New to Cooking

This week I played with the "not so" Instant Pot and found that if you want hard boiled eggs that are, well, HARD you need to cook them on high for 10 minutes.

I cut up some carrots and put them in for 10 but they were not "mushy." These are probably 2-3 inche pieces (not like the slices you get normally). Also I left the skin on (but washed them carrot) and I love the texture and this will give you more fiber.

SPONSOR: Plan to Eat

A great app to create, organize and use recipes. You can drag a recipe on to the calendar which then adds it to your shopping list. I love it.

Here is my recipe for "not chipotle" https://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/24547340/

This is not Italian Spaghetti, although it has tomatoes in it. Its got some zip and leaves me wanting more. Here is the recipe.

Mentioned In This Episode

Roysili Spice Rack Magnetic Spice Rack Durable Magnetic Shelves For Refrigerator Easy To Use 2 Pack (White) Lifetime Guarantee

Plan To Eat - A Great app that helps you organize your recipes, plan your trips to the store, and save you a ton of time.

Full Show Description at newtocookingshow.com/5

Today I'm talking about making Turkey Meatloaf (or in my case meatloaves) see https://www.plantoeat.com/recipes/6904286/

Organize your recipes using the Plan to Eat website and app.

What I needed to create this

Mixing Bowl

Muffin Pan

Digital meat thermometer

What I Learned

That a digital meat thermometer is good to have to make sure your meat is done.

I also have to press the "On/Start" button after dialing in the temperature on my oven. (Yep... that's true). I also continue to say the best tool so far is my Silicone Grilling Gloves

Sponsor: Plan to Eat

By providing tools that streamline the meal planning process the Plan to Eat app and website equips households to eat better food, eat together, save money at the grocery store, and have a less stressful cooking experience in the kitchen.

Check it out for free at www.newtocookingshow.com/plantoeat

The New Cooks Mentality

I haven't really created anything (I've been at this a whole two weeks) that has had me go WOW - I need to make another pot of that NOW.

Don't get discouraged if this is you as well. Just trying things in my instant pot I found a bit frustrating. You might be like Goldilocks and the three bears. The first time you cook something, it's not done. The second time you cook you burn it. The third time is just right.

This makes you truly appreciate good food - but have faith. You can do this and continue to save money, save time, and be healthier.

After looking for some recipes I notice that many of them were made for an instant podcast ( some people pronounce this "instapot." ) and when I saw they come equipped with wifi and can be controlled by your phone AND your Google or Amazon Speaker - I WAS IN.

Today I share my first experience along with my first recipe, and we learn how to Saute.

See newtocookingshow.com/3

Sponsor: Plan to Eat makes finding, organizing, and using recipes a breeze. I could share my BBQ chicken recipe on Plan to Eat with my friends. see www.newcookingshow.com/plantoeat

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You don't want to be in the middle of cooking something and go, "Oh man, I need a ____." I've been there done that. Its frustrating so today I found some "Kitchen Starter Kits" that can help you out without breaking bank.

Home Hero Kitchen Utensil Set

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY AROUND - this fully comprehensive high quality utensil set is available at an incredibly low price.

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This has all the measuring cups, peeler, spatual, spoons, and more.

Digital Scale

If the recipe calls for 1.5 lbs of something, this comes in handy

https://amzn.to/36rBgIG

Silicone Grilling Gloves

I LOVE MINE. I feel so much safer. Unlike oven mits, these help me grip the pots and pans I'm holding and yet, I'm safe from being burned.

https://amzn.to/2LR884m

Ninja Food Chopper Express Chop

I love mine. It chops things soooo fast.

https://amzn.to/2WZzj32

What About Spices?

Spices can get expensive. It seems frustrating as you pay $5 for a jar the size of your palm that you end up using once. I visited the Dollar General / Family Dollar stores and picked up some of the spices in the recipes I was creating (more on that in the next episode).

Storing Spices

In many cases the spice jars all look the same, and are the same size. This means looking in your cabinet its hard to take inventory of what you have (so you don't buy a spice that you already have).

If you've got counter space, there are spice racks, and some rotate.

In my case I have a very short short and very narrow (9" x 9"). So some of these great lazy Susan (spinning shelves) don't fit,

The cabinet caddy can help you easily pull out shelves of spices (or food) and put them back. Again, it makes it easy to take inventory.

I like the idea of these Spice Grippers that you stick the back of your kitchen cabinet door and then hang the spice there. These are also inexpensive. I am a little worried about the jars falling out. I'm going to order these and give them a test.

Sponsor:

Plan to eat is a great recipe organizer, meal planner, and shopping list creator. Right now you can try plan to eat for 30 days free - you don't even enter a credit card - and if you decide to subscribe its only $5 a month or $39 a year. Plan to eat makes meal planning a breeze. Check it out at newtocookingshow.com/plantoeat

Welcome to New to Cooking - a safe place to disclose you have no idea what you're doing in the kitchen.

Welcome to this the very first episode my name is Dave Jackson. I'm currently in my fifties. Here is the history of me and food.

Growing up as a small kid my Mom would feed me like any normal kid. I would eventually learn how to heat up some spaghettios in a pan.

In my twenties I ate alot of cereal, pop tarts, and when I moved in with my brother one night I went to make a hamburger on a grill. The patty was super thick, the grill was super hot, and I ended up with a charred brick on a bun.

Later I would enjoy some chocolate pudding with an RC Cola.

In my thirties I graduated to thinks in a box. I consumed rice dishes, hamburger helper, mac and cheese. I was still eating cereal.

I also ate out alot. This lasted through my forties where most of my meals were fast food, restaurants, and anything at home was a box dinner, frozen dinner, or spaghetti.

Well now I'm in my fifties and trying to get healthy. As I look at myself I could lose about 35 lbs right now, and I want to really start paying attention to what I eat.

Everything I read about eating a home cooked meal at home says its better for me, less expensive, and actually takes about the same amount of time.

There is only one problem. I'm not a fan of cooking and by that I mean I hate cooking. As I get older and wiser it has dawned on my that I didn't like tying my shoes when I first tried. I fell off my bike the first time.

So maybe the the reason I hate cooking is cause I never really do REAL COOKING. . My goal is to get into this headache free.

Making Your Kitchen Efficient

1. Consumables zone: The area used to store most of your food. This may actually be split into two zones: one for your refrigerator (fresh food) and one for your pantry or food cabinets (dry goods, oils, etc.).

2. Non-consumables zone: The area used to store everyday dishes, including plates, bowls, glasses, and silverware.

3. Cleaning zone: The area that contains the sink and dishwasher (if you have one).

4. Preparation zone: The area where most of your kitchen prep happens. This may be a stretch of counter top, or a kitchen island.

5. Cooking zone: The area that contains the stove top, oven, or range, and possibly the microwave.

Full Article

For me, it makes no sense that the dishes are far away from the dishwasher. The counter tops near the stove are covered in gadgets. I'm going to move those off the counters to make food prep easier and keep the counters easier to clean.

Resource:

Plan to eat app available on PC, iOS and Android. Gathering around a home-cooked meal has never been so simple.

Check it out at newtocookingshow.com/plantoeat

You think have reasons not to cook at home, but really its just excuses