Learn to Cook (and ❤️ It) in 10 Easy Dishes Build confidence in the kitchen with these delicious recipes.

We all have to start somewhere. That’s the inspiration behind this small but mighty collection of recipes for absolute beginners. We’re talking can-hardly-boil-water beginners. Maybe you just graduated from college and are on your own for the first time, or perhaps you never quite got the hang of cooking. Not to worry! These dishes — ranging from a no-cook tuna mayo rice bowl to oven-roasted chicken thighs with potatoes and lemons — are a fantastic place to start. Because no one wakes up one day and can suddenly, say, run a marathon or, in this case, cook.

But anyone can make something good to eat. With a little help from our Cooking columnists Melissa Clark, Genevieve Ko and Eric Kim, you’ll become the cook you always wanted to be: a confident one. Start with the recipes below, which are ordered from easiest to hardest. With practice, repetition and patience, you’ll not only develop a set of skills that you can apply to other New York Times Cooking recipes, but you’ll have 10 delicious dishes under your belt worth cooking on repeat.