Learning how to cook when you literally can not cook

[Sim]

I made an interesting discovery the other day. I thought when people said "I don't know how to cook", they meant that they weren't very good at frying a steak or other basic things like that. I'm staying with a old friend of mine who has say that phrase to me a couple of times and I just thought she was disinterested in cooking — which is fair enough! She loves dancing and I struggle to see the point in it. We're all different!

I offered to cook for her during the week as a thanks for allowing me to stay. She just bought the a thermochef so she wanted me to help her learn how to use it. She wants to get healthy so she asked me to go grocery shopping to help find ingredients. Once we reached the supermarket it was then I realised WHY she was 'disinterested' in cooking. She doesn't know where to find ingredients or which vegetables are which. I helped her find leeks, eggplant, fresh herbs, bean shoots, zucchinis. I help her locate things like lentils, nuts, real parmesan cheese, Greek yoghurt.

We started cooking together and I found myself teaching her basic things like, how to peel a garlic clove, how to use a knife, how to use scales, how to juice lemons... you get my drift. I was very happy to help her learn because I truly believe that learning how to cooking is the key to unlocking a healthy life. They go hand in hand.

My dad can only make his "special spaghetti" and my mother is a pretty basic cook, but I didn't realise just how much my mum taught me growing up. I suppose I used to watch her cook, help out by peeling vegetables etc. Whilst my friend has no memory of her parents really cooking, she said everything came from a packet. They were busy people and it was the best solution for them at the time.

I don't think my friend is unusual, and I feel really lucky that I was taught those basic life skills which probably gave me an interest in cooking.

I really hope she continues to learn after I leave her house. I wanted to find a few really basic 'how to guides', so i found this:
http://www.jamieshomecookingskills.com — it looks great. I love Jamies passion.

But i want to find an 'ingredients' guide. Does anyone know of any? Something you can printout and take with you to the supermarket that tells you where things are kept and other basic info like that.

Has anyone else discovered just how hard it is for some people to enjoy cooking? It's like being told "Go sew your own clothes" when you have no idea about fabrics, sewing machines etc. It has to be the key reason why, in Australia at least, our society is getting so unhealthy. What do you think? Does it concern you?

[judydawn]

Sim do Coles & W/Worths apps show information about which aisles different things are - could your friend do her shopping online? Let's hope you can teach her all the basics before you leave - what a pity it hasn't happened until now.  Us cooking lovers just take it for granted that people know the basics.  Just tell her to google any ingredient she isn't sure of and if she is keen enough to take information on board, she will soon learn heaps. Great thing you are doing for her.

[Frozzie]

Wow I also thought that people just couldnt cook as they had no clue regarding associations of foods or how to follow a recipe which to me is pretty basic....step by step cant be that hard which is why I think it comes down to confidence!  Saying that I had no idea there were people around that had no clue what different fruit and veg etc were??? thats a bit scary its like saying milk comes from a carton!!  Great to hear she has you as a friend Sim...i just tried to do a search for the past 20 mins on some kind of basic food guide and there isnt one that I foudn anyway...i guess they assume most people know..you should do one up in a table..photo left and name and where to find it ??  Good luck!  By the way that is scary that somebody has no clue about ingredients but I was also very lucky to not only have a mum who cooks but is also very good at it! 

[fundj&e]

I am so glad that all of my kids love and know how to cook very well.

[Sim]

Good idea Judy — i'll check it out. I was considering making her a guide bygrouping vegetables in their families. Eg. Onion family, Root vegies. I really feel for her and I hope she can keep it up and continue to learn. It's so much easier when it actually interests you though.

We are all so lucky that we like cooking! Cooking is a difficult thing to 'out-source' and still be at your best possible health. Even the healthiest take-away food is not that healthy, but also hard to find and expensive.

It made me realise how much assumed knowledge the TM recipe book needs. It doesn't specify 'fresh' or 'dried' herbs every time. The best recipes always tell you what the food should look like after each step, eg. blend on speed 7 or until a thick paste is formed. Most of them don't really specify though. "Add salt to taste" — what does that mean to someone who has never cooked?

I can see a niche category for a TM recipe book — "For people who have no idea what they're doing!"

[Frozzie]

I cant see though people who not only dont have an interest in cooking but also no know how spending that kind of money on a thermomix...i think at least the interest in cooking has to be there..??

[Sim]

Yeah that's true – my friend bought a thermochef because she saw the value in the TM but didn't want to spend the $$$, especially because she isn't that keen on cooking. Still, it's $800! Still a big purchase in my opinion but a really good way to make cooking easier.

She only bought it though because she had actually seen the TM in action. She probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise.

[Frozzie]

maybe if there was a market out there for that 'niche' and support to get htem going they would buy it but i have friends who do alot of frozen dinner type cooking so not cooking at all lol and they have told me outright there is no way they would spend that kid of money when they have no interest in cooking so maybe your friend really does have an interest just has no clue as to the basics due to what you explained re her parents providing mainly packet foods...sounds to me like she is keen enough just never had someone to show her..pity though that she bought the TC and not the thermomix but its better than nothing and will still get her interest sparked and get her cooking which she seems keen as long as there is someone to help her along...maybe she should look into a very basic cooking class??

[Sim]

Yeah, she never would have bought the TM. Never ever ever ever ever... It is easier to use, but way more expensive and she is kind of particular about how she shops. She did mention it that she was considering a cooking class but I'm not sure she'll get around to going to them.

For the next 6 weeks though, one night a week I'm going to come over and she'll pick out 1 recipe from her new cookbook that she wants to learn, and I'll guide her through the recipe hopefully giving her tips along the way. Fingers crossed this is a beginning of a new 'phase' of her life.

I just downloaded the woolworths smartphone app — it's perfect! She can search a particular store for items and it says which isle it's in AND has a picture. Brilliant! I hate woolworths but I see the value in that app!

She lives across the road from one of the BEST farmers markets in Australia — its seriously a foodie heaven — but till now, I never understood why she didn't like that place. Not all the vegies are labelled, so you need to know your vegies before you can shop there. Makes perfect sense now.

[Frozzie]

hahaha had to laugh about not wanting to go to a farmers market because of not knowing whats what....oh well once she gets the hang of it she will love going there and it being so close!  You should if you have time still do up a dummy list of whats called what...maybe an online encyclopedia or wikepedia might have something that she could take to something like a farmers market...so much better produce in general than supermarkets!

[fundj&e]

I see it all of the time with young and old sit down look at the menu and say what is basil?.
Sad really. 

[Sim]

She hasn't said out-loud that she doesn't like the farmers markets because of the lack of labels, but I'm guessing it would make it rather daunting. It's also on early on a Saturday, tends to keep some people away!

Have you guys heard of Stephanie Alexanders kitchen garden program for primary schools? That woman know's what matters! I bet that program is making a HUGE difference to the attitude towards food for the lucky kids who get to be involved in it. I would love to volunteer but that just won't be happening.

I love cultures where food is celebrated and I wish Australia was more like it. I'm 25 and I don't have any friends who remotely care about food. They "don't get it". They just see it as a "filler". I wish I had someone (in real life) to ramble on about food with. I try and get people to come over for dinner but they just scoff and leave, or maybe scoff and play video games — not my idea of fun.

One time a made some dinner for a bunch of people and served good sized portions, then one of my guests, before even trying his food stood up and walked back to the stove and doubled the serving size and sat back down without even asking! I was flabbergasted! How rude! I don't invite him over for dinner anymore haha!

[cookie1]

Sim this has made amazing reading. I thought most people would learn at their mother's knee as it were. It is kind of sad for your friend really. It is very kind of you to help her. When you're gone she will have to google to find what things look like.
Thank goodness my DD knows all about cooking. She started 'helping' at about age 2.

Speaking of rude dinner guests I once invited some young men who were new to town (we lived in the country then) to dinner and had a roast. One asked for the tomato sauce and then proceeded to put it all over the food. I was flabbergasted. They went on to become good friends.

[Frozzie]

i am so lucky i live in a very foodie country..even younger people tend to be interested in food here but to be fair even on menus over here they wont put for example a just mushroom but the type of mushie or escargot or or or ....sometimes even i have to ask...what is that?? but it just expands your foodie knowlegde ....food is very important in France!!

[Sim]

Haha! Sounds like a good way to ruin a roast!

My friend who doubled his serving is also a good friend but a terrible guest. So I just don't cook for him anymore to save myself the heartache. He has a bit of a complex and equates eating large quantities of food with being more manly. In one attempt to prove his manliness he challenged himself, with no encouragement, to eat a 1.4kg roast by himself in 1 sitting. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever seen! The most disgusting part was that to wash it all down he drank 600ml of pre-made custard. Roast and custard together — I can't think of anything worse!

Re children learning: I hope to have kids one day and teaching them how to appreciate and grow food will be high on my priorities. The younger you teach them how to cook the more help they'll be! Untapped cooking labour I say