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We can’t all be geniuses in the kitchen, even if we’ve watched the new season of The Bear. But people like cooking at home. In fact, 75% of Americans make something to eat themselves at least three times a week. Sadly, 28% also say they don’t know how to cook.
Luckily, it’s not something people are born with. It’s a skill we can all learn. To make it easier, we have some cool and simple picture-based guides for you here. They’re all about food and cooking, as shared by the good people of the Cool Guides subreddit. Feel like a beginner in the kitchen? Check these out, and let us know which ones were the most helpful!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Not Sure If This Counts Because There Aren’t Actually Words, But I Just Think The Life Cycle Of A Strawberry Is Neat
RELATED:
#2
How To Pick The Right Watermelon
Mimi La Souris 4 months ago
so orange, full of stretch marks, all round and not very green anymore, quite a summary of me :D
#3
A Cool Guide
There are many necessary life skills people complain that they're not taught in school. Doing your taxes is one people mention a lot in these types of discussions. I'd say that cooking is also a pretty necessary one. Yet, a survey in 2013 revealed that 28% of Americans say they can't cook.
Granted, some schools around the world include cooking education and classes in their curriculum. The UK, for example, has The Cooking and Nutrition Curriculum. The purpose of these classes, as stated by them, is to teach children "how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating."
#4
When To Boil Water To Cook Vegetables
#5
Apples On A Scale From Most Tart To Most Sweet
#6
Burger Joint In Town
But cooking is not just about making something delicious for yourself. Food literacy includes being informed about nutrition and making healthy diet choices in general. According to Monique Tello, MD, MPH, cooking at home can improve diet quality, prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, and help people lose weight in general.
In fact, there has been evidence that cooking classes can help patients with type 2 diabetes manage their condition just as well as medication can. When people learn to cook for themselves, they eat less highly processed food and lower their sodium intake. "Hard to believe it, but time in the kitchen can be as valuable as medication for some people with diabetes," Tello writes.
#7
Banana Ripeness Guide
#8
Do You Want To Raise Your Cooking Game? Learning About Aromatics Will Help Massively
#9
A Cool Guide To Japanese Gastronomy Prefixes And Suffixes
Evan not Hansen 4 months ago
If I ever go to Japan, it will be long after I have forgotten this information, but it was interesting to read at least.
We all eat – that's true for everyone in one way or another. Food is literally the sustenance of life, yet it can also make us pretty sick if we don't eat the right way. But do people actually know how to eat healthy? People say they want to eat healthily, as they opt for products with labels such as "multigrain," "sugar-free," and "organic."
#10
I Bet This Is Beautiful For Pan Crust
#11
A Restaurant Guide For How You Want Your Steak Cooked
#12
A Quick Guide To Tea!
However, most people seriously overestimate the healthiness of their diet. A 2022 study found that the majority of people (85% of the participants) inaccurately assess the quality of their diet. " It's mostly those who perceive their diet as poor who are able to accurately assess their diet," the study's lead author Jessica Thomson, PhD, said.
#13
Cake
Mimi La Souris 4 months ago
and use real butter and real milk, not light, not reconstituted, which is coming from an animal :)
#14
How To Open A Lime!
#15
Know Your Coffee Bean
For years, the main point of reference for a healthy diet was the food pyramid. I'm a '90s baby, but even I grew up thinking grains were the building block of a healthy and nutritious diet. The USDA food pyramid has actually undergone quite a journey: created in 1992 and updated in 2005 to MyPyramid, now it seems to have disappeared completely.
#16
A Cool Guide About Eggs
Auntriarch 4 months ago (edited)
At last, someone who knows about basting. Edit: these are my people!
#17
Onion Use Guide
#18
Know Your Coffee
The problem with the original food pyramid was that it had little nuance. Yes, grains are an essential part of a well-rounded diet, but only if they are whole and unrefined. The same goes for fats; the original pyramid urged people to use it "sparingly" and ignored the benefits of plant-based fats, like eating avocado.
#19
This Is How To Measure Rice (Asian Style)
#20
A Cool Guide To Spoons
Auntriarch 4 months ago (edited)
I'm afraid neither my ice cream spoons (pointy end flat bowl) nor my sugar spoon (square) look like this.
#21
A Cool Guide To Summer Fruit Bakes
The old food pyramid also didn't differentiate between healthy and unhealthy proteins. Fish, poultry, and beans were grouped together with red meat and processed meat. Dairy was also overemphasized as a healthy food group, whereas now we know it can contribute to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
#22
A Cool Guide To Melons
Carl Roberts 4 months ago
Trivia: True melons are all varieties of the same species "cucumis melo". The horned melon is not a true melon , but a separate related species in the same genus. The bitter melon and watermelon, however, are not even in the same genus as melons. The cucumber (cucumis sativus), is far more closely related to true melons than the watermelon is.
#23
A Cool Guide For Pumpkins/Squash Made By My Girlfriend In Preparation For Halloween, Hope You Enjoy!
#24
A Cool Guide To KFC's Secret Recipe?
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 4 months ago (edited)
I thought it was just chicken grease + salt. Any other Futurama fans out there?
Carrie Stelter 4 months ago
OUR ANCESTORS CAME OVER ON THE EGG SALAD SANDWICH!
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Heather Hernandez 4 months ago (edited)
I've been to the KFC museum/first restaurant and they had spice containers set out from the original restaurant and these are not what they have on display. They included mace and buckwheat flour so I'm not sure who's fibbin'
Chet Golik 4 months ago
Too funny. Me pulling containers out of the spice shelf.
Load More Replies... Donkeywheel 4 months ago
Who is dumb enough to believe there is a « secret recipe » ? This is junk food, just like Coca Cola. This is a marketing stunt to give the illusion of quality.
Jami M. Cox 4 months ago
If only that was all they used🙄 KFC uses MSG. Love the taste but causes me to get severe migraine & vomiting.
Chet Golik 4 months ago
This is the recipe (almost) from a Chicago Tribune story about the "secret" recipe and how it was found by the Colonel's nephew, Joe Ledington in a scrapbook of his late Aunt Claudia, (Sanders' second wife), that had 1/3rd more salt & dry oregano otherwise the same. Mix spice mix with 2 cups flour, soak chicken in buttermilk & beaten egg, coat once in the mixture, rest pieces for 20 minutes, deep fry in oil @ 350° F 15 mins. Fry too long will overpower the taste of the spices. The Tribune taste testers said it came very close to the Colonel's and the addition a 12th spice, Accent (MSG) made it virtually indistinguishable from KFC's. I tried making it minus buttermilk - it was almost KFC's. I'll try again with the buttermilk, 1/2 tsp MSG and maybe a little mace/nutmeg as hinted above (I think that's a missing 13th). I have to add, just the spice mix alone - with the white pepper and other spices -makes a wonderful seasoning for grilling meat and seafood... a great "secret" seasoning.
nuberiffic 4 months ago
So just the most generic fried chicken ever. I don't understand how this was a "secret". It's not even good fried chicken.
Ervin Conn 4 months ago
I wonder if the story that the 11 herbs and spices were written on the back of his will is true.
Nolgoth 4 months ago
There is a guy on tiktok that is like the great great nephew (or something like that) of the colonel (username therealcolonelsanders). He dispells rumors, including the napkin/will. Kfc doesnt even use the original recipe/method anymore
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The pyramid's upgrade, the MyPyramid project, was too vague, according to Harvard's School of Public Health. They emphasized the importance of physical activity, veggies were almost as important as grains, but oils were still demonized and there were no explanations about wholegrains and dairy.
#25
Cook The Perfect Egg
Auntriarch 4 months ago (edited)
I'm not generally fond of one trick pony gadgets, but I like my egg boiler
#26
A Cool Guide To Place Settings
#27
From An Old New Hampshire Cook Book!
Today, the USDA food pyramid is actually a plate, similar to a pie chart. The biggest chunks are dedicated to vegetables and grains, with foods and protein taking second place. Dairy is off to the side, emphasizing that it has to be low-fat or fat-free.
Harvard University has its own version of the plate. It's similar to USDA's, but they stress the importance of wholegrains, healthy protein, healthy oils, water, and staying active.
#28
A Cool Guide To Dried Chilis From Cooks Country
Guy-Incognito 4 months ago
Sadly mexican cooking ingredients are almost unavailable in Australia outside of capital cities. Even online I'd have to order restaurant quantities to get anything.
#29
A Cool Guide To Choose The Right Salt
#30
Cool Potato Guide For Beginners
Šimon Špaček 4 months ago
That is just three types of potatoes. Not all "red" potatoes are for salads. There are thousands registered potatoes. By "thousands" I mean that I can order over 4000 variants. Do you want them big, small, round, weird, yellow skin, red skin, white,... for quick consumption or for long storage?
In the end, there's no ultimate guide about healthy eating, as health and science journalist Kristen V. Brown writes for Bloomberg. "The truth is that we are still learning about what makes people lose, gain and maintain weight. And as we learn, the guidelines will probably change, too."
#31
The Only Wine Chart You'll Ever Need
Mister Dave 4 months ago
This may be typical, but not accurate. The vintner can make almost any wine dryer or sweeter.
#32
Ok Now You Know
#33
Vegetable Cooking Times
#34
A Cool Guide To How To Cook Different Kinds Of Rice
#35
A Cool Guide To Banana Types
#36
Cooking Conversions
#37
Best Rated Cheese Dishes
#38
How To Cook Bacons
#39
A Cool Guide To Eggplant Varieties
#40
A Cool Guide Of What 1500 Calories Look Like At The Most Famous Fast Food Restaurants
#41
16 Different Ways To Cook A Turkey
#42
Donut & Wine Pairings
Daniela Lavanza 4 months ago
Donuts and wine…American food horror stories I’m too European to get.
#43
Cooking Oil Smoke Points
#44
Salmon Cuts Guide From My Grocery Store
#45
A Cool Guide To Sushi Etiquette
similarly 4 months ago
I've lived in Japan for over 25 years. Where I live, I never see signs like this. The only one you absolutely do not do is the last one. NEVER ever ever stick your chopsticks upright in your rice bowl (for the dead), don't pass food from chopsticks to chopsticks (that's how you pass the bones around after cremation at a Japanese funeral ... and yes, been there, done that). Death taboos are very strong. Although, it's not like Grandma's gonna beat you with a stick. They'll just say don't do it. As for mixing wasabi and soy sauce? That's how my inlaws always did it, and they were very traditional. Some of the others aren't really taboos. It's just easier to eat sushi if you do it the right way.
#46
Fried Eggs By Fat Used, Pan Type, And How Fully Cooked!
Bouche and Audi and Shyla, Oh My! 4 months ago
Mmmmm eggs medium easy in bacon fat, and the bacon wrapped in the toast to wipe up the yolk. Add coffee and fruit, and Bob's your uncle (unless you don't have an Uncle Bob).
#47
A Cool Guide I Found About Cooking Steak In Landers
Not-a-Clue (she/her) 4 months ago
Surely the thickness of the steak affects how long you need to cook it?
#48
Guide To Types Of Fiddleheads For Cooking
#49
A Cool Guide For Air Frying
#50
A Cool Guide To The Cooking Oils
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What do you think ?
Pittsburgh rare 4 months ago
We can't use the fingers to widen the photos anymore so l have to download whatever chart l want to read. Please BP think of the long sighted, presbyopic old bags here.
Frozengeckolover 4 months ago (edited)
It might be your device, or browser, that isn't allowing zoom; I can zoom BP on mine. Try long-pressing on the photo and choosing "Preview Image". You should be able to zoom from there.
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sweetrottenpeaches 4 months ago (edited)
I wish there was more posts about cooking/food and less about stupid celebs and what to buy on amazon kinda shít.
David Paterson 4 months ago
50 lists, and I didn't even find one that would be of the slightest use. Sigh.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
Wow, you're comparing someone's suggestion as to what onions are the most appropriate for certain dishes to FASCISM? Ooooooookay. Congrats on 25 years in the "culinary profession" (whatever that means) but here's a startling thought: Not everyone cooks like YOU do, not everyone agrees with YOUR opinions, and YOU aren't the world's dictator on vegetables - just because YOU think the vegetable charts are "wrong" doesn't mean YOU are right.
Load More Replies... Pittsburgh rare 4 months ago
We can't use the fingers to widen the photos anymore so l have to download whatever chart l want to read. Please BP think of the long sighted, presbyopic old bags here.
Frozengeckolover 4 months ago (edited)
It might be your device, or browser, that isn't allowing zoom; I can zoom BP on mine. Try long-pressing on the photo and choosing "Preview Image". You should be able to zoom from there.
Load More Replies... sweetrottenpeaches 4 months ago (edited)
I wish there was more posts about cooking/food and less about stupid celebs and what to buy on amazon kinda shít.
David Paterson 4 months ago
50 lists, and I didn't even find one that would be of the slightest use. Sigh.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 4 months ago
Wow, you're comparing someone's suggestion as to what onions are the most appropriate for certain dishes to FASCISM? Ooooooookay. Congrats on 25 years in the "culinary profession" (whatever that means) but here's a startling thought: Not everyone cooks like YOU do, not everyone agrees with YOUR opinions, and YOU aren't the world's dictator on vegetables - just because YOU think the vegetable charts are "wrong" doesn't mean YOU are right.
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