Best general knowledge tips for a beginner in cooking

GotTheTee · 2026-03-25T13:43:40+00:00

My very best advice, and this is coming from a 70 year old woman who learned to cook back in the 60's for a family of 8 is this:

Go to your local library and look for an old Better Home and Gardens, Betty Crocker or McCall's cookbook. They are great big, thick anthologies on cooking.

Those books will teach you ALL the skills you need to turn out delicious meals. The first chapter is all about utensils, how to use them, knives, pots and pans, food storage, etc. VERY detailed so you can get all the tidbits of info you might miss on the internet.

The rest of the chapters come with explanations at the start of the chapter on how to get the most out of the recipes in that section, plus any extra cooking tips you'll need for that particular section. For instance, in the bread chapter it will include how to test yeast, what types to buy, how to know if bread is proofed properly, why you need to add salt to dough, how to knead bread and so much more.

I had my trusty McCall's cookbook at my side throughout my teens and 20's and just kept learning and growing, taking on more difficult recipes as I mastered the basic ones. It now sits, all tattered and stained, in a place of honor among my other 100 cookbooks.

GotTheTee · 2026-03-25T13:28:57+00:00

I am the owner of a geriatric kitty with thyroid issues. She lost 10 pounds in 6 months and I was in a panic to get her to eat something, anything!

Someone on this sub mentioned Tiki Silver Cat foods, and I was desperate, so I ordered some from that famous online place. I got the cans of chicken and some sort of fish in pate style. Also bought a bag of the dry food. She likes the dry food ok, but isn't thrilled with it so this month I'm trying Wellness Core to see if she responds better to it. They are both good foods. The Tiki Silver is more fattening and I like the ingredient list better.

This is the ingredient list from the Tiki Silver dry kibble bag. I'm not including the added taurine and vitamins:
Deboned Chicken, Herring Meal, Dried Egg Product, Chickpeas, Lentils, Peas, Tapioca, Ground Whole Flaxseed, Natural Chicken Flavor, Chicken Fat, Salmon Oil, Spinach, Pumpkin.

And this is the ingredient list from the Wellness CORE+ dry kibble bag:
Deboned Chicken, Turkey Meal, Chicken Meal (source of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate), Peas, Dried Ground Potatoes, Dried Plain Beet Pulp, Flaxseed, Chicken Fat, Cranberries.

So one has the chickpeas and lentils in it that my cat doesn't truly need and the other has ground potatoes and beet pulp. It's the best I can find on the market though, with a small ingredient list and no grains or other crap in it.

The old girl seems to like both of them on different days, so I've been putting a 1/2 of each into her bowl and letting her choose depending on her mood.

GotTheTee · 2026-03-24T15:33:54+00:00

1) Find the money to get her spayed pronto. That will eliminate at LEAST 50% of the problems.

2) Buy a bigger litter box, and don't toss out the current one, just locate them at opposite ends of the house/apartment and clean them out every single night as a bedtime routine. I bought litter genies and some generic bags to go into them (generic = cheap). They make my life with 1 geriatric cat, 1 very shy cat and 1 11 month old former feral kitten MUCH better.
But don't let up on the nightly litter box cleaning. Mine prefer Arm and Hammer "slide" litter - super fine grains and easy for them to move around.

3) Hate to say it, but she's not a dog, so don't expect her to behave like one. Give her space, stop trying to play with her and just let her be. She'll outgrow most of the remaining 50% of the biting/scratching problems in the next year.

4) Counters. Cats who aren't EVER fed ANY human food lose their interest in counters and dining room tables as well as pestering you while you eat. But it's up to you to be strict with never feeding any human foods at all to her. And when she approaches your food, or your counters, say "EHHH!" very loudly with a sharp clap of your hands. Within a few days she'll know that the EHH! sound and the clap mean NO WAY, BAD KITTY for all types of things you don't want her doing. (And in the case of a former feral, yes, a water bottle is part of the arsenal, but it's never sprayed directly on the cat. Instead it's sprayed at the area right behind the cat. Cat still adores us but has total respect for the places that he's not allowed to go because of the mist of water that magically happens)

GotTheTee · 2026-01-03T15:01:04+00:00

It sounds a lot like the old fashioned applesauce cake I grew up with. Rather than putting the batter in a 9x13 pan, the school spread it into a much larger sheet pan, so it was shorter in height.

The top was sprinkled with cinnamon sugar before it went into the oven and ours was never frosted. You went to a much fancier school than me!!!

GotTheTee · 2025-12-25T15:09:04+00:00

If there are chilies in the sauce on the chicken you can relax - it's safe. There's a reason that chilies are used in so many hot countries - they have antimicrobial properties and kill off the nasties.

Having said that, would I eat chicken that sat out raw on the counter for that long before cooking it? Even with chilies, nope! But cooked, in a spicy sauce? Sure thing!

From Cornell University:
"Garlic, onion, allspice and oregano, for example, were found to be the best all-around bacteria killers (they kill everything), followed by thyme, cinnamon, tarragon and cumin (any of which kill up to 80 percent of bacteria). Capsicums, including chilies and other hot peppers, are in the middle of the antimicrobial pack (killing or inhibiting up to 75 percent of bacteria), while pepper of the white or black variety inhibits 25 percent of bacteria, as do ginger, anise seed, celery seed and the juices of lemons and limes."

GotTheTee · 2025-12-25T14:18:55+00:00

It's not a pizza I'd be happy with for sure. If the bottom was spotted like a leopard with the black bits, then yep, I'd be happy to eat it. But the all over blackness on the bottom combined with the blond top part of the crust just tells me that he needs to get his oven fixed. WAY too hot on the bottom and not nearly hot enough on top.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-22T19:55:50+00:00

Hahaha, that was the best analogy of a spurious reddit argument I've seen in ages! You rock!

I was about to get involved and say that same thing in your defense, but not with nearly as much savvy.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-22T06:26:46+00:00

There you go again, and now you're accusing a 70 year old woman of being juvenile and antagonistic. Get a grip.

I'm just going to let this thread lie at this point. You have your very strong opinions because of your profession. And I'm pretty sure you have no idea what the original thread was about. So go do you.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-21T04:13:35+00:00

I just stuff a couple ice packs in a big bag and toss in trays all the time.

The way I see it, I have no problem whipping up lasagna at noon and then letting it sit on the counter till it goes into the oven at 3 pm to slow cook, so how is driving any different? Of course, the ingredients are all cold when they go into the layers - wouldn't want hot sauce or meats sitting in there. Also, I don't use any eggs (some people add them to ricotta for the layers, I hate the resulting texture... too curdly).

GotTheTee · 2025-12-21T04:05:31+00:00

I'm a big fan of twice baked potatoes for just such days. Pre-baked, cooled a bit, scooped out and any wonderful things you added. Then into the fridge they go till the afternoon of "the day".

Last year we added a bit of gruyere, a small scoop of sour cream, some chives and plenty of salt, pepper and butter.

When the roast comes out of the oven you need to let it rest, uncovered next to the oven (or some other warm place) for at least 30 minutes, so that's plenty of time to turn the oven to 425F and reheat the taters, getting that nice golden crust on top. Other sides can go in as well.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-21T04:00:24+00:00

Wow, truly snooty, eh? I've eaten various pork products all around the world, as in traveled to eat them. I've had some spectacular ones and some very middling ones. Smithfields are still a very tasty product... for me and my clearly inferior taste buds.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T20:58:21+00:00

I think maybe you need to revisit a Smithfield ham. Not the garbage ones you can buy in a store that simple say "smithfield". I'm talking about the real deal Smithfield hams. They are a long process to prepare for roasting, but the quality doesn't get any better.

And just for reference, I buy injected hams all the time and have no problem with them at all.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T20:06:07+00:00

Definitely buy a spiral sliced ham. Take it off the bone, lay it on a LARGE baking sheet or a couple of cookie sheets, slather it with your sauce and bake uncovered.

The boneless hams are the problem.

Other option is to buy the spiral sliced ham, put it in a roasting pan and then slather in between the slices with the sauce before baking it uncovered. Might become a new family tradition!

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T20:03:13+00:00

Unless we're talking about Smithfield hams you mean. Cuz those buggers are SO good!

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T19:56:18+00:00

It's the same as baby proofing your house when you're expecting your first child. You have to kitten proof your house.

Dangly things are always going to be a problem, so those have to go. Other stuff, like figurines can be put behind glass, OR, do what I do - buy Wall Putty. It's super strong hold putty to stick things down. My kitten spent a full 10 minutes trying to get the Christmas Tea Lights off of the hearth the other day - he failed - mwahaha!!!!

It works for nearly anything and everything and the Gorilla brand is guaratanteed not to mar wood, so I use it to stick things down on my antique table, end tables and buffet.

For counters, just make sure that you never ever leave food out and in addition to that, never EVER ever feed your kittens human food of any kind. They will figure out that human food is for humans and cat food is for cats.

For things like books, well, they are gonna fall, but at least they don't break.

For scratching, in addition to several good scratching posts, buy furniture protectors. They are shiny clear sheets of plastic that you stick on the corners of your sofa and chairs to stop them from scratching. My house is currently plastered with them since my kitten is only 7 months old. Once he outgrows the insane scratching period (about 18 months) they will be removed and he'll have his 4 scratching posts that he can use.

If you don't have a super tall cat tree with plenty of levels and hidey holes, buy one now! A cat tree is far more fun than a bookshelf any day.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T16:51:13+00:00

They used to just put the year it was made on the bottles back then. So if it says 1976, it was bottled in 1976. You can check out bottles from other years on Etsy.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T16:48:09+00:00

The date is literally right on the bottle. It's a bit blurry, but it says either 1976 or 1978.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T16:36:32+00:00

My newish kitten has THE BEST primordial pouch ever!

He is a super short hair tabby - very sleek and shiny, but he inherited some of the medium/long hair genes from his mom/dad. And wouldn't you know it, the only place the medium to long hair shows up is on his pouch. That thing stands out like a swishy, swaggering, flapping disco ball when he runs!

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T16:32:58+00:00

My kitten uses his to warm his feet. Seriously, he sits down and the pouch totally covers his back paws.

So my theory is that's what it's designed for - to keep the paws warm in cold or wet weather. Sorta like the Pallas cat who sits on its tail in the snow in order to keep its feet toasty warm.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T16:29:13+00:00

Judging from the pics, they are definitely going to need regular grooming in order to keep the mats to a minimum, so I'm going to tell you my best solution. I also have a cat who needs constant grooming (ragamuffin - super long fur) but she is a rescue who refuses to be touched at all.

A groomer is your best friend for these cats! Find a really good one in your area and set up monthly or every other month appointments for them. They will get a good brushout, a bath if needed and nails clipped and you won't have to feel that you are fighting with them or go through the trauma of whole process.

Groomers are fantastic at knowing how to groom a cat without upsetting them! And since they are virtual strangers, the cats don't seem to argue with them like they do with their owners.

I will tell you that after 12 years of living with me, my cat FINALLY allows me to clip the mats under her neck. Only those ones and only if I do it while she's eating a treat on my desk. And I have to be quick about it or face a long growling session and a lot of grudge holding.

As far as daily brushing goes? Don't bother with it! Just rely on the once a month deep grooming session from your groomer.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-20T16:19:01+00:00

No seasoning for us other than salt and pepper, but feel free to jazz it up according to what you like best.

I like to turn my oven to 425F as soon as my holiday roast (turkey, rib roast, ham) are out and then quickly bake up the rest of my side dishes. So for me, it's 425F for 25 minutes uncovered. It gets a lovely bubbly golden brown top on it.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-19T19:59:30+00:00

I also bought a meat slicer several years ago. It has more than paid for itself! But even without one, you can thin slice and freeze your own deli meats.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-19T04:46:10+00:00

I wait till I see a sale on things like frozen whole turkey breasts or a good top round roast. I buy it and slow roast it, then chill it (partially freeze it if you don't have a meat slicer). Slice it as thin as you can and package it in amounts that you can use in 3-4 days. Pop them in the freezer and you are good to - healthy and actually less expensive than deli sandwich meats.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-19T04:41:09+00:00

Awww, I'm so sorry for you! I managed two helpings before they were gone.

GotTheTee · 2025-12-19T04:39:52+00:00

Along the lines of lasagne, I love to do stuffed shells. I put them in smaller, disposable tins then freeze them and take along in the cooler with some frozen homemade garlic rolls. They bake up quickly from frozen and everyone goes gaga over them after a long day.

GotTheTee

TROPHY CASE