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Help! Living alone need cooking ideas!

edited August 2009 in Everything Else
So now that I'm out of college, I no longer have access to a college meal plan and I am no longer living with parents that will cook for me. I need some easy and tasty cooking ideas so I don't die from frozen food and hamburger helpers. I have all the basic kitchen apparatuses but little to no experience in cooking. Maybe others that were in the same situation as I am now can share some advice?
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  • Recipe thread

    Another answer is learn about the great carry out restaurant options.
  • So now that I'm out of college, I no longer have access to a college meal plan and I am no longer living with parents that will cook for me. I need some easy and tasty cooking ideas so I don't die from frozen food and hamburger helpers. I have all the basic kitchen apparatuses but little to no experience in cooking. Maybe others that were in the same situation as I am now can share some advice?
    There are 3 easy steps to become a reasonably skilled cook.

    1. Consume all media involving this man in some capacity.

    2. Do everything he tells you to do.

    3. Consume delicious food.

    Really, though, the only way to learn how to cook is, well, to cook.
  • So now that I'm out of college, I no longer have access to a college meal plan and I am no longer living with parents that will cook for me. I need some easy and tasty cooking ideas so I don't die from frozen food and hamburger helpers. I have all the basic kitchen apparatuses but little to no experience in cooking. Maybe others that were in the same situation as I am now can share some advice?
    There are 3 easy steps to become a reasonably skilled cook.

    1. Consume all media involvingthis manin some capacity.

    2. Do everything he tells you to do.

    3. Consume delicious food.

    Really, though, the only way to learn how to cook is, well, to cook.
    I second that. I learned to cook watching Good Eats, and making the recipes. Also picking up "I'm Just Here for the Food," is very helpful since he explains in detail what each method of cooking (broiling, frying, baking, etc.) is, and what it does, and how best to take advantage of that. Because of him I'm now the one in charge of cooking both turkey and ham for family holiday meals.
  • Experiment with stuff you have. Yay for rice + honey and macaroni + ketchup.
  • Until you get the crazy awesome cooking skills, get a slow cooker and make a couple of large meals in it each week and eat the leftovers on days that you can't take the time to cook. It is cheap and easy.
  • I'll throw another vote in for seeking knowledge at the Altar of Alton. Get I'm Just Here For The Food 2.0 for cooking info and Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen for more info than you can shake a whisk at regarding cooking gadgets (you can never have too many.) You can skip his book on baking unless you've got an urge to make your own baked goods (I personally found it engrossing, but I make my own bread, too.) If you have zero cooking skills, get yourself some basic cookbooks for beginners as well - usually anything with "for dummies" or "student's cookbook" are good starting places. As with anything instructional, read everything before attempting anything! From there, figure out what you like to eat and learn how to cook it. It's more fun to learn how to cook if you're actually interested in what you're making. Most of us are at least semi-geeky here and know how to follow an algorithm. That's basically all recipes are: algorithms. And unlike algorithms in mathematics or comp sci, unless you're doing something that requires precision (like baking), most recipes are pretty forgiving. Don't be afraid to be adventurous and try something new. If it fails, you can always chuck it in the bin and try something else!
  • Get a copy of "The Joy of Cooking" and "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". You also want a really REALLY sharp chef's knife and a paring knife.
  • This.

    It's the be-all and end-all of easy recipes. I learned to cook with it (and watching my mom when I was younger).
  • Screw cooking. Learn to eat out. Go around your area and figure out which bars have the best deals on any given night of the week. If you're smart enough, find some place that does trivia and earn your meal. I've done it. It works. Any day of the week, I can find a bar that is doing a cheap wing or dollar burger night... but seriously.

    Cooking isn't that scary. Don't be afraid to try something new because even if you screw it up. Pizza is only a phone call away.
  • Don't be afraid to try something new because even if you screw it up.
    True, but that doesn't mean you can grill a braising steak. That's not allowed. Also, marinating pork chops in manischewitz is a bad idea.

    Otherwise, experiment away.
  • edited August 2009
    Also, marinating pork chops in manischewitz...
    That takes the concept of messing with Kosher foods to a whole new level.
    Post edited by Techparadox on
  • edited August 2009
    Ask your parents to teach you how to make the stuff you like (after all, they probably fed you for much of your childhood, they would know what you like). Once you learn the basics from actually participating in cooking, a cookbook will be useful for you.
    Post edited by Ilmarinen on
  • Don't be afraid to try something new because even if you screw it up.
    True, but that doesn't mean you can grill a braising steak. That's not allowed. Also, marinating pork chops in manischewitz is a bad idea.

    Otherwise, experiment away.
    CULINARY FASCIST! HOW DARE YOU STAND IN THE WAY OF MY CREATIVITY!!!

    Some ideas will turn out into great meal... other ideas will turn into funny stories to tell your friends :D

    Here are some other bachelor tips:
    -Buying in bulk is only a deal if you're going to eat it. Cereal, canned goods and other none perishables are best.
    -Fresh fruits and veggies are great, but they go bad a lot faster then the frozen or canned variates.
    -Cook in bulk. You can turn yesterday's grilled chicken breast into today's chicken salad and tomorrow's chicken soup.
    -Screw around with stuff you already know how to make. If you can do meatloaf, next time add some mushrooms into the mix and rolling it with mozzarella cheese.
    -One dish cooking is fine. A 5 course meal is 5 times the dishes. Rice+ black bean soup+ sausage = dinner.
  • -Buying in bulk is only a deal if you're going to eat it. Cereal, canned goods and other none perishables are best.
    This is so true. It's easy to mess this up once you are in the grocery store.

    For example. Let's say you go to the grocery and look at some english muffins. They usually come 6 in a pack. Quite often there will be a deal where if you get two packs together, it's cheaper than the price of two individual packs. Of course you're going to get the double to save money, right?

    Well, you will save money, but only if you actually manage to eat all 12 muffins before they go bad. If you're just one person living alone, and you're not some crazy obese overeating person, then it actually takes a long time to eat something, especially if you eat a variety. If you eat an English muffin or two every day, you'll probably eat all 12 before they go bad. If you rotate between those and a few other breakfast options, they will get stale or moldy before they get eaten. You would have saved more money buying just 6 instead of 12.

    When I move to the city I plan to only stock certain things in the kitchen like juice, cereal, pasta, etc. Because I will be in a city, I will buy dinner, or dinner ingredients, every single day on my way home from work. I will buy exactly what I plan to use, and no extra. I did this recently when I was visiting grandma in Florida. I was only there for a few days, so I went to the grocery and bought exactly a few days worth of food. It was good times.
  • Recipezaar is the best. Lots of easy-to-follow recipes, searchable by any given ingredient. Calories are even calculated. More are being added all the time because members contribute.
  • Also, ramen. It's unhealthy, but it's cheap and tasty (in moderation, of course).
  • But remember, this could happen to you....
  • One dish cooking is fine.
    One dish meals are some of the best things I've ever eaten. Like Mrs. MacRoss said, get yourself a crock pot and use it. You'll thank yourself forever.
  • As already stated cook in bulk for the week as your preparation times will probably be slow when you start off.
    Cooking time is nothing compared to the preparation.
    I tend to also cook side dishes in bulk over the weekend but prepare salads, rice, pasta or other carbohydrate sources from scratch for each night.

    I've never used the Alton books however the book that actually taught me how to cook food which was better than stuff I pay for was Jamie Oliver's - The Naked Chef. It's excellent because he's given up all the recipes which he cooked when he had moved out and was learning to become a chef. It details how to produce restaurant or better quality food even after a long day at work.

    Fresh ingredients is best but only buy fresh when its close to your day of cooking.
    Invest in a good multichopper, it helps reduce preparation times, trust me it helps alot.

    Even the girls at my last job thought I was crazy cooking what I was cooking for a single guy but it's better than getting crappy take out, becoming nutritionally unstable and also spending a lot of money.

    Remember to eat breakfast and lunch, missing breakfast and just having a big lunch and dinner will seriously play havok with energy levels, plus fat storage will rise quickly.
  • I've found that if there is something you're craving, go to Google and search "easy -insert food here-" and you will probably find a recipe you will be okay with.

    As a college student who isn't loaded and has no time, I tend to eat the same easy things over and over. Pasta and sauce is very easy- just cook the noodles and buy a jar of sauce to dump in. The best part about noodles (for me) is that they tend to be pretty cheap (and you can get all kinds of crazy shapes!). Cooking chicken is easy, especially if you have a George Foreman grill. Homemade pizza is awesome... Just get a pre-made pizza crust (or any kind of bread really, I like to use bagels sometimes) and put some kinda tomato sauce and cheese on it, stick it in the oven for awhile, and voila!
  • I come from a family who eats nothing but home-cooking. We never really eat canned or precooked food. I guess if you want a good southern recipe, I can find one. My specialty is homemade chicken and dumplings with made from scratch biscuits. If anyone wants a recipe like that, I would be happy to share if I have one. Just make a request.
  • I come from a family who eats nothing but home-cooking. We never really eat canned or precooked food. I guess if you want a good southern recipe, I can find one. My specialty is homemade chicken and dumplings with made from scratch biscuits. If anyone wants a recipe like that, I would be happy to share if I have one. Just make a request.
    Consider this a humble request, ma'am, because that sounds delicious.
  • I come from a family who eats nothing but home-cooking. We never really eat canned or precooked food. I guess if you want a good southern recipe, I can find one. My specialty is homemade chicken and dumplings with made from scratch biscuits. If anyone wants a recipe like that, I would be happy to share if I have one. Just make a request.
    I'm all about a good biscuit recipe.
  • My specialty is homemade chicken and dumplings
    Ooooooh
    made from scratch
    Eh?
    scratch biscuits
    EH??

    Sounds tasty though.
  • Great advices so far, I'm starting out with simple things. I'm going to try to make that beef stew linked earlier. Cooking in bulk helps a lot, I can reheat things during the days I get lazy. The stuff I'm buying though is pretty expensive and I am wondering if I'm even saving any money at all. I can go out and get three items from the dollar menu and be full for the night and its so much easier. Don't know if I can resist. :/
  • There is a company called Alexia Foods. They make frozen food. However, unlike some other frozen food companies, their frozen food is real food. I've had their chicken nuggets, biscuits, various fries, and focaccias. It's all really easy to make, and it doesn't have trans-fat or HFCS. It's just plain old frozen food.

    Another similar food brand is Neueva Cocina. They make the best rice in a box you can get. If you make it, nobody will believe it was from a box. Their taco seasoning is also the absolute best taco seasoning you can get.

    Where were these companies when I was in college?
  • It's all really easy to make, and it doesn't have trans-fat or HFCS
    You know, HFCS isn't any worse for you than regular sugar...
  • The dollar menu is awesome if you want to turn out as a sickly blimp.

    As for inexpensive, fast cooking, don't underestimate the value of eggs. There are so many variants on eggs and egg dishes... an egg in a basket is one of my favorite go-to one-shot meals. We're talking five minutes, here.

    Lyddi's right about pasta. Angel hair cooks the fastest, and can be combined with just about any meat, vegetable, cheese, and olive oil to make a tasty meal. Try angel hair, sausage, broccoli, feta, and olive oil. Try angel hair, chicken, red bell peppers, mozzarella, and olive oil. Try angel hair, hamburger, diced tomatoes, parmesan, and olive oil. Try angel hair, lamb, fresh spinach, asiago, and olive oil.

    I was in your situation during my senior year of college. My roommate and I moved off campus and pooled our resources. We'd hit the discount grocery store with $20 and get through an entire week on that budget for two people. It can be done.
  • It's all really easy to make, and it doesn't have trans-fat or HFCS
    You know, HFCS isn't any worse for you than regular sugar...
    It begins...
  • You know, HFCS isn't any worse for you than regular sugar...
    This is true, and it is also not true.

    1 Calorie of HFCS is one calorie of fructose. No big deal. The thing is, HFCS has a lot more fructose per unit volume.

    Take two twins. Put them at a table. One of them has soda with HFCS. The other has the same soda with sugar. They will both be able to drink roughly the same number of fluid ounces of soda before being full and unable to continue. However, the one who was drinking the HFCS will have ingested far more calories.
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