SMACKING MY HEAD seems to be my favorite pastime. Why else would I have utterly missed the obvious, the totally abundantly clear-as-gin issue that all of my three guy friends have that is keeping them from learning to cook? What more simple problem could there be than this one? You tell me and I’ll smack my head for you each time you send in the correct answer.
Teaching John to Cook has been going along nicely, I thought, for a few weeks now. With your help, I’ve been supplying my three guys first with recipes. Then, after last week’s appeal for cooking-utensil tips, I thought we were pretty much on our way.
Then John came to dinner and I got him talking about what we was making in the kitchen, and it seemed he wasn’t making much. And someone else had the good sense to ask, “What are you reading?” to which he replied “Gourmet.”
Aha! While I love Gourmet as much as the next eater, it’s like eating a fancy dessert first, wouldn’t you say, when he’s still trying to find his way to the stove? I know it would scare the crap out of me at that stage of a cooking life. And since I already admitted to a “D’Oh!” in last week’s post on Teaching John to Cook, this week I’ll plead to a HELP ME NOW!
What should John be reading so that he can nourish himself? I’m thinking something easy. Jim, as you may remember, commented that Glorious One Pot Meals by Elizabeth Yarnell would be a great book. It is. It’s perfect.
But what about magazines? Other books?
C’mon, sisters, three adult-male lives depend on your suggestions.
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Cook’s Illustrated. Good step by step, logical process of cooking.
He’s reading Gourmet? Is that because he just doesn’t know where to start? Or because he’s got that male fear of appearing not to know it all? If it’s the first, then you just need to point him to some more beginner material. If it’s the second, your task will be more challenging.
I’d suggest he just start by making a list of foods he really likes and then getting a few basic recipes off the internet. If that’s too intimidating, then stick to the basics (a garden salad, microwaved frozen veggies and meat on the grill). He could also take a cooking class. If nothing else, it would be a great place to meet women…
I love Everyday Food Magazine and Great Food Fast. First recipe from that cook book was Roast Beef with Shallots and New Potatoes. Also the Lemon Thyme Green Beans. I made them for father’s day with the Lemon Cakes. If you can’t figure it out, dad loves lemons.
Also made the crab cakes from Every Day Food. Expensive, but really good.
I also read Taste of Home and Cooks Illustrated and Cooks Country.
Ditto Jim. I found Taste of Home and Every Day Food easy and simple. Taste of Home called for more of the pantry staples I normally have on hand. Another thing I do is to peruse Food Network’s website, usually type in what I want or look at Paula Deen’s recipes, which are always simple and delicious…perhaps biased because I’m in the adjacent state of South Carolina to Ms. Deen’s Georgia, I also love her cookbooks. For quick, easy and a little healthier, Giada De Laurentiss’ “Everyday Italian” is fantastic!
Good luck, John, and keep your sanity, Sister-friend and fellow cook, Marion.
Like I said, Alton Brown books are very good. But the “Ciao Italia” series by Mary Anne Esposito (with a recipe in each issue of Tastes of Italia magazone, BTW) are pretty simple and genuinely Italian. I’m sure you could find plenty of how-to-cooking classes on the web (Cook’s Illustrated used to do them.) Didn’t the TU have something like that going at one point? –djs
Hi, Jen: Cooks Illustrated! Of course. I loved that magazine and forgot how much until you said it. I must have let my subscription lapse somehow. Oh yes. Perfect. Thank you.
Hi Sandy: John says reading Gourmet was just what he thought he was supposed to do. But it surely would have stymied me, as well, lovely as it is. There will be a new update this week, so stay tuned.
Hey, Jim: Everyday Food is a magazine I’ve taken since its very first isseus and something I use every week. And funny you should mention it, since it will be the topic of Teaching John to Cook this week. So come back and read on. Thank you. Yes, a lemon world is a good world, I agree.
Hello, Lisa. And thanks for stopping by. I hadn’t tried Everyday Italian, but will now go check it out. Lovely of you to suggest it. Thanks again.
Hi, DJ: I have not found great cooking classes on the web, though Mark Bittman’s short videos are great. I found them at the iTunes store for free. Really entertaining, fast and totally do-able.
I’d second the Cooks Illustrated, although it doesn’t have the food porn quality of pics that you find in Gourmet. On the other hand, if he wants to read Gourmet, maybe its a bit like those new knitters who want to dive right in and forego the scarf knitting, jumping right to a sweater with cables!
The other mag that has nice pics are the Donna Hay magazine. don’t know if you get them down there, but it’s on the newsstand here in Canada. The recipes are usually pretty uncomplicated.
Hi, Janice. And thanks. “Food porn,” is an expression I’m new to. It’s hilarious. I love that. Thank you for the new phrase. I’ll check out Donna Hay. We’d love a northern cooking sister magazine. Please come back for more.
Not so glossy as the magazines, but Julia Child’s cookbooks are all notable for teaching a novice HOW to cook, not just tossing recipes at you. Once you understand why you are doing what the recipe calls for, it all begins to make a lot more sense, and their own creativity will flourish.
Even better, you can Netflix the great Julia Child PBS series one season at a time. Watching her explaining and demonstrating the techniques required might be more useful than reading recipes or how to books.
I love Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything – comprehensive and easy recipes, and he explains a lot about food and cooking basics. He also has a vegetarian one.
Hi, Deb: Of course! Julia on Netflix. How crazy of me not to think of it. We featured Julia’s famous video of those chickens here on TSP. I’ll go Netflix right now. Thank you!
Hi Jayne: I’ve been watching Bittman’s short videos (and free!) on iTunes. Delightful. I’ll send John there and yes, of course (head smack heard here ) that wonderful book. You’re so right. Please come back soon.
There is a great book called Desperation Dinners. It is very basic and doesn’t teach technique, but teaches step-by-step organization, shopping, and cooking to produce a good meal in a short amount of time. It is great and very practical for a new cook or when cooking for families.
Hi, Jamie. And welcome. Oh, I love that title. How great. I’ll go get it on alibris.com and check it out for my men. Thank you. And please come back soon.
Hi, Marion – what a worthy endeavor! I’d second Jayne’s recommendation of Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. It has a sort of nicely elevated guy-vibe that your friend might appreciate. And yes, Cook’s Illustrated is also good, especially if logic & science appeal. Of course, you could always point him toward old Graham Kerr videos; perhaps a swinging, retro Galloping Gourmet will do the trick?
Hey, Marilyn: The Galloping Gourmet! OMG, I’d forgotten. I loved him; adored his swinging-swanky ways. And perfect for my men. Perfect. Thank you.
Again would second (third) Mark Bittman – How to Cook Everything and his NY Times blog Bitten. He’s got a good casual style and uncomplicates cooking well. GOURMET; isn’t that biting off more than you can chew? I loved “La Technique” by Jaques Pepin back when. Will teach John how to use a knife.
Marcella Hazan’s “Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking” is tough to beat. She’s a bit, hmm, insistent on technique, but what other way is there to learn? I love the Tomato Sauce with Onion & Butter: 2 cups canned tomatoes, smashed, with 5 tbsp of butter and an onion, peeled and halved but not cut up. Simmer 45 minutes, remove the onion, and serve on pasta. Awesome.
Hi, Cathy. And welcome. Ha ha ha, “insistent.” I love those euphemisms, but you’re right, of course: we must learn to draw before we learn to spatter. That you provided us with a recipe is a true sisterly gesture. We love you for it. Please come back and sauce things up again.
Hey, Jed. Ooooh, yes, the Jacques Pepin knife techniques. What a great suggestion, and one I’m going to use for myself, as well, since my knife techniques are sorely lacking. Thank you. What a great idea. Please come back and see how they/we are all doing with this project.
Kraft Foods has a FREE magazine that yours for the asking – all you have to do is sign up here:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/registration/RegistrationStep1.aspx?cm_mmc=Srch-_-Google-_-Kraft%20Brand-Non%20Recipe-_-kraft%20kitchens
Nothing is too complicated, it has shiny pictures & shows some techniques and has coupons included inside.
Plus there’s a TON of recipes online at their site as well.
Access to FoodNetwork is always helpful too – I learned some techniques from watching Rachel Ray – she’s not intimidating and has been known to drop stuff from time to time. She may be today’s Julia for sheer watchability. Sandra Lee’s Semi-Homemade is good for quick tips and shortcuts and her crockpot cookbooks are awesome.
Hey, Roadchick. Well, what a great surprise this is. Who knew, as we all now say. Who knew, indeed? I, too, love anyone who drops stuff on the floor and keeps on cooking. Didn’t know Sandra Lee, but if Roadchick recommends her, she’s a sister already. Thanks, sister.
Sandra Lee is great. Her recipes are always simple and easy and she makes great use of pre-prepared ingredients. The ultimate in unthreatening. I don’t know why I didn’t think of her before.
And duh! The Food Network — of course! Your friend should check out Alton Brown’s show, “Good Eats.” It’s a show about cooking, by a guy. He doesn’t just present recipes, but he also gives the science behind them, with a lot of whacky humor thrown in. The perfect cooking show for men.
Here’s another idea. A sister-friend of mine has recently created a website to explore the whole idea of “home cooking.” It has lots of good basic recipes, plus ideas for cooking on a budget, cooking when you have no time, etc, etc. Here’s the link: http://www.home-cooked-meals.com/
Hi, Sandy. Alton Brown, it is. Thanks . I’ll check him out. And thanks for your sister-friend’s food page. I just got a recipe for sweet and sour sauce from it that I’ve needed for the longest time. We’ll keep reading her for certain. She’s a genuine sister in the kitchen. Lovely to see you here again. Please come back soon.
I forgot about The Cake Doctor by Ann Byrn. She uses box mixes and “doctors” the mix. The snickerdoodle cake is wonderful. There are photos of all the cakes. There have been follow up books in the series and she has a monthly newsletter.
Hey Marion: It’s almost July–can we have an update on how the John-guys are doing with their cooking? This is too good a story to let go….so thanks. –djs
Hey, DJ. Of course. I’ve let my men slip away a little amid the summer and the rain. But I’m on it. Stayed tuned! And thanks for asking.