I often tell people, “If you can read, you can cook.” This is assuming they actually want to cook — and believe me, some people just don’t care to bother. Others want to and can’t seem to get it right.
A brief question-and-answer period reveals they’ve made a few very common mistakes made by all beginning cooks.
Start small
No one starts at the top. Walk before you run — try a simple roasted chicken before you try to tackle a Turducken.