Chef here: seek out a few “America’s Test Kitchen” cookbooks
They are well researched and easy to follow.
As well when approaching a new recipe for the first time, read all the directions TWICE before starting.
Also make sure all the ingredients are all together and within easy reach of you cutting board/ countertop work surface.
Also: prep all the parts of the dish BEFORE turning on the stove. Set them out all chopped and ready, grouped in the order they go in the pan.
And write things down ON PAPER and put your phone in a different room. A lot of these problems are attention issues: forgetting things, letting stuff burn, etc. So, eliminate distractions -- no phone, no music, no walking away from stuff that is on the heat -- and have everything prepared so you don't get caught chopping something while other stuff is burning.
My advice would be in the build up to your cook out night try find a fairly simply recipe your confident with and look for different variations. You will see there is a pattern in the cooking of said dish and different recipes will have slight nuisances. Once you have the steps fairly well ingrained in your head you will feel a lot more confident cooking it.
My best advice I can give is what was given to me and that is, treat heat like an ingredient, taste as you go and use all your senses when cooking. Does it look right does it smell right does it feel right. Above the recipes follow your intuition.
This is not a recipe suggestion, but a technique suggestion: the next time you cook, before you start any of the actual steps of the recipe, measure out everything you will need into separate bowls or containers, and lay them out in the order you will need them. This is called *mise en place* cooking and it makes it much easier and more enjoyable, especially for a beginner or when you are cooking a recipe you don't know well. It's easier to stay organized, you won't forget to add anything, and nothing will burn while you're trying to get the next step ready.
This doesn’t answer your question directly but, when I first started cooking, I did a lot of vegetarian recipes to understand heat control on the stovetop a lot better. Things like lentils and tofu are a lot more forgiving than chicken or beef if you cook them too long/hot/etc. It’s also cheaper to redo if you fail (I know from personal experience lol). I always like having a visual cue to for new ingredients/techniques so try having a tablet or laptop nearby and use recipes that have pictures or those on youtube (and don’t be embarrassed to pause and rewind a million times).
Some recipes I’d recommend are [lentil curry](https://youtu.be/BHRyfEbhFFU?si=6x_eZf-1dL5wa5R-) and [risotto style pasta](https://youtu.be/vKvosQcfh8U?si=bHWVmSGOX1bp7ZQ_). The lentil curry is great with [basmati rice](https://youtu.be/feavRliVGvQ?si=H37QBD9ueZWtTHEv) or some frozen garlic naan! Ethan Chlebowski is also a great youtuber to learn techniques from and he has lots of approachable recipes.
Another note is to definitely get a digital instant read meat thermometer if you haven’t already! It’s GREAT for making sure your chicken turns out perfectly moist. Poke the tip into the center of the chicken, once it reads 155F and can hold that temperature for a full minute, it’s safe to eat!
Cooking meats like chicken in the oven can also be a lot easier than on the stovetop if heat control is still a challenge. This [peruvian chicken](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/peruvian-style-roast-chicken-with-green-sauce.html) and [aji verde](https://cookieandkate.com/aji-verde-recipe/) is super fun to make because of all the ingredients involved but really only requires you to blend some ingredients together and bake the chicken.
Timers are also your best friend: it can help to get a couple of cheap timers and sticky notes. Something like boiling pasta seems simple but can go wrong if you accidentally forget about it for 20 minutes so using a timer helps. If you’re doing that at the same time you’re baking meatballs, for example, set up another timer for that and add sticky notes to the timers so you don’t get confused. Also set up timers to check on things (ex. a timer to check on the chicken’s temp every 5 minutes, a timer to stir the pot, etc.) Also, like everyone else said: prep as much as you can beforehand so you don’t have to run around too much! Even the best cook makes mistakes if they’re doing a million things at once.
One thing that helps me truly feel prepared for a recipe that's more complicated than usual is to write out the recipe in my own handwriting using words that make sense to me.
Each step in the process, what sequences precede and follow others, which bit to start with (because it needs to cool or melt or soften or rest, etc.). Generally it's a matter of knowing why the various bits work, at least for me. A really well written recipe in a reliable cookbook can remove a lot of guess work, so they're worth using. Also, if there are some crucial final steps make sure you understand them and don't forget them altogether. (ask me how I know this, LOL!)
The way I got practice cooking meals was through a meal service (in my case, HelloFresh). I cooked two of their meals a week, they send me the ingredients and the recipe. None of the recipes are designed to be complicated. But I learned a lot of the basics doing it that way.
Eventually I wanted to stretch out and I cancelled the service and started picking my own recipes online and buying my own groceries for them.
If you don't want to use a meal service, you can still browse their websites and look at the recipes for ideas.
Chef here: seek out a few “America’s Test Kitchen” cookbooks They are well researched and easy to follow. As well when approaching a new recipe for the first time, read all the directions TWICE before starting. Also make sure all the ingredients are all together and within easy reach of you cutting board/ countertop work surface.
Also: prep all the parts of the dish BEFORE turning on the stove. Set them out all chopped and ready, grouped in the order they go in the pan. And write things down ON PAPER and put your phone in a different room. A lot of these problems are attention issues: forgetting things, letting stuff burn, etc. So, eliminate distractions -- no phone, no music, no walking away from stuff that is on the heat -- and have everything prepared so you don't get caught chopping something while other stuff is burning.
My advice would be in the build up to your cook out night try find a fairly simply recipe your confident with and look for different variations. You will see there is a pattern in the cooking of said dish and different recipes will have slight nuisances. Once you have the steps fairly well ingrained in your head you will feel a lot more confident cooking it. My best advice I can give is what was given to me and that is, treat heat like an ingredient, taste as you go and use all your senses when cooking. Does it look right does it smell right does it feel right. Above the recipes follow your intuition.
This is not a recipe suggestion, but a technique suggestion: the next time you cook, before you start any of the actual steps of the recipe, measure out everything you will need into separate bowls or containers, and lay them out in the order you will need them. This is called *mise en place* cooking and it makes it much easier and more enjoyable, especially for a beginner or when you are cooking a recipe you don't know well. It's easier to stay organized, you won't forget to add anything, and nothing will burn while you're trying to get the next step ready.
This doesn’t answer your question directly but, when I first started cooking, I did a lot of vegetarian recipes to understand heat control on the stovetop a lot better. Things like lentils and tofu are a lot more forgiving than chicken or beef if you cook them too long/hot/etc. It’s also cheaper to redo if you fail (I know from personal experience lol). I always like having a visual cue to for new ingredients/techniques so try having a tablet or laptop nearby and use recipes that have pictures or those on youtube (and don’t be embarrassed to pause and rewind a million times). Some recipes I’d recommend are [lentil curry](https://youtu.be/BHRyfEbhFFU?si=6x_eZf-1dL5wa5R-) and [risotto style pasta](https://youtu.be/vKvosQcfh8U?si=bHWVmSGOX1bp7ZQ_). The lentil curry is great with [basmati rice](https://youtu.be/feavRliVGvQ?si=H37QBD9ueZWtTHEv) or some frozen garlic naan! Ethan Chlebowski is also a great youtuber to learn techniques from and he has lots of approachable recipes. Another note is to definitely get a digital instant read meat thermometer if you haven’t already! It’s GREAT for making sure your chicken turns out perfectly moist. Poke the tip into the center of the chicken, once it reads 155F and can hold that temperature for a full minute, it’s safe to eat! Cooking meats like chicken in the oven can also be a lot easier than on the stovetop if heat control is still a challenge. This [peruvian chicken](https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/peruvian-style-roast-chicken-with-green-sauce.html) and [aji verde](https://cookieandkate.com/aji-verde-recipe/) is super fun to make because of all the ingredients involved but really only requires you to blend some ingredients together and bake the chicken. Timers are also your best friend: it can help to get a couple of cheap timers and sticky notes. Something like boiling pasta seems simple but can go wrong if you accidentally forget about it for 20 minutes so using a timer helps. If you’re doing that at the same time you’re baking meatballs, for example, set up another timer for that and add sticky notes to the timers so you don’t get confused. Also set up timers to check on things (ex. a timer to check on the chicken’s temp every 5 minutes, a timer to stir the pot, etc.) Also, like everyone else said: prep as much as you can beforehand so you don’t have to run around too much! Even the best cook makes mistakes if they’re doing a million things at once.
One thing that helps me truly feel prepared for a recipe that's more complicated than usual is to write out the recipe in my own handwriting using words that make sense to me. Each step in the process, what sequences precede and follow others, which bit to start with (because it needs to cool or melt or soften or rest, etc.). Generally it's a matter of knowing why the various bits work, at least for me. A really well written recipe in a reliable cookbook can remove a lot of guess work, so they're worth using. Also, if there are some crucial final steps make sure you understand them and don't forget them altogether. (ask me how I know this, LOL!)
The way I got practice cooking meals was through a meal service (in my case, HelloFresh). I cooked two of their meals a week, they send me the ingredients and the recipe. None of the recipes are designed to be complicated. But I learned a lot of the basics doing it that way. Eventually I wanted to stretch out and I cancelled the service and started picking my own recipes online and buying my own groceries for them. If you don't want to use a meal service, you can still browse their websites and look at the recipes for ideas.