r/cookingforbeginners • • Nov 07 '25

Modpost Potential new rule - No Apps. Seeking community feedback

150 Upvotes

Greetings Community.

How do you feel about people sharing apps, looking for app development feedback, that kind of thing, within this community.

A lot of it is on the borderline of what is acceptable with our current rules (self-promotion not being allowed, no AI etc)

For me personally, it’s not what I think of as within the scope of this community. This place is somewhere for beginners to ask real people questions and for real people to answer. There are other subreddits for app sharing/recommendations/development.

And ultimately, advice for beginner cooks should not be “download an app”.

There is also the fact that most of these apps being promoted here are using AI to scrape existing recipes or create new recipes, and that is not something we allow here at all.

But maybe I’m just old fashioned. So I seek community feedback before updating the rules. Please leave a reply below if you have strong opinions either way.


r/cookingforbeginners • • Mar 27 '25

Modpost Quick Questions

33 Upvotes

Do you have a quick question about cooking? Post it here!


r/cookingforbeginners • • 5h ago

Question Is the chicken safe to cook?

5 Upvotes

I bought raw chicken tenders from the food store Monday around 4pm. They have been in my refrigerator since. Is it safe to cook them on Wednesday evening? Or should I throw out and buy new? Unfortunately I haven’t had time to cook and won’t until then.


r/cookingforbeginners • • 11h ago

Question Suggestions?

16 Upvotes

My husband is really sick right now and on a liquid diet.

What can I make for myself that won’t smell super strong? I want to be considerate and not make it worse for him 😅

Also worth noting- he is blind so his sense of smell is something he is hyper aware of


r/cookingforbeginners • • 8h ago

Question Why did the crust for my air-fried chicken drumsticks always fall off?

3 Upvotes

I did all the steps, from marinading them overnight, shaking them in the flour (2 times, with one dip again), dabbed oil onto them (I don't have an oil sprayer so I used a paper towel), and then air-fried them for 24 minutes in 200*C, and I turned their sides. I already preheated the air fryer too.

But the chicken always come out with the crust stufk to the bottom, and when I pull them out, they just lose that patch? I mean not like everything falls off, but just that patch in the bottom.

And that point, the drumsticks appear charred already. What did I do wrong?


r/cookingforbeginners • • 11h ago

Question how do i toast spices

3 Upvotes

i seen videos on youtube you put it in a hot medium hot pan i get that but irl in real life whats it supposed to look or smell like how i know its toasted idk i have no reference point


r/cookingforbeginners • • 5h ago

Question Developing a cooking guide app, looking for advice!

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

First off, I hope this post is ok. I checked the rules, it seems like it is, but... Anyway!

I'm a software engineer with a passion for cooking and baking, and recently I've been developing an app to solve some issues I had with existing recipe/cooking guide apps.

It is definitely not yet ready to be shared, but I've been personally testing it for a few weeks and, at least in my experience, it's being extremely helpful. So much so that I'm actually thinking it might be worth sharing after some polishing.

The main features it has as of now are:

\- ingredient quantities are not only in the ingredient list at the top, but can be inserted into the recipe steps themselves, including fractions. Quantity in both ingredient list and recipe steps automatically scales with the required portions.

I hated having to keep scrolling up and down to double-check quantities.

- timers are integrated in the app, directly into the recipe steps themselves.

No more going back and forth between the recipe and timer app, or relying on remembering the right time by watching the kitchen clock.

- "focus mode", which presents you one step at a time, and has awareness of what can be done and what has to wait for a previous step (so long as the recipe is written correctly).

So I'm here to ask you all your opinions to improve it even more.

  1. Do you use apps when cooking or baking? If you don't, assuming you didn't find any that is good enough, what were they missing for you to consider?

  2. If you use apps: what are the features you like? And more importantly: what features do you wish the app had?

Thank you! I will share the app in the future. If you're interested, feel free to ask me anything!


r/cookingforbeginners • • 13h ago

Video what is garlic oyster gravy sauce and how do i make it for thick chinese veggies

5 Upvotes

https://www.youtube DOT com/shorts/Jq64R5v8i2g

like she do


r/cookingforbeginners • • 16h ago

Question When cooking Soffritto for Bolognese, what color should i be looking for in the veggies?

4 Upvotes

My experiences with frying veggies are limited to sauteeing them, and usually until they are brown. Am i supposed to do that with Soffritto too, or should they be cooked milder before mixing with the beef and other stuff?


r/cookingforbeginners • • 21h ago

Question Cooking frozen beef

5 Upvotes

This might be a stupid question or something really obvious but basically when i went home my mum made a bunch of taco mince beef for me, we later made some tacos and froze some portions of the beef separately.

Now im back at uni and i realised i dont know how too re-cook the beef, do i put it in a pot/pan or air fry it or what 🧍🏼‍♀️
This might be a really stupid question and i hope i worded it right 😓
Thanks for any help!!


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Recipe A cooking hack for dressing…

10 Upvotes

It’s time to prepare for holiday cooking. My aunt taught me this:
From now until it is time to make make the dressing, do not toss out leftover or stale bread. No matter what type it is… biscuits, cornbread, toast/untoasted sandwich bread, rolls, etc. Put it into a ziplock and freeze it.

Thaw and use it for your stuffing along with:
Fresh celery, onion, garlic and bell pepper, chopped.
Broth
Sugar (a tiny bit)
Pepper
Sage
Butter

Optional:
Boiled, chopped giblets


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question Beans and lentils

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7 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Request Best Burger Patty Recipe?

14 Upvotes

Hi all! I am on the quest to make the yummiest burger, like burgermaster or from a restaurant where it is flavorful.

I have only had homemade burgers from my dad that are always a little thick, random spots of hot oil, and just doesn’t taste the same.

My dad usually just shapes the patties by hand, then puts salt and pepper on the outside and that’s it.

I only have a kitchen stove so I’m going to be cooking my burgers on a cast iron.

I found this recipe: https://www.aspicyperspective.com/best-hamburger-patty-recipe/

But I have seen people don’t believe in mixing in the spices or adding bread crumbs. Does this make a hamburger sauce the secret enhancer?

Please give me your best tips and favorite recipes/ways to make a hamburger patty!


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question First time living alone

12 Upvotes

Hey, any ingredient recommendations and/or recipes? I’ve mastered home made pizza, Mac and cheese, butter chicken, and taco nights. But well that’s not gonna help me live forever.


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question New to Vanilla Extract Making, am I doing this right?

2 Upvotes

So I recently discovered the wonders of making vanilla extract and how low maintenance and easy it was to make since I realised I've been using ones from supermarkets or buying them online but never really...noticing it in recipes I make.

So I did some research and a bit of planning to find the standard way or just cutting beans in half and putting them in a glass jar with vodka.

Although the vodka I used was 37.5% not the usual 80 Proof 40% since it was harder to find. I heard from videos that the minimum is 35% to extract so I didn't think it would be much of an issue.

Sorry if my calculation is odd I just took reference from a creator called FoodParables.

2 Litres of 37.5 Triple filtered Vodka

40 Vanilla Grade A Madagascar pods

Wanted to ask to access my mind if I did something wrong


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question what to do with so many apples?

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5 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question Can I pre-prep my seasoned vegetables for air frying?

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2 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners • • 21h ago

Question why does my pasta always stick together when i drain it

0 Upvotes

i've tried rinsing it after draining but it still clumps up into this sad pasta brick. am i supposed to do something while it's cooking or is this just a me problem? would tossing it with butter or oil right away actually help or is that a myth


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question Ideas for cooking grouper?

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5 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question I do not know anything about pumpkins. Please help?

1 Upvotes

I have a perpetual stew going on. I was given this pumpkin as a gift…are they safe to eat when they’re this small? Is there a certain “firmness” I should look for? Will it be ok to add to my stew? Is the peel safe to eat? I am lost on this ingredient. https://imgur.com/a/JlF3TBD


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question Letting fish marinate overnight and fries in water overnight

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2 Upvotes

r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question How can I improve my chili

2 Upvotes

So I got the recipe from a coworker a long time ago. And I like it.
It’s 30.5oz of quick chili mix
1lb of ground turkey
And 24 oz of mild salsa
I do sometimes add a little brown sugar because I can’t handle acidic food that well

I’m taking to a family’s house for Halloween. Just want to know what u guys would add

I also at shredded cheese and sour cream, but that’s obviously at the end when it’s in a bowl.


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question How do I keep my seasonings from being washed off by oil or sauces?

4 Upvotes

I just fried some tofu in oil added some basic seasonings (Tony and onion salt) but as I flipped the tofu in the pan, I guess all the seasoning came off because I barely taste any of it. I put a good amount on it.

This happens when I use vinaigrette a lot as well if I put salt/pepper on my salad, mixing it with a dressing seems to remove the seasoning


r/cookingforbeginners • • 1d ago

Question two ways to finish a basic pasta dinner

0 Upvotes

for a basic pasta dinner, is it easier to cook the pasta separately and mix in the sauce, or finish it in the sauce with a little pasta water? the second sounds like fewer dishes, but is it harder to get right?


r/cookingforbeginners • • 2d ago

Question Stainless steel pan

2 Upvotes

I've got a new stainless steel pan from ikea. I always thought i didn't need to prep these but on the ikea website there is a video showing that I need to prep it. (Oil it, bake in oven and repeat 2 times). Do i really need to do this or can I just use it as is?