Gary Odendaal - The Bachelor(ette)s Guide to simple cooking

There comes atime in every man and womans life where they must bid their mothergoodbye and venture out in the big bad world on their own.Unfortunately for most people this also means they need to tacklethe stove and the ironing board and many other things we wish wenever need to do. This book isthe first in a series I hope to write that will make thistransition a little easier for those who are struggling with thattransition. I myself made this move only a few years ago andwithout much success. I will be completely honest in saying that Imyself preferred to eat takeaways and send my laundry somewhereelse. After my first year of doing this I was no longer able to usethe excuse that Christmas made me fat. No, my fat made me fat andthat fat came in the form of some well-known cheap burgers from aclown, chicken from a colonel and pizza from space.

So if you findyourself thinking that this all sounds very familiar I encourageyou to continue reading. I will not pretend this book will in anyway make you a master chef, but it will get you on your way andalso ensure that you are able to impress. I need toapologise to everyone in advance if you find any spelling errors orgrammar errors. This is my first book and I could not pay someoneto proof read immediately. I will be uploading revised versionswhenever I am able to. I also need to give credit saying that theserecipes are my favourite but are not original.

I wouldalso love to have your feedback on anything else that you may likeor dislike in the book. My second book will be coming out in abouta month so your feedback will help me improve on that eBook as wellas this one. You can send any feedback you have to Lastly I wouldlike to give some acknowledgements. To Werner who told me that thisidea was not crazy! To Shelly, Rick, my friends, my colleagues andall of my guildies who have had to listen to me talk about thisevery day! And to my mom who has always been there and loved,supported and believed in me! I really hopethat you find this book to be a valuable guide to start yourcooking journey. I will be happy if even one person buys this andfinds it to be valuable. I would like tothank everyone who has taken the time to buy and read this.

Iwanted to pour so much more into this book but I felt that for myfirst book I should rather keep it short and sweet. Be sure to lookout for resources on the website.

The cookingworld uses many shortened versions of measurements in order to beable to write out recipes with the least amount of space andeffort. Unfortunately for most people, the first time they look ata recipe they are generally going WTF. I dont know what thissays, I give up. When you startout in your new home, buying items for your kitchen can be dauntingand annoying. When you startout in your new home, buying items for your kitchen can be dauntingand annoying.

I am willing to guarantee that no matter howextensive the list that I am giving you below is, within your firstmonth you will need to go back to the home store for somethingextra that you want. This list isjust to guide you in the basic items that in my opinion everykitchen should start with. No doubt the first spend for your homeis going to be a heavy one but it will be worth it in the end. Ilike to tell my friends that you should save up an extra 2 monthsrent for the items you will fill your apartment with, although Inever followed my own advice and was still buying things 4 monthslater. I will cover basic food items you should buy later but fornow here are the appliances and utensils you should have. Knives: I get a little passionate aboutknives, but I will try to keep this brief.

There is nothing thatirritates me more when it comes to shopping than people saying IfI buy cheap I can replace often to change design. Please do notapply this principle to knives! In fact if you are able to then buya set of chef knives. They will cost you the earth but will bethere for life. Be careful though, I practically cut my finger offwith my first knife set testing if they were sharp Theywere!!!!! Cutting boards: Cutting boardsare very important in any kitchen. If you can I would get all theboards that you can to avoid cross contamination. 1 dedicated to cutting rawfoods and one for cooked foods. 1 dedicated to cutting rawfoods and one for cooked foods.

I also have a personal opinion onwooden cutting boards. Please opt for plastic or glass; Ipersonally feel that wooden cutting boards are to absorbent andthat they should not be used. Bowls: A set of 3stainless-steel mixing bowls that fit inside one another is a spacesaver. They are inexpensive, versatile and will last a lifetime.Also, stainless-steel bowls are not absorbent so if washed properlycan be used for cooking and baking. Measuring cups and spoons: Onefull set of measuring spoons and two sets of measuring cups. Oneset should be for measuring liquidsthose measuring cups usuallyhave handles and pour spoutsand one set for measuring dryingredients.

Cookware: Again in am going tobe a little bit of a snob here. Please spend as much as you can onpots. Get yourself a set of heavy based non-stick cookware. Ipersonally prefer the Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramseyranges! Thermometers: Get yourself aset of cooking thermometers. They do come in sets that havedifferent thermometers for different things, e.g. sugar, meattemperatures etc.

Utensils: Again I recommend youget a set here. You will need the basics which are a heat resistantspatula, vegetable peeler, rolling pin, meat mallet, slotted spoon,a whisk, tongs, some wooden spoons, ladle and a tinopener. Colander: Not much to say hereexcept make sure you get one that is big enough for the size ofcooking you will want to do. Bakeware: Get at least 122X32cm baking pan, a roasting pan, oven tray, pizza pan, bakingsheets, pie dish and a cake pan. Tupperware: I am using thatname because I really recommend that you actually look at theirrage of containers. Spend money here again so that they dont warpand break.

NEVER lend out your Tupperware, it will notreturn. An electric hand mixer: Dontspend too much money here unless you intend to learn and bake alot. Blender: One of the mostimportant things to get. You can do so much with a blender. Irecommend a blender and food processor combo. Kitchen towels: I have nothingto say here, you will need them.