Health knowledge made personal
Great Cookbooks!. I really like restaurants but I knew I needed to start cooking at home more too. The number one thing you will need to learn is how to shop and what kinds of things are best to keep on hand to make quick but healthy meals. There's nothing worse than coming home and not having enough basic things to make something yummy, so you end up ordering a pizza. I've listed a book below that can help with shopping lists (Twenty Minute Meals). Make a staples list of things you like (rice, spices, garlic, pasta, etc) and put it inside your pantry. That way you can check quickly to see what you are getting low on.
What I really recommend is getting some picture based cookbooks. They are like little kids books for grownups where they illustrate how to separate an egg or what a mixture looks like after its been whipped and of course, the end result! Also try easy, quick recipes with few ingredients with staples on hand as well as fresh produce. Here's some suggested books to try:
Betty Crocker 4-Ingredient Dinners, Cheap & Easy: A Cookbook for Girls on the Go, Twenty-Minute Menus: Time-Wise Recipes & Strategic Plans for Freshly Cooked Meals Every Day, The Quick After-Work Low-Fat Cookbook, and Fresh and Tasty Low Fat Cookbook
Another thing you might really enjoy as you get started cooking is a crockpot. The coolest thing is that you can put everything in the pot the night before, wake up and put it in the cooker on low (most recipes take around 8 hours on low, perfect for the time you're at work) and when you get home, your house smells like someone has been home all day cooking for you!
The Complete Crockery Cookbook and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook
Hi,
Good for you for wanting more home cooking. I can recomend the cookbooks of Donna Hay. She uses 5 or fewer ingredients and can turn out some really beautiful dishes. I love her "Good Food Fast" cookbook. I found a copy on eBay for less than half the Amazon price. Good luck!
You may want to check out Cheap & Easy, A Cookbook for Girls on the Go by Sandra Bark and Alexis Kanfer. I happened upon it at the library and it may be just what you are looking for. It's designed for the novice cook with a nice combination of recipes, some vegetarian and information to help stock a kitchen with basic tools and pantry items. I also like Meals Made Easy from the people at Real Simple Magazine. It has great quick recipes and wonderful pictures which can be helpful when you are just getting started. Another great book is Learning to Cook by Marion Cunningham. She provides great detailed instructions on mastering the cooking basics.
I agree with a lot of the previous suggestions . . . and there are a lot of great cooking blogs out there, many devoted to healthy cooking. Try:
deliciousbynature.com (Amy V's blog!)
101cookbooks.com
kitchenparade.com
laaloosh.com
weightwatchers-recipes.blogspot.com
If you want to buy a book, I recommend The Best Light Recipe (from Cook's Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen), Ellie Krieger's The Food You Crave, or any of Cooking Light's cookbooks. Check for them on half.com - I know a few of these are available for less than $5. Good luck!
Monique
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Posted by Rebecca S.
I eat out for half my meals, and I feel I should be eating at home more. Even when I am at home I graze and never prepare a real meal. I think my husband would like a real meal every now and then but I'm completely cooking-disabled. As I'm not that skilled in the kitchen--I'd need something easy to average to understand and with uncomplicated dishes. I'm not vegetarian, but I'm not a huge meat lover either. I like tofu, fish, lots of veggies. I love ethnic. Of course I want it to be healthy, with a variety of meals, and I prefer whole grain and low sugar. I've never bought a cookbook before. Any suggestions?