>want to try cooking something new

>look up recipe online

>seems quite simple

>follow instruction

>come out half decent despite numerous failure

>eating it wasn't even worth the money, time or effort it took to create

>get demoralized and go back to cooking the few dishes I'm comfortable with

>>19209295 (OP)

There's one and only one right answer: practice.

>want to cook dish

>look up recipe online

>requires specialized ingredients I'm unlikely to use

>only sold in bigger portions than required

>buy them anyways, tell myself I'll cook a second batch soon enough

>cook the dish

>eat it

>don't feel like making it again ever

>>19209295 (OP)

It sounds like you have a low IQ. It's possible to still be good at things but it's going to take you more effort than normal. My recommendation would be to stick to just a few things that you really love so you have enough time to do them well.

>>19209295 (OP)

used to do this but it helps to understand why cooks do the things they do

i watched one or two videos of chef jean pierre and he told me that you gotta simmer the acidity out of tomatoes by leaving it uncovered, and that garlic should usually be added in at the end of the cooking process to preserve the flavour. one of the best ways i found to improve cooking is to incorporate new-ish techniques in recipes you already know how to cook.

>>19209295 (OP)

Cook a lot and actually pay attention to your fuckups.

I know we talk a lot of shit on this board, but generally we will actually point out your mistakes if you post your cooking here. I.e. if you you using too low heat or cooking for too long etc.

Look up some instructional videos on Youtube even for VERY basic shit that you might think you know already; chopping an onion, making tomato sauce, boiling rice etc.

Learning the really basic shit will give you a very good start on the more advanced things because you will develop an understanding of how cooking actually works. You gotta learn how to crawl before you can walk.

And make some french onion soup. Good and cheap (and delicious) way to practice both your knifing and cooking.

Look up different variations of the dish. Sometimes this is a hint to what some of the pitfalls are. The shit just takes practice, too. Getting an idea of how ingredients interact is part of that. Not all flour has the same protein content. Not all tomatoes have the same acid content. Meats are all over the place in moisture and fat content. Onions differ drastically by breed and size... One brand of olive oil will vary from another... and on and on. Experience and practice.... and I'm no expert.

Patience my friend, patience. Let the pan pre heat properly, don't stir too often, but don't let things burn. Don't forget to taste and season as you cook.

good job OP, you finally figured out that food is just fuel and nothing more

>>19209295 (OP)

I'm like this.

Now I just subsist on rice and beans because it's low-effort and nutritionally complete.

On the rare occasion I do feel the need to venture out of my comfort zone and try making something new, I manage to fuck it up and feel worse than I would if I hadn't tried at all.

And because it's so infrequent, I don't learn to improve.
