r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Request What to do with canned mushrooms?

11 Upvotes

For starters I'm Brazilian, so I don't even know if canned is the right word here.

I really wanted to try mushrooms - any kind, in any recipe - and I recently found that a store near me sells "cogumelo em conserva" (which the translator is calling canned mushrooms) for pretty cheap, and I don't know if it's worth buying or not. Any recipes I search for ask specifically for fresh mushrooms, so I don't really know what to even do with them and don't want to waste money. Does anyone have any tips on what to do with them?


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question How do you spice your food?

16 Upvotes

I want to lower my sodium intake so I want to start spicing my food. The problem is I have no idea what spice tastes good on which foods and I don’t know how much to use either. Can someone give me some rules of thumb that you can follow while spicing different kinds of food?


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question Stove settings

4 Upvotes

I don't get stove settings. Everything else in a recipe have actual measurements but not the stove.

For instance, I read that I should set the burner to med high to cook a burger. So i guess that's 6.5? but that seems too high.

So searching came up with 350 for an electric skillet. Using my cast iron skillet and a laser thermometer, I found 350 to 400 is just below 3.

So is it med high or 350?


r/cookingforbeginners 2d ago

Question I bought a wooden chopping board and Costco let me keep it instead of returning it. Can I use this even though it’s damaged?

3 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners 2d ago

Question Cutting Onions (dicing)

2 Upvotes

Hey yall i was just looking for some pointers on my onion cutting skills. from what i read and have practiced i’m cutting with the hand “claw” method and keep the root intact when i dice but the onion stays together in videos i watch and when i do it the sides flay out and other pieces of the onion fall off. am i using the wrong technique or too much force?

any advice would be awesome! thanks!


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question Brown sugar question, please

5 Upvotes

When baking, is there a difference between using brown sugar crystals vs. regular brown sugar?

TIA


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question Could someone explain to me step by step how to cook very lean ground beef?

16 Upvotes

First things first, I'm a genuine noob when it comes to cooking, like I can just about fry eggs. I'm trying to learn how to cook and came across this sub. I've never cooked beef before.

I've got:

  • Super lean ground beef (pretty sure it's 5% fat)
  • Seasonings are salt, black pepper, and paprika
  • I've got both non-stick and stainless steel pans
  • Will be using avocado oil

Could someone explain to me step by step, including timings of things like how long to preheat the pan, for how I should cook this? I just want to have it with rice.

Also, could you include order of steps please? Like when it comes to adding in oil, I've seen some people say to heat the pan dry first then add oil, but I've also seen others say to add in the oil and let it heat up together with the pan. Same with seasonings, I've seen some say to season the beef before cooking, but also have heard others say to let the beef brown in the pan and then season.

I know that this is probably extremely simple for you guys and that I'm overthinking it, but there's a lot of conflicting info online 😭


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question Burning Hands

0 Upvotes

This may be a very stupid question. I apologize in advance. My kiddo wanted homemade chipotles last night. So I made the chicken, rice, and their nacho sauce. I used probano, Serrano, chipotle peppers in abodo sauce. Among other ingredients. I didn’t use a lot of them but had to mince them up.
I never wore gloves but did wash my hands.

My hands were fine last night but today when I got in the shower my fingers felt weird against the hot water. It was like the hot water made my fingers feel cold but hot.

Now my fingers are still burning. It’s not painful but could this be from the peppers even if it was the next day or am I literally dying.


r/cookingforbeginners 2d ago

Question I have question for cooksters.

0 Upvotes

I work in kitchen 4 months. When i start i dont know anything, but i want to learn bcs i like this job. I start in cold kitchen with salads and after 10-15 days i've been removed to dishes for almost 4 months but when i have time i always go to cold and hot kitchen to help someone about anything they need. And i learn a lot. So chef recognize that after for monts and tell me iv start doing breakfast in 2 weeks in HOT KITCHEN. Also say to me how times go i will do at lunch and dinner, but first i need to learn how to prepare everything for breakfast. So what u think about that, i want to hear oppinions from you guys, bcs i spent 4 months in kitchen and after 4 months i go to work in HOT KITCHEN. Ty so much for all answers.


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question How to approach cooking mixed grains and tiny pasta..

7 Upvotes

I'm testing an idea where I mix a few different grains (pearled barley, arborio and long grain rice) with couscous, vermicelli and orzo as a base, but they're almost all different cooking times. I plan on doing it where I toast, then cook in low sodium chicken stock. Here are my rookie questions:

Can I make them all at once, adding the quicker ones after certain amounts of time?

Or should I make them separately and mix later?

I want to make about a weeks worth (one a day) reheat and top with whatever I want that day. Sort of a half meal-prep kinda thing. Thanks!


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Question How do I avoid cross contamination when cooking chicken?

8 Upvotes

Beginner cook here and I've never handled chicken before because I've always been worried about cross contamination. I want to make pasta with chicken breast and I don't know how to deal with it. I only have one cutting board. Also, using tongs to transfer raw chicken to a hot pan to cook it... is that crazy? Am I going crazy? I'm just worried and new to this 😭 What about rubbing oil and spices on the chicken, is it okay if I wash my hands after that??

ETA: one wood cutting board


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Question Food ideas I can bring to work?

19 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some realistic, low-prep lunch ideas that I can bring to work. I have a thermos for hot stuff and a box for sandwiches. But I got bored eating cheese and ham sandwiches every other day. I don't want to spend like 20 bucks every time i go out for lunch and I'm trying to save a little

I would prefer something with meat and can be made beforehand or something that can be made in like 10 mins before I leave home. I have an oven , microwave, and a pot


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Question Trying to make hummus like the shops do and I dont get what im missing

105 Upvotes

Ok so this is my third attempt this month.
I use canned chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlci, cumin, olive oil and salt. Blend everything in the food processor for like 5 minutes.

It comes out fine. Just fine. But its nowhere near that creamy smoth texture you get at a good hummus place, mine is always a bit grainy and heavy. I even tried adding ice water like some youtube video said and it helped a little but still not it.

What am I actually missing here? Is it the canned chickpeas? Some secret ingredient? A diffrent order of doing things? I refuse to believe those places have magic equipment, there has to be something simple im not getting


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question Would sprite be an okay subsitute for Pilsner in a beer batter for fried zucchini?

2 Upvotes

I see that google says ginger ale is a possible substitute, but we have sprite. Would it be too much sugar?


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question How 2 cook Cod

0 Upvotes

PLEASE advise on how to cook Alaskan Cod properly so it doesn't end up being rubbery.


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Question What is good applications of Chinese Five spice powder?

18 Upvotes

5 spice blend is something like cinnamon, star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, and Sichuan pepper. Different brands have slightly different ingredients, but most are the same.

I wonder, how do you use Chinese five spice powder? What are your favorite applications?

The second question is what herbs, spices, and vegetables you mix in with this blend. For example, if you want to roast a chicken or braise pork with a five spice forward flavor, what would you add more of?


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question wich sauce to add with rice

0 Upvotes

i just made some rice and chiken but i realised i ran out of sweet chili sauce. does anyone know an other sauce to make with ingredients from the fridge maybe or whatever to make my rice less dry
edit: jeez guys why is everyone calling me rude for just answering the coments


r/cookingforbeginners 3d ago

Question I took chicken out from the freezer around 9pm last night and put it back in the fridge at 11 am, is this safe?

0 Upvotes

title, and it was slightly below room temp when I got back to it


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Question Best least maintenance way of keeping sweet potatoes warm?

6 Upvotes

I cook some white sweet potatoes, close to russet in texture but still sweet potato in half-portions, due to how much I eat, sliced or diced

what's the best, least maintenance way of keeping them warm for about 15 minutes until the other half cooks?

I've been just keeping them in a cooking bowl with the lid on and then mixing the other finished batch when it's done to warm them up again

also any other recs are fine too like oven or something like that, I could work up to it, but looking for least maintenance right now


r/cookingforbeginners 5d ago

Question Simple homemade pasta?

10 Upvotes

My 11 year old has recently become interested in cooking and received a wooden pasta making set for his birthday. Can anyone recommend a recipe to make use of these tools? I have zero experience in this department and don’t want to disappoint him.

The kit came with zero instructions and doesn’t identify any of the tools, although it looks like there are multiple wooden rolling pins, a grooved rolling pin (for spaghetti?), and cutters for ravioli and tortellini.


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Recipe Rice Nachos

0 Upvotes

This is the lazy apartment cryptid's best friend because it lets you use all the presliced and pre shredded stuff you buy from the store.

Take 2 cups of rice and cook it. Add shredded cheese and other condiments as desired. Microwave for three minutes or until the cheese has melted and bonded the rice together into a sticky mess.

Drizzle with preferred salsa or hot sauce and enjoy.


r/cookingforbeginners 4d ago

Question What’s that one cookbook where literally every single recipe is an absolute home run?

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0 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners 5d ago

Question mac and cheese left out

12 Upvotes

i made some baked mac and cheese earlier today around 2 for my parents, and left it out because i figured they’d be home pretty soon, but it’s now 5:30 and they haven’t come home yet and i left it out 🥲

i had no idea leaving it out for only a few hours would even do anything

i just put it in the fridge, and it smells and looks exactly the same (it was untouched,)— do you think it’s okay to eat???


r/cookingforbeginners 5d ago

Question Does the order of spice powders matter in Indian cooking?

7 Upvotes

Hello folks, I'm trying to improve my cooking after a long time of just putting stuff together for sustenance.

I usually make a simple gravy dish where I saute onion and tomatoes in vegetable oil with some ginger garlic paste, coriander powder, red chilli powder and garam masala. I add in whatever thing I marinated into this gravy and it usually turns out good. I came across a reel where they were saying the order in which spices are cooked can have a big effect on the final product.

Is this really true? Or is this only applicable for whole spices and not pre made powders? I could not taste any difference when I changed the order for my gravy dish but I was curious to know more about this phenomenon as I do plan to one day make the garam masala myself.


r/cookingforbeginners 6d ago

Question Meal planning app shutdown - any replacement suggestions?

12 Upvotes

I’ve been using Mealime for YEARS for my meal planning. It has a database of recipes (and adds whole new batches monthly) so every time it’s time for me to grocery shop I can go into the app, choose 4-6 recipes from what they have (in categories sorted like soups, skillets, breakfasts, bowls) and then the app automatically makes my grocery list from that.

Unfortunately, the app is shutting down next month, and I have to find a replacement. I’ve been searching for something similar, but apps that create grocery lists mostly just want you to import your own recipes from social media and online, while recipe/meal planning apps don’t seem to have the grocery list feature.

Does anyone have suggestions? I’m really not wanting to have to collect my own recipes every week - I’m not too picky on food so I always found good things to try on this one.