Have you come across any good (or, better,) cookbooks or resources for simple and nutritious food? I'm about to go to college so it would be a great help
I have heard good things about Tim Ferriss' The Four Hour Chef, though I have not read it myself. What I like about it is that it seems to focus on the process of cooking, rather than giving you a list of recipes. It's about turning you into "someone who cooks" rather than documenting such and such recipe.
The rules of thumb, which I am paraphrasing from secondhand discussions about the book, are as follows:
1. Buy good ingredients.
2. Taste and smell as you go.
3. Herbs and spices are your friends.
4. Don't overcook.
I agree with all of them.
Here's the thing: cooking is a skill, like juggling or programming. Just knowing all the rules (techne) doesn't suffice to actually perform the act. You need to spend some time applying the principles to concrete situations (metis). The good news is that if you follow the above rules, you'll basically never make something inedible.
Another tip I can give you is to get familiar with substitution ingredients. Don't have any sour cream? Yogurt is probably fine.
Now, in direct contradiction with what I've been saying so far, let me share with you one of my favorite recipes that got me through my PhD. Cooking time: 10 mins.
INGREDIENTS:
1. 1 or two whole leeks, depending on how hungry you are
2. Sour cream (or whatever)
3. Bacon (or lardons, if you can find them, but seriously... whatever)
4. White wine (optional, but _really_ makes a difference. Prefer dry wine, but whatever.)
PREP:
1. Cut your leek in 1cm rings. Throw away the dark green part.
COOKING:
1. Cook your bacon until crispy, then crumble it and set it aside.
2. While the bacon is cooking, put some butter in a pan and cook your leeks until they're soft and slightly translucid (kinda like you would cook an onion). Don't sweat it; it's hard to fuck up.
3. Add bacon and sour cream. Stir.
4. Add white wine. Stir until you're happy with the consistency
You don't even need a cookbook, just take your time to learn how to use a frying pan and basic boiling in a pot skill.
Eg:
Plain pasta - cheap, extreamly energy dense, soggy if you overcook or don't use enough water (1L/100g dry w.)
Now chop the onion, saute until it's ready, drop the [the timed to cook, it's hard first three times] pasta in it for a 15-30 secs. BAM, a whole different meal.
Now the same, but add a grated carrots. BAM, a whole different meal.
The same but add tomatos OR tomate paste: BAM, whole two new meals.
Now replace pasta with a boiled or fried potatoes: BAM, 8 more meals.
Replace/add frozen vegetables - BAM... well, you know, more meals.
Just learn how to time, not using American anounts of oil and when it is time to get the pan or pot of the heat.
