don't be scared of cooking! I got over my fear of burning down the kitchen years back, and the humps I got over, it turns out, are pretty amendable.

here's a relatively quick thread of SUPER EASY tips if you're anxious, like I was, and new to cooking.

1) pick a recipe that sounds APPEALING and DOABLE TO YOU.

it doesn't have to say "easy" in the title. just look up something you know you will eat on the other side of this. italian dishes are usually really great at being deceptively simple for how good they are.

2) a recipe's "length" and its "number of ingredients" don't actually correspond to time nor difficulty perfectly. this is why you need to READ THE RECIPE. sometimes a recipe will squeeze a million steps into one; some will break it down heartbeat by heartbeat.

3) READ YOUR RECIPE (AGAIN) AHEAD OF TIME.

read it again, aloud.

good, now one more time!

this is THE NUMBER ONE habit that will save your dishes: READING COMPREHENSION. every word of that recipe is written in order with PURPOSE and INTENT.

follow. that. RECIPE!!

do you now know that recipe and want your tongue to make sweet love with the end product? is there less than three words of cooking vocabulary that you don't understand? good.

4) NOW you go shopping.

your meat doesn't have to be EXACT by the way. give or take, like, .15 lb.

5) a food thermometer will do your emotions miracles.

at the best, you can finally follow your recipe to a T; but if you're a worrywart about food safety, that peace of mind is priceless. don't tell yourself you'll "eye it," unless the recipe has perfect instructions on it.

6) welcome home! READ YOUR RECIPE AGAIN.



this time, you're going to make sure you have the TIME AND SUPPLIES. supplies don't have to be all out at once but MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD.

7) common mistakes at this point are minor, like, "oh god I forgot to thaw this!" or "I don't have this specific ingredient!"

thaw your food, wash your veggies, make sure your necessary cooking tools are clean, and look up the alternatives/substitutes for your ingredients.

8) look up "techniques" at this point, but not more than you need for the recipe!

don't overwhelm yourself by going on a cooking YouTube video spree. you will learn through The Process. that's the best way. keep your phone or laptop nearby to reference back!

9) take a deep breath. breathe out slowly. now do it again.

because this is going to take TIME, PATIENCE, and FOCUS. find that deep in you.

impatience is the other most amendable mistake you WILL make early on!! so stay IN or NEAR the kitchen!!!

10) USE TIMERS AND YOUR EYES. utilize many timers as you have in your proximity and phone.

don't leave the kitchen. set a timer and browse Twitter next to the stove. find the balance between "watched pot never boils" and "don't let your steak turn into a piece of charcoal."

11) clean as you go!

if something's gonna take a few minutes to cook/chill/whatever, wipe down a few used utensils or food containers you already went through. put 'em on the drying rack or in the dishwasher.

part of the dread of cooking is the aftermath. this is fixable!

12) finally: don't overwhelm yourself — it doesn't have to be a feast. take your cooking one success at a time.

it's okay to have bag-steamed veggies with your first-ever pan-fried steak. everyone worth your time will just be happy at your effort! (even if it's inedible.)

that's all I've really got! if nothing else, take away that (1) careful reading, (2) prep and (3) patience are going to be your best habits as you learn recipes.

oh, and I guess if your mom/granddad/etc says to do something, whether they know better is up to you.