Learning to Cook Dinner

What to First Consider

Cooking dinner can be a major time investment for some, but if done the right way, it can be the highlight of every person's day. Somethings to consider at first include the type of food that diners are in the mood for, how much time there is to prepare the food, and the budget available for ingredients.

Another consideration that is important to think about is whether or not those who are eating the food have any sort of food allergies. Food allergies can be a serious and life threatening thing and should always be taken seriously to avoid any medical emergencies. Common food allergies are those to tree nuts, dairy, and gluten. Generally speaking, those types of ingredients will be listed in the ingredients section of any recipe for meals.

Where to Find Recipes for Dinner

Depending on the meal and the type of food, there are multiple outlets that can be used to find appropriate recipes. The section at the end will provide the top five links one can use to find recipes and how to make them.

How Long Will Cooking Take?

Generally speaking, recipe times will be broken down into something called "Prep Time" and "Cook Time". Prep Time is the time that is used to prepare all of the ingredients. This can include processes such as cutting, chopping, dicing, mincing, and marinating to name a few. Cook Time is generally referred to how long food will actually take to cook. For example, a turkey in the oven may have a cook time of multiple hours, but an egg on a pan will have a cook time of a few minutes.

It is important to consider both the cook time and the prep time of recipes before beginning. More complex recipes generally will take much longer to prepare and to cook, which will put more time between starting to cook and sitting at the table to eat. That being said, more complex recipes generally taste better (compare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner with something like turkey dinner).

What Benefits Are There to Cooking?

As opposed to seeing cooking as a mindless and boring chore, it can instead become an exciting and engaging hobby that anybody can succeed at. In addition to this, it can provide families valuable time to bond. Families that eat regular dinners together have been shown to be happier, healthier, and more connected than those who do not. Finally, cooking meals for oneself generally speaking is much cheaper and healthier than the alternative of going out to eat every night!

Top 5 Routes for "Cooking Dinner"

1. MyFridgeFood.com This website has an interface that allows users to select ingredients they already have at home and finds recipes for dinner that uses those ingredients
2. SuperCook.com This website is similar; however, it has a more comprehensive list of recipes for dinner that is already compiled. It will then recommend you a recipe that matches your ingredients the most.
3. BudgetBytes.com Here, different recipes are recommended depending on the budget available to prepare them. Every ingredient is listed as well as an approximate price next to it. Finally, at the end of every recipe, a step by step picture guide is given to show exactly how to prepare every meal on the site.
4. Reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy This is a forum based website where people will collectively gather and discuss how to eat food that is both cheap and healthy. Different topics are presented at different times including recipes, discussions, tips, and tricks.
5. AllRecipes.com AllRecipes provides a comprehensive list of recipes that a person can choose from. The site is organized similarly to Pinterest and allows for easy browsing. It also has a search engine to find recipes again that may have seemed interesting.