We can’t all be geniuses in the kitchen, even if we’ve watched the new season of The Bear. But people like cooking at home. In fact, 75% of Americans make something to eat themselves at least three times a week. Sadly, 28% also say they don’t know how to cook.
Luckily, it’s not something people are born with. It’s a skill we can all learn. To make it easier, we have some cool and simple picture-based guides for you here. They’re all about food and cooking, as shared by the good people of the Cool Guides subreddit. Feel like a beginner in the kitchen? Check these out, and let us know which ones were the most helpful!
#1 Not Sure If This Counts Because There Aren’t Actually Words, But I Just Think The Life Cycle Of A Strawberry Is Neat
Image credits: mexicaitlin
#2 How To Pick The Right Watermelon
Image credits: Atomic_Panda95
#3 A Cool Guide
Image credits: kunalkrishh
There are many necessary life skills people complain that they're not taught in school. Doing your taxes is one people mention a lot in these types of discussions. I'd say that cooking is also a pretty necessary one. Yet, a survey in 2013 revealed that 28% of Americans say they can't cook.
Granted, some schools around the world include cooking education and classes in their curriculum. The UK, for example, has The Cooking and Nutrition Curriculum. The purpose of these classes, as stated by them, is to teach children "how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating."
#4 When To Boil Water To Cook Vegetables
Image credits: tupacwolverine
#5 A Cool Guide To Japanese Gastronomy Prefixes And Suffixes
Image credits: Mujer_Arania
#6 Burger Joint In Town
Image credits: erikhenao32
But cooking is not just about making something delicious for yourself. Food literacy includes being informed about nutrition and making healthy diet choices in general. According to Monique Tello, MD, MPH, cooking at home can improve diet quality, prevent obesity and type 2 diabetes, and help people lose weight in general.
In fact, there has been evidence that cooking classes can help patients with type 2 diabetes manage their condition just as well as medication can. When people learn to cook for themselves, they eat less highly processed food and lower their sodium intake. "Hard to believe it, but time in the kitchen can be as valuable as medication for some people with diabetes," Tello writes.
#7 How To Open A Lime!
Image credits: Longjumping-Ad-7241
#8 Apples On A Scale From Most Tart To Most Sweet
Image credits: surfinmozart
#9 Do You Want To Raise Your Cooking Game? Learning About Aromatics Will Help Massively
Image credits: pretty_miss99
We all eat – that's true for everyone in one way or another. Food is literally the sustenance of life, yet it can also make us pretty sick if we don't eat the right way. But do people actually know how to eat healthy? People say they want to eat healthily, as they opt for products with labels such as "multigrain," "sugar-free," and "organic."
#10 A Quick Guide To Tea!
Image credits: Relojero
#11 This Is How To Measure Rice (Asian Style)
Image credits: aespadax
#12 Know Your Coffee Bean
Image credits: ssigea
However, most people seriously overestimate the healthiness of their diet. A 2022 study found that the majority of people (85% of the participants) inaccurately assess the quality of their diet. " It's mostly those who perceive their diet as poor who are able to accurately assess their diet," the study's lead author Jessica Thomson, PhD, said.
#13 A Cool Guide About Eggs
Image credits: TealZoe
#14 Banana Ripeness Guide
Image credits: pauladams0
#15 Know Your Coffee
Image credits: khayalipulao
For years, the main point of reference for a healthy diet was the food pyramid. I'm a '90s baby, but even I grew up thinking grains were the building block of a healthy and nutritious diet. The USDA food pyramid has actually undergone quite a journey: created in 1992 and updated in 2005 to MyPyramid, now it seems to have disappeared completely.
#16 Onion Use Guide
Image credits: DonRastamanLV
#17 I Bet This Is Beautiful For Pan Crust
Image credits: baldlythread48
#18 A Cool Guide To Spoons
Image credits: _Mr_Serious
The problem with the original food pyramid was that it had little nuance. Yes, grains are an essential part of a well-rounded diet, but only if they are whole and unrefined. The same goes for fats; the original pyramid urged people to use it "sparingly" and ignored the benefits of plant-based fats, like eating avocado.
#19 Cake
Image credits: PuzzledLifeguard
#20 A Restaurant Guide For How You Want Your Steak Cooked
Image credits: madairman
#21 A Cool Guide To KFC's Secret Recipe?
Image credits: Substantial-Chef5102
The old food pyramid also didn't differentiate between healthy and unhealthy proteins. Fish, poultry, and beans were grouped together with red meat and processed meat. Dairy was also overemphasized as a healthy food group, whereas now we know it can contribute to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
#22 Cook The Perfect Egg
Image credits: girasoles_de_fuego
#23 A Cool Guide For Pumpkins/Squash Made By My Girlfriend In Preparation For Halloween, Hope You Enjoy!
Image credits: alpevado
#24 A Cool Guide To Summer Fruit Bakes
Image credits: Background-Ad7590
The pyramid's upgrade, the MyPyramid project, was too vague, according to Harvard's School of Public Health. They emphasized the importance of physical activity, veggies were almost as important as grains, but oils were still demonized and there were no explanations about wholegrains and dairy.
#25 Cool Potato Guide For Beginners
Image credits: LesPaltaX
#26 A Cool Guide To Place Settings
Image credits: ShadowMosesss
#27 A Cool Guide To Dried Chilis From Cooks Country
Image credits: SlimKhakiCinema
Today, the USDA food pyramid is actually a plate, similar to a pie chart. The biggest chunks are dedicated to vegetables and grains, with foods and protein taking second place. Dairy is off to the side, emphasizing that it has to be low-fat or fat-free.
Harvard University has its own version of the plate. It's similar to USDA's, but they stress the importance of wholegrains, healthy protein, healthy oils, water, and staying active.
#28 A Cool Guide To Melons
Image credits: Mofomania
#29 A Cool Guide To Choose The Right Salt
Image credits: NoLuckChuck-
#30 Best Rated Cheese Dishes
Image credits: L0o0o0o0o0o0L
In the end, there's no ultimate guide about healthy eating, as health and science journalist Kristen V. Brown writes for Bloomberg. "The truth is that we are still learning about what makes people lose, gain and maintain weight. And as we learn, the guidelines will probably change, too."
#31 The Only Wine Chart You'll Ever Need
Image credits: sarwhlr
#32 Vegetable Cooking Times
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#33 A Cool Guide To How To Cook Different Kinds Of Rice
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#34 Cooking Conversions
Image credits: yogabbagabapin
#35 From An Old New Hampshire Cook Book!
Image credits: gloriagaseous
#36 A Cool Guide To Eggplant Varieties
Image credits: Donghoon
#37 A Cool Guide To Banana Types
Image credits: Mofomania
#38 16 Different Ways To Cook A Turkey
Image credits: jaxsondeville
#39 Ok Now You Know
Image credits: nineinchrain
#40 Cooking Oil Smoke Points
Image credits: Necroboner
#41 A Cool Guide Of What 1500 Calories Look Like At The Most Famous Fast Food Restaurants
Image credits: Mindless_Trick_8048
#42 Salmon Cuts Guide From My Grocery Store
Image credits: Mexicannut
#43 A Cool Guide To Sushi Etiquette
Image credits: ThreeDrawersDown
#44 How To Cook Bacons
Image credits: AndyTDL
#45 A Cool Guide I Found About Cooking Steak In Landers
Image credits: Illustrious_Ear_1394
#46 Donut & Wine Pairings
Image credits: Lynris
#47 Guide To Types Of Fiddleheads For Cooking
Image credits: mister_record
#48 Fried Eggs By Fat Used, Pan Type, And How Fully Cooked!
Image credits: Ok-General-1544
#49 A Cool Guide For Air Frying
Image credits: edb427
#50 A Cool Guide To The Cooking Oils
Image credits: giuliomagnifico
