How hard is it for a person with zero cooking skills to get started? and by getting started I mean the goodies, like biryani etc, not something simple like omlette (even if one cannot make those)… The main thing is getting the proportions right, and the oil etc… Is there anyone here who first started cooking in their early twenties, and if so, how did it go? Do those readily available masaalas really make it all so easy?
Re: Question about Cooking
I seriously started cooking only last year. I dont like using ready packed masalas. It took me several tries to get the kind of biryani, korma etc that I deem perfect. But I honestly dont think its too hard. You just have to be genuinely interested in cooking and try to better yourself, just like any other hobby.
I believe it took me about 4-5 months of regular, everyday cooking to get where I am now. I asked for several tips and recipes at GS and also asked my family for tips. But I only used and applied them when I felt they would turn my product better.Now, I usually cook without measuring the ingredients.
Still cant get my rotis round though 
Re: Question about Cooking
spock, im assuming you are a guy. if thats not the case my apologies. with cooking you have to crawl before you can walk. the big mistake is jumping to things like biryani right away. it will get ur frustrated.
first get to know ur local halal meat butcher. slip him a 20 and make buddies with him... its very important. after that ask him to cut the meats to your liking and have him marinate them for you to ur liking. my butcher gets me chicken breasts marinated, steaks, minced meat with seasoning, onions etc. mixed in and wrapped in patties. this makes the task of cooking a lot easier.
learn grilling start with things like chicken, beef steaks, sandwitches which you should be able to do in no time. u will see you cant mess this up and its more healthy than desi food.
Re: Question about Cooking
practice makes perfect as they say
start by watching people.. you can see how brown the onions are fried for each dish, smell and sight is important...you need to know what stage the next ingredients needs to be added
watch cookery shows and practice what they make.
and if you are a novice use products that make the job easy ...ready fried onions, mixed masalas, etc
this will save you time and stress and make it less labour intensive
Re: Question about Cooking
yes
and it’s not a rocket science, believe you me.
Re: Question about Cooking
Start with shaN packed masalas , they are good if you are want to learn how to cook , watching cooking programmes help also . good luck :)
Re: Question about Cooking
Thanks for the tips everyone... I will let you guys know how it works out for me, for now Im sticking to the easy stuff I guess... Im not even sure if I can do that or not.
Re: Question about Cooking
The way I see it…guys can either be BEST or WORSE cooks…so u wont fall in the middle somewhere either u will stay the WORSE or u will become the best..so pick one:) and the way u do that is practice:)
Re: Question about Cooking
well when i can cook, anyone can cook 
I started cooking just 4 years back and now i can cook anything… it takes some time to get the proportions and what to add when stuff right… but it is all trial and error…
all the best :k:
Re: Question about Cooking
Spock its all trial and error really. Try making smaller proportions intially. When I started cooking I didn't lquite like my own food ven though others somewhat appreciated it, probably to encourage me. But it has gotten sooo much better now and I get complimented all the time for my cooking. Try making simple stuff first. Need any reciepes just ask here, give it a try and see how it turns out. The amount of oil depends upon how much food u r making and what type of food u r making. Following recipes should also give u an idea of proporation and u can just use the same for similar dishes. These shaan masala type things r great oif u can follow recipes, but that doesnt take much of ur own skills/creativity. Besides its the same restaurant type of taste which u can get from a restuarant so why even bother at home?
Re: Question about Cooking
its all a myth, cooking is easy as hell! I followed the masal instructions and i was able to make birynai and it was as good as anyone else's! seriously! men are born to be GREAT chefs, its true, its true!
thanks for all ur suggestions ppl!
Re: Question about Cooking
Whats the big fuss!! These days it takes just 15-20 minutes.
Tins of ready made dal, rajma, sag paneer etc are available, also the paste (curry) for rogan josh, korma, tandoori chicken.
Buy diced boneless chicken, lamb, beef - and stir-fry it.
Put the paste/curry in the fried meat/chicken-for a fairly good meal.
I also have a rice cooker or I heat ready made rotis.
Re: Question about Cooking
malhot, u might enjoy ready made stuff, we dont..