WHAT omg i had no idea!! That makes me so happy, i thought i was going to have to buy all new pans when i upgraded and just make some thrifter very happy with my old ones. Holy crap, thank you stranger!

Induction cooktops conduct heat via magnets, so they require metal on the pans. The le creusets are enameled cast iron so I don’t think they’ll work on an induction top. I believe they technically can, but I can’t imagine the conduction would be as strong through the enamel coating.

My le creusets! I have a braising pan and a Dutch oven and honestly they’re just perfect. Use them for nearly every meal, have had them for about 7 years now and got the Dutch oven as a gift. Not sure what I’ll do when we someday upgrade to an induction stove top… cry, I guess.

Equally loved is my Zojirushi rice cooker. I make rice daily and literally nothing else I’ve ever had can compete with it.

Marinara Ingredients: Oil Onions Crushed tomatoes Italian seasoning Pasta (+water for cooking) Instructions: Make pasta according to instructions, sauté onions in pan, add tomatoes and seasoning, simmer for a bit, add pasta noodles. Tasted better than anything pre made, easy to make right for beginners, and can grow with your skill. Add toppings like cheese, replace pasta water with chicken stock, add a bay leaf, add a dash of sugar and a little sliver of butter… I didn’t include garlic because of minimizing ingredients and the onion is more important for texture but garlic (fresh minced or bought in the little jars) can go a long way to improving this.

Lemon basil pasta Ingredients: Lemon juice (fresh squeezed is great in the winter, but honestly just a bottle of it works fine. Obviously you get the quality you pay for) Butter Pasta (+water for cooking) Basil Onion Instructions: Add butter to pan, melt it up till it’s all bubbly and delicious, add onions and sauté. Once those are nice and soft, add pasta noodles, basil and lemon juice. Pro tip: add a little of the water from your pasta. The starches help thicken the sauce. Just like a tablespoon at a time. Or don’t and it’s still good.

This one’s also easy to make, improved by garlic and chicken stock, and can grow with you. I like to add asparagus, bell pepper, garlic and sometimes finish it off with some arugula and fresh grated parm.

Better instant noodles Ingredients: Instant ramen packet Egg Green onion Tofu (or a protein of your choice, I like tofu) Instructions: Take a ramen packet, cook in a shallow pan with a little less of the water. Cube or thinly slice your tofu, slice your green onion how you like and add it on top. Once noodles soften, crack an egg on top, place a lid on the pan and turn the heat down a bit. Cook until the egg is the doneness you like. Eat directly out of the pan over the stove at 4am like a goblin.

Idk if you count salt and pepper as ingredients but I would recommend cooking with both.

Happy cooking!

Not sure if this one’s been said yet, but potato gnocchi and tomato sauce is easy and cheap. Some recipes require egg yolk, but I’ve seen it done without it. Basically potatoes, flour, egg yolk (or a binder of some kind, but eggs can be found cheap at bargain groceries around me) and salt. It takes some time, but it makes for a pleasant meal without a lot of skill or expense required. Get yourself a jar of premade sauce or a can of diced tomatoes with some salt and pepper to top it with. Italian seasoning if you can spring for it.

My grandma would make us potato fritters when I was young and we didn’t have much money. Basically just hashbrowns fried with some salt and pepper with a bucket of salsa on top. You can also find powdered milk for things like mashed potatoes. Hope this helps!

A lot of people have already commented, but let me add to the masses: soup with frozen veggies can be a total life saver. I was just sick and tossed in basically my whole freezers worth of frozen veggies over the last two weeks. I like to do some meal prep when I’m feeling good and freeze some of my better veggies, but I had bags of corn, squash and sweet potatoes and made chili out of it. Just chucked the whole bag frozen solid into the mix and cooked till it was thawed. I’ve done the same for smoothies when I’ve got some left over bits to use up. But I like green smoothies a lot, so I’m not sure that helps the average cook.

I’d add casseroles work well with some frozen veggies as well, but you have to be weary of the water content. Other than those three, I don’t think I’d use most frozen veggies for anything else. Maybe edamame with stir fry, but I can’t think of any other exception. Too mushy/watery.

Definitely like to cook something new whenever I’m either just a little hungry or I can eat while I’m cooking. For example, I tried making a mango salsa the other day and was able to snack on the mango while I was slicing everything else.

Also depends how big the new thing is though. If I’m attempting a whole new dinner recipe, I’d almost rather make it in the middle of the day when I’m not hungry at all and definitely am not ready to eat dinner. Lots of time to both clean up a disaster and fix something different for dinner without being hangry. But something small and easily replaceable, or doesn’t have a ton of cleanup? Whatever. Any times fine for that.

Thanks! I’m on an upward trend, but still pretty much cooking at a basic level. I love soy sauce and have tons of mushrooms so I’ll give this a try!

Oh, I’ve got Shaoxing wine and some sherry. Had no idea that’s how they were made. Thanks for sharing!

What is a dry yeasted cooking alcohol? I’ve got nutritional yeast and baking yeast, but I’ve never heard of dry yeasted alcohol

That and a VERY sharp knife

Not sure if this counts, but the way I chop my onions and garlic changed after watching a Joshua Weissman video on it. Leaving the end on to hold it all together while I chop was so genius I don’t even remember how I chopped them before. Especially easier to thinly slice onions. Also learning my spices so I can spice mostly by smell. Makes it easier when I’m experimenting to just smell the pan and know which spice I should add to make it taste better.

I think ive seen a sign for that while I’m out! thanks for the tip!

I have never heard of water kefir, just the bottled raspberry kefir I see next to milk. Where can I find these grains?

I was considering that, but I wasn’t sure how useful they are? Like, it seemed that people either swear they worked or said they were the equivalent of praying to the old gods for better digestion. Figured food was probably a more reliable path.

I believe I did as a very young child. 10/10 would recommend all kids to eat.

This is the most hilarious comment I’ve seen lol I might have to try more kefir products. I can’t really stomach the texture of drinking cream, but I also haven’t tried nearly as much as I have yogurt products

This is really interesting, I’ve never heard of it. I’ll give it a try, though I’m not big on creamy drinks. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted saffron before.

I absolutely love kimchi, but the only brand in the stores near me always feels kind of mushy and wimpy. But I get a jar of the Seoul (I think?) brand whenever I go into the city and can stop by Asian grocery stores.

Oh! I never thought about whisking it. I love mousse, I’ll have to try that. Thanks!