“If you can’t explain it to a six year old, you don’t understand it yourself.”
― Albert Einstein

I’m a self taught cook. I started with expensive equipment and more spices than Wolfgang Puck. After a month or so, I began to apply the principle of simplicity to cooking. Eventually, I began making a lot of quick, simple and very tasty recipes. Here is my beginners guide to cooking!

Key Points

Salt and pepper are the only spices you really need
Olive oil, butter and animal fats are good oils to use for cooking
Real balsamic vinegar and soy sauce are great to keep around
The meat with the least fat cooks the slowest (low heat)
Fattier cuts of meat are better cooked on high heat
A slow cooker is your friend. Use it as much as possible
Kiwi is a great tenderizer for meat
Be creative. Mix side dishes and dressings
Use simple equipment. Non stick pots/pans and sharp knives
Get precut meats and vegetables, instead of chopping them yourself

Beginners Guide to Cooking

Don’t Over-do the Spices

The first rule in my beginners guide to cooking is to focus on just salt and pepper. Salt and pepper will give you 80% of your taste. Don’t go crazy with the spices. Prepackaged seasoning works great as well. Old Bay, Adobo, Herb de Provance and others are favorites. The less fatty a cut of meat is, the heavier you can put on the spices.

Meat is Not Hard to Cook

Meat is intimidating to people. Most people are afraid of either burning it or getting sick because it’s too raw. Meat is simple to cook. Season it and wait until it gets to room temperature before cooking it so it can cook evenly.

Fattier cuts of meat can be cooked at higher heat. Burgers, lamb, and steak can all be cooked at high heat and then covered when the stove is turned off. This will let the inside of the meat cook itself to the desired wellness without making it into a piece of rubber. For the oven, it’s the same story. Make sure you grease the pan or oven dish with oil or butter.

Preparing Vegetables

Cleaning the vegetables should be in any beginners guide to cooking. You’ll have a higher chance of getting sick from uncleaned vegetables than you do of uncleaned meat. Use baking soda and hot water to rinse them thoroughly. Buy already cut vegetables to save yourself time and hassle.

Vegetables can be cooked right after the meat is, in the same pan. Use butter or olive oil when cooking vegetables. Vegetables don’t need seasoning. You can use salt and cook them in balsamic vinegar as well.

Slow Cooking

Using a slow cooker or slow cooking something on the stove is the easiest thing ever. Just add veggies, spices and your meat and leave it on low heat. Monitor the water and make sure to add more if it gets too low. Taste the water from time to time to make sure you’re good on spices.

The key is to be simple, yet creative. Experiment with cheese, sour cream, butter, nuts, avocado’s and different combinations.