• Get the basic equipment you will need to get started

• Learn a few basic cooking techniques

• Find some simple recipes that interest you

• Get cooking!

Cooking is one of the most useful skills you can acquire. Without knowing how to cook, you are at the mercy of others to prepare what you consume, and this can have a significant health and cost impact on your life.

The good news is that anyone can learn how to cook at least half-decently, and that once you get started, you may find cooking to be quite enjoyable, and perhaps even fulfilling.

It is not necessary to have a kitchen full of fancy equipment to cook delicious meals; only a few basic pieces of equipment are required to get started. These include:

1. An eight-inch chef's knife - a basic, less expensive one is fine to start with
2. A paring knife
3. A bread knife
4. A medium and large sized skillet - aluminum or stainless steel is fine
5. Three or four saucepans or pots, of various sizes from small to large
6. Three or four bowls, of various sizes from small to large
7. A cutting board
8. Measuring cups and spoons
9. A colander
10. Some mixing spoons and a spatula

The above list is a basic starting point, and you can vary it to some extent depending on what you are planning to cook at first. Over time, you will certainly add to your collection of kitchen equipment, which is great--the point is, start small, and add slowly as your needs demand.

The most challenging aspect of learning how to cook is figuring out the basic techniques. While many cookbooks claim that certain recipes are foolproof, those without any cooking experience can still have issues, and this is due to a lack of experience with the required cooking techniques.

Becoming proficient at these techniques is mainly a matter of practice--the more you cook, the easier it will be. But to get started, it helps to have a theoretical understanding of the very basic techniques. These are:

1. Baking - dry heat cooking food by convection
2. Boiling - cooking food within hot water
3. Frying - cooking food in oil or fat

There are many more subcategories of these techniques--for example, sautéing is a type of frying, while poaching is a type of boiling.

Once you have some basic equipment and an understand of technique, you are ready to try out some recipes. The most important thing is not to aim for perfection on the first try of any recipe, and not to be discouraged if things don't turn out as planned. Like any new skill, it will take some time for cooking to become second nature, and you will learn the most from recipes that turn out the worst.

There are countless places where you can find good recipes: cookbooks, newspapers, websites, blogs, friends. When learning how to cook, look for recipes that are very simple at first--no more than 5-6 ingredients and a short list of directions. While you may be tempted to swing for the fences and cook up a complex feast, starting small will allow you to build up your skills, as well as confidence, over time.