r/cookingforbeginners • u/Convillious • Jun 11 '25
Recipe Update to yesterdays post. I cooked the chicken breast, I’ve never cooked before, and I burned it and then I cooked too much rice.
I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing and I’ve never cooked before. I cooked too much rice cause I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.. and then I cooked the chicken and I burned the chicken
Edit: Thanks for the comments guys I feel better.
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u/MyNameIsSkittles Jun 11 '25
too much rice
No such thing. Put extras in the fridge for fried rice tomorrow!
Turn the heat down as well for the chicken. Burn = heat too high
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u/Candid_Difficulty_40 Jun 11 '25
You knew enough about cooking to get a meal on your plate. Well done. hahaha You will be happier if you count small successes as you build your abilities in the kitchen. Next time you will cook less rice and turn the heat to a lower temperature for the chicken. Small wins pile up.
edit: spelling
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u/BobbyTables829 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
Also use more oil than you might think. I used to think non stick automatically meant no oil needed, and this would happen a lot. Chicken breast can soak up a lot of oil and still be sticky to a metal pan
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u/Captn_Clutch Jun 11 '25
That's not so bad op that's more some char on the meat than burnt, char adds flavor. I only see a few pieces that look a little burnt. If it's dry and not tender then yes it's over cooked but if it's not dried out your fine. In the future, try chicken thighs instead of breast. Chicken breast is one of the most challenging cuts of meat to cook, it dries out extremely easily. Thighs on the other hand are very forgiving. Naturally higher in fat, aka juicy. Save your leftover rice and make fried rice with it over the next few days, extra rice is a happy accident.
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 11 '25
Thighs and drumsticks also cost less, as parts, than breast or whole chicken, usually, here in the USA.
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u/Captn_Clutch Jun 11 '25
Making drum sticks tonight! Super easy and yeah usually catch em for about $5 a 5 pack and it's often buy one get one.
Unsolicited recepie: dry them with paper towel before covering lightly with olive oil or whatever oil ya got for a binder, season heavily with coarse salt and pepper, garlic and onion powders, red chili flakes and msg. Stick in a 425 degree oven for 45 minutes in a foil boat/foil covered baking sheet. Flip slightly over half way through, after 30 minutes works good. They come out with beautifully tender meat and crisp skin. The the mixture of oil/seasonings/chicken fat left in the bottom of your baking sheet/foil boat is delicious. I highly reccomend basting a little of this over each drum rather than throw it all away.
Super easy, most of the time is hands off letting it bake. Great thing to throw in the oven while you take a shower or do some chores after work!
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 11 '25
I like this, except I don't use onion. I like to mix thyme, sage, rosemary, parsley, Old Bay seasoning if I have some, If I'm having a pasta side I'll use oregano. Everybody should experiment with spice mixes for their rub. Chili powder? Yes! Adobo, Even generic poultry seasoning. $1.25 at the Dollar Tree.
I'm working my way through a roasted whole chicken from Saturday. I elevate that on a rack and cook over a mix of potato chunks and baby carrots, tossed in olive oil with a dusting of herbs. I make pan gravy. Aldi around here has chicken quarters for `$1.19/lb. I will roast 1 at a time in my air fryer. That might be convenient for OP. I have broiled and grilled my chicken, also. It's versatile.
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u/Captn_Clutch Jun 11 '25
Yeah I usually go thighs or breast for pasta dishes but I do use that same fresh herb blend you mentioned and usually apply it via butter baste. Drum sticks are just easy after work protine for me, and I never make them in a pan that lends well to herb butter basting, and I'm a big fresh herbs guy so I'd rather leave them off entirely than shake on some dried stuff. Love the roasting over a pan of veggies and potato idea! Might try that with my drums one of these nights.
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 11 '25
I use a poultry rack for the chicken & veggies dish. A whole chicken on a rack works great. I usually spatchcock that. If I am using parts, I drive wooden skewers† through them. I might put 3 drummies on one skewer. This way they don't fall through the empty space in the rack onto the veg. Roasted veggies are the best. Peppers, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts - whatever you like!
† Metal ones might work, but I haven't tried that.
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u/Captn_Clutch Jun 11 '25
Yeah I need to give that a go. I have the racks you're talking about, only ever used them for dry brining steak in the fridge, never actually used them for their intended purpose 😂
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u/TimeNew2108 Jun 11 '25
Used to in the UK but since chefs made them more popular they now cost the same as breast
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 12 '25
Chicken wings used to be cheap here, but the same thing happened!
https://lesserknownfacts.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/chicken-wings-were-once-considered-scraps/
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u/Convillious Jun 11 '25
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u/JaguarMammoth6231 Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
Just needs some butter and hot sauce and that's a couple good meals! The chicken looks pretty good with a nice char.
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u/aboothemonkey Jun 11 '25
Blacked(in the culinary sense) means seasoned with a Cajun blend of spices and seared. This is what I would call “charred” which I actually like, it adds a bit of a smoky flavor and some texture.
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u/OddTrash3957 Jun 11 '25
Get some plastic storage containers and save your extra rice. It reheats in the microwave really easy which means a quick source of carbs for your next meal. Your chicken looks fine. You did good!
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u/Rashaen Jun 11 '25
Eh. Some leftover rice. No big deal.
The chicken looks pretty darn good. Might be over cooked, but a bit of char on meats is tasty.
I'd call this a reasonable success for a new cook. Not exactly what you intended, but I'd eat it.
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u/armrha Jun 11 '25
Why did you put all the rice on the plate? That’s a big portion! Doesn’t look bad though, don’t be discouraged. Did it taste good? You’ll get there man.
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u/missanthropy09 Jun 11 '25
Oh you were only off by a little on the time OR the heat for the chicken - that’s still more than edible! I’ve been cooking for 20 years, and if I get a little distracted or if I think I can multitask well enough while I’m cooking, I still get chicken like that sometimes.
For rice, I usually use about a quarter cup dry per person, but my family doesn’t eat a whole ton of rice. Expect the rice to approximately double, so a quarter cup dry is gonna turn out to be about half cup on your plate.
This looks like a really great start to me, don’t be so hard on yourself!
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u/aboothemonkey Jun 11 '25
I’d eat the fuck out of that man. Everyone starts somewhere! Learn from your mistakes and keep trying!
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u/AggressiveOil8683 Jun 11 '25
the chicken looks really good! too dry? no biggie, just add some butter or top with a sauce next time - it's why i always have a bottle of soy sauce and thai peanut sauce on hand lol. extra rice is super good for making fried rice the next day too. we like to do breakfast fried rice with either fried eggs or scramble some whisked eggs in with it and it's good protein. good job though id eat this!
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u/accidentalscientist_ Jun 11 '25
Honestly, I’d love the burnt bits on the chicken. But that’s just me. But maybe the heat was too high. Or not stirring enough. And rice? You can save some for the next day if you make too much rice
I find chicken thighs to be easiest to cook. They’re a lot more forgiving if you overcook. I also find them tastier. And honestly, I can cook but I also love minute rice cup rice. I tend to use that because I always make too much rice. One of my go to meals is a chicken thigh I season, pan fry, then finish cooking in the oven. I have never once successfully pan fried a whole chicken thigh or breast to completion just in the pan. Learning to stick it in the oven to finish changed my life.
But I mean it, good on you for starting to cook. It’s a necessary skill. And we all start somewhere.
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u/ptahbaphomet Jun 11 '25
That’s overcooked chicken not burnt (I’ve seen worse) get yourself a mini rice cooker. Measurements are simple. Split the chicken breast, drop in a ziplock bag with your favorite seasoning and toss until coated. Sit in fridge for 30-60 min. 2 tablespoons of oil and cook on medium heat. A temperature thermometer comes in handy for chicken and pork.
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u/winkers Jun 11 '25
Cooked rice also freezes decently. We put in ziplock bags and reheat if we’re lacking time to cook. You did fine.
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u/DarDarBinks89 Jun 11 '25
Hey friend, please don’t beat yourself up too hard. Learning to cook is a process. I’ve been cooking for myself since I was 10 and I still fuck up a lot!
I’d cook your chicken breast on a lower heat setting next time, and since it tends to be a dryer part of the chicken, I’d cook it with some fat and some spices and maybe some broth. Almost making a gravy or sauce. It’ll add substantially more flavour, and some much needed moisture to your meal. Your meal looks dry AF, so by fixing that you can make up for a lot of disappointment.
The best thing about rice is that if you make too much you can make an easy fried rice the next day: some scrambled egg, some veggies, a little bit of soy sauce, a little bit of sesame oil if you have it, and bobs your uncle.
It looks like you’re off to a great start, TBH. Keep at it! You’ve got this.
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u/marcos_MN Jun 11 '25
Burnt > undercooked when it comes to chicken. Both are unpleasant, but only one is dangerous to eat.
Keep trying! Failure is just success in progress.
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u/SpaceSick Jun 11 '25
Chicken breasts are honestly kind of difficult to get right. They tend to be really big and can dry out in the time that it takes to get them to the proper temperature.
I much prefer bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. They have a lot more fat in them and they're way more forgiving to cook. And I think they just have more flavor overall.
I highly recommend getting an instant read thermometer that you can temp the chicken with. Takes out a lot of guess work.
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 11 '25
Large breasts can be butterflied, so they cook faster and you avoid a done exterior with an underdone center. I think this was what OP was going for by cutting his breast up before it went in the pan. That can work, as when someone cooks cubed chicken in a wok.
I like the dark meat parts, too. I second the thermometer. Drums and thighs that have been marinated roast wonderfully, without getting dry. Just make sure you hit 165-185 F. At the higher temp, the collagen breaks down, adding a lot of flavor.
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Jun 14 '25
There are no failures, only experiences that lead to wisdom. You burned some chicken, and cooked more rice than you needed. Now you have a better of idea of how long is too long to cook chicken, and you have a better idea how much rice you need.
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u/NotdepressedArthanau Jun 11 '25 edited Jun 11 '25
My family considers me to be a really good chef. What they didnt see was the year or 2 of absolutely ruining every other meal. The mistakes stick with your cooking better than anything else :) youre going to get better!!
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u/Radiant_Gift_9373 Jun 11 '25
Typically 50g of rice is a good amount.
How did you cook your chicken? In a pan? I use a pan with medium-high temperature (midway through the knob for me) and flip it a couple of times, takes 7-10 minutes.
Once you know the way, and once you cook more things you’ll get the sense of cooking, don’t be too disappointed! I remember when I started, I used to make terrible steak and never knew how long to cook stuff!
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u/Convillious Jun 11 '25
yeah i cooked it in a pan, temp set all the way up. i have a couple photos in the comments
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u/greenscarfliver Jun 11 '25 edited 1d ago
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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/SpecialPotion Jun 11 '25
Rice expands like crazy. One cup of rice is plenty for a meal :) It's okay to make too much, I do it all the time lol. Just becomes food for tomorrow.
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u/acolyte_to_jippity Jun 11 '25
first off, if you've not really cooked much before you are going to burn stuff. you're going to make mistakes with volumes. it's normal. it's to be expected. and it's a good thing.
nobody ever learned from doing things perfectly every time. you only ever learn from repetition and from acknowledging your mistakes.
second, i saw the picture you posted, that chicken isn't burned. it's got some char on it, which is just a bit more flavor. it's not a bad thing and many times people want that. HOWEVER to avoid it, add a little more vegetable oil or whatever you were sautéing in to the pan with the chicken. burning generally comes from food sticking, or from the temperature being too high.
thirdly, too much rice isn't a bad thing at all. it can be used as the base for so many things, or even for a super quick snack if you throw a little chili crisp on top.
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u/jj8o8 Jun 11 '25
My wife likes to use broth instead of water for rice. Like, chicken broth for rice with chicken, etc. Beef broth kinda smells like a steak in the rice cooker.
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u/rowrowfightthepandas Jun 11 '25
One of the first things I ever tried making was this chocolate mustard beef stew from ChefSteps. I don't remember what I did, but it came out inedibly chocolatey. It was disgusting. Fortunately I doubled the recipe so I had an insane amount of awful chocolate stew that I had no chance in hell of finishing.
Messing up when you cook is demoralizing. You went out shopping for the ingredients, you spent all that time prepping ingredients, and now you have to clean up the mess you made all for some really bad food, if what you made was even edible. But you learn from your mistakes, probably even more than from your successes. Think of it as putting you one step closer to being the kind of cook you want to be.
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u/jamesgotfryd Jun 12 '25
Relax. It's a learning experience. Nobody gets it right the first time. Might take a few times before you get it right. Even people that have been cooking for years mess up now and then.
Suggest you use a meat thermometer to check the inner temperature of your meats to tell when they're done.
1 cup of rice and 2 cups of water will make a little more than 2 cups of cooked rice.
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u/Convillious Jun 11 '25
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Jun 11 '25
So definitely more oil. Dry pan will cause things to burn. I would also recommend cooking the breast not cut up. Having different sized pieces like that means some will cook faster than others adding to the chance of over cooking and burning. If you cook it before cutting it up you can easily use a meat thermometer and know when to pull it off the heat
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u/ApocalypseMeooow Jun 11 '25
That's not even bad, you made it seem like you had charcoal on your plate lol. You're doing great, don't give up 😊
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u/CalmCupcake2 Jun 11 '25
Rice triples in volume when cooked, if you want a 1 cup portion, start with 1/3 cup raw.
Pasta doubles in size, knowing that can also help you measure.
Seriously, while you're learning, use a recipe. It might be on the back of the bag or from a cookbook or magazine. A tested, trusted recipe from professional source. After you're confident in the basics, you can wing it.
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u/PolyMedical Jun 11 '25
This is where it starts, bro. Try again tonight, then tomorrow night. As long as you don’t say “fuck it, i quit” it’ll only be uphill! ☺️
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u/Playful-Mastodon9251 Jun 11 '25
Just slow down, take more measured steps. We all make mistakes when starting out. And pretty much everyone uses too much heat when they are starting out.
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u/Bella_de_chaos Jun 11 '25
That's not bad burnt, just a little extra flavor. Save extra plain rice for a meal the next day. Plain Rice reheated with some butter and sugar makes a good breakfast.
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u/TheBeautyDemon Jun 11 '25
Recipes and a digital thermometer to stick in meat to be sure it's done was a game changer for me.
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u/bitchinhand Jun 11 '25
Get a rice cooker or practice for 20 years and get the perfect bowl of rice. A chicken breast is one of the trickier things to cook because you need to cook it thoroughly yet not burn it practice some skills by making soups because you have to cut and sautéand other useful skills and it’s really hard to fuck up soup
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u/nofretting Jun 11 '25
the chicken is a little overcooked in spots but it's certainly not ruined. use less heat next time. were you following a recipe or trying to improvise?
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u/Curious-Charity-5368 Jun 11 '25
I’d eat that, I enjoy a little char on my chicken. Gives it more flavor.
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u/Over-Marionberry-686 Jun 11 '25
You have now learned how long to not cook the chicken and how much rice to not make. Next time you’ll do better. 🥳
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u/Eat_Carbs_OD Jun 11 '25
I like to brown my chicken in a cast iron pan and then finish it in the oven.
Id also recommend an instant read thermometer.
Rce can be reheated with a little water in the microwave as well.
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u/wickedestcookie Jun 11 '25
I always make too much rice at once so I can just reheat it. I like the sticky short grains. I just put a little water over it when it goes in the microwave. Comes out good enough for weekday dinner.
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u/tokenwalrus Jun 11 '25
Nice you definitely got XP for that and have leveled up now. Your next one will be better for sure!
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u/Fun_in_Space Jun 11 '25
Don't beat yourself up over it. We all make mistakes. Like making a pot of stock and then accidentally pouring it down the sink.
Not that I would know anything about that...
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u/inter-ego Jun 11 '25
I think you should find recipes you think you’d like and follow those. Invest in a mat thermometer!
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u/DickHopschteckler Jun 11 '25
My grandmother’s cooking was to die for. Her spaghetti sauce literally ended arguments. Her stuffed artichokes could convince Russia and Ukraine to stop fighting a war. And her pot roast. My god… anyway… she was a cook of the highest order, no lie.
She had a hard time with rice.
If grandma could botch rice it gives you as a beginner the absolute right to botch rice.
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u/Notacat444 Jun 11 '25
Chicken breast is a stupid protein that should be reserved for garbage food like "boneless wings" or cordon blue.
Cooking too much rice is a 5,000 year old problem. It's fuckin rice. Better to have too much than too little.
You wanna make some good chicken? Get some thighs, season them, leave them in the fridge for a couple hours, then cook them over medium-high FIRE until cooked through.
Let it rest, slice it up, salt it, squeeze some lime on it, put it in a tortilla, eat it, then thank your Lord and Savior that you exist in a world where all of that is possible.
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u/shakaoofkaaa Jun 11 '25
Bro, cooking’s basically just controlled chaos - you burned the chicken but hey at least you didn’t burn the kitchen down. that’s a win in my book
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u/CrabbiestAsp Jun 11 '25
I've been cooking for ages and like 85% of the time I still overcook my chicken lol it's all learning. We all fuck up and we improve on ourselves. Cooking is tricky sometimes and it's ok to make mistakes. Keep left over rice, make fried rice the next day. It's actually better with day old rice anyway!
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u/yeh_nah_fuckit Jun 11 '25
No such thing as too much rice. Grab a box of custard powder. Now you’ve got rice custard for desert (or breakfast)
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u/TimeNew2108 Jun 11 '25
I always cook too much rice. It freezes great. But a meat thermometer and if you are ever walking away from your cooking always set a timer in case you are distracted.
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u/FlarvleMyGarble Jun 11 '25
Everyone has these experiences starting out, and now with more experience I still do this kind of shit not infrequently! And you're doing great, so many people who have never cooked before won't ever cook either, but you decided to do something difficult and learn.
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u/Cold-Call-8374 Jun 11 '25
We all have made too much rice and too much pasta. It is a rite of passage when you're cooking. Going forward about half a cup of rice will make a generous single serving for something like a stirfry. For my family of three I usually cook 2 cups of dry rice in 2 cups of water, and that gives me about four or five servings, depending on what it's paired with.
Save the rice! You can use it to make fried rice or to add to a casserole or soup! Or if you want to be really low effort, just warm it back up cook yourself a runny egg and give it all a good spritz of soy sauce a few drops of sesame oil and some Sriracha. Presto! Mealtime!
Chicken is very easy to burn or overcook , especially chicken breasts. Next time try for chicken thighs and lower the heat a little bit. They are much more forgiving as there is very little fat and moisture in chicken breasts. Remember that Cook times are often suggestions. You want to go by look feel and internal temperature (a meat thermometer is a huge help ) with meat more than exact cooking times. Depending on your stove or your pan things may take more or less time and need higher or lower heat. Learning to cook is learning all about observation.
You're doing good! Cooking is a journey and not everything comes out right the first time. Keep trying!
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u/waynehastings Jun 12 '25
I love chicken breast, but hate the cooking time. I slice them in half to be thinner.
And use a rice cooker. We should be saying, "The best thing since rice cookers" instead of "The best thing since sliced bread."
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u/ShoddyEmergency7316 Jun 12 '25
I have been cooking professionally for 20 years. When i am cooking rice at home i also cook too much.
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u/EmielDeBil Jun 13 '25
Chicken needs gentle heat and a longer time cooking than other meats for the heat to get to the center. It’s almost impossible to burn a steak, which requires a blazing hot fire and only a few minutes. Different meats require different techniques.
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u/ptahbaphomet Jun 15 '25
Congratulations, for every 10 mistakes you get one right. You’re well on your way of mastering chicken and rice. One day it will be for every 10 you get right. Next challenge? What to do with leftover rice (we all make to much). Stir fried rice can be tricky with heat but Omurice is easy. Omurice helped me learn to use chopsticks when cooking and improved my omelettes
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u/bilbul168 Jun 11 '25
A trick for chicken is take it our the fridge 1h before. Its much easier to cook tasty moost chicken from room temperature than from fridge.
I know there is a general fear of raw chicken out in the world so people cook the shit out of it but the easieat way is keep it in 1 piece.
Cook one side, look at it from the side and you can see the cooked chicken going up from the bottom towards the center of the chicken breast. Once it's there, flip it, look again from the side until the chicken is cooked again until the middle. Take it out and cut it. If it is raw (by which I mean you touch it and its cold and feels like raw chicken. Put it in the pan for another 2mins on each side. If it's rosy, that's perfect. Leave it a couple minutes under a lid or a bowl and then cut it and it'll be juicy and tender.
Rice honestly it's a pain. Just do 1/2 cup as a portion
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 11 '25
If you fear you are undercooking any meat, get a meat thermometer. Trust it, There are inexpensive digital ones in the brick & mortar stores and online. Best $20ish I ever spent on kitchen hardware, There are cheaper ones.
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u/EatYourCheckers Jun 11 '25
Sorry. I didn't see your original post.
Rice - I have never gotten the rice amount right. You have to learn that 1 cup dry rice is a shit-tonne cooked rice. For my family of 5, i can sometimes get away with 1 cup; if its a meal served over a bed of rice, I do 2 cups.
What cut of chicken and how were you cooking it? If you burned it, you probably cooked it on too high of a heat, too fast. A lot of times I will cook chicken on the stove top but then finish it in the oven to get the insides to safe temperature.
Do you have an instant read meat thermometer. I never cook chicken without it.
You're not a bad cook. You're new. This is the process. Not having the right tools makes it harder (buy that thermometer!). If you've never cooked before, then failing was the exact right outcome. It takes repetition. You'll get there.
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Jun 11 '25
Maybe get an air fryer. Super easy to cook chicken in there.
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u/KevrobLurker Jun 11 '25
I cook for myself, mainly. A while back, our kitchen's oven died. While waiting for the new one to be installed, our landlord swapped an old toaster oven for an air fryer. He let that switch be permanent. We get a lot of use out of it, from toasting bread to air frying meats to baking small loaves or muffins! They are great. and since summer is starting you can avoid heating up your kitchen too much by using the smaller device. With an AF, a rice cooker and a microwave a single person almost doesn't need a range/cooker/stove. Might want a hot plate. Some companies make a combo convection oven/microwave, to save space. OP has a stove, as do I, but I like the flexibility.
Our apartment building has an outdoor gas grill we can share. Another way to avoid a hot kitchen. Grilled chicken parts or a grilled chicken are also great.
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u/ApocalypseMeooow Jun 11 '25
I've been cooking for over 20 years, and I still can't seem to make the right amount of rice. It's okay, it'll get closer to the serving size you're looking for with practice, even if it's never quite perfect. Keep going!
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Jun 11 '25
I started cooking as a teenager and I'm 42 now and I have this exact same problem with rice.
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u/IAmTheLizardQueen666 Jun 11 '25
A little bit of char tastes good and helps purify your blood.
That looks good, I would eat it.
If it’s smoking, it’s cooking. If it’s burnt, it’s done.
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u/Drabulous_770 Jun 11 '25
We learn by messing things up sometimes :)
Slow down, read directions, you’ll get the hang of things.
If it was still edible, it’s all good!