Here's a way to get started: * watch YouTube videos Jamie Oliver - he has lots of great intro videos, including all the equipment you'll need. You can always ge

Here's a way to get started: * watch YouTube videos Jamie Oliver - he has lots of great intro videos, including all the equipment you'll need. You can always get one of his books. His video on knife skills really helped me out. * get "The Joy of Cooking". It's a treasure trove of recipes which you can learn from. * learn basic knife skills. You need 3 knives - a chopper, a paring knife, and a bread knife. Others will help you both those 3 are the essential. * start simple and work your way up. You should be able to make eggs in just a few minutes. Learn a simple breakfast recipe, a simple lunch recipe (like a fancy sandwich) and a simple dinner. * watch a few cooking shows. Even an entertainment show like Chopped will give you some ideas for how chefs look at a pile of recipes and compose something. * if you drink, learn a few basic cocktails. also learn the basic red & white wines. With a little bit of practice you'll realize that you just need to have a few stock ingredients on hand to be able to take care of yourself every day and cook for friends and family. The feeling you get the first time you cook a meal for someone else is a great one. :)