>17793801
By cooking

>>17793801

What everyone else said - the problem is fucking up relatively expensive ingredients and also having enough people to eat it.

>want to salt some salmon
>not going to be able to eat all that shit
>can't exactly practice every day

The advice so far is very good, OP. I strongly recommend Jacques Pépin's Complete Techniques. It is a stellar beginning cookbook, has all the details a beginner requires, and has all the basic dishes of French cooking. His shows are great as well.

I'll provide what absolute basic tips I can:

- When cooking anything in a pan, make sure there is a liquid in it to distribute heat and prevent sticking. If the recipe calls for you to sautee something and doesn't give you a sauce or anything to cook it in, use a little bit of oil, just enough to cover the pan.

-Make sure to not leave oil in the pan for too long, it will scorch and burn

-If your oil starts smoking, remove it from the heat and put it on a cold burner. If it catches on fire, put a lid on top of it and it will consume the oxygen and die. NEVER add water to smoking/burning oil. I mean it, never. It can and will cause a fireball.

On a related note, if you have a nonstick pan, do not immerse it in water to cool it down, let it cool down slowly and naturally.

-When using any sort of measuring utensil, make sure the stuff you are measuring is laying flat. e.g. if you scoop up a cup of flour, use a knife and scrape off the top until the flour surface is flat and flush with the top of the measuring cup. If it's inside, shake it until it lays flat. If measuring water, let it sit until flat.

-Baking powder and baking soda are not the same thing.

-Do not substitute until you know how to cook basic things.

-Cut open meat to check done-ness. Red meat is done when pink on the inside. Chicken is done when you cut it open and fluids run clear.

-When baking, check done-ness by inserting a knife. If the knife comes out clean, it's done. if it comes out with batter, cook longer.

Until you get comfortable with your stove, babysit anything you're cooking on the surface. As you become comfortable you'll learn where the "sweet spot" is of temperature to cook well but not burn.

-A rolling boil is a strong boil where the bubbles are making the water flow up in the middle and down on the sides. A simmer is a very low boil with small bubbles spread throughout, almost not boiling.

>>17794156

-You do not need to pour oil into the water when you cook pasta. As long as you stir it as soon as you put it in, it won't stick.

-You can start cooking most any meal by going to the frozen food section, getting frozen chicken strips, getting frozen veggies, and sauteeing them all together with a little olive oil

-Cook big things the longest, small things next, and add thin leafy greens and cheeses last, unless the recipe specifies otherwise

-When mixing things, make sure you scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl

-"Whipping" something is stirring it fast, usually with a whisk (a weird tool make from tons of crossing looped wires), tilt the bowl just a little bit and lift the whisk as you stir.

-If a recipe says to "fold in" something, stir it gently, and the bare minimum

-Do not leave plastic tools on hot surfaces

-If plates or dishes do now say "microwave-safe", "oven-safe" or "dishwasher safe", do not assume they are safe to use

-Absolutely no metal things in the microwave, ever

-1 cup of water takes 2 minutes in the microwave to boil

-Never put a pan with nothing in it onto a hot burner. At best it will scorch the bottom of the pan and you will have to scrub it for hours. At worst, you destroy the pan.

-When in doubt, stir more often

Invest some money in spices. Changing the spice can make any food new and interesting again. Parsley, garlic, onion, and pepper are essentials.

-Be very careful when cooking milk, it scorches easily. If it's boiling on the edge or forming a film on top, you need to turn the heat down.

You usually don't need an electric mixer when it calls for one, but if you don't have one, prepare to mix it A LOT and have your arm get very tired.

>>17794174
That's all I can think of, but if anyone has any questions, I will do my best to answer them

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