Learning to Cook
Read about learning to cook from scratch and practise the present perfect with for and since.
Read the Text
For the past six months, I have been learning to cook. I have always loved food, but I never cooked at home until this year. My friend Sarah gave me her grandmother’s old recipe book for my birthday. Since then, I have tried fifteen different recipes.
The first recipe I made was a simple tomato soup. It was a disaster. I have not burnt anything that badly for years. Now I always set a timer when I cook.
I have learned several important lessons. First, you must read the recipe completely before you start. Second, fresh ingredients make a huge difference. I have shopped at the local market every Saturday for the last three months, and the vegetables there are far better than at the supermarket.
My favourite dish so far is mushroom risotto. I have made it five times, and it gets better each time. Last weekend, I cooked it for my parents. They have eaten my food many times before, but they were genuinely impressed. My father asked for the recipe, which has never happened before.
Cooking has changed how I think about food. Since I started, I have spent less money on takeaways and I feel healthier. I have not become a chef yet, but I have become someone who enjoys feeding the people I love.
Questions
How long has the writer been learning to cook?