You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Skip to contentSkip to site index

Learn to Cook (and ❤️ It)
in 10 Easy Dishes

Build confidence in the kitchen with these delicious recipes.

By Nikita Richardson

We all have to start somewhere. That’s the inspiration behind this small but mighty collection of recipes for absolute beginners. We’re talking can-hardly-boil-water beginners. Maybe you just graduated from college and are on your own for the first time, or perhaps you never quite got the hang of cooking. Not to worry! These dishes — ranging from a no-cook tuna mayo rice bowl to oven-roasted chicken thighs with potatoes and lemons — are a fantastic place to start. Because no one wakes up one day and can suddenly, say, run a marathon or, in this case, cook.

Image
For these recipes, all you need are a few basic tools: a wooden spoon, a rubber spatula, a knife, a cutting board, a nonstick skillet, a sheet pan and a saucepan.Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times

But anyone can make something good to eat. With a little help from our Cooking columnists Melissa Clark, Genevieve Ko and Eric Kim, you’ll become the cook you always wanted to be: a confident one. Start with the recipes below, which are ordered from easiest to hardest. With practice, repetition and patience, you’ll not only develop a set of skills that you can apply to other New York Times Cooking recipes, but you’ll have 10 delicious dishes under your belt worth cooking on repeat.

Image
Eric Kim turns a can of tuna into an easy-to-riff-on lunch or dinner. Here, the mix is topped with black sesame seeds.Credit...Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

You’d be amazed by how much great cooking you can do without ever turning on the stove. Take this tuna mayo rice bowl: All you need is canned tuna, your favorite mayo, leftover rice and whatever you want to sprinkle on top. Sesame seeds add a nutty little crunch; roasted seaweed, such as nori or furikake, offer crispy saltiness; and scallions bring a delightful freshness. Think of it as a blank canvas and get creative.

Recipe: Tuna Mayo Rice Bowl

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT