On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 09:30:04 GMT, LMWB > wrote:

>I'm looking for information in VERY BASIC cooking as I have absolutely NO
>cooking skills whatsoever.
>
>Although I am new to this group I have been a lacto vegetarian for 20+ years.

Enquiring mind wants to know -- how did you accomplish 20 years of
vegetarianism without acquiring any knowledge of cooking? Can't help
imagining a catered ashram, or convent of some sort. None of my
business, really. Just curious.

All the book-selling sites, as well as the specialized cookbook sites
can show you hundreds of "basic cooking" books. If you don't know how
to boil water, you might start with a child's "junior" cookbook. Take
a look at some descriptions and report what looks good to you. Many
books thought of as "basic" are large compendiums that I believe a
beginning cook would find baffling (in the US, 'Joy of Cooking' is
often recommended. I find it tedious.) Just browsed Amazon, and found:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...547601-1354261

(There is a more complete description on the US site). Search on
"easy" and "fast" and "student" and "beginner" and see what turns up.

On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 19:33:45 GMT, wrote:

>On Sat, 21 Feb 2004 14:35:07 GMT, Frogleg
> wrote:
>
>>On Thu, 19 Feb 2004 09:30:04 GMT, LMWB > wrote:
>>
>>>I'm looking for information in VERY BASIC cooking as I have absolutely NO
>>>cooking skills whatsoever.
>>>
>>>Although I am new to this group I have been a lacto vegetarian for 20+ years.
>>
>>Enquiring mind wants to know -- how did you accomplish 20 years of
>>vegetarianism without acquiring any knowledge of cooking?
>
>Maybe he was a married man whose wife cooked? Or lived with
>his parents who cooked? Both are quite common, after all.

Indeed. My train of thought sometimes makes long excursions with the
only destination a picnic lunch. I've just never experienced a
situation where everyday cooking, even if mostly done by another
person, was a mystery. Of course 'watching' and 'doing' are different.

On Mon, 23 Feb 2004 09:03:51 GMT, LMWB > wrote:


>As suggested by someone else in a follow up post I have a very understanding
>sister and extremely tolerant wife (of 30+ years).
>
>My specialities are Cornflakes (complete with milk - no expense spared);
>toast; toast and beans; and to finish off whatever is in a tin in the
>cupboard.

Today cornflakes; tomorrow, vegetarian lasagna! :-)

You mentioned lacto-. What about ovo-? Eggs are a relatively
inexpensive way to experiment, and variations are endless.

Salads and salad dressings could become your specialty. Or simple veg
dishes.

Up the toast ante with cinnamon toast. Or grilled cheese on toast. Or
grilled tomato and cheese on toast. Or mushrooms on toast.

What are *you* thinking about cooking?

On 2004-02-19, LMWB > wrote:

> I'm looking for information in VERY BASIC cooking as I have absolutely
> NO cooking skills whatsoever.

A few thoughts on this....

1) I may be biased because I've been cooking since I was pretty young,
but cooking simple recipes isn't too hard. You do need to stick with it
and accept the fact that things might not come out perfectly at first.
There are some basics in terms of knife technique and cooking techniques
that take a little bit of time to get comfortable with, but the best way
to get into it is to just get your feet wet... It helps if you can get
a friend who likes to cook to help you out (see #5).

2) There are a number of vegetarian (and non-vegetarian) cookbooks (here
in the US, anyway, and I'd imagine elsewhere as well) targeted towards
students, people cooking for 1 or 2, and beginners. Most of these will
have recipes that are fairly simple, and some will even have pictures,
instructions and tips on basic cooking techniques, and a glossary with
an explanation of less common ingredients.

3) I find that I often end up using non-veg cookbooks more than
vegetarian ones (even though I have tons of vegetarian cookbooks). Find
a good general cookbook (the "Fannie Farmer" cookbook is my main basic
cookbook, mostly because it's what my folks mostly used as I was growing
up).

4) (Kind of related to #3) Learn how to substitute and adapt recipes.
And, once you get comfortable with a recipe, don't be afraid to play
around with it. Following recipes itself is (for the most part) fairly
easy.

5) It sounds like there are some people around you who have good cooking
skills... these people are (hopefully) available as a resource for you.
Cook with them, ask them for help when you're cooking. Cook meals for
them (sounds like they've cooked for you plenty of times). Cooking with
_or_ for other people is (for me) probably the most rewarding aspect of
cooking.

(Side note - it really helps if you have a good EATER or two around too
- someone who will eat the food you cook, and eat it happily, even if it
doesn't come out perfectly.)

6) If you don't already have them, invest in the right tools. That
doesn't mean you need a huge set... buy things as you need them, but buy
good quality stuff. A single good (and properly sharpened) knife and a
couple of good pots / pans is better than a whole set of mediocre
cookware.

Basically, don't get too worried about the fact that you don't have any
cooking experience. In some ways it might even be an advantage. Main
thing is to just get started.

--
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To reply privately, simply reply; don't remove anything.

Will Yardley > wrote in message >...
> On 2004-02-19, LMWB > wrote:
>
> > I'm looking for information in VERY BASIC cooking as I have absolutely
> > NO cooking skills whatsoever.
>
> A few thoughts on this....
[ mod note: much quoting deleted - Geraint ]


Personally I think that that the best way to learn how to cook basic
meals is to ask mummy dearest.

Will Yardley > wrote in message >...
> On 2004-02-19, LMWB > wrote:

Hello,

I have recently produced a cooking tutorial on Audio CD and am after
people I don't know to give me an honest appraisal of it.

One of the titles is 'Vegetable Heaven' which sopunds like it might
suit you.

If you would like to help out (there is no charge), it would be great
to see how someone new to cooking finds the idea of being instructed
in the kitchen by a professional.

If you'd like to try it, please email me