I can't cook

1. 59

   Phantiposted 14 years ago

   I can't cook anything other than really simple things, and I would like to make my boyfriend a nice dinner some night soon.  Does anyone have any ideas of something, with my lack of cooking experience, that I could make him?
   Thanks

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   1. 82

      camloposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You could impress him with a Coq au Vin - it's actually really easy to make.

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   2. 73

      Jillian Barclayposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I am a great cook and the first meal I made for my husband (on one of our first dates) he hated! So, it wasn't my cooking that he was interested in, don't worry about it! Most men like simple things. Bake up some chicken that is already cut into pieces- a little salt, pepper, oregano sprinkled over the top- stick it in a sprayed pan, drizzle a little olive oil over the top first, then your spices. Put it in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour. As soon as you put the chicken into the oven, peel up 3-4 potatoes. Cut them into quarters and put them in a pot of water.Bring them to a boil. Let them boil for about 20 minutes til the fork easily goes through them. Drain them. Put them back into the pot. Mash them with 1 stick of butter, maybe 1/4 cup of milk, a couple of Tablespoons of sour cream and a little salt and pepper. Microwave a box of frozen corn or other vegetable following the directions. Serve that as a side dish.
      Get a bag of prewashed lettuce mix and put some of that into two serving dishes(one for each of you) and get a bottle of his favorite dressing (most guys love ranch) to put on the side. For dessert, get some vanilla ice cream and buy his favorite kind of pie. That should do it! Dinner with an hour of work and something simple that he will probably like. Steak is difficult to get perfect, especially if you are a beginning cook. Good luck!
      That is a really easy dinner that most men love!

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   3. 0

      DoorMattnomoreposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      http://www.amazon.com/Five-Ingredient-R … 0696215470
      
      when I got married, I could make toast, and hamburger helper. We ate tons of fast food take out. I bought the above book as a starting point, super easy..super yummy...
      
      from there I got more cookbooks and tried harder more complex things, and slowly learned what things just kinda ..go together..  and tried making my own things..we ate tons of yucky messes, and had the occasional "oh my god this is so good make it again" moments...
      
      and now my husband is the envy of all his friends as they all think I am such a great cook. Its all about practice, and start out simple. If you can follow directions and have a good recipie, you can make it.
      
      what are the kinds of foods you and he like?

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      schoolgirlforrealposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I have one easy steak dinner recipe-------it's wicked simple and takes like 10 mins!!

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   5. 60

      QueenStarsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Everyone can cook...
      
      Mash potatoes are quick and easy, buy frying steaks and fry them with  around seven mushrooms in quarters (fancy ones if you want?), then use the fat juice as a gravy; conbined the fat with with tinned tomatoes and pour this over the steak, mash and mushrooms.
      
      If you fancy a desert, try chocolate moose; melt some choclate with a teaspoon of oil, to prevent it from hardening quickly, then whisk an egg white until very fluffy, mix the two together and put in whisky glasss (tumblers), then leave in the fridge. Add whipped cream is you want.
      (The egg yolks could be used for cookies)
      
      The key to cooking a meal for another person is to avoid messy meals, such as spagheti boloneges (I can barley spell).
      
      I'm no cooking expert either; I experiment a lot and often fail, yet once in a while, things go right.

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2. 60

   tobey100posted 14 years ago

   Pan fried squirrel.  The only hard part is getting the squirrel into the pan.

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3. 61

   CYBERSUPEposted 14 years ago

   Hi Phanti,
        I would suggest you buy a slow cooker (crock pot) that comes with recipes for your first go around.

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   1. 59

      LSKingposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Oh, yes! You can't go wrong with a slow cooker. Everything you cook comes out perfect! There's also a cookbook that comes with it.

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4. 63

   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   Better he knows now that you're not a cook.  He needs to learn now that if he wants fancy meals he'll need to make them himself or find them at restaurants.    (I'm not either.  I hate food and cooking and only care about nutrition - but I get by.  Then again, I have to admit that I've divorced.    )

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5. 63

   prettydarkhorseposted 14 years ago

   Cook his favorite food, you can do it. Most men like steak, and add some veggies, fresh raw veggies easy to prepare plus they are healthy, good with steak. Fresh veggie salad is healthy. If he doesn't want veggies, try fruits, sliced it every meal. Grill the steak in the oven, marinade it with any steak sauce which you can buy at supermarket (if you can't prepare it).
   
   alternate the food you serve, one protein rich like beef today, chicken tomorrow then, pork next day, include shrimp next day,
   
   Always prepare the protein with vegetables. This is for lunch or dinner. Does he want rice, at least there should be carbo, bread, or mashed potato to go with steaks
   
   at breakfast, he might want just coffee with a sandwich, fried egg or bacon sandwich.
   
   That's what I know, I know how to cook Asian foods but I think most doesn't like the sauce I used, soy and oyster sauce, plus I used a lot of ingredients, little bit of chili.

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6. 59

   couturepopcafeposted 14 years ago

   All good suggestions but I find steak one of the hardest things to cook, for me.  If your inexperienced, getting the right temp. is difficult.
   
   The crock pot is a great idea.  You can't make a mistake there. 
   
   Throw in carrots, celery, onion, and potatoe all diced or chunked.
   
   Add meat you've purchased already cut up for stew or cut it yourself.
   
   Add seasoning, salt, pepper to taste, maybe a little oregano for beef or chicken, thyme for lamb or pork.
   
   Add enough water to cover it all.
   
   Turn the crock pot on auto, not high.  Put the lid on and try not to open the lid a lot.  The more times you open the lid, the more the temperature has to re-regulate itself.
   
   Buy a loaf of French or Italian bread, and you're done.  Don't worry about dessert.  Most men are satisfied without it.

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   1. 60

      KristenGraceposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      This is a WONDERFUL suggestion.  I would go with this one.  I too am not a chef, yet anything in the crock pot is easy peasy.

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      DoorMattnomoreposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      just makes sure that the veggies go on top. They cook better that way. Crock pots are wierd in that whatever is on top will get more heat.

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7. 59

   paradigmsearchposted 14 years ago

   Does Sizzler have takeout?

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8. 0

   Home Girlposted 14 years ago

   You need to find out what he likes the best and then to learn quickly how to cook it. Most things are not complicated. If you add a little bit of jalapino peppers crushed without seeds(too hot) to any meat, it will greatly enhance its flavor, same goes with wine, any wine( not too sweet though). if you add it into your cooking a little, like a table spoon of it - meat or fish tastes better.

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   1. 59

      LSKingposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Ohhhhhhh..... that made me hungry, especially the wine part:)

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9. 69

   Diane Insideposted 14 years ago

   I thought I couldn't cook when we first got together either. Then I found out he is intolerant to tomatoes, they make him very sick for days. So I had a rough time figuring meals out.
   
   At first it was mostly meat and potatoes. But with time and practice I found I could make allot of things that I thought I would have to pass up. just by substituting, and reading labels.
   
   Don't worry, cooking just takes practice, I still havent perfected the plain old southern biscuit.  But he doesn't mind. 
   
   I have found that most men love breakfast foods best.  My husband will eat an omelet anytime of day.   
   
   So if he is one of those guys maybe thats something you can try.

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10. 66

    Rob3ieposted 14 years ago

    Cooking is for 90% confidence and 10% experience!
    
    When cooking just do what you feel! If you make a mistake then you next time you will know where you went wrong.
    
    It doesnt matter what you cook, as long as you are cooking and having fun doing it!

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    1. 68

       Loren's Gemposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I agree.  Before I got married, I can't cook either - except for just a simple pilav (which sometimes even get overcooked) and boil eggs (which doesn't become hard boiled as I wanted).  The best I could do before for a simple dinner would be spaghetti with meatballs in tomato sauce topped with lots of grated parmesan.  Until the time comes when "I had to cook" after I got married, that's the time I realized that in fact cooking is fun!  And the more I tried cooking different dishes which I fancy to do, the fun I had while learning how to "really cook" at the same time.
       
       Moreso, its not only cooking that interests me now, but also baking.  Its just a matter of trying - with confidence and trust in yourself - and in believing that if something goes wrong now, you can do better again the next time.  Its just that simple... so just go ahead and find scroll over your screen for some hubs with simple recipes to follow and start cooking! 
       
       Just trust yourself that you can do it and you can cook whatever you want! :-)

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11. 69

    blondepoetposted 14 years ago

    How far away is your local Chinese restaurant...

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12. 60

    thirdmilleniumposted 14 years ago

    I am an expert cook.
    I can cook boiled water like no other cook in the world.
    I cooked it many times until the cooking vessel ran dry and started to melt
    
    Only my wife does not agree though I have proved it many a time!

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13. 61

    SomewayOuttaHereposted 14 years ago

    ...find a recipe and follow it...that's how i first learned....or better yet, get him to make you dinner...you bring the wine and the smiles.....who's the better cook?

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    1. 0

       Home Girlposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I like that advice. By involving your friend into participation in the process you can kill two rabbits with one stone:
       1 - you'll know his tastes,
       2 - you'll know if he hates cooking!

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       1. 87

          crazyhorsesghostposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          The Crock Pot ideal and using the recipe book that comes with it is a great ideal. If you follow the recipes carefully you can't go wrong.
          
          Plus check out my profile for ton's of great recipes.

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14. 67

    Brupieposted 14 years ago

    Make a list of foods you like to eat.  Next, look for a few online recipes for each - you'll get some insight into what all of them do (key ingredients, specific directions), and some ideas about why some might be better than others, e.g. hints on how long is too long or how to make better use of an ingredient.
     
    Decide on a dish that doesn't sound too difficult and pick a specific recipe that sounds appealing.  Make sure to read through the directions carefully twice before starting.  Since you know what the dish is supposed to look like and taste like, you have some clues to guide you beyond the recipes.  You also will have the ideas from similar recipes to fall back on and tweak if your first attempt doesn't live up to your ideal.
    
    Good luck!

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       MisCookposted 14 years agoin reply to this

       I think when you like cooking, surely you will succeed in this. There're quite ways to make a delicious meal. You can go to a cooking course where you will practice and cook many meals according to chef's instruction. Or you also learn the way of making any food via cooking directions books. I'm sure  you will bring the nicest dinner to your darling!

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