The good thing about the *simple* pluperfet, *pretérito mais-que-perfeito*, and the *normal* pluperfect, *mais-que-perfeito composto* from the learner's point of view is that they mean the same.

The *simple* pluperfect is hardly ever used in informal speech. Some people may even not feel confident in using it. And the *normal* pluperfect can be used even in formal language. The *simple* pluperfect is most common in literature.

In fact the compound pluperfect is easier. You only have to know the past participle of the main verb (the one you want to conjugate), and you have to know it anyway for other things, and the verb *ter*. You can also use the verb *haver* instead of *ter* as auxiliary: *ela havia cozinhado, tu havias feito*. It is fairly rare though.

There is also a little issue with the *simple* pluperfect: in the third person plural it is the same as the simple past, *pretérito perfeito*, which could possibly be confusing. Compare:
>Eles *encontraram-me* ontem, e contaram-me que te *tinham encontrado* no dia anterior.  
>Eles *encontraram-me* ontem, e contaram-me que te *encontraram* no dia anterior.

The two sentences mean the same, but in the sencond you have the same word, *encontraram,* to convey different tenses for the same person. It does not lead to confusion in this case, but it migh be ambiguous in others.