Food writer, Gretchen McKay, teaches her son, Tom, about cooking
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ON THE WEB: A first apartment means learning to cook for yourself. In the latest installment of her video series, PG food writer Gretchen McKay teaches her two oldest sons how to make some easy dishes. Go to post-gazette.com/food.
Some kids grow up cooking, and take with them to their first apartment an arsenal of favorite recipes along with a collection of Mom's hand-me-down pots and pans. But the rest? Let's just say they don't sell ramen noodles by the case at Sam's Club for the heck of it.
At some point, though, most young adults are going to realize how quickly those fast- and convenience-food dollars add up (quicker when the bucks come out of their own pockets). Or how a steady diet of prepared foods can make one long for the flavorful home-cooked meals one grew up on.
Eat enough frozen pizza or $1 chicken sandwiches, and even pasta with a simple red sauce -- something my kids love to complain they have too often for dinner -- seems like a gourmet meal.
You almost can't blame your college student or recent grad for choosing Easy Mac over macaroni and cheese made from scratch. (And no, heating up leftovers in the microwave does NOT count as cooking. ) Most first kitchens are going to be pretty minimal in terms of equipment, and unless you're a verified foodie, grocery shopping isn't exactly the most fun of activities. But to use an old saying, buy your kid a Boston Market frozen dinner and feed him for a day; teach your kid to roast a chicken with potatoes and carrots and feed him for a lifetime.
Several new cookbooks take the idea of quick, easy cooking with everyday ingredients to heart. One of the most comprehensive, and beautifully illustrated, is "Cooking Light Way to Cook" (Oxmoor, $29.95). Twenty years in the making, it's filled with more than 850 photographs that show the cook how to prepare the book's 200-plus recipes. Sprinkled throughout are hundreds of "insider" cooking tips -- everything from how to crack and scramble eggs to how to stuff a tenderloin -- plus tips on choosing and buying ingredients.
"The Competent Cook" by Lauren Braun Costello (Adams Media, $19.95) is another that's perfect for the young grad just starting out on her own. In addition to dozens of classic recipes, the culinary compendium includes 150 techniques and tools every home chef needs to master.
First Published January 28, 2010 12:00 am
