Reddit reviews I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking

Buy Alton Brown's books Gear for your kitchen and I'm just here for the food. Buy what can for your kitchen within your budget and start teaching yourself how to cook.


Make sure you have a comfortable bed.


Realize that getting a good night sleep and eating well are the cornerstones for a happy life.

DO NOT buy one of those "kitchen in a box" starter kits for $99. You will only learn how to burn things because the steel is so thin! You will end up years from now either donating them all to Goodwill or using them only to boil water. Buy one nice pan every month or two and you will never regret it.

Required Reading For New Cooks:

• Alton Brown: I'm Just Here for the Food Not only teaches you the kitchen basics, but the science behind why it is so.
  
• Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen Not just gear, it also has some recipes :)
  
  Happy cooking!

Here's one that I got from Alton Brown.

You'll need a good steak. Costco sells good ones, but you have to throw a party to eat them all. I've also had success with higher-end grocery stores.

You'll also need a cast-iron pan. Iron holds more heat than aluminum or stainless, and is a bit more affordable than copper.

A good ventilation hood is nice too, because this recipe makes lots of burning-protein smoke.

Set the meat on your countertop for 20 minutes. This allows it to come to the right temperature - if it's too cold, the insides will cook less; too warm and it'll cook too much. Obviously this is a variable you can adjust to how you like your steak; I like mine rarer than most.

Put your pan on the stove and set it to high before you do the rest. You want that pan HOT.

Next, rub a small amount of olive oil on each side of the steaks, a couple of drops for each side. This acts as a heat conductor, like thermal paste on your CPU heatsink. Sprinkle a pinch of salt (kosher if you have it) on each side, and massage it in. Let the steaks sit for 5 minutes.

Now you're ready to cook. Pick up the steaks with tongs, and gently lay them down in the pan, and leave them absolutely alone for 2 minutes. If you slide the steak around, you'll ruin the nice crust that forms on the outside. At this point you'll want to turn on your hood. When the 2 minutes is up, flip the steaks (again, with tongs - good steak shouldn't have a fork stuck in it until it's on the table), and leave them alone for 3 minutes.

Remove the steaks from the pan, and set them on a plate. Cover it with aluminum foil or a big mixing bowl, and let them sit for 5 minutes. The steak is actually still cooking on the inside, and this lets some of the juices soak back to the outside surface. Serve and enjoy - they shouldn't need any A-1.

Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For The Food and the sequel. They teach you not just how to cook, but why particular methods are used from a scientific standpoint. It helped me a lot when I was getting started a few years ago.

Alton Brown is a huge geek and had a career in making film/tv before he became a cook and than a cooking show host. He actually filmed this music video for R.E.M. early in his career..

Yeah, huge geek. I highly suggest his books, too. I have his first one, I'm Just Here For The Food, and it contains my favorite recipe in the world. Get it, find the page with his Chicken with Garlic and Shallots, cook it in a slow cooker and omfgbbq, IT IS AWESOME. It's also insanely easy to make.

Once you've started down the road with Alton, there's a bunch of other books I can suggest. Feel free to drop me a line anytime.

Edit: Oh, and while watching the show, pay attention to any clock in the background. A good deal of the time they're set to 4:20.

Cooking really isn't too hard once you understand the science of it. I would suggest getting a cookbook that explains why a recipe is cooked a certain way. For example, this one by Alton Brown. You could and probably should look up some of his stuff on youtube, too.
I'll give you a few basic tips to start -

• high heat generally means you want crispy or burnt on the outside and soft/underdone on the inside. It's really only used for searing and boiling
  
• low heat usually means you're cooking something slowly and will make things soft or soggy
  
• taste as you go, when possible
  
• if you're cooking something in oil, let the oil get hot first or the food will stick to the pan
  
• don't be afraid to use spices, herbs, salt, and pepper. Simple things I like are onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. You can also get Mrs. Dash blends.
  
  You can always subscribe to r/fitmeals, r/cooking, or r/food too.
  
  Learning to cook will take some time. For now, I'd recommend baking a lot. Roast veggies, bake some chicken breasts, stuff like that.
  Roasting veggies is really easy. Cube the veggies of your choice, coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until tender.
  
  Good luck! And be proud of yourself for figuring this out before you actually have a problem. It will be so much easier to start since you're at a healthy weight.

Hence http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830/ref=sr_1_sc_1

This is probably my favorite cookbook ever, but I am not sure if it's a book that everyone would really enjoy reading. For me, the book is fascinating because it goes into an enormous amount of detail on ingredients, technique, and food science; at the same time, you kinda have to be a total need to read and enjoy such a sense book.

For something that everyone should read, I like to recommend Alton Brown's book "I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking"; it is basically the science and techniques from the first seasons of Good Eats, so I see it as kind of a Food Lab "lite", a great and very accessible way to introduce people to food and cooking,.

Alton Brown

Probably this

Alton Brown: I'm Just Here for the Food. I read it cover to cover like I would any other book.
http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830
I've got a copy of the Larousse Gastronomique, it's amazing.

Probably the cheapest and healthiest cooking is a high heat saute of vegetables and a protein. Buy a Lodge 10-12" cast iron pan, a sharp knife and cutting board, and a good cooking oil and you will be good to go.

Cut up most veggies into small bite sized bits and toss in a pre-heated pan with less than a Tbs of oil. Make sure to season with a bit of iodized salt and don't stir too often.

But yeah, like /u/Khatib said, check out Alton Brown's book I'm Just Here for the Food. It will explain the techniques of cooking with heat. Master the Saute and you are all set!

This is how I did it a few years ago.

Read alton brown's book, I'm just here for the food

http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830

Which will teach you the basics and what you're trying to accomplish by using different cooking methods. It greatly increased my confidence in the kitchen. Also check out his good eats series.

Also I think a decent meat thermometer
Is a great purchase as it takes the guess work out of when meat is done cooking, is supremely useful for beginners, and something you'll be able to use forever.


http://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/

The thermapen is the one I got but expensive but worth it.

Subscribe to a bunch of cooking subreddits.

And I'm gonna suggest something different now instead of buying a set list of things you need to cook anything.

Instead, I suggest finding something you really enjoy eating like something you're an expert on eating at restaurants, I chose burgers, you can do pizza, or spaghetti, hot wings whatever. Then go on seriouseats.com and find the appropriate recipe. Idea is to choose something you have an idea of how it's supposed to taste and like enough to cook a few different versions of. Then you buy the few things you need to cook that thing. A cast iron pot, a metal spatula whatever. And you learn how to do things/buy equipment as needed for various recipes related to it. For example you may learn how to sautée and Carmelize onions for a burger recipe.

Cook with someone else, it's way more fun, is a great date idea, doesn't matter if it's the blind leading the blind or someone that you can learn a lot from. It'll make you more comfortable in the kitchen.

Finally, you'll have to pay your dues for a little bit, I used to hate cooking, everything takes way longer then it should, you make a big mess, things don't work out like you planned, but pretty soon you make things that turn out great every once in a while. You still mess up occasionally, but you'll start learning why things don't turn out well and you'll start being able to save things if you make a mistake. Now that I'm pretty good at it I sort of enjoy it.

> They too have the fresh cut fries. Delicious, delicious heart attack bait right there.

Well, if Alton Brown is to be believed, those kind of fries are actually healthier than mainstream, McFried fare. Properly cooked, thick cut fries, absorb less cooking oil per ounce than the slim ones do. (Especially if the oil pull out is timed correctly, which is more likely at a mom & pop or small chain than the conglomerated, undertraining places most people eat fried food at any more...)

What you should really do is get comfortable with the basics. How to properly season a piece of beef or fish, and how to actually cook it well.

Do this by trying things out - get a sense of how the meat should look / feel when it's time to flip it, rotate it, let it rest, etc.... Once you have that down, it's just fun to experiment with new things.

This book was actually really interesting, if for no other reason than Alton Brown is informative. Best of luck to you.

There is a subreddit /r/fitmeals that has lots of recipes already. I've subscribed to get ideas and recipes from there.

As for leftover veggies, I make stir-fry and risotto with them. There are lots of base recipes out there that show you the basics of making these dishes that you can build upon and add other ingredients to customize.

Oh and I also like the book by Alton Brown, 'I'm just here for the Food: Heat + Food = Cooking.' it really walks you through basics of creating meals.

No, but Food + Heat = Cooking is Alton's book. It's basically the show in book form and exactly like what OP is looking for.

I'm Just Here for the Food. Between that and The Bread Baker's Apprentice I can pretend to be a pretty decent cook.

Thanks to /u/compto35 for the link!

DM me your mailing address. I’ll send you the cookbook that got me into cooking. https://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830
It’s the “why” not just the “do”. Once you understand, you can start to create/experiment.

Alton Brown changed my life.

I realize that this doesn't exactly answer your question, but rather than focus on specific recipes, I would suggest that you learn all you can about the various cooking methods. Alton Brown does a nice job disucssing this in his first book, I'm Just Here for the Food. It's a fairly easy read for the basic cook. When you have an understanding of the science behind cooking, or why different foods react the way they do to different cooking methods, you've given your cooking skills a tremendous boost. Other resources I highly recommend are the publications of Cooks Illustrated and anything by Harold McGee.

I like Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For the Food.

I love Alton Brown for beginners and his book "I'm Just Here for the Food" is a wonderful place to start. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1584790830/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520825381&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=i%27m+just+here+for+the+food&dpPl=1&dpID=51RK497861L&ref=plSrch

He has a few others that I've found helpful but this beautifully explains the basics for beginners and the science behind cooking.

http://www.foodsubs.com

And also, http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1584790830?pc_redir=1409138276&robot_redir=1

(Or just watch Good Eats)

Hi Alton,

I just wanted to say that I absolutely loved your book I'm Just Here for the Food. I actually found it at the SF public library, and having seen Good Eats and knowing how entertaining you were, I figured it was worth a try. I was right! It was the first cook book I had ever seen which tried to teach the theory behind cooking as opposed to just being a collection of recipes, and I found it to be both a handy guide to cooking, and also just a fun and interesting read in general (I really liked the food-science kind of approach).

No questions, just wanted to say thanks for the entertainment, and the help learning to cook!

This book talked plenty about the theory behind cooking. I am kind of a geek when it comes to cooking. I enjoy knowing "why" instead of just "how".

http://www.amazon.ca/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291937502&sr=8-4

Lot of comments on smoking, which would be an incredibly positive accomplishment on its own. I wanted to comment on the eating out. Other than my wife, my greatest love is cooking. I'm a cheap bastard, and my love of cooking is the best thing for that. It may not be for you, but cooking can be a really amazing hobby that also saves you money and provides you with a sense of accomplishment.

I will always recommend Alton Brown to people learning to cook. It's a great way to save money (my wife and I eat great and spend only $300 on food a month) as well as a hobby that has quick, positive results.

I highly recommend getting a copy of Alton Brown's I'm Just Here for the Food.

He really teaches the hows and whys of different cooking methods and then gives you recipes to demonstrate those methods. Then you have a better understanding of braising, sauteing, roasting, frying, broiling and when to use which method for what types of cuts of meat or veg. Once I was really able to grasp the science of what occurs chemically to food when cooking it, it helped a great deal in improving all of my meals.

Tips I find help me out:

• Things where brand names outperform generics: paper products (e.g. toilet paper, paper towels) and soap products (e.g. hand soap, dish detergent). Almost everything else can be the generic brand with no noticeable decrease in quality.
  
• Pay attention to the unit price, not the actual price.
  
• Buy the largest size you can use before it goes bad. That means buy the gallon of dish soap and refill your dispenser. Don't buy the gallon of milk if you can't drink it all (even if the unit price is lower). Throwing food in the trash is equal to throwing money in the trash.
  
• Never shop hungry. You will always come away with more than you need.
  
• If something goes on sale, buy as much of it as you can use before
  
  1. It likely goes on sale again (every week/every month?)
     
  2. It goes bad and must be thrown away (buying 100 apples because they're on special is silly)
     
• Related to above, use the circular to see what's on sale. Make those things into means (salmon is on sale, not tilapia? There's your fish meal.)
  
• Learn to saute, grill, and pan fry. These will let you cook meals in as much time as it would take to deliver them, and for less money. Learn to make sauces and chili. These are meals that just sit there simmering for awhile, and then last for a few meals. The ingredients are always inexpensive (beans and canned tomatoes), and more meals = less money per meal.
  
  I'll recommend Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, Michael Ruhlman's Ruhlman's Twenty and Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For the Food. Plain English instructions for very simple recipes requiring few ingredients.

Alton Brown is a god. If only I could possibly absorb all his lessons- I learn so much from each 30 minute episode.

Also, his cook books are golden; if you have an inclination to buy a cookbook, I'd recommend one of his, like I'm Just Here For The Food which explains basic and more complicated cooking methods in a fun way.

Yes, AB's books are excellent. I own his first 2 books and they are excellent for learning technique.

I'm Just Here For The Food
http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-Food-Cooking/dp/1584790830/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404671790&sr=1-2&keywords=i%27m+just+here+for+the+food

I'm Just Here For More Food
http://www.amazon.com/Im-Just-Here-More-Food/dp/1584793414/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1404671790&sr=1-3&keywords=i%27m+just+here+for+the+food

Also, get your hands on Alton Brown's book and watch every episode of Good Eats you can find.

I think you'd like Alton Brown's book I'm Just Here for the Food. It does contain recipes, but its focus is teaching you to understand how cooking techniques work so that you can apply that knowledge as you will. Relatedly, I've heard CookWise is something like what you're looking for.