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Learn to Cook
5 Reasons You Should Learn To Cook!
You will be richer. Dude, it’s fucking expensive to be going to restaurants all the time, especially if you’re dating someone and you gotta pay for two people. A home cooked meal is way more impressive to most people than a strange place with dim lighting and a jazz band. Just light some candles in your apartment, put on some Hootie, and make some spaghetti and meat balls. Done! For like a quarter of the cost of Olive Garden.
You will be healthier. Even if you aren’t eating at McDonald’s every day, you still can’t ever really know what you are eating unless you watched it get made. At any restaurant, you have very little control over what you are putting into your body. Own your body and take responsibility for feeding it well.
You will get laid more. Cooking good food is sexy.
You will feel more like a grown-up human being. Cooking food is a basic human activity that adults should to be able to do. Like driving a car, handling liquor, and holding down a job.
You will be more independent. Depending on someone else for sustenance is like having to pay for air AND leave your house to get it three times a day.
You may not think you are a “natural cook”. I maintain that all that means is that you didn’t grow up doing it every day. If you’d been playing piano every day since you were 5, you’d be a bad ass right now, not because you’re a “natural” but because you learned how to do it. Even if you’ve never cooked, you can still start now and be awesome at it pretty quickly. You don’t require any innate talent to be a good cook some day soon.
Lots of people have told me they’ve tried teaching themselves to cook from regular cookbooks. It doesn’t seem to work so well. There’s a ton of unfamiliar terminology and it’s intimidating. But, whatever. You can do this. I’ll teach you the words and techniques you need to know to cook basic meals.
You will be richer. Dude, it’s fucking expensive to be going to restaurants all the time, especially if you’re dating someone and you gotta pay for two people. A home cooked meal is way more impressive to most people than a strange place with dim lighting and a jazz band. Just light some candles in your apartment, put on some Hootie, and make some spaghetti and meat balls. Done! For like a quarter of the cost of Olive Garden.
You will be healthier. Even if you aren’t eating at McDonald’s every day, you still can’t ever really know what you are eating unless you watched it get made. At any restaurant, you have very little control over what you are putting into your body. Own your body and take responsibility for feeding it well.
You will get laid more. Cooking good food is sexy.
You will feel more like a grown-up human being. Cooking food is a basic human activity that adults should to be able to do. Like driving a car, handling liquor, and holding down a job.
You will be more independent. Depending on someone else for sustenance is like having to pay for air AND leave your house to get it three times a day.
You may not think you are a “natural cook”. I maintain that all that means is that you didn’t grow up doing it every day. If you’d been playing piano every day since you were 5, you’d be a bad ass right now, not because you’re a “natural” but because you learned how to do it. Even if you’ve never cooked, you can still start now and be awesome at it pretty quickly. You don’t require any innate talent to be a good cook some day soon.
Lots of people have told me they’ve tried teaching themselves to cook from regular cookbooks. It doesn’t seem to work so well. There’s a ton of unfamiliar terminology and it’s intimidating. But, whatever. You can do this. I’ll teach you the words and techniques you need to know to cook basic meals.
308 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 30, 2011
this book is badass. my house has never smelled better at dinnertime! and my dude and i get to eat awesome meals at night instead of spaghetti. it is really accessible for the sort-of-know-how-to cook that wants to learn to cook for other people. you will find really practical things in here like how to plan for trips to the grocery store and breakfast taco recipes. these are recipes that you will want to cook when you get home from work because they aren't insanely complicated or daunting.
she's from austin, so i might be biased, but damn, this book is useful, funny, and inspiring. she has some videos on her website which are fun to watch.
if you already cook everyday, this might not be the golden cookbook for you, but it's worth getting for her witty comments alone.
she's from austin, so i might be biased, but damn, this book is useful, funny, and inspiring. she has some videos on her website which are fun to watch.
if you already cook everyday, this might not be the golden cookbook for you, but it's worth getting for her witty comments alone.
November 19, 2017
Most fun cookbook ever because she makes it accessible and fuss-free. Also, she said doohickey, butthole, and other hilarious things that your inner 8-year old will enjoy.
Highly recommend this book if you're trying to get back to cooking or a if you're a complete beginner. But I think just go ahead and get this book because Hilah is funny. Oh and you should probably subscribe to her YouTube channel.
Highly recommend this book if you're trying to get back to cooking or a if you're a complete beginner. But I think just go ahead and get this book because Hilah is funny. Oh and you should probably subscribe to her YouTube channel.
January 1, 2016
Whatever the age, there's still time to learn to cook by reading Learn to Cook by Hilah Johnson. My culinary abilities don't stray far from heating something frozen in the microwave or oven, but having read this book, I feel more comfortable trying out new recipes. Johnson's writing has a delightful witty and humorous way of teaching a person cooking terms and food preparation. Her recipes are clear and easy to read, and there are quite a few I can't wait to try out and eat. If you want to learn to cook and have fun reading, I highly recommend Hilah Johnson's Learn to Cook.
January 18, 2025
A fun read with useful information about cooking!
It’s not that I don’t know how to cook, I just find it intimidating. There’s techniques I haven’t mastered and general knowledge I haven’t learned. This book was hilarious and fun. AND…it actually was useful! I will be honest the recipes aren’t for me but it’s to do with the first question she poses at the beginning of the book. “What kind of cook do you want to be?”. By reading this book, I feel more confident about the cook I want to be and the recipes I am looking to cook. Thanks Hilah!
It’s not that I don’t know how to cook, I just find it intimidating. There’s techniques I haven’t mastered and general knowledge I haven’t learned. This book was hilarious and fun. AND…it actually was useful! I will be honest the recipes aren’t for me but it’s to do with the first question she poses at the beginning of the book. “What kind of cook do you want to be?”. By reading this book, I feel more confident about the cook I want to be and the recipes I am looking to cook. Thanks Hilah!
October 1, 2019
This was a good book with plenty of cooking tips. Just wish there were more photos, especially with the recipes.
May 15, 2026
Fanfic stand in
May 8, 2013
Liked it.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews