(Part 2) Best products from r/cookingforbeginners

My recommendations:

Videos:

1. Tasty videos! They’re short, so you can binge a bunch, but they’re also straightforward and usually on the simpler side. https://youtu.be/zcOsz-dHFe0
   
   
2. “Food Wishes” on YouTube. I’ve been watching them for over a decade - lighthearted, fun learning that takes you step by step through TONS of dishes. I cook almost daily, and I can credit this guy for most of my inspiration. https://www.youtube.com/user/foodwishes
   
   
3. Binging with Babish & Basics with Babish. Similar to good wishes, but a little more laid back (which is an accomplishment) and a bit higher production quality IMO. https://www.youtube.com/user/bgfilms
   
   
4. Bon Apetit! Also YouTube. So many fun personalities, everyone has different specialties, it’s like learning from experts that feel like your friends. Carla & Molly have the best recipes and explanations IMO, but they’re all wonderful. https://www.youtube.com/user/BonAppetitDotCom
   
   Websites/Books:
   
   These are more advanced, but Serious Eats (google it) never lets you down when it comes to recipes, but they’re definitely more involved (hours to days).
   
   One of the serious eats writers, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is a PhD Biologist (I think biology...) who wrote The Food Lab. This man is the god of cooking. 100% scientifically and experimentally tested, this book will teach you everything you ever need to know about cooking and then some. HIGHLY recommend getting a copy. The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science https://www.amazon.com/dp/0393081087/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_DgUuDb85KVPJ8
   
   Finally, if you don’t want to drop $20 (it’s dropped by ~60% since I bought it! Definitely get a copy!!!) on that, but want to be healthy and learn easy, flavor packed recipes, pick up a copy of The Thug Kitchen. It’s vegan, but the skills are useful anywhere and I’ve yet to find anyone - carnivores included - that’s disliked a single recipe. I got a copy for myself, my girlfriend, a good friend of mine, and my brother.
   
   Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*ck (Thug Kitchen Cookbooks) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1623363586/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_miUuDb8363PR2

This is how I did it a few years ago.

Read alton brown's book, I'm just here for the food

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830

Which will teach you the basics and what you're trying to accomplish by using different cooking methods. It greatly increased my confidence in the kitchen. Also check out his good eats series.

Also I think a decent meat thermometer
Is a great purchase as it takes the guess work out of when meat is done cooking, is supremely useful for beginners, and something you'll be able to use forever.


http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/

The thermapen is the one I got but expensive but worth it.

Subscribe to a bunch of cooking subreddits.

And I'm gonna suggest something different now instead of buying a set list of things you need to cook anything.

Instead, I suggest finding something you really enjoy eating like something you're an expert on eating at restaurants, I chose burgers, you can do pizza, or spaghetti, hot wings whatever. Then go on seriouseats.com and find the appropriate recipe. Idea is to choose something you have an idea of how it's supposed to taste and like enough to cook a few different versions of. Then you buy the few things you need to cook that thing. A cast iron pot, a metal spatula whatever. And you learn how to do things/buy equipment as needed for various recipes related to it. For example you may learn how to sautée and Carmelize onions for a burger recipe.

Cook with someone else, it's way more fun, is a great date idea, doesn't matter if it's the blind leading the blind or someone that you can learn a lot from. It'll make you more comfortable in the kitchen.

Finally, you'll have to pay your dues for a little bit, I used to hate cooking, everything takes way longer then it should, you make a big mess, things don't work out like you planned, but pretty soon you make things that turn out great every once in a while. You still mess up occasionally, but you'll start learning why things don't turn out well and you'll start being able to save things if you make a mistake. Now that I'm pretty good at it I sort of enjoy it.

Victorinox Fibrox Pro Chef's Knife (8 inch)

The Fibrox series is the classic chef knife series. Known for good quality and able to keep a good edge for a while. Can't go wrong here. Like other comments have said they also have paring knives and bread knives, all at reasonable prices.

Mercer Culinary M22608 Millennia 8-Inch Chef's Knife

The Mercer Millennia series is great if you're really on a budget. I own one of these but I will say that after about a good 6 months of use it is losing its edge quite a bit (also possibly due to roommates chopping stuff on the hard metal table. I'm a little bitter about it.) Came sharp and will stay sharp with some care.

Mercer Culinary Genesis Forged Short Bolster Forged Chef's Knife, 8 Inch

Same company, forged blade. Little nicer, will most likely keep an edge a little longer.

As far as chef knives go, these are some budget picks and probably what most people would recommend unless you want something much nicer! :)

Edit: Also if you are looking for something much nicer, jump down the rabbit hole that is /r/chefknives

It's a steep slope lol

I have a Victorinox Cutlery 9-Inch Wavy Edge Bread Knife and a Victorinox 8 Inch Fibrox Pro Chef's and absolutely love them both. My brother, who is a chef, was impressed with both. He typically uses Global knives, which start at around $150 and go much higher.

With the chef's knife, I make sure to use a sharpener like this one every other time I pull it out (just rub it together 3 or 4 times each side) to keep the edge nice and straight. It actually can cut through tomatoes with minimal effort. Almost as good as the bread knife!

I don't really ever do precise work because I'm lazy so I've not found the need for a pairing knife. But I can see it being essential.

you need a new garlic press. LOL

​

this one looks good and it's good brand. also oxo is a good brand. I am sure there are others too.

https://www.amazon.com/ZYLISS-Susi-Garlic-Press-Need/dp/B007D3V00Q/ref=sr_1_4?

I'm a fan of Tim Ferriss, his "learn how to cook" book is something I consult like an encyclopedia.

Other than that, being a bachelor who actually likes shopping I'll wander around in a supermarket until I find something that catches my eye then just google a recipe for it. God bless the internet.

Also, having heard interviews with Alton Brown I trust that guy's knowledge. If I google a recipe and there's an AB one and ten other ones, I generally go for his.

So the key word there is "tri-ply". High quality tri-ply pans are a sandwich of aluminum surrounded by stainless steel, which are then pressed/forged into shape. Aluminum is used for its superior thermal performance, while stainless gives a durable surface perfect for searing.

The non triply pans use a big aluminum "puck" glued to the bottom of the pan. This provides good thermal performance across the bottom, but not up the sides like the tri-ply pan. So they're more prone to hot spotting or your braise scorching at the edges and similar annoyances.

The real tri-ply is the superior product, costs more to manufacture, and the price reflects that. All Clad kinda sets the industry standard but is priced to match that. There's a bunch of companies that sell tri-ply at better prices and nearly the same quality. This is my most heavily used stainless pan: https://www.amazon.com/Calphalon-Tri-Ply-Stainless-Cookware-Everyday/dp/B003L0WE78

This book looks amazing--I'm about to purchase it myself!

I'd also recommend the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. My mom gave me her old copy when I moved into my own apartment and it's saved me from disaster on more than one occasion. It covers just about every basic dish you could dream of and makes sure to outline every step. There are lots of nifty charts and resources (to name just a few: the back cover has a list of emergency substitutions, there's a section on selecting fresh fruits and vegetables, and the back of the meat chapter has an extensive list of cooking times!).

Also, if your future husband has the time and doesn't know how to cook much either, mayb try cooking some meals together! It could be a fun at-home date night and you'll both learn some things. :)

Don't buy a whole block of knives. You don't need them.

Pick the knives you need and buy only those and get the best ones you can afford. Also don't put them in a block as that dulls the blades faster. Get a magnetic strip holder.

Right now I have 2 main knives: an 8" chef's knife and a 4" paring knife. I do 90% of my cooking with those two knives.

Aside from those, I also have an inexpensive serrated bread knife (I believe it's a Chicago Cutlery one) and I have a super sharp fish/filleting knife that I've had for decades and it's perfect for removing silverskin and boning chickens or turkeys (https://www.amazon.com/Rapala-Fish-Fillet-Superflex-Knife/dp/B000PBWY1W)

This is a good list. I would add a few things to it. A cast iron pan, which can be found at goodwill for super cheap or For $25 from Amazon, and an enameled dutch oven . Which you can use in the oven or on the stovetop.

I'd say that pepper grinders are one of the inexpensive kitchen tools that most often fail to deliver (can openers are another.) An awful lot of pepper grinders are just not very good at grinding pepper, I'm afraid. I'd recommend the one I have, because it worked pretty well when I first got it, but after four years it is starting to not work so well and I'm in the market for another one. I'm thinking I might try this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006GSR76/. It's pretty well reviewed. I don't have personal experience with it though, so caveat emptor.

I was thinking this too. I know that OP listed a crock pot as a no-no but I think it could be safe as long as you follow proper electric safety guidelines. They're designed to be left on for a long time so if you fall asleep while it's on, your house isn't going to burn down or anything. I could be wrong, but I don't think a crock pot could be any more dangerous in this situation than a microwave. If you leave chicken or pork in a crock pot for about 8 hours on low, when you take it out, it's so tender you can shred it with two forks so no knife needed to cut it. Add in veggies and then put some insta rice in the microwave and you have a meal.

I think you could also look for "College Dorm recipes" because most of the time in dorms, they don't allow anything other than a microwave. I remember people got pretty creative with recipes back when I lived in dorms. Here is my first link from Google.

I also have seen steamers that were designed to be used in a microwave. Like this. Also in the related product suggestions there is stuff like a microwave pressure cooker and rice cooker. Could those be helpful?

Definitely, curries (and chilis, I would add) are good easy-but-still-kinda-healthy meals (so long as you're putting in plenty of veggies, which you can get frozen if you want to do less prep, and I would stick with tofu or poultry over red meat). The recipe on the side of Mae Ploy green curry (my preferred brand) is a simple, tasty place to start: https://www.amazon.com/Mae-Ploy-Green-Curry-Paste/dp/B00PZLXTB6

I love Alton Brown for beginners and his book "I'm Just Here for the Food" is a wonderful place to start. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1584790830/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520825381&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=i%27m+just+here+for+the+food&dpPl=1&dpID=51RK497861L&ref=plSrch

He has a few others that I've found helpful but this beautifully explains the basics for beginners and the science behind cooking.

Buy this book it has all the basics, including how to stock your kitchen, as well as teaching you how to cook, as opposed to just giving you recipes, which it also has a ton of.

Edit: typo

Get a large chefs knife for general cutting, you’ll be glad you did.

this one is very affordable on amazon.

Amazon is a great place for cookware.

Off the top of my head I would suggest (in order from most necessary to least necessary):

• http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Fibrox-8-Inch-47520-5-2063-20/dp/B000638D32/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651819&sr=8-1&keywords=victorinox+knife
  
• http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Professional-Thermo-Spot-Indicator-Dishwasher/dp/B000GWG0T2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651834&sr=8-3&keywords=saute+pan
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Natural-Aluminum-Commercial/dp/B000G0KJG4/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1427651900&sr=1-1&keywords=baking+sheet
  
• http://www.amazon.com/T-fal-Specialty-Nonstick-Dishwasher-Cookware/dp/B000EM9PTQ/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651834&sr=8-2&keywords=saute+pan
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-EC6D43-Enameled-Island-6-Quart/dp/B000N501BK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427651859&sr=8-1&keywords=lodge+dutch+oven
  
  I can speak for the knife, baking sheets, and lodge that these are all things I use often (and in the case of the sheets and the dutch oven) and for years (I just got the knife). The dutch oven is expensive, but damn if that's not a great cooking vessel.
  
  If you do get a knife, make sure you get some cutting boards as well!
  http://www.amazon.com/Prepworks-Progressive-International-PCB-1812-Cutting/dp/B0001UJVTK/ref=sr_1_12?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1427652198&sr=1-12&keywords=cutting+board

You can use something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Handy-Gourmet-Tier-Microwave-Steamer/dp/B000U6BPL2

or even just put them in a microwave bowl with a little water in the bottom (only about a tablespoon or two if they're frozen, because they will already have water in the form of ice crystals) and cover it loosely.

http://www.amazon.com/Thug-Kitchen-Official-Cookbook-Like/dp/1623363586

This one is my favorite, funny as fuck too

Alton Brown

I'd add The 4-Hour Chef to the sidepanel/FAQ section. Its written for beginners to cooking!
http://www.amazon.com/The-4-Hour-Chef-Learning-Anything/dp/0547884591