Q&A for How to Cook

You can make a solid meal just by incorporating a healthy fat and a lean protein. Just keep it simple. A grilled chicken breast and an avocado mash is a great example of a simple meal that's really easy to make. You don't need to cook anything complicated to eat healthy at home!

You don't need to rely on anyone else's cooking if you learn to cook. Even if you don't mind eating out a lot now, there may come a time when you can't get out, can't afford it, or just prefer to stay at home, and cooking for yourself can be really helpful. On the whole, cooking for yourself is cheaper, less processed, healthy and often yummier than buying packaged meals. Plus, many people find cooking relaxing and creative; it can also be a good way of impressing someone!

There isn't just one healthy way to cook, there are many! If you want to keep your cooking healthy, you can try any of these ways: Steaming, boiling, microwaving, grilling/broiling, poaching, baking and stir-frying. Even ways of cooking that you might think are not as healthy (such as frying or roasting) can be improved by using healthy fats and keeping these kinds of cooking for special occasions only.

Yes, this is a great way to learn to cook. Be sure to choose channels that have a decent following with good reviews (to ensure you're getting quality tuition) and choose the channels that focus on the types of foods that interest you, be it fish, vegetarian, desserts or potatoes! Set up an iPad or similar device on a stand that you can see while working on the recipes in the kitchen. Practice regularly in order to improve, having goals to reach every month or so at a pace that suits you.

It is possible but you'll need to rely on other types of cuisine or let others do the work for you. You could try living off some or a combination of the following: A raw food diet; pre-made meals (heat-up only); sandwiches (toasted too, that's not really cooking); salads; cereals; eat out a lot; eat with foodie friends who love to cook; have meals delivered; hire a cook or chef, etc.

Watch cooking shows (Good Eats is outstanding for beginning chefs). Check for community education classes in your area. Start by learning how to make one dish really well (your "specialty"), then another, and keep adding to your repertoire. There are also a number of good books for kitchen novices. Giving yourself a year is a great amount of time to become a good cook; by the year's end, you'll be able to prepare a number of meals like a pro.

Try replacing the oil with butter or margarine. This will eliminate the oil in the recipe, making it oil-free.

Find a specific region's food that you like. If you like Asian food, look for simple recipes for that region. Try miso soup or Korean style curry. If you prefer Middle Eastern (things like Pakistani food), find an Indian curry recipe instead or try something different that looks appealing to you. Humans often judge food with their eyes before anything else. The best way to get into cooking is actually finding a style you like and then pursuing it.

There are many articles about baking bread on this site, like How to Make Bread from Scratch.

Food Network is a popular TV channel that is on cable, that includes cooking competitions and shows where they show you how to cook different meals/recipes.

For pasta and eggs just boil for at least 10-15 minutes. For a simple cake, mix all wet ingredients together and then mix all dry ingredients together, then mix all of them together and bake in an oven.

Read this article on How to Bake a Cake and this one on How to Make Fondant.

It's all practice and learning. You need to spend a lot of time learning how flavors work together and which flavors go with which foods; this will help you narrow down the potential spices you could add to a dish. Once you know the spices you want to add, you can just add a little bit at a time, tasting regularly, until you have achieved your desired taste.

The best way is to strictly follow a recipe. Make sure that you have all of the ingredients listed in the recipe before you start to bake. When you've mixed all of the ingredients, the consistency should be liquid and a bit gooey.

You could learn a basic recipe or some of the principles of cooking in 30 minutes.

First you need to make rice. Then you need a hot pan with about half a tablespoon (approximately) of oil and put your rice in the pan. Add vegetables like carrots or peas and cook until rice is brown. Serve with fish or meat.

There are tons of strawberry cake recipes online. Some include strawberries in the cake batter while others rely on strawberry frosting or filling for the flavor. You can do an online search for "strawberry cake recipes" to find one that looks good to you.

Just go online and search for 'simple bread recipes' for the type of bread you'd like to make. A good website to look at is taste.com.

Yes, with your parent's permission of course. Choose simple recipes with few ingredients to start. Learn how to measure and mix. You may want to start with dishes that aren't cooked at first to learn what tastes good together.

Start by coating the pan in oil. Then add the rice, and add some soy sauce. Add some chopped green beans, corn, peas, and meat. After that is almost ready, I push it to the side of the pan and scramble some eggs on the side. Then, I mix it all up.

There are tons of recipes you can find via a Google search for chocolate bread. wikiHow might even have some recipes you would enjoy, like chocolate banana bread.

Prepare something that is basic, but can be done to perfection. Experiment with flavors to brighten up the dish and remember it's the effort that counts. If you need help, there are many good recipe books on the market. The cooking channel is another good way to learn skills and tricks, as is the internet.

There are so many vegan cooking blogs out there. Pinterest is a great place to start; you can find endless recipes.

I suggest reading wikiHow's article on making bagels for detailed instructions.

There are tons of roasted chicken recipes online. Find one and follow it.

Things going wrong is an inherent part of learning how to cook well. Do not let that put you off cooking. All great chefs have had their own failed ventures, even after years of experience, and it is nothing to be afraid of. If your dish does go wrong, try to find out when, where and how you made a mistake, so you can improve your technique and make a better dish next time. Keep notes on your recipes, so you learn from what worked and what didn't.

Thermometers are used to determine temperatures of foods. A meat thermometer helps you determine if your meat is cooked through (for example, chicken is cooked once it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit or 75 degrees Celsius.) To use a thermometer, stick it in the thickest part of the food without touching fat or bone. If the thickest part is cooked through, the rest of the food will be done.

Definitely ask for help for the baking or stove parts of your cooking. Ask the person helping to show you how to use oven mitts, how to handle hot food and equipment safely and what to be careful of and avoid. Always face saucepan handles away from you so you don't accidentally knock them, use oven mitts not just for oven-hot dishes but for hot pans, lids and steamers on the stovetop as well. Be careful of the oven door; don't touch the inside of it when opening it.

Keep the check on the recipe book and assemble the ingredients to have them ready before you put the flame on - that way you can concentrate totally on cooking and not get distracted. Check the fragrance of food to see if it smells right, see if it is soft or crisp depending upon what you are making and keep the flame at medium to be safe. Turn the heat off the moment you're done cooking; if this is something you forget, then set a reminder timer.

If you are great at baking, and you are sure that your cake will be done well, then you can bake it. If not, or if you'd simply prefer not to, then hire a baker.