What are 3-5 dishes you’d show a beginner how to cook?

[TastyReuben]

With MrsT doing the cooking (with me standing by to offer advice/direction), I’ve suggested a few simple-yet-satisfying things for her to make to help build her confidence.

That got me thinking…if you were guiding a beginner, what would your first few dishes be, in order to get them started with some successes under their aprons?

 

[Morning Glory]

I'd start with a few 'mother' sauces. For example:
Basic tomato sauce
Bechamel sauce

For a whole dish a tray bake is easy. Chicken pieces with vegetables and a drizzle of olive oil plus herbs of choice, salt, pepper. In the oven for 35 minutes. Done!

 

[Barriehie]

Like Morning Glory said, sauces and gravies to start and then moving to pan on the stove dishes to foster attention.

 

[TastyReuben]

I’d start with scrambled eggs (and that could lead right to an (American diner-style) omelette).

I’d show them how to make a basic tomato/red sauce, one that can be used for pizza, pasta, meatballs, etc and I’d start off with using it to toss some pasta. Very simple.

For a main, a super-simple roast chicken - just a chicken, some salt, and some pepper. Nothing in the cavity, nothing under the skin, just whack it in the oven and wait.

That chicken would lead to a nearly-as-simple gravy to go along, and an easy-but-impressive side dish of glazed carrots.

For dessert, keeping it simple…apple crisp/crumble.

That way, they have a complete menu for the entire day.

 

[SoCalZone10]

Very simple recipes, no sauce, no gravy, nothing to worry.

1 - balsamic chicken, just marinate the chicken and grill
2 - spaghetti bolognese, this is one of few dishes even my youngest child can cook besides eggs.
3 - roasted game hens, just salt and pepper, for a small bird, you don't have to worry if the bird is not cooked
4 - grilled fish with teriyaki sauce, 5 minutes and you can eat.

Dessert
Ice cream and fresh strawberries, no cooking period.

 

[The Velvet Curtain]

I'd start with a basic minced beef ragu because you can go so many ways from there: as it is you have a pasta bolognase style dish, leave out tomatoes and you have the making of a cottage pie, add chillis, beans and peppers and you have a chilli.
Secondly a simple tomato sauce by breaking up and reducing a tin of plum tomatoes with a little garlic and finely chopped shallot. Thinly spread on toast it is great at breakfast, but layer on flatbread and throw on cheese and you have the start of a simple pjzza.
Finally a proper bechemel. Once you can make a cheese sauce, or mushroom, you have many possibilities.

 

[badjak]

I would talk a bit about condiments and how easy it is to go a different way by using different herbs or spices.
I would teach a tomato, onion, garlic sauce (maybe with ground beef) then add oregano or mixed herbs for Italian style,
Coriander & cumin for a more Indian slant. Fish sauce and Thai lime leaves for making it more SE Asian.
I would also teach noodle soups as they are quick and tasty
Probably toasted sandwiches, scrambled eggs, fried eggs, boiled eggs and omelettes
How to cook rice, pasta and potatoes so you get some different choices of starch with the sauce you have just learned to cook

 

[MypinchofItaly]

The first thing I’d start with would be to show how to properly cut and grill/pan-fried vegetables.
The second one would be how to make coffee (in my case I mean the Italian-style with moka pot - caffettiera)
And the last one would be how to use old bread: it’s incredible how many things you can make with it from balls to poor man’s pizza, bread salad (like Panzanella) or bread soup, and cakes as well.

 

[karadekoolaid]

This is a tough question!
I'd start with a basic tomato salsa/sauce, because it's so versatile. Garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, maybe basil and oregano, and salt. Taste, taste, taste. You can then use that sauce for pastas, pizzas, for complementing chicken, or shrimp, or fish, or vegetables.
I'd teach them how to cook pasta. Not just Italian pasta, and how it should be prepared al dente, but also East Asian noodles; egg noodles, rice noodles, mung bean noodles - because they're all so versatile and can be used for many,many dishes.
Thirdly, I'd teach them how to grill/BBQ meat - steaks, picanha, ribs, chicken, pork chops, sausages, etc. Might sound easy, but it's not what it seems. You don't just dump things on the fire then wait till they blacken.
Finally - eggs. Scrambled, boiled, fried, poached, omelettes (and mine would not be French). Extremely versatile and nutritious.
No Indian food from me, I'm afraid - too complicated for a beginner to cooking. You'd need to learn about the spices first, and that takes time and patience.

 

[Barriehie]

This is a tough question!
I'd start with a basic tomato salsa/sauce, because it's so versatile. Garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, maybe basil and oregano, and salt. Taste, taste, taste. You can then use that sauce for pastas, pizzas, for complementing chicken, or shrimp, or fish, or vegetables.
I'd teach them how to cook pasta. Not just Italian pasta, and how it should be prepared al dente, but also East Asian noodles; egg noodles, rice noodles, mung bean noodles - because they're all so versatile and can be used for many,many dishes.
Thirdly, I'd teach them how to grill/BBQ meat - steaks, picanha, ribs, chicken, pork chops, sausages, etc. Might sound easy, but it's not what it seems. You don't just dump things on the fire then wait till they blacken.
Finally - eggs. Scrambled, boiled, fried, poached, omelettes (and mine would not be French). Extremely versatile and nutritious.
No Indian food from me, I'm afraid - too complicated for a beginner to cooking. You'd need to learn about the spices first, and that takes time and patience.

So that's the 6 week crash course?

 

[karadekoolaid]

So that's the 6 week crash course?

With plenty of crashes!

 

[Z-Cook]

Depends why the person is learning to cook - learning just to learn or learning because they really need to cook for someone.

Learning just to learn is how I learned to cook - one favourite dish at time and side dishes like veg or desserts like fruit salad, cookies etc. Reading food writers and recipe books

Learning to cook as a necessity is different.

Cutting and chopping different types of food
Temperature and timings - .stove top and oven heats and timings
Boiling/steaming veg, eggs, pasta
Roasting/baking chicken, veg,
Simple seasoning - salt, pepper, very basic herbs and spices
Simple frying plus pan types, temperature and doneness

I'd pick a dish for each
A vegetable dish
A pasta dish
A roast or baked chicken dish
A gravy or sauce to accompany
A pan fried fish filet dish
An omelette

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I'd stay with the 3 I taught to a friend's daughter with learning difficulties.

1. Irish soda bread (absolute doddle to make and works every time)
2. Scones, usually chocolate chip for younger people, but can also be cheese. Again hard to mess up, just really restrict mixing time and roll out much thicker than expected, add with all scone recipes. 1oz flour = 1 scone.
3. Cheese on toast

After that

4. Jacket potatoes...