Winckler - Simplified Dinners for New Cooks: How to get dinner on the table

Simplified Dinners

for New Cooks

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2015 Mystie Winckler

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How to get dinner on the table

Dinner probably wouldn't be the conundrum it is if it weren't for the everydayness of it. Every single day, dinner must be served, one way or another. Regardless of health, crises, or energy levels, the people in our homes need to be fed.

Getting dinner on the table can seem insurmountable, especially if you don't have much experience in cooking, much enjoyment in cooking, or much energy for cooking. Might as well call for pizza.

But you can do it. I'll show you how to get healthy, tasty meals on the table without expertise or experience or energy.

First, think of dinner as a 1, 2, 3 combo: protein, starch, and veggie. Some meals, like stir-fry, combine all three in one: meat, rice, and veggies. Other meals like enchiladas, pizza, and pasta are protein and starch combos that can be paired with a salad or roasted vegetable to make a complete meal. Use the menu planner at the end of the book to easily create your own complete meal plans.

Second, make sure you allow enough time to get dinner on the table. Each dinner process in this book will clue you in to how much time this dinner will take to get from chopping the onion to sitting at the table. There are options for preparing the meal 20-30 minutes in the morning, 20-30 minutes right before dinner time, to up to an hour before you want to eat. None of the meals included here are elaborate. They are all intended for normal weekday family meals, for getting yourself and your family fed well with as little time and energy as possible.

Third, you need to have what you need to get dinner on the table. You need to have food in the pantry. If you shop for or keep on hand the items on the master pantry list, you will have everything you need to make any of the meals in this book. No worrying about couponing, sales, or specialty ingredients that get shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten. Keep the basic foods from the master pantry list on hand and you can make a variety of dinners. In addition to basic foods you probably already have, to make the dinners included here you'll only need basic kitchen tools and basic techniques, which I will cover in the following pages.

This book is your one-stop go-to resource to get dinner on the table even if you have no idea how to go about doing so.

How to cook with Simplified Dinners

Rather than giving the dinner instructions in typical recipe format, what I have in Simplified Dinners are ten easy processes and then two or more variations for each process. So, instead of over 30 individual, separate recipes, you only need to learn 10 processes in order to be able to cook over 30 different dinners.

These processes use a total of only twelve techniques, including basic verbs like mix and pour. The techniques used are listed in the Basic Skills to Learn section, and are not difficult to understand. However, skill comes with practice; they will become easier the more you do them.

Each dinner in this book is written to serve about 6 people, but they can be easily adjusted once you get the hang of them. For the first few times you'll want to make them as directed, but the more practice and skill you get, the better you'll be able to adjust and play with the instructions.

I suggest you make the basic version of a meal first, then move on to try a variation the next time you cook. In that way, you'll learn that cooking is really putting together different combinations in similar ways. Once you know a few patterns, such as pasta + sauce or roast + seasoning, you can cook an endless variety of meals based on that pattern. The meals given in this book are only a starting point, a place from which to gain confidence and skill.

In creating these instructions, I assume you are old enough and strong enough to cut vegetables with a knife, cook something on the stove, and move a pan to and from a hot oven. If you don't feel confident yet with those three things, you'll want to help someone else out in the kitchen a few times so you can watch and learn and get the hang of kitchen work alongside someone who knows what they're doing.

This layout makes it easy to cook from and easy to learn how to get dinner on the table. If you also want more help with learning the grocery shopping and pantry-building part of it, check out my other ebook Simplified Pantry: How to Simplify Grocery Shopping and Kitchen Routines .

Teaching kids to cook

This book can be used as an instruction guide for teaching kids how to cook, and then as their source for independent dinner-making after they've gained some supervised practice. If you're teaching your child to make dinner, I suggest starting with this process:

First, go over each of the skills described on page 10. Teach them how to do each one, showing them first, then allowing them to try by themselves while you direct. This can be done during teaching sessions or informally while you're making dinner.

Second, make sure they know what each tool is on pages 8-9. Can they find where it is in your kitchen? Do they know what each does and what it is for? Have them go on a treasure hunt for each item, to ensure they know what each tool is and where it is kept.

Third, go over the cooking safety rules on page 11 and ensure they are all understood.

Fourth, stand back and watch them cook, only jumping in to help or correct when absolutely necessary. Let go of perfectionism and let them practice and learn on their own, but watch to ensure that they understand and that dinner will remain edible. Here is a good progression of dinners to try that will build skill and confidence:

• Slow-cooker, No-Defrost Chicken Pieces
  • no cutting
  • no hot stove or oven
• Slow-cooker Roasts
  • Basic Process version, skip the first step and just put the roast into the slow-cooker
  • no cutting
  • no hot stove or oven
• Foil-Packet Fish
  • cutting optional
  • uses oven

After they've had several supervised successes, let them try out a dinner they've already done all on their own, while you read a novel in the living room. They can call for help if they need it, but probably they'll be just fine. After that works a few times, you have yourself a personal chef who can put dinner on the table and really contribute in a meaningful way to the family! Not only that, but you won't have to worry about him only eating ramen or hot dogs when he leaves home.

Basic Tools

These sixteen kitchen tools that you probably already have are all you need to cook any of the meals in Simplified Dinners for New Cooks.

Baking sheet An aluminum baking sheet, uncoated, is an inexpensive staple of a busy kitchen. Longer-lasting and ultimately easier-cleaning than specialty pans or non-stick pans that end up peeling and discoloring, 1-4 baking sheets should be the basis of your kitchen tools.

Can opener A can opener should go without saying because it is a necessary tool for a cook using a well-stocked pantry. A basic, hand-crank, slim can opener is all you need no fancy gadgets or super-duper features.

Cheese grater A cheese grater can be used to grate more than cheese, and is also a basic, essential kitchen item.

Cutting board Cutting on a plate or your countertops will eventually ruin not only the countertop or dish but also the knife. Invest in more than one cutting board so you always have a clean one to grab after cutting raw meat.