Forget Cookbooks - TikTok Raised Me

For the majority of my life, my cooking skills; indeed my time in the kitchen at all, was zero.

Then one day, I realised that I would soon be moving in with my boyfriend and I quickly needed to figure out the difference between a pan and a ladle if we were going to eat.  (Kidding, I was not that clueless, however I really could not cook).

I started small.  I bought myself a food processor with a blender attachment and figured that I would start with soups.

What I quickly realised is that cook books just are not for me.  I can read a book, but reading through someone's recipe while they talk on (and on) about a dish, just turns me off.  I tried downloading cookbooks instead, but the scrolling down to the parts I actually wanted was even worse.

So it was back to the drawing board; or should that be chopping board?

The first thing that I did was to google some recipes for things that I knew I liked and should be simple enough.  

Bolognese, how to cook a chicken, chilli con carne, how to make roast potatoes.  I re-wrote the recipes on Google Docs, cutting down to exactly what I wanted to see.  The ingredients, the amounts, the timings.  Each step clear and concise. 

Once I had a few basics down, I wrote out a chart of food that I would cook every week, and left a slot for creating something that I had not tried before every other weekend.  Slowly, I started to learn.  But the recipes still irritated me.

It is at this point that I discovered TikTok.  Short videos, showing you how to make something, with the ingredients and short instructions in the captions.  Easy.  Simple.  No messing around.  Do this, this and this and you will produce this.  Done.

It was only then that cooking started to click for me.  Suddenly the world of cooking opened up to me.  How to cook the perfect rice?  TikTok.  How to make gravy from a roast chicken?  TikTok. 

Suddenly my chilli con carne were turned into enchiladas.  My bolognese turned into lasagna.  I made curries with sauce that was not from a jar.  My roast chicken turned into a full roast dinner.  I found an easy recipe for bread and successfully make a loaf on my first go.  

I tried, as had been first intention (though not so ambitious this time because - life) to cook something I had not tried before at least twice a month.  I started to make pies, went back to soups and found new combinations.  

I tried to stay away from the TikTok cooking trends, although I did try out the Boursain cheese pasta and can confirm it is actually delicious.

A couple of years down the line and I find that I don't stick to the recipes that much.  I still save TikTok recipes that I like when I stop them, but I no longer have to watch to reproduce.  

ChatGPT has been another fantastic source for cooking.  I tell it what I have in the fridge/freezer and it will suggest a meal for me.  It perfectly planned out the timings for my Christmas dinner this past year.  

If I make a mistake, ChatGPT will tell me how to fix it.

I recently started making my own lamb kebab rolls as I have a love for a doner kebab, but not so much ordering takeout and not knowing exactly what goes into them.  That progressed to making my own pizza.  I do cheat and buy the ready made pizza dough, but hell.  I work full time.  I do not have time to make my own pizza dough.  Maybe one day.

I have gone from a person who could not cook a thing, to someone who enjoys cooking, loves creating new things and is no longer scared of the kitchen.

There is no excuse now for anyone who says they cannot cook. The entire internet is at your disposal. You don't need a shelf full of cookbooks, a fancy kitchen or someone standing over you showing you what to do step by step.

You just need to find the way of learning that works for you.

For me, it was TikTok.

Forget cookbooks. TikTok raised me.