Someone at work just told me to make goulash. I've never had it but it's looks so good. How did you learn to cook so well?

Bolognese sauce an lemon pasta are my comfort recipes. Also sloppy joes from scratch on rustic no-knead bread.

Do you recommend any gadgets?

Ok actually i been cooking 30 yrs but only in the last 15 has it been decent

I remember someone asking a similar question either at ask.win or DIY.win. Don't remember what the answer was right off hand.

Kielbasa and saurkraut. Sometimes i cheat. Lets be honest here im not a chef or anything. But i can cook to save my life. Ok crock pots. I never use them. EXCEPT for this.

Polska kielbasa. Lots. And saurkraut. Lots. Diced up onion and like a quarter head of chopped cabbage. Throw it all in there. If you want to drain the saurkraut first and replace it with beer, go the fuck ahead, no one is stopping you. Cook on low like at least 6 hrs. Or 8. At some point the saurkraut will subtly change color to like a faint orange hue, thats when i like it best. During the last hour i add a sprinkle of poppy seeds and some cracked pepper.

I make mashed potatos on the side, just cook diced peeled potatos for like 10 or 15 minutes in boiling water then test a piece by cutting it in half. You will know when its ready. Then drain the potatos and put them in a big bowl and add cream and a fuckton of butter. Usually i add roasted garlic but no need to be fancy. Then mash or blend or whatever. I mix the potatos with the saurkraut on my plate and heavily butter it but whatever. Ok time to get drunk and cook something

My meatballs. 1/3 lb ground pork and 1 lb ground beef.

First i put two whisked eggs in a bowl and then add a splash of milk. Then bread crumbs or crushed crackers. I really don't measure anymore because meatballs were one of the first things i learned but id say maybe a third of a cup breadcrumbs. Mix it all up. Also im softening onions ofc at the same time. Not browning. Maybe a half a regular sized onion diced fine. Or you can cheat and use those dehydrated onions if you want. Then i add like a 3rd cup grated parmesan and a third cup ricotta. Maybe garlic powder if you want, but i don't. I use enough garlic in other ways, my meatballs don't need it. Metric fucktons of garlic. Then salt, pepper, then add the meat. I sprinkle Italian seasoning all over the beef, yes i cheat, then i mix it all up, but not too much. You don't want to overwork your meat. Heh. Then just roll it into balls and brown in the oven 15 or 20 minutes, then simmer them in red sauce another 10 minutes.

Potato soup:

Dice up like 6 peeled potatos. 1 chopped onion and coarsely grated carrot. Brown carrots and onions in a stockpot, in like a half stick of butter. Add a cup of vegetable stock and the diced potatos. If not enough liquid add some water. Just enough to cover the potatos. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Then add salt and pepper and a cup of cream, then simmer another minute or two. Then mash a few times with a potato masher. Not too much, you don't want all the potato chunks mashed up. Then serve with buttered French bread and sour cream and maybe cheese sprinkled on it

I make this thing i call 'three sisters chili' but i bet its not to everyones taste. But im sure we can all agree that Cincinnati chili is absolute garbage

I soften onions. Then brown 80 20 ground beef. Separately. I don't like the onions getting the beef fat in them. Also yellow squash. I substitute half the meat for yellow squash. Yeah you heard me right. Its good motherfuckers. Then i add in beans. Not a lot. I don't like too many beans in my chili. Whatever beans you like. Pinto or black beans for me. Then creamed corn, diced tomato, and clamato juice. Simmered for at least 2 hrs. Then i add seasoning and cook another 10 minutes. A packet. Yes i cheat because i can't get the seasoning right. I liked chilio but they discontinued it i guess so i use mckormicks. Anything else pretty much sucks. Oh i also eat rice in my chili, and sour cream and Tabasco so fuck you

My grandmas halusky recipe:

In a stockpot Put 3/4 stick of butter in a pan and melt it slowly so it doesn't burn. Add a chopped onion and soften it for a couple minutes. Then add a whole head of chopped cabbage. Stir it all up. Put lid on 20 minutes to soften cabbage. Then take lid off, raise heat, and brown the shit out of cabbage. Then add cooked egg noodles or gnocchi and another half stick of butter and salt and pepper to taste