Moving out for a new semester

>moving out for a new semester
>living in apartment for first time in my life
>parents bought me an entire kitchen's worth of le creuset shit
>only problem is i literally have no idea how to cook

I'm moving in this upcoming weekend and classes start literally next week. I think I have some pretty good cookware but i dont know what even half of the technical names for them are. how can i learn to cook fast?

Other urls found in this thread:

cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf
youtube.com/watch?v=yjUW-p7iRLU
consumerreports.org/ranges/whats-cooking-in-kitchen-stoves/
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

Needing to cook is the best way to learn to cook

You're off to a good start

Just don't let yourself start buying premade garbage

>parents bought me an entire kitchen's worth of le creuset shit

I'm supposed to make my own cookware?

...

Ask your mum to teach you while you've still got a chance.

kek, what a waste

Seeing as your parents are loaded, grab a copy of larousse g and a knife. Pointblank refuse to eat anything outside of the book. Read the book. Give it a month and your ability will surpass the majority of humans. Good luck.

> an entire kitchen's worth of le creuset shit
I don't care if this copypasta or not, the world is a profoundly unfair place.

just copy gordon ramsay videos on youtube

cookbooks.leannebrown.com/good-and-cheap.pdf and watching youtube videos on how to cook meat is the best start friend.

>Le creuset

Oh you lucky little shit

Their stuff is amazing, learn to cook immediately or kys and leave me it in your will

Nice to be a rich kid. I know that feel. Realize cooking well is a skill it takes some time to acquire. So is managing the contents of your fridge and larder so home cooking is cost effective. Getting yourself set up with the initial round of supplies (oil, spices, salt, utility produce, dry and canned food) is going to be expensive. Then as you use this stuff over the next few weeks/months it becomes economical on a per meal basis. If you don't plan on cooking almost every day it might not be all that economical for you. Also you will fuck up every now and then, because there is a learning curve.

Cook's Illustrated is a good source for recipes that are bullet proof. They test the shit out of everything top assure that their recipes are as streamlined as possible when it comes to ingredients, technique and time required to make. Follow their instructions to the letter and you will be making good food right away.

Look for America's Test Kitchen cookbooks. They have a "Cooking School" cookbook for beginners.

1. Learn to boil water in a pot
2. Learn to melt butter in a pan
3. Learn to crack and scramble an egg
4. Learn to cook the scrambled egg in the melted butter in the pan (turn the temp down, take your time)
5. Buy some carrots and potatoes, peel them with a vegetable peeler
6. Chop them up with a sharp knife on a plastic cutting board
7. Boil more water
8. Steam the chopped vegetables with a steamer insert.
9. Buy a rice cooker

>Le creuset
stupid cunty jew fuck

>all these poorfags complaining about OP getting Le Creuset

It's not even that expensive. Even if you're a wageslave, how can you not afford ~$1,000 to buy cookware pieces that will last you a lifetime?

Just don't buy steam games or splurge on anything and save your money for a month. If you can't accumulate ~$1,000 in that time then it's your own fault.

This is what you want. These are the people who put out Cook's Illustrated that I recommended here I have a neighbor who cooks absolutely delicious food. When I complimented her on being such a good cook her response was, "I'm not really that good a cook, I'm just following the recipes from Cook's Illustrated." America's Test Kitchen won't steer you wrong.

But don't you see muh craft brew is totally not a waste of money but nice things are a scam because I have absolutely no fucking self control and anyway my flimsy cookware proves that I'm a real chef who doesn't need good equipment

But in all seriousness, le creuset is not really all that amazing, it's for decoration really

>it's for decoration really
Enameled cast iron is a pleasure to cook on. And there's a good chance you'll be passing it on to your grandchildren one day, because it lasts forever. I'll grant you bitching about what it costs, because it's outrageously expensive. But why should OP care? OP is from a rich enough family that shit is a going off to college gift. Probably driving there in a 5 series BMW or Mercedes.

>Enameled cast iron is a pleasure to cook on
I had this discussion with someone in another thread yesterday. It's alright but there are much more enjoyable things to cook on. The enamel makes it look nice and improves the versatility somewhat, but it's still cast iron. Lipstick on a pig.

I love cooking on cast iron. Sure, there things it isn't the right choice for, but the enameled stuff is pretty versatile. Just heavy and expensive.

Versatile if most of your cooking takes place in an oven

For stovetop use it's clumsy, heavy, and doesn't conduct heat for shit. Like, say I'm browning a batch of meat on medium heat for a stew. Unless I'm constantly shifting it over the burner every minute or so, I get scorch marks in one spot, completely cold in another. Same deal if I'm using it for mirepoix.

It's great for sticking in an oven though, assuming the stuff that requires even a shred of refinement has been taken care of in advance using other, more capable cookware.

Or, you know, perhaps don't use an uneven heat source. Not everyone cooks on open gas flames. Most of us have stove tops.

That would explain it. I've cooked on gas my whole life, so cast iron feels perfectly natural to me. But I couldn't imagine using it on an electric stove. (Also couldn't imagine having an electric stove - my bro has one and constantly bitches about it).

yeah when you want to buy a 14x10 oval shaped burner ring to match the bottom of my french oven, oh and an entirely new range top to fit the new burner, let me know. for now I'll continue using copper which don't give a shit about having the size of the flame match EXACTLY to the shape of the bottom of the pan, because, hey, it actually conducts heat
I've never used an electric stove in my life

sorry guys, cast iron just isn't very good

>cookware doesnt suit my personal preexisting type of equipment
Well, that's all fine and dandy. Trying to make it some universal truth is just hogwash though. Try to be less full of yourself and I'll keep cooking with cast iron on Molteni hotplates in Michelin restaurants. Everybody wins!

Thermal conductivity isn't everything, though. Anyone who regularly uses cast iron knows to let the pan heat for a minute or two before you start putting food in there.

Universally speaking, it is true that copper is a better general purpose cookware material than cast iron. This isn't up for debate.

Yes, you can make it get the job done for certain specialized tasks, by using professional restaurant rangetops and stuff like that.

Perhaps you can advise the op on how to retrofit his domestic kitchen with $15,000 worth of upgrades so that his cast iron cookware isn't completely hopeless at the most mundane tasks.

Or he could, ya know, just spend a few hundred bucks and move on with his life.

You think that's just for cast iron? You always preheat, no matter what you're doing, with the possible exception of tinned copper where you have to be a little more careful. But your average 18/10 lined copper, you think that doesn't get preheated?

The difference is that when the temperature of cast iron crashes on contact with a liquid or a cold mass of food, it's going to take just as many minutes to bring it back up to temperature.

That's why it sucks for stovetop use and that's also why it's pretty good for oven use. In an oven you don't see the wildly changing temperature differentials that you get with stovetop cooking.

>not very good
>holds heat very well
user your stove is shite. there's a difference between heat retention and heat conduction. Not only that, but if you're going for traditional pans, aluminum core stainless steel pans are your best bet for good browning and even heat distribution, along with quicker times to heatup.

also,
youtube.com/watch?v=yjUW-p7iRLU

>user your stove is shite.
Yeah thanks for telling me that, I had no idea I wasn't cooking in a michelin starred kitchen

>there's a difference between heat retention and heat conduction.
Sure, but they're not as far off as the conductivity aspect so I'm not sure your point

>Not only that, but if you're going for traditional pans, aluminum core stainless steel pans are your best bet for good browning and even heat distribution, along with quicker times to heatup.

Eh, it depends on the pan, but my All Clad MC2 which is one of the thicker ones out there isn't quite up to par with my Mauviel M250, although it's close. In either case, both shit all over my cast iron, enameled or otherwise.

>Universally speaking, it is true that copper is a better general purpose cookware material than cast iron. This isn't up for debate.
Of course it is. We have copper pans too, for some thing. They're much too soft to retain shape and very high maintenance. Remember, copper is poisonous.
Different tools for different jobs.

Everything is debatable, user. Just because you're 14y/o and think your perspective and requirements are the only relevant ones does not make it so.

>They're much too soft to retain shape and very high maintenance
Yeah, I've seen what you line cooks do to cookware. It's hilarious. I don't do that because I'm not afraid of having a cocaine-fueled meltdown screaming match if I don't work fast enough. Stuff doesn't get thrown around in my kitchen, because it is a home kitchen.
>Remember, copper is poisonous
That's why they line them with stuff. You probably saw the stuff that the pastry chef uses and mistook that for what I have at home. Copper for general cooking is always lined.

I'm sorry to hear you got a shit kitchen, user. I'm the Michelin guy and my home stove is a halogen one. My cast iron stuff works perfectly well on it. It has very even heat distribution and it extremely responsive. Not quite as fast as gas, but close.

It probably cost all of €600 or so.

Again, my most sincere apologies that you have to put up with gas. But 'muh instant power regulation', amirite?
If I need to get rid of what little residual heat there is in the glass i shift the pan four centimetres so that its propped up on the tiny rise at the edge of the cooking surface. Big deal.

Gas autism is worst autism.

My point is that with a higher BTU stove, a preheated cast iron will give you really even browning. By the looks of that chart, copper is better for a less heavy burner whilst aluminum and iron are more suited to more heat and even browning if you're capable of reaching those temps.

I've had the best success cooking with pans that find the balance between heat retention and heat conductivity, and you're right, cast iron isn't exactly suited for all uses.

Besides, a regular cast iron is actually better in many instances than a fully enameled creuset pan in many instances, for far cheaper.

>That's why they line them with stuff.
Yes, that's what makes them maintenance heavy. You have to re-tin them all the time. There was a train of thought there, between being high maintenance and copper being poisonous. You should try it sometime. Thought, that is.

>Yes, that's what makes them maintenance heavy. You have to re-tin them all the time
If they're tinned, and by "all the time" you mean "every 8 to 10 years", then yeah.

Otherwise you get 18/10 stainless which is permanent.

We're averaging more like three to four times per year. But I guess I do more cooking than you, user. With all different kinds of cookware. So tell my again why you think you have anything to teach me?

See remarks above re: cocaine fueled screaming matches. Perhaps you had one today and that's why you're so salty.
>So tell my again why you think you have anything to teach me?
Well for one, you didn't even know that stainless lined copper existed. Who am I to guess at the scope of your ignorance.

OP, will they be helping you with groceries? For the first couple of weeks of classes, you should probably plan ahead some convenient things. Stock that pantry with your parents help. Fill your freezer and cabinets with the basics that are quick for you. Take care that each meal has at least one item that can be had out of the pantry without actually cooking or shopping.

Pick an item that you like to eat for each, that is easy, and get it in the house.
I usually have oatmeal, frozen bagels or bread, cream cheese, butter, some kind of jam, some nature valley bars, and some iced coffee or iced tea. I also have cans of pellegrino or ocean spray, or even some Honest grape drink or capri suns that are kept frozen to keep a snack cool for later. What's your quick busy lunch idea? Is it heating a can of soup and making grilled cheese? Is it having celery and onion on hand, so you can make quick tuna salad? I keep salami or roast beef or even hot dogs unopened as a backup plan of lunch that can go a week or so for when the need happens. Frozen bread can be quickly toasted, or I buy double wrapped pumprye which has a long shelf life. A bag of apples, or oranges, or bunches of bananas can be quickly eaten. Smoothies can be made with juice or yogurt. For dinner, you can usually enjoy some cooking, just have some container or ziplocs to put leftovers away until the mood strikes again. I eat a lot of frozen steaminbag brown rice with a main meat, and some frozen veggies when I'm in a pinch too. Dessert? Studying is stressful, think about that you shouldn't have nothing on hand.

>Well for one, you didn't even know that stainless lined copper existed.
Oh, didn't I know? Moving the They delaminate and positively suck. They offer nothing non-copper sandwiches do not, except galvanic corrosion and inevitable delamnination.
>See remarks above
I'm sure you'd like to believe we scream the tin off from the pans, user. But alas, no. It wears off.
And the fact that you believe upper end restaurants all have bleeding Ramseys in them shows that you know nothing about the trade. Shouting is definitely a no-no. But hey, shifting focus as well as goal posts - that's two for one!

Nice blog post, but this is getting old. Nothing you have said is relevant to a home cooking environment. Scurry along to the alcoholism thread, you'll feel more at home there.

Great thread, guys.
Keep it up!

>le alcholo chefy meme
Wow, did you ever btfo. I'm sorry we're not impressed by your hobby copper kit, boy. I just came here to tell you that home cooks all over the world are perfectly capable of cooking with both stainless, alloy-laminate and cast iron pans. I'm sorry that you are not. You might, with some training.

Parading your ineptitude as some badge of honour is truly autistic of you though.

Stainless/aluminum is great too, perhaps if you weren't too drunk and angry you'd notice my other post where I said it's pretty close (but still not as good as) my copper. Cast iron is shit.

Why are you so angry tonight? Did the head chef make you put his pee-pee in his mouth?

>angry
>calling others alcoholics and coke addicts
>angrily throwing insults around while blowing the fuck up and throwing a tantrum
I'm chilling, lad! Your insecure ramblings amuse rather than upset.
Perhaps you'll grow up to have a real stove in your household. Then, when your overpriced and underused copper pots are all manner of shapes and have long since some unstuck to their stainless lining, perhaps then you'll come to realise that the world wasn't as black and white as you believed it to be.
Perhaps what other people like isn't entirely without merit.

The joys of growing up. You have them all to look forward to, little one.

I can just see you trying to calm yourself down before you typed that up. "I'm not mad, I'm just amused".

Sure thing line cook. I can smell the liquor on your breath from here. Have fun abusing your boss's pans at the office, must be fun to get paid to break other people's shit.

Also cast iron is garbage and no amount of name calling and boasting about how many tattoos you don't remember getting is going to change that.

>autism

Christ, dude relax. Le "cook" wasn't even being that much of an ass. Suggest a couple of hits of your favorite beverage or leaf before you post again.

Sage doesn't hide your anger any more than mouthwash hides the booze smell.

Cast iron is shit.

>Le "cook" wasn't even being that much of an ass.

Eh, I'd say calling me a 14 year old, saying "you should try thought some time", etc, instead of having a point, is pretty much being an ass in a nutshell

>ITT
>the effects of le creuset on mankind

IT MUST BE DESTROYED, THROW IT INTO THE EARTHY FORGE FROM WHENCE IT CAME.

He mad.

>getting this upset that his autistic holier than thou attitude to cookware was met with scorn
Dude. Dude...

What's autistic and holier than thou? Evaluating home cookware on their merits in a home cooking environment? Or dismissing ideal home cookware because it wouldn't stand up to decades of severe abuse for 18 hours a day 365 days a year?

Yes, cast iron is ok if you have a professional range top and your main criterion is that you can throw it at the dishwasher's head every day for 20 years and it won't bend.

Otherwise, it's garbage and there's much better stuff out there.

>saltier than fondue

Not as salty as the taste of the jizz you drank out of your head chef's dick tonight though, amirite?

Drink the pain away, line cook.

IS FONDUE INHERENTLY SALTY? FOR INSTANCE AN OIL/MEAT FONDUE ISN'T SEASONED AT ALL

>a home cooking environment equals open gas flame
>as if gas stove was at all the norm
I'm not quite sure you're in the right in this here argument, user-kun. Either way you need to relax. See

>a home cooking environment equals open gas flame
Pretty much, yeah. I've had 5 different addresses in my life and all of them were gas. What's the issue?

You're not the centre of the world? Electric stoves are more common by far in most parts of the western world.

Which parts are "most"?

I think 99% of student housing and low income housing uses electric ranges. Gas is a premium in most apartments/rentals and is a fire risk that many landlords aren't willing to take.

Anyone who owns their own home should have gas but for some reason some people STILL choose electric.

All parts. With regional variance in places where gas is readily available, all sources will tell you electric tops outsell gas by a good margin, and make up the vast majority of installations. Here's the first I found.on google. Scroll down to 'What's Better'.
consumerreports.org/ranges/whats-cooking-in-kitchen-stoves/

>Electric stoves are more popular than gas, and the best electric models in our tests consistently outperform the top gas models, largely because their most powerful rangetop element delivers faster heat and their broilers tend to cook more evenly because they cover a larger area than those in most gas ranges.

What book?

>cook more evenly than most gas tops
correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it more difficult to control heat with an electric range? Plus the longer heatup time, requirement of using an absolutely flat pan to avoid uneven heating, and other stupid shit?


whoever wrote this is retarded

Oh boy, first he nearly blows a gasket when gets told that his autistic special interest in copper isn't the end all be all of cookware. Now you tell him the world doesn't revolve around his particular type of stove top either.

I am amused. Most amused. I'll get popcorn for the coming sperg tantrum. Di's gon' be good.

>correct me if I'm wrong
You're wrong.
>isn't it more difficult to control heat with an electric range?
No.
>longer heatup time
Glass ceramic lights faster than you can light your gas flame.
>requirement of using an absolutely flat pan
Not an issue with radiating energy as with a glass ceramic or induction top.
>whoever wrote this is retarded
See, you seem to keep assuming this about everyone. So either everyone else is a bit retarded, or it might just possibly maybe be ... you.
I'm not gonna lie. It's probably you.

>college
Kill yourself.
>don't know how to cook
Double kill yourself.

>larousse gastronomique

Heh. You're fucking wrong.

Student housing and low income housing is not "most of the western world"
Meh, consumer reports and the first hit on google aren't that exciting, got any real data?
Cast iron is garbage

How can you be this dumb? .. and wrong? How can you be this dumb and wrong?

Solid argument there, ol' chap. When confronted with overwhelming evidence, the last resort of the dunce is fact resistance. Suddenly a halogen lamp doesn't light instantly. Suddenly a glass ceramic surface doesn't instantly pass infra red radiation through. Suddenly, the laws of physics bend to the will of the the giant autist - to preserve his fragile ego and his belief in the superiority of his ways.
I was going to say chosen ways, but you didn't even chose them, did you. You just happened to more into an apartment where there was a gas stove and now you've rationalized some fantasy about how that's the most bestest type of stove there is. Though you have to buy superspecial magic copperware and cast iron doesn't work. But that's OK, because it's all the naughty cast irons fault. Mr Sockpuppet believes in you, gas-kun.

It was well worth getting popcorn. What sweet, delicious, samefag sperg rage.
Thanks you all Veeky Forums.

I don't know how your tone is so insufferable just because you assume that I'm copper pot user, but fuckin ok m8. My experience between gas stoves and electric stoves has been night and day, with the same pots.

I use this piece of trash and it takes like 4 or 5 minutes for the element to just get hot enough to even BEGIN preheating a fucking pan, and this is loads better than any other electric stove I've used. ALSO

keep in mind, most of the western world is middle and lower class.

I have been baited, and I regret nothing.

Only one of those is me. The other two are probably two different people.
I'm middle class and in my experience, gas is normal. I don't know why people are making this out to be some showing off thing, or pretending I'm rich and wealthy. My copper stuff cost less than my enameled cast iron (which is shit), because I bought it second hand unlike the cast iron (which is shit) which I bought because it was a foodie status symbol.

Cast iron is shit.

>4 or 5 minutes for the element to just get hot enough to even BEGIN preheating a fucking pan
Sounds like it's broken, senpai. Is that triple phase or some cheap shit? If it's single phase, and all other electric stoves you've cooked on were single phase, then quelle surprise mon ami. That's not the fault of the electric halogen techinique though, that's because your stove is weak. You need a proper electric stove with higher power output.

I have never cooked on a halogen bulb before so maybe that one has better results than the trash I've always cooked on. Also, single phase is likely what this is. It's a GE artistry series and it's trash, the "power boil" is the only efficient heating element on the thing, so maybe it has more phases or some shit idk.

What kind of electric stove do you use, user?

Gas is normal in people who actually cook, most americans don't and buy shitty, cheap, electric stoves because we're cheap.

That breaker to the left, is that for the whole stove? If so I'm guessing single phase because of the puny breaker. You know the banter about pic related not working in US? It's the same with stoves. You absolutely have to have a triple phase stove to get meaningful heater power output on a 120V power system.

Otherwise it's a bit like cooking with only the pilot on a gas stove and going hur durr gas sucks. It does, but for other reasons.

no, the stoves use the same voltage as the dryer. 220v. I think. I'm checking right now to be desu.

>What kind of electric stove do you use, user?
A Bosch something-something glass ceramic. About 2.3kW on the bigger heaters, which is roughly 8000btu in gas units. Came with the place so I don't know what it costs, but it's the same type as is installed in nearly all newly built apartments. Though induction is coming on strong. Not sure I'm a big fan of those. They're often noisy and you can't burn peppers or chili or leafy veg directly over the heater as you can with gas or glass ceramic.

it is 220V, still shite

keep in mind that my mom got into cooking as a creative outlet and tried to pick decent gas stoves. The one she currently uses is obscenely large. Don't know the BTU's though

something like this?

My glasstop is too hot to touch two seconds after turning it on.

I think the problem is you.

>too hot to touch
>hot enough to cook with
these aren't the same thing

>it is 220V, still shite
Yes, but that's less than euro single phase (230v) so... Mine is 400V but not at all as pretty as that drop-in pictured. It's a unit.

>400V

good christ

yeah that could probably cook pretty well.

Actually, I lived with electric my whole life, and never used gas until I started working in a kitchen. Electric tops are a fucking embarrassment. The only reason they're so prolific is because they're cheaper to make and install. Many houses in the US don't even have gas. Electric oven? Great. Electric stove top? Fucking kill yourself. Also, I love cast iron and prefer all stainless to copper bottoms. Don't presume to know who I am, muh pal.

>GE artistry
So, assuming I'm reading the correct specs the PowerBoil element should be 2500W if both lamps are lit at the same time. That should be no problem getting some seriously quick heating with, and more than most standard gas stoves output. Even though it's "only" 8000btu or so, that's all going into the pottom of the pot. With gas you're heating _a lot_ of air that goes straight out the hood.
Unfortunately that element seems to be oval, but even the second largest "burner", or the PB burner without the second lamp, is 2kW.

You must be doing something wrong, or something's broken.
One thing to remember is that the pot should always cover the whole lamp. It is necessary for cooling. If you don't you might end up with a lamp that switches off periodically to prevent overheating - and then it of course takes ages to get cooking.
If you have a small pan - use a small burner. Even if it has lower power.

the powerboil element is great at getting things boiling, for sure. like you said, if I'm cooking on it with a smaller pan it switches off leading to the same thing you're talking about. It also works great on a larger pan, but the old all clad skillet I had was a little warped on the bottom so heating was uneven and there were hotspots.

the smaller burners are simply paltry and take FOREVER to do anything. it's irritating as all hell

>another round of solid, hard facts from the solid, hard internet tough guy
m8 you're talking to a colleague, if what you're saying is even true. Here in the old world even the big professional kitchens have mostly left gas where it belongs - in history. You may be chasing the trend a bit over there but you'll catch up. There may be one or two burners in a kitchen, but almost everything is giant seamless electric hotplate/plancha.

>warped on the bottom so heating was uneven and there were hotspots
That's from the bottom delaminating and no fault of the stove. It's warped because the different layers making it up have come undone, leaving little vacuum pockets with no thermal conductivity in places. It's dead. Toss it.
Incidentally that never happens with cast iron... *innocent whistle*
>the smaller burners are simply paltry
I can believe that. When you go out shopping for a new stove, read the specs for the little plates and compare. You may find you want a gas stove, or you may find an electric that has enough power on all heaters to be useful - and no silly oval ones. YMMV but i know what my preference is.

>itt: people really like certain cooking elements and will defend them to their dying day.

the pan was warped long before I got the stove, ironically from being used on gas for so long

I have cast iron pans. I have tri layer all clad pans. They're all good pans, it's just one of them is much cheaper.

I also didn't get the choice of buying this stove. It was provided with the unit. If I'm actually shopping around it'll be much easier to pick one out then just having to pick and choose in a college town in nowhere methville #09000104

I came into this thread to congratulate OP on asking for help instead of having his head up his ass and assume it can't be too hard to cook. Good job. You aren't a shitty rich rich kid who thinks they can cook. Keep it up.

>ironically from being used on gas for so long
Aye. Over heating is a pretty safe way to kill any laminated cookware.
>I also didn't get the choice of buying this stove.
I figured. But there's no rule saying you can't put it in storage and put your own stove in, is there? Then just put the old one back when you move and take the good one with you.

That was a geniune question by the way, Definitely check your contract and ask the landlord first if it's a rental.

there is absolutely no way they would let me move this stove out. they're nazis about this stuff.

Where are you? I've never seen a professional kitchen with electric beyond maybe a little side griddle or something. Even places with huge flat tops use gas, in my experience.