Let me start by telling you about me. I grew up in Fresno, California, the youngest daughter of a Single Mother on Welfare. You see, my Mother had worked before I was born but I guess things were really hard by the time I came along. By the time I was four, both of my older half-sisters were off to Job Corps. So basically at that point in time well, I'm not sure what exactly was going on. All I know was that even with Food Stamps to supply the cupboards and the fridge with food my Mom wasn't much of a cook.
So I wound up getting older and the closest I came to cooking was reading instruction on a box to bake a cake and boiling water for Ramen Noodles. I did take part in a Pillsbury Bake-Off but I certainly didn't win anything more than the rather nice concession prizes for those who had made it to the actual Bake-Off competition, and had been so upset when they had to have Adult helpers do all the "dangerous things" like using the stove. However, making up a brownie mix and adding a few things to it beyond that doesn't make it really cooking, or even baking and the recipes that won were mainly from scratch...
By the time High School came and went I was still cooking from boxes but by the time I turned twenty, I felt the need to actually learn to cook, so here I am at 22, nearly 23 with an obsession about cooking things from scratch.
I own a few cook books and a couple recipe books. All four "books" were given to me. First was an American Woman's Cook Book that is about 19 years younger than my mother is. It's outdated and in mostly black and white. Not to mention the print is very small and the book is so old it's starting to fall apart. Obviously it's something I might turn to when in need of a recipe (It has TWO different Fruit Cake Recipes and a Wedding Cake Recipe!) since it has some really old and interesting recipes. But in reality the much newer Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book (12th Edition) will serve me much better for the time being. As for the two recipe booklets I also own now. Well I'm certain I may try some of the more "from scratch" recipes but they are from Bake Offs and Cook Offs and so aren't at the top of my list as being a good source of recipes.
Anyway, I'd like to vent a bit about the complications of everything involved in preparing oneself to begin cooking everything from scratch. Honestly, there should be some sort of big set that every person starting out on their own should get with all the basic tools of a home Cook. That right there would probably help curb the Obesity Epidemic. Real, Home Cooked Food tends to be more satisfying, or at least it is to me.
Of course I can't even think of all the necessities off the top of my head and don't even have them. In fact, I need to get a Non-Stick pan so I can cook up some Hash Browns and fry my Eggs with ease since my Stainless Steel pans don't want to work well with the Pam I paid nearly 4 bucks for one day at KMart.
I mean seriously, that would at least get a lot of people started cooking. Part of the reason it seems so scary is because it is so difficult to figure out what a person needs in their kitchen and once that is figured out, what type of cookware. These days there are so many choices, for example: Non-Stick, Stainless Steel, Copper Bottom, etc. Then you have to pick out the pieces you want to use as very few "sets" have EVERYTHING. Plus you have to get all the little things and utensils. It's absolutely mind boggling and don't get me started on knives. It is absolutely a disaster trying to find a good Knife Set for a Beginner Cook. Then you have to decide whether you are up to doing all the hard work or put in some big bucks towards a sturdy Stand Mixer and a Food Processor... Honestly, it's ridiculous and so mind blowing that it makes everything else look easy and uncomplicated.
And then you have to stock the Pantry. That right there is a killer but once done, it only needs to be supplemented from time to time and usually not all at once. The hardest part is figuring out what you will need so you can avoid having to make last minute trips to the store for this and that so that all you have to do is buy the Perishable items and even then, if you have the right appliances you can store some of those items for longer periods of time. But it's not the best idea if you don't have a nice big freezer to keep meat and other freezable foods in.
Anyway, it's time for me to sign off now. Goodnight.
