Fun Ways to Learn How to Cook - The Flourishing People (2024)

Cooking seems like a natural skill we all have, but it can be very overwhelming when first starting out. Here are some fun ways to learn how to cook to start cooking more delicious meals at home.

Cooking is an essential skill we all must develop, and many people never learn how to actually build that skill.

Having basic cooking knowledge can significantly benefit our health. Eating from fast food joints on a regular basis exposes us to higher amounts of sodium, unhealthy saturated fats, and added sugars – overconsumption of these nutrients can put us at greater risk for many diseases. [1] Home-cooked meals allow us to control what ingredients we are adding to our meals.

Depending on the ingredients we add to our foods, we can eat an abundance of healthy nutrients that keep us flourishing, such as fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats. Not to mention that cooking at home also keeps our wallets healthy, as eating fast food can get expensive.

Though, it can be easier said than done. When I moved out from my parents, I felt overwhelmed by cooking meals for myself every night. I had learned how to cook by cooking with my grandma and mom, but some parts of cooking overwhelmed me – especially by knowing what spices were appropriate for what foods. I also didn’t take learning how to cook as seriously as I should have when watching my family cook.

However, once I began practicing cooking more on my own and visiting my grandma to cook more meals together, I became more comfortable with my own cooking abilities. It honestly just takes a lot of trial and error.

So, try out one (or all) of these techniques to help guide you to become a more confident chef.

Ways a beginner can learn how to cook

Learn from grandma (or any other family member/friend)

Grandmas are the best cooks, so why not learn from the best?! My grandma started to teach me how to cook ever since I was a little girl. She shared great tips and gave me some of my most cherished memories with her.

Try practicing how to cook different meals with your grandma. If you are unable to cook with your grandma, learn from your mom, dad, sister, aunt, neighbor, family friend, or anyone else whom you feel comfortable learning from. Try to meet with this person once a week to prepare and share a meal together.

Subscribing to meal kits

There are many meal kit services that deliver pre-portioned ingredients with recipe instructions to your front door. HelloFresh, Blue Apron, Home Chef, and EveryPlate are examples of popular meal kit services.

I have never tried a meal kit delivery service, however, this is the technique my friend has been using to learn how to cook since she moved a few hours away from her hometown. She started using HelloFresh but eventually switched to the sister company, EveryPlate, because it is a more affordable option. My friend always raves over her meal kit delivery service because the meals are delicious, she feels healthy while eating them, and it’s the best way for her to practice cooking more at home.

If you think this would be a helpful way for you to learn how to cook, research the best meal kit service for your needs, decide the number of meals you want to be delivered per week, set your preferences, and choose the recipes you want to make. Your meal will be delivered to your front door in no time and will be on your journey to start cooking more at home.

Tip: If you loved a recipe you made from a meal kit service, keep it and create the meal again with ingredients you purchase from the grocery store.

Get a cookbook

Nowadays, people rely on finding recipes to cook on the internet. If you want to switch it up, get yourself a good old fashion cookbook. Find a cookbook with a variety of easy meal ideas for you to use to help cook many different meals.

Follow along to YouTube videos

If you prefer video learning, then cooking as you follow a YouTube video may be a beneficial way for you to learn how to cook. More instruction and clarity is often provided through cooking videos compared to reading instruction on a recipe. So, this technique may help you feel more confident that you are actually following the recipe correctly.

Go to a cooking class

A cooking class is a fun experience to learn how to cook by a professional chef. Many of these classes teach basic cooking skills and they can provide you with feedback on how you can improve. Google a cooking class in your area and book a class to attend. As you become a better chef, you can schedule to attend special cooking classes, like a pasta-making class (how fun!!!).

Even if you are a more experienced cook, a cooking class is a fun activity to do on a date or with friends. I have heard such fun things about going to a cooking class and it has been on my bucket list for a while!

Have a cooking night with friends

I recently saw a TikTok of a friend gathering that consisted of a cooking night. Everyone came together at someone’s apartment, and each friend prepared their own dish to add to their dinner feast. I thought this was such a unique way to enjoy time with friends while practicing cooking skills together.

If you and your friends are all trying to learn how to cook, have a cooking night together to prepare a meal full of delicious food. Each of you may have different skills that you can share and teach each other. You and your friends may love a cooking night so much that it becomes a regular way to spend time together.

Try out new recipes online

Since moving away from my parents, my ‘food to make’ board on Pinterest has become full of recipes that I want to try to cook. While preparing my grocery shopping lists, I often decide what meals to make based on what recipes I want to try from Pinterest. Cooking a variety of different meals on the Internet has helped me try new foods and broadened my cooking experience.

If you want a simple way to practice your cooking skills, make the recipes you save on Pinterest. Or, try to search for a recipe that recreate one of your favorite fast food meals (I tried this with Chipotle bowls) Other places to look for recipes online include Google and the Yummlywebsite/app.

If I find a recipe online that I enjoyed making and that tasted good, I add it to the digital recipe book in my digital food journal & nutrition guide on my iPad.

Practice, practice, practice

The most important tip when it comes to learning how to cook is to keep practicing. Practice makes perfect, right? You are not likely to become a confident chef that doesn’t have to always rely on following recipes overnight. You may make recipes that suck or even almost burn down the kitchen (try not to do this though LOL).

But, the more you practice cooking a variety of meals at home, the more experience you will gain. Eventually, you will become a confident chef that can quickly prepare delicious meals without much thought put into it.

Basic cooking skills to develop when learning how to cook

Cutting skills

It is helpful to learn knife and cutting skills when cooking. Cutting skills may seem easy to develop, but it can be trickier than you may think. The prep phase of cooking usually takes me the longest time because I have still not become fully comfortable with chopping foods.

When practicing basic knife skills in the kitchen, the first step is to learn how to use a knife safely. Since I am a nutrition student, I learned some cooking skills in my cooking class in college. The first skill I learned was the “monkey hand”. The “monkey hand” is where you curl your fingers on the food you cut, so the knife glides against your nails instead of cutting your fingers if something goes wrong.

After learning how to use a kitchen knife safely, you can practice different cutting techniques, such as chopping, mincing, dicing, slicing, and more. I highly recommend watching YouTube tutorials to learn basic kitchen knife-cutting skills.

Sauté

The majority of foods I cook involve sautéing. Sautéing is a cooking technique that uses a pan to cook foods on the stove using light oil. It is very easy and important to learn.

Cooking time

Understanding cooking times can help you avoid burning your food or making it too tough to eat. You don’t want to cook your food too long to the point where it affects the texture, but you also don’t want to cook it too short of a time to avoid food poisoning.

Recipes often have the correct cooking times, so pay close attention to those suggestions. If cooking times are not provided in the recipe, referencefoodsaftey.govhere.

Food safety

Food safety is an important consideration when cooking at home. Foodborne illness is no joke and not something you want to mess with. Before learning how to cook, study proper food safety practices so that you are aware of how to safely prepare your foods.

Seasoning

The hardest part of cooking can be knowing how to season your food. My biggest limitation is knowing what spices, herbs, and fresh ingredients (garlic, lemon juice, butter, etc.) go with what foods. When starting out, salt and pepper will be your best friends – these are the seasonings that can go with almost every food you cook.

As you get more comfortable with cooking, you’ll have a greater understanding of other ways you can add flavor to your foods. Using different seasonings will help you get a different taste. Cumin and chili powder are often used for Mexican dishes, and ginger is a common ingredient added for flavor in Asian dishes.

Conclusion

Cooking at home can benefit our health and bank accounts. While it can be overwhelming to learn how to cook, it is not possible. Most of the time it just requires some trial and error. Eventually, you will get it and have delicious home-cooked meals every night. If you are learning how to cook, try some of these fun ways to make the journey more enjoyable.