The cookery thread

[Onyx2]

55 minutes ago, Nick Soapdish said:

*I also want an immersion circulator (Sous Vide wand), which Instant Pot now make one of their own of.

I'm a fan of the Uno, which plugs into a slow cooker or rice cooker to turn it into a sous vide.

https://www.grantcreativecuisine.com/gb/product/uno-sous-vide-controller

[Nick Soapdish]

2 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

I'm a fan of the Uno, which plugs into a slow cooker or rice cooker to turn it into a sous vide.

https://www.grantcreativecuisine.com/gb/product/uno-sous-vide-controller

I would rather not lose a plug socket, dont have many there as it is. I was looking at the Anova before IP did their own, both look very similar mind

[AdamTH17]

As someone who's ventured through the thread and decided they'd quite like to have a go at cooking, could anyone point me in the direction of handy resources/recipes/instructions? I'm aware there's a vast amount of them out there but if anyone has any particular recommendations it would be much appreciated.

It's something I'm wanting to get into, but have no means of where to even begin. The only experience of cooking I've ever had in my life was two years of Food Technology in high school, and even that saw me spend most of the time trying to turn on the oven. So I'm massively limited in terms of what I've already made, and in terms of general knowledge surrounding food and ingredients and utensils and the like. Total beginner here. I'm just looking for the basic of the basics to start of with, if anyone could provide any advice or suggestions I'd be grateful!

Edited April 5, 2017 by AdamTH17

[Onyx2]

You will only cook something you will really want to eat. 

I can point you in the direction of tutorials or decent recipes, but it depends what you want to cook. 

What style of food do you like? Name a couple of types of dishes you really want to cook for yourself. 

[Thunderplex]

Although the slobbering tit gets on my nerves, Jamie Oliver books are a fantastic place to start for new cooks.  His recipes are easy to follow and really work well. I'd start with Jamie's Ministry of Food, which was created with new cooks in mind, but has plenty in there for more experienced cooks as well.

[SiMania]

Pizza time!

 

Full write up to follow. 

[Thunderplex]

Very uneven crust, which is always the sign of a good pizza!

[MungoChutney]

Adam, if you like Chinese food then start with a stir fry. You'll learn loads about how different meats and veg cooks along with what flavours go well just by experimenting or following some simple recipes.

[Carbomb]

On ‎03‎/‎04‎/‎2017 at 9:55 PM, deathrey said:

Coconut samosas sound really nice, I've never had of those before - though I have had chocolate samosas - but coconut sounds much nicer. I'll have to try and track those down. Are they generally only found in Mauritian cuisine?

Sorry for late one - not been on the past couple of days.

I've never seen coconut samosas outside of Mauritian cuisine, but I wouldn't care to assume they can't be found anywhere else - I'd imagine there must be places on the south Indian coast, in Sri Lanka, the Maldives, the Seychelles or Comoros that might have them. Don't know for certain though.

They are indeed lovely. Sweet and flavoursome, but not too cloying or sugary.

[AdamTH17]

4 hours ago, Onyx2 said:

You will only cook something you will really want to eat. 

I can point you in the direction of tutorials or decent recipes, but it depends what you want to cook. 

What style of food do you like? Name a couple of types of dishes you really want to cook for yourself. 

Fair point.

I'm big on anything to do with meat, mostly pork and fish dishes. Pasta stuff as well is a feature in my house. Chilli, curries, pizza and other fairlyh generic stuff. I don't have the most outlandish of tastes but honestly there isn't much I won't have a munch of. I'm going in with an open mind as to what I want to make a start on cooking. Thanks for the other suggestions as well r.e the books, I'll have a scan on eBay and see if I can pick anything up. Stir Fry seems like a good shout, I'll browse for some decent recipes tomorrow and see if I can get anywhere. 

Edited April 5, 2017 by AdamTH17

[Keith Houchen]

Charity shops are a good place to find cookbooks.  Lots of people buy them and might use them a couple of times before giving up.

[chokeout]

So many years ago I worked as a baker to pay my way through uni. Last few months I've been getting back into breads, sour dough and, more recently, cakes. 

Turns out cakes are still a piece of piss to do and I've been playing around more then anything. Anyway I made myself a chocolate and caramac cake. I am now thinking of other things I can 'cake'

[Onyx2]

Thunderplex has given me licence to recommend Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food which is designed for the completed beginner. I recommend the library for cookery books, mine always has loads of current ones in. Take a picture of recipes you like then give 'em back.

I think a chilli is a great place to start. It's probably the first recipe I 'mastered' where I was happy with it every time. You have to chop stuff, brown meat, simmer, adjust temperature and seasoning... It's then a great base to make a bolognese, curry, shepherd's pie, lasagne etc. It's a gateway drug.

Here's Jamie's chilli from said book: http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/good-old-chilli-con-carne/

[Gus Mears]

One tip worth remembering is that cooking a Jamie Oliver recipe makes you a worse person than Pol Pot. 

That and his 30 minute and 60 minute menus bare no relationship whatsoever to time within the universe we are operating in.

 

[mim731]

I have to say the BBC Good Food site is excellent for recipes, just given the vast array of options and the ability to search for a specific ingredient. Have been finding it very useful.