Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

How did you do it?

Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I certainly have gotten better, I think the more cooking you do the better you will get. Practice, practice. I learned some of my techniques by reading and watching the food net work. I learned all my basics from my mother.

Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I wouldn't say I'm a good cook but I'm def better than when I first got married. Like the PP said, practice practice. Experiment with different recipes. Try different things.

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I consider myself a really good cook but of course everyone has to start somewhere.

I actually always LOVED to cook (even as a kid) so for years now I've been collecting and reading cookbooks, I subscribe to different cooking magazines, and I live on Food Network and the Cooking Channel. With the cooking, the more you do it the better you'll get.

Don't be afraid to try new things and take risks. With cooking, unlike baking which is more precise, you can usually fix your mistakes and make substitutions in recipes as you go along. Just have fun with and keep doing it and eventually you'll get better and better at it.

ETA - Also, get yourself some good cooking tools. When you have the right tools and a good set of pots and pans the cooking experience becomes so much more rewarding.

Also, consider taking some cooking classes. Sur La Table offers some really great ones and they aren't that expensive.

Message edited 1/7/2015 10:50:05 AM.

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

When I first got married I didn't know how to make more than about two meals, and even then not very well. I remember youtubing how to core and chop a bell pepper. I honestly had no clue where to begin. But I just forced myself to get in the kitchen, and slowly the kitchen fails happened less and less (and there were A LOT in the beginning).

Now I cook all of our meals and when I cook for other people I get enough compliments to actually believe that I might be pretty good. When you force yourself to spend the time in the kitchen there is no way you won't get more comfortable. It takes time, but it will happen.

When it comes to cooking, there is no substitute for actual experience. You just have to get in there and do it.

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

OF COURSE!!!
I always liked cooking, was interested in it. So I started as a kid. But Let me tell you, I was bad. My mom and dad ate lots of failed projects and I've even thrown things straight in the garbage. I've been with DH for 12 years now and he'll even say I've only gotten better each year. Now I feel I am an excellent cook. I went from being able to make like 10 items really well to HUNDREDS. Now people always request items from me, ask for my recipes, want me to give them food advice, etc. It's all trial and error and practice and just learning. As others stated, you do this by reading cooking magazines and cookbooks, watching the food network and food related shows, by practicing and changing the recipes to work for you and your family. I've learned techniques from family members for certain things and other things from the food network hosts and other things from just doing it and finding out what worked and failed for me personally. I also think proper kitchen equipment and no fail recipes are important. So many of these "food blogs" these days are cr@p in my opinion (excuse my language) and a waste of time. You have to really weed through all of it.

Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

We love the cooks series. Americas test kitchen. We subscribe to the magazine and have a few books. They explain well and most recipes are great. We have learned a lot from them. I never cooked and am getting better. I watch dh, who is an awesome cook, and learn from watching food network. My biggest problem was cutting stuff up. I had no control over the knife. I tend to use a smaller aerated knife for more control now. I also agree with a good set of tools. Good knives pots and pans.

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

My husband did! He is pretty good at teaching himself new things in general though. When we met at 23, he would only ever make bacon or boil pasta (with jar sauce) and was grossed out by raw chicken. He was also a pretty picky eater.

I showed him what I knew & once he learned that cooking let him customize things he start to experiment more. He is definitely a better cook than me now.

Watching cooking show on tv & looking things up online helped a lot.
He loved Good Eats ( Alton Brown's old show--the reruns ar eotne Cookign Chanell now) b/c it explain the how & why behign a lot of things.

We also use America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated, The Joy of Cooking (book) & Serious Eats for recipes & tips.

Also, it never hurts to ask for tips. If you like something someone else makes, ask them how they make. It is very common in my family & with my in laws, to say things like " your xyz came out so much crispier, more tender, etc than mine ever does, how do you make it?

Of course, practice helps, too. We make a lot of the same things over & over & DH cooks often b/c I work late now, so he get lots of practice.

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

Couple of ideas that have worked for me...
-Try a new recipe each week
-Try out new ingredients
-Try some new spices

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I went from being a terrible cook (almost burnt down my parents' house cooking an Ellio's pizza in the toaster oven!) to an amazing cook. I had no idea how to do much besides boil water for pasta/macaroni and cheese before I got married and I was a VERY picky eater. After we got married, I had the summer off (we got married in June and I'm a teacher) and DH told me I should learn how to cook. I watched a TON of Food Network shows and just started trying new recipes and foods. I became more familiar and comfortable with different ingredients and with appliances and tools in the kitchen. I began to eat more things and my food got better and better. I'm pretty sure we threw out a ton of food that first summer because it was just terrible!
I've learned how to adjust recipes to my tastes and I cook all the time now. I also subscribe to lots of recipe magazines and have so many cookbooks. It took a lot of practice, but I truly enjoy cooking now and some people can't even believe how well I cook now. Everyone loves coming to our house because they love my food. It was very rewarding for me!

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

Lots of practice with recipes that have rave reviews, and learning from mistakes when testing out new recipes. America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated/Cook's Country put out great recipes.

Also, I took some classes at Sur La Table and Viking School, which really helped me build my confidence. I recommend trying their classes and asking questions to the instructors. They're quite helpful!

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I can follow a recipe but I don't know how to create things on my own. I see what my coworkers bring for lunch that are leftovers and look so good and that never comes from my kitchen LOL

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I agree with everyone above. I never really cooked until I got married because I lived alone. Cooking for myself just didn't make sense because most recipes make so much food.

I started watching the Food Network and searching for recipes online....I get the FN magazine now and love the Skinnytaste website. Most recipes I made are from either of those and allrecipes.com (reading the reviews is key).

Re: Anyone go from being a mediocre cook to a good cook?

I think I did! The more I cook, the better I get. I used to stay away from anything with more than 5 ingredients when I started out. Now I am not as intimidated.