What Is the Best Way to Teach a Friend to Cook?

Faith Durand
Faith DurandSVP of Content
Faith is the SVP of Content at Apartment Therapy Media and Editor-in-Chief of Kitchn, and the author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook. She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband and two daughters.
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published Feb 16, 2011
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Q: If you were teaching someone to cook for themselves, what would you teach them? My friend has asked me to teach her some things, and I’m happy to do it, but I don’t know where to start (other than knife skills). She’s a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy, so I figured teaching her to make a pot of beans would be a good thing. Maybe how to poach an egg? Is it better to teach a few recipes a person can go to over and over? I was so young when my mom taught me how to cook that I’m not sure where to start.

Sent by Anna

Editor: Anna, what a great project! There are some great thoughts from readers in this thread:

• What Is the Best Way To: Learn How To Cook?

One idea is to have her pick out two or three recipes. Then cook through them with her, explaining unfamiliar terminology (mince! dice! sauté!) and also demonstrating the basic techniques that go into most recipes.

Readers, any ideas for Anna?

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Related: For the New Graduate: A Crash Course in Kitchen Basics

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