Who taught you to cook?

[hoolligan01]

I learned to cook on my own I'm still learning the process im new to the process of smoking and cooking in general

 

[dirtsailor2003]

I was always watching in the kitchen, whether it was my mom, dad, grandparents. Self taught on most everything else's. From the time I was 12 I spent my summers working in the fishing industry an rented a room and it was either cook or don't eat. So I cooked!

 

[GaryHibbert]

My Mom was a good, but plain cook. My Grandma was a great cook--lived on the farm all her life. I learned the basics from Mom and the Great from Grandma. There were no girls in our family and Mom worked a lot of years, so my brother and I cooked supper every night. Learned a lot watching the Food Channle and other cooking shows. I love to cook, and these days at the logging camp I cook at least half the evening meals.

Gary

 

[bdskelly]

 
My Dad couldn't boil water w/o burning it and mom was a good cook for everyday stuff.

 I learned to cook like most Cajun boys. Watching then helping the old men at the hunting and fishing camps as i got old enough.

 then when i married my wife who is a great country cook i learned to do a lot more.  Once i figured out that i enjoyed cooking i started getting recipes that looked good and made them my own.

 I have found a fun way to cook. figure out your 1 or 2 main ingredients and  go to Google. type in the main ingredient(s) and then recipes.

 You will normally have thousands of recipes come up.

  You can do the same for appetizers. Type in the main thing you want to use and appetizer recipe.

.Anyone that can read and follow simple directions can cook.

Great advice. I think the internet has helped us all. I'll typically make one recipe by combining a couple that come up in the search. 

 

[bluewhisper]

Once the bug bites you, there's fun in cooking. I call it Culinary Compulsive Syndrome.

 

[geerock]

Italian mother and grandmother when I was very young, but was fortunate enough to spend some summers in Mississippi with an aunt and uncle, and my uncle was as crazy about smoking and BBQ as we are here. This was way back in the late 60's and he just had a cinderblock pit and a homemade barrel smoker. He and his brother had a road side open air shack that was open 3 days a week to supplement income. I thought being able to play with fire and eat great food was about as cool as could be. But the real treat that I haven't been able to find or produce since then?...... the home made root beer. Ahhh the memories of days gone by.

 

[leah elisheva]

Merry Christmas! To all!

Eman, I love your signature quote on your profile. All others; I love your stories, about learning to cook!

I came out of the womb asking for octopus and frog's legs from my parents in rural Vermont. They were flabbergasted. My mom was an incredible career woman, and person to me, and also friend; but not a cook.

At age 10, I was allowed to start drinking wine with my dinner. At age 11 I took over the family cooking. When returning home (yes, I admit it) as an adult moving through bumps in relationships, jobs, and travel, I was 'allowed home' rent free, so long as I cooked, (shopped, cooked, cleaned up after) for us all. A fair deal, as far as I see it.

Here's to your very beautiful stories.

Merry Christmas!!! Cheers! - Leah

 

[bluewhisper]

Back when I was serving as a step-dad to Linda's kids, one day her daughter looked in the refrigerator and said, "There's no food here, just ingredients."

 

[welshrarebit]

Back when I was serving as a step-dad to Linda's kids, one day her daughter looked in the refrigerator and said, "There's no food here, just ingredients."

That's funny!!!!

 

[bbqbrett]

For grilling my dad taught me that. Smoking I figured out mostly on my own and with the help of a friend who was also brand new to it. Still learning new things all the time.

I don't cook a wide variety of things but what I do make I do fairly well. Got some recipes from my stepmother and figured out the rest on my own. Wish I would have been more interested in cooking when my mom was alive cause she made some good things as well, especilly baking!

 

[bluewhisper]

While my mom was alive, I made a point of showing that I knew how to cook all of her favorites. Family centers around the kitchen, and I wanted her to know that her traditions wouldn't die with her.

 

[noboundaries]

 
While my mom was alive, I made a point of showing that I knew how to cook all of her favorites. Family centers around the kitchen, and I wanted her to know that her traditions wouldn't die with her.

Beautiful gift of love.

 

[hickorybutt]

I have ties to the grilling products category at work and got interested when I started my job. Learned how to grill/cook/smoke from YouTube videos and online outlets. Found this place and doubled my knowledge

 

[sqwib]

 
Merry Christmas! To all!

Eman, I love your signature quote on your profile. All others; I love your stories, about learning to cook!

I came out of the womb asking for octopus and frog's legs from my parents in rural Vermont. They were flabbergasted. My mom was an incredible career woman, and person to me, and also friend; but not a cook.

At age 10, I was allowed to start drinking wine with my dinner. At age 11 I took over the family cooking. When returning home (yes, I admit it) as an adult moving through bumps in relationships, jobs, and travel, I was 'allowed home' rent free, so long as I cooked, (shopped, cooked, cleaned up after) for us all. A fair deal, as far as I see it.

Here's to your very beautiful stories.

Merry Christmas!!! Cheers! - Leah

Love your Avatars and Quote.

Especially tormenting the dogs eating the yogurt

 

[leah elisheva]

Thank you tons SQWIB! The dogs do get goat yogurt in their breakfast dish, but seem to think that they should have more!!!??

Merry Christmas (past albeit sincere wishes nonetheless) and happy new year to you!!!!!!!

Cheers! - Leah

 

[worktogthr]

I lost about 120 pounds in my early 20s eating grilled chicken with hot sauce almost every day. It's was all I thought I was capable of cooking. I have always loved food and thought there has to be away to make healthy versions of the food I crave instead of eating the same boring things every day. A little internet research, healthy cook books, etc and I started experimenting, combining recipes, substituting healthier ingredients. Then I started to pour through some of my moms recipes. It just became a healthy obsession. i have kept most of that weight off but the bbq doesn't help hahah. It's hard though when I cook without health limitations because I just don't have much experience with frying things, recipes with lots of butter or fat, sauces with cream, etc. so I still feel like have a lot to learn.

 

[bdskelly]

I lost about 120 pounds in my early 20s eating grilled chicken with hot sauce almost every day. It's was all I thought I was capable of cooking. I have always loved food and thought there has to be away to make healthy versions of the food I crave instead of eating the same boring things every day. A little internet research, healthy cook books, etc and I started experimenting, combining recipes, substituting healthier ingredients. Then I started to pour through some of my moms recipes. It just became a healthy obsession. i have kept most of that weight off but the bbq doesn't help hahah. It's hard though when I cook without health limitations because I just don't have much experience with frying things, recipes with lots of butter or fat, sauces with cream, etc. so I still feel like have a lot to learn.

I wish I could give you twice the points. 

b

 

[wade]

When I was young dad was such a fussy eater that mum was only allowed to cook him plain meat (no fat) whole potatoes (boiled or roasted) and plain boiled veg. Most herbs and especially garlic were foreign foods that had no place in English cooking. This led to a very dull diet. When I was 9/10 mum taught me how to make my first risotto and after that we often used to cook together. We would then often prepare two meals - one for him and one for us. At 16 mum booked me on to a Cordon Bleu evening class which was fascinating and taught me a lot of the basics that I still use today. At university I was in demand for cooking curries.

My breakthrough into BBQ smoking came a few years later when I was working in the USA. I was invited to eat with the family of a guy I worked with and he produced the best joint of roast beef that I had ever tasted in his Weber. From that point I was hooked. After importing a couple of smokers from the US and learning on those I now use the BBQ as my preferred method of cooking any meat.

Coming from a science background my next cookery jump was when I discovered Heston Blumenthal. He extracted the science from the alchemy of cookery and once you understand what is actually happening it opens up vast new areas of culinary pleasures.

There is a down side though. I do find myself more critical than I should be when going out to eat. 

 

[noboundaries]

 
When I was young dad was such a fussy eater that mum was only allowed to cook him plain meat (no fat) whole potatoes (boiled or roasted) and plain boiled veg. Most herbs and especially garlic were foreign foods that had no place in English cooking. This led to a very dull diet. When I was 9/10 mum taught me how to make my first risotto and after that we often used to cook together. We would then often prepare two meals - one for him and one for us. At 16 mum booked me on to a Cordon Bleu evening class which was fascinating and taught me a lot of the basics that I still use today. At university I was in demand for cooking curries.

My breakthrough into BBQ smoking came a few years later when I was working in the USA. I was invited to eat with the family of a guy I worked with and he produced the best joint of roast beef that I had ever tasted in his Weber. From that point I was hooked. After importing a couple of smokers from the US and learning on those I now use the BBQ as my preferred method of cooking any meat.

Coming from a science background my next cookery jump was when I discovered Heston Blumenthal. He extracted the science from the alchemy of cookery and once you understand what is actually happening it opens up vast new areas of culinary pleasures.

There is a down side though. I do find myself more critical than I should be when going out to eat. 

Great story Wade.  Although I haven't discovered Heston Blumenthal, we have all agreed that the flavors we get cooking at home are so much better than what we get when we go out.  We rarely eat out now for that reason. 

 

[wade]

You either like what Heston does or you don't. He dissects the chemistry of cooking and has put the components back together in some very unexpected combinations. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heston_Blumenthal

One of his notorious creations is egg and bacon ice cream - which surprisingly enough works very well.