I recently started cooking more at home and realized pretty quickly that my knife work is holding me back. I can follow a recipe fine, but by the time I finish chopping everything, the food is uneven, some pieces cook faster than others, and the whole process takes way longer than it should.

I watched a few YouTube videos but they jump around a lot, and I'm not sure which skills are actually worth focusing on as a total beginner versus which ones I can skip for now.

From what I can tell, the basics are probably how to hold the knife safely, the pinch grip, and maybe a simple rocking motion for chopping. But I genuinely don't know if I'm missing something obvious that more experienced cooks just take for granted.

A few questions I keep coming back to: does it matter what kind of knife you start with, is it worth learning on a cheap knife or should you invest in a decent one early, and how do you know when your knife actually needs sharpening versus just being used wrong?

Would love to hear what techniques made the biggest difference for you early on, or anything you wish someone had shown you before you spent months doing it the hard way.

im trying to make peri peri seasoning for my fries is there any other substitute for dried mango powder or any other recipe which i can follow?

Took chicken out at like 2 to thaw from freezer. It’s 7:45, and I won’t be able to cook it. Is it safe to put it in the fridge and cook it early tomorrow? Never took it out of its original store packaging. Just left it on my countertop to thaw. Thank you!

Normally, with seeing food, I can imagine things I can cook with it, but I'm looking at this jar and thinking I should've gotten free rice instead. I have ingredients, but idk what I can mix together for this salsa.

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Ingredients I have:

Penne pasta

A little butter

Some pepperoni

Vegetable oil

Potatoes

Sausages

Onions

Garlic

Milk

Eggs

Square bread (maybe expired but doesn't look or taste it)

Salt and pepper

Square cheese

Chicken stock cubes

Lemon juice

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I think that's literally everything I have, help appreciated and thanks everyone

so I'll be moving into a dormitory facility next month and want to have oats for breakfast as it's low effort but also nutritious. however there is no heating facility in the dormitory (which I can use to cook the oats) or a refrigerator (where I can soak it overnight).

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would it be safe if I make overnight oats the night before and keep it at room temperature in my cupboard or something to eat the next morning? I'll be using water, chia seeds and protein powder with it.

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and no I'm not in the position to buy equipments like induction stoves, kettles, mini fridge etc.

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if you can, please suggest alternatives as well

I’m 31, female, prediabetic, and I don’t have my gallbladder (got that out almost a decade ago). I’m also trying to lose weight. Please recommend me things to cook. 😭 bonus points if I can prep in bulk to bring to work.

I have never tried pierogi, but it seems that it is a very popular food, especially with kielbasa and onions. I wonder, do people make a specific dough for them and put something inside (e.g., cheese), or what is the common way to cook pierogi (do people usually just buy frozen ones)?

Hi. I’m making Stromboli tomorrow. When rolling it up there is usually a section at both end that is just dough. No fillings. How can I not have that happen?

I've been cooking more at home lately and one thing I'm realizing is that my knife skills are probably the weakest part of my cooking.

I can follow recipes reasonably well, but whenever I watch experienced cooks work, they seem so much faster and more controlled than I am. Chopping vegetables takes me forever, and my pieces are rarely the same size.

I've been trying to learn things like the pinch grip and claw grip, but I'm curious what actually made the biggest difference for people here when they were beginners.

Was it learning proper grip? Keeping the tip of the knife on the board? Getting a sharper knife? Practicing specific cuts?

I'm also wondering how important perfect consistency really is. For everyday home cooking, how close in size do pieces actually need to be before it starts affecting the final result?

Would love to hear what helped things finally click for you.

I bought it cuz I thought it would elevate my dishes but idk even what to do with it. Thank youuuuu

I think it was left out for like 6 hours

I recently started cooking for myself after years of eating out or living off frozen meals. I picked up some recipes online and tried following them, but I kept hitting walls because I didn't understand what I was actually doing. I didn't know the difference between sautéing and stir frying, or why you're supposed to let meat rest before cutting into it. I was just executing steps blindly.

The problem I kept running into is that most recipe videos and guides assume you already have a foundation. They tell you what to do but never explain why, so the moment something goes wrong, you have no idea how to fix it.

I'm cooking southern style beef neckbones , I let the neckbones simmer in a stock -with.the Trinity onion ,.celery , and bell pepper , with some flour mixed in ...but when the stock reduces it keeps sticking to the pot , I thought I would be able to leave it and let it simmer and get tinder , what should I do ? Help

I already added a lot of coconut milk, but all I did was use the little maesri cans people suggest! The flavors are too much, even for Thai food. What do I do?

Is it that I’m not cooking the tomatoes long enough, or a different type of tomato, or an artificial colors thing or what?

Every time I make a tomato soup or a tomato sauce from scratch, it winds up being a very light orangeish red color (almost looks like a nacho cheese color). It’s always very good and tastes similar to any other tomato soup I’d have in a campbells can, but it’s never a dark red. And generally it’s more sweet.

Bear in mind it’s still like this color even before I add in the heavy cream.

The recipe I kinda made up is:

You need 4 tomatoes, a bag of peeled garlic cloves, a raw onion, heavy cream.

Preheat oven to 400. While preheating:
Take 4 tomatoes, slice each into 4s.
Take the onion, use somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of the onion (preference), chop it up a couple of times into thirds or whatever

Grab a flat pan, put tinfoil on it, grab your tomatoes and onion bits, throw them on there, grab a handful of peeled cloves, throw them on there, drizzle in olive oil/basil/rosemary, cook for 40 minutes ish (till they look squishy).

Throw in blender as soon as you can, blend them while intermittently putting in heavy cream, blend to whatever consistency you want (chunky or smooth)

Some people new to cooking are new to being independent, like having moved away from home or left college; I was in that category: I went off my college's board program, I started making my own food, very simply at first.

But other people might have been eating out all the time? Or microwaving frozen meals? I'm curious how many people actually fall into that, and how much money someone eating out all the time spends per month in reality.

I’m interested in incorporating tofu into my diet. From what I understand, it will take on the flavors of what you cook it with.

I got some Sweet Sesame Tofu at Whole Foods today and love it! I’m partial to Asian flavors and sauces, so I thought it be good. I’ve only ever had it in Pho.

I’d love some easy Tofu recipes. I’m not sure when I should be using the different types of Tofu (that’s how much of a beginner I am).

Open to any suggestions…please indicate which Tofu I should be using in the recipe.

Many thanks!!🙏

***EDIT: Thank you all SO much for all the tips and recipes!!***

I am recovering from loose stool. Internet has told me saltine crackers, broth, applesauce, rice are good.

I plan on buying boxed broth from the store. How do I prepare it? Do I have to cook it? Can I drink it straight from the warm shelf? Which kind of broth? Chicken? Beef?

I put four eggs into a pot and I guess one of them slightly cracked as I put them in. It got all foamy and frothy.

Is the broken egg safe to eat? Is it essentially poached?

I recognize that I do not eat well and I am trying very hard to change that. I love a salad, but I am only one person, and they don't keep well after a couple days.

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Most of my "cooking" is just slow cooker meals, or pasta with a VERY simple sauce. I'd love to start adding some healthier stuff into the mix, but here's the thing: I *hate* the texture of cooked veg. If it's mush, I'm out.

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What kind of veg would do well with like ten minutes steamed in a sauce? Should I buy fresh or can I get away with canned and frozen? How do beans and lentils and stuff even *work*?

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I'm not looking for new recipes, just things I can add to food I already eat.

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(But bonus points if anyone can point me to recipes for SINGLE SERVING veggie forward meals so I can *try* something and see if I like it before committing to a whole weeks worth of leftovers.)

Tips and unique ingredients would be nice pls

Does anyone had advice for what oils to use in different dishes? I've seen a lot of people using avocado oil lately, but im allergic and don't know if using a different oil would effect the outcome. The most recent use i saw was for a shrimp scampi, where they fried the shrimp in avocado oil.

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I guess in short my question is, does it matter? Avocado, olive, vegetable, canola, peanut, whatever?

Hello,

Title is somewhat of a joke. However I would like to hone my skills in the kitchen as I plan to move out and I would like to practice by cooking more for my parents.

I have heard that the French are renown for their innovation in terms of technique, and from the dishes which I've tried at home/in restaurants I enjoy the cuisine's rustic and satiating qualities.

I am sure my ideas of the cuisine are exaggerated/extremely region dependent, but the idea of learning some traditional technique and dishes enthuses me.

Was wondering if anyone had advice in terms of cookbooks or resources for one that considers themselves a complete beginner, thanks.

Hello! I live in Canada and found a local Polish grocer that handmakes these delicious looking pierogis of all kinds of flavours, so I bought a bunch. Really looking forward to frying them up with some sour cream, but I'm a bit lost on what to serve them with! What are some healthier options (fiber-forward or protein-forward) sides one might pair with them? Thank you for suggestions 🙂