1. The Kitchn Cooking School
The Kitchn Cooking School is a great way to get started in the kitchen. Don’t be too intimidated by its professional-sounding name – this school starts you on the very basics of cookery. It covers how to prepare specific ingredients and speaks as if you’re encountering it for the very first time. It comes with “homework” which lists three actions you can do and allows you to choose which one you’d like to perform.
2. Blue Apron
Blue Apron has a very interesting premise: you sign up for their service, and every so often they’ll send you a box full of ingredients and a recipe to make something tasty out of it. This makes for a fun and convenient service for budding chefs who may not have the confidence or desire to pick ingredients from the store. Simply take what’s sent, follow the instructions, and you will have a delicious meal on your hands! Due to the nature of delivery, these “food box” services vary on what territories they can reliably ship to. If the premise interests you but Blue Apron can’t get their ingredients to you, see if there’s a food box service that’s closer to you.
3. Supercook
Alternatively, you may know what ingredients you want to use, but aren’t able to find a simple recipe that uses them. It’s not uncommon to run a search for ingredients you want to use only to find recipes that demand a lot more additions and skill to prepare! If you want to bring the scope of the ingredients down, try Supercook. This search engine allows you to enter the ingredients you have on hand or want to use and brings up recipes that only use those exact ingredients. It will also give you suggestions on additional ingredients that match what you entered, which is great for either clearing out the spice rack or simply getting inspiration for your next grocery trip.
4. Budget Bytes
Budget Bytes recipes carry two advantages: they make great, cheap meals for beginners get experience and are naturally simple and easy to make due to their low-budget ceiling. Each recipe has a cost estimate so you know exactly how much each meal will set you back, and can have its servings tweaked to suit your needs. It even comes with an app so you can cook with your phone or tablet beside you.
5. YouTube
If you prefer a visual cue on how to get started with cooking, YouTube has a surprisingly good amount of video tutorials for you to try. You can search for “simple recipes” and find some good videos, but you may have better results if you search for terms that correspond to what you want to do (such as “simple recipes for curry” or “simple recipes for dessert”). The channel Food Wishes is a very well-reputed cooking site, and some of their earlier videos are perfect for starting out.
Cooking by the (Digital) Book
The Internet contains a lot of cooking advice, but this can be overwhelming to someone who just wants a place to start. Now you know five different ways you can get started in the kitchen. Which of the above is your favorite? Let us know below!
