# Learn to cook a handful of basic meals from scratch

A beginner's learning plan of 8-10 foundational meals, the skills each teaches, and a starter kitchen kit.

- Topic: Learning & Teaching
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Plan, Explain & Teach, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/learn-to-cook-a-handful-of-basic-meals-from-scratch

## Prompt

```text
Teach me to cook, starting from almost nothing.

**My current level:** [e.g. "I can boil pasta and that's it"]
**Kitchen and budget:** [e.g. "shared dorm kitchen, one pan, $40/week for food"]
**Foods I like:** [CUISINES, FAVORITE DISHES]
**Dietary needs:** [e.g. "halal", "vegetarian", "lactose intolerant"]
**Time per week to practice:** [e.g. "3 evenings, 45 minutes each"]

Create:
1. A 4-week plan of 8-10 meals, ordered so each builds a new skill (e.g. knife basics, sautéing, roasting, cooking rice and eggs, a simple sauce, a soup, a one-pan dinner).
2. For each meal: why it's on the list, the skill it teaches, ingredients with amounts and rough cost, steps, and one variation so I don't get bored.
3. A minimal equipment list (must-have vs nice-to-have) and pantry staples to buy once.
4. Kitchen safety basics: knife handling, what to do with a grease fire (lid on, heat off, never water), handwashing and cross-contamination with raw meat, and safe internal temperatures.
5. A short "how to tell it's done" guide and common beginner mistakes.

Write like a patient friend. No jargon without a one-line explanation.
```

## What to fill in

- e.g. "I can boil pasta and that's it"
- e.g. "shared dorm kitchen, one pan, $40/week for food"
- CUISINES, FAVORITE DISHES
- e.g. "halal", "vegetarian", "lactose intolerant"
- e.g. "3 evenings, 45 minutes each"

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.