Learning to Cook

[V M]

How did you learn to cook? I started to learn to cook out of necessity

Although I was interested in cooking I didn't really have time to think about it so much when I was young... Sure I could throw a few things together but mostly I would just go out to eat or get some take out from somewhere

Suddenly I found myself alone, dealing with injuries and a limited income... I had also moved to an area that didn't have much in the way of restaurants

It was simple, I couldn't afford or stomach the restaurants but had to eat and I wanted to eat some decent food

So I started learning to cook and found that I could buy stuff and cook for myself much cheaper than going out somewhere and most often I could make much better food

Sure it's taken some time and some trial and error but some things I picked up on quickly and some others took a bit more research

Now after some years my menu keeps growing and I feel no desire to go out to eat (unless I should get asked on a date)    As if someone would date me

[Amazon D]

ditto i also learned that way and i never use a recipe. Today i can pretty much make anything taste good. Many say i am a good cook. I would like to learn other nationality meals but then again my meals are very strange to most americans but very healthy    What i have added to my cooking is growing food which has allowed me the ability to experiment withot it costing me a fortune.

[Devlyn]

Both of my parents worked full time, so I learned how to feed myself early on. I rarely eat out, and haven't been to a fast food place yet in 2012. Hugs, Devlyn

[luna nyan]

I was taught a few basic recipes by my mother, and then I was given a subscription to a cooking magazine by the girls at work.

[Joelene9]

  Mom.  She taught us all despite being a divorced mother of 4 working as a clerk.  We learned the 101 ways to cook ground beef.  This was before Hamburger Helper, which was and still is an abomination.  All of my home cooked meals are made from scratch. 
  Joelene

[V M]

My mom taught my sisters to cook somewhat but they all would just make fun of me when I showed interest    But that's okay, I never really like most of their cooking to be honest

[Cindy]

Self taught from living alone and then when I got married my wife couldn't cook so I did. I enjoy it; I just wish more of you were close enough to where I live so I could experiment on you.  Sheeps brains in mint sauce; I bet Lee would love them, Sorry Bro

[kelly_aus]

I learnt to cook from my mother and grandmothers.. Last year I went and studied cookery, with the aim of becoming a chef.. Interestingly enough, while I did learn some stuff at cookery school about commercial menu planning, ordering and the like, I didn't actually learn anything from the practical classes - it was all stuff I knew..

Being a chef hasn't quite worked out yet, but I have a good possibility in the pipeline..

[Jamie D]

How did you learn to cook? I started to learn to cook out of necessity

I always helped out at home.
Then I learned outdoor cooking in scouts.
Went to college, had to survive.

I love to experiment.

My signature dish is a lime-sauteed chicken and crab meat enchilada with a white mushroom sour cream sauce.

[Alexis]

I have always loved food. My mom may be the worst cook on the planet though so when I was a teenager I started playing around in the kitchen and wound up making a lot of our family's dinners; mostly out of need for survival. Fast forward a few years and after doing a bit of college and then quitting because the fit wasn't right, I found myself working in a restaurant as a server. I literally begged my manager to let me work in the kitchen after a while. Realizing how much I liked it I figured the next logical step was culinary school, which is my long, circuitous answer to a simple question

[spacial]

I follow recipes. I have one book in particular, given to be by an elderly women, many years ago. Basic stuff.

I avoid anything that has pretentious names or unnecessary ingredients.

The best piece of advice I was ever given apart from following the recipe, is never to turn my nose up at anything. If tomato Ketchup makes something taste better then it's good, if it doesn't then it's bad.

I can't really cook at all. I just do my best, then think about where I went wrong while I eat what I've created.

[Robert Scott]

Everyone in our family was taught to cook --- I have two brothers.

We also were required to take a cooking class in high school --- did not make the guidance counselors happy that both my older brother and I didn't take some academic course to take foods 1 & 2 --- the counselor was fighting me on it --- my mom marched into her office one day and said "MY children will be able to cook for themselves when they go to college & I am not a good cook - so I told them they had to take a cooking class .  A practical skills class is just as valuable as a academic one."

A couple of my friends followed suit as well.

[Ms. OBrien CVT]

My Mom and Grandmother taught me to cook.  "Boys need to know this to", was always the reason why.  Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, Bob your uncle.

After that I just picked up a cook book and started in with new recipes.

[Bexi]

My mum is an excellent cook and always appreciates the help, but I only started making entire meals because my brothers and I felt it was unfair for her to come home from work and have to make something for all of us. We were about 11/12 so i've had lots of practice since! Now we make the majority of the meals and she usually does it on her days off.

I dont have a speciality per se, but have a penchant for spicy mexican food. Oh, and my old male self has made me the King (Queen?) of the BBQ!