by Ann Major

Created on: August 30, 2011   Last Updated: May 02, 2012

The best way to learn to cook is to dive right in and get your feet wet. These days, with an infinite array of ready-made accompaniments, it is possible for a person to take an easy and simple approach to learning how to cook, utilizing these helpful ingredients in putting together a dish, plus, spend the least amount of time in the kitchen, and, without the help of a cookbook.

Like any worthwhile endeavor, it does take time to learn how to cook properly, well enough so people will eat your food and even proffer a few compliments along the way. Initially, you can prepare a few dishes without opening a cookbook. These days, with a plethora of cooking shows on television; an infinite array of cookbooks available on the market; online recipes to titillate any taste palate; it is possible to be a decent cook or a pretty good one, depending on how much time and effort you want to put forth.

Easy Cook

For a single person, a college student, even a family of four, cooking with a can of soup is both easy and cost-effective, where meals can be had for $5-$10. Even though this writer is not endorsing Campbell's Soup, this company has made it a point in the past half decade of perfecting recipes where their soups could be incorporated into an easy, quick, and delicious meal for the family.

With an arsenal of soups in your pantry( tomato, cream of chicken/celery/asparagus/mushroom,etc.) you are on your way to being the casserole or skillet king or queen of the kitchen. All that is needed for main ingredients are meat/poultry, vegetables, and perhaps pasta or rice. The only time required is for sauteeing or browning the meat, or boiling up pasta before putting it all together. The rest is easy to assemble, placed in the oven for an hour, and a delicious dish is prepared, with less than a half hour in the kitchen. That is one of the best ways for a novice cook to learn, along with positive reinforcement.

Simple Cook

If you are a person who does not mind peeling, cutting, and chopping, making a stir-fry is one of the simplest methods in learning how to cook. The secret of stir-fries is to keep the wok continually hot, and to keep the ingredients moving  in the pan. The three taste enhancers of stir-fry are chopped onions for sweetness, minced garlic for pungency, or chopped ginger for a bit of tang. Other than that, for seasoning, the choice can be soy/oyster/teriyaky sauce, plus a few drops of sesame oil. A cup of water and a mixture of water and cornstarch will

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