For many people, cooking at home is a necessary evil. They don’t want to do it, but equally, they don’t have much of a choice, not all the time, anyway. Even if they’re happy to order takeout food multiple times a week, there’ll still be many evenings when they simply have to get into the kitchen and whip up a meal.
This task will be much easier, not to mention much more fun, if you genuinely enjoy cooking at home. And happily, that’s something that anyone can learn how to do. You might not be naturally drawn to cooking, but by taking the tips we’ve outlined below, you can learn how to love the cooking process. Let’s take a look.
Let Go of Anxiety
It’s not fun to do anything when you believe that you can’t do it well, and that includes cooking. Even if you’re curious about learning how to cook well, you probably won’t enjoy the process if you’re continually worried about the end result.
Our advice? Let go of any anxiety about what the final meal may taste like, and simply enjoy the process. Even if your creation doesn’t taste as good as you’d like it to, it won’t be the end of the world. Many people ruin their own experience of cooking by telling themselves that they don’t know what they’re doing, but it’s all a learning process. Over time, your cooking confidence will grow, and you’ll wonder what you were ever nervous about!
Think of the Money
Looking for a tangible benefit of cooking from home? Then how about this: money! In the early days of cooking, you probably won’t be able to prepare dishes as good as you could get in a restaurant (though give it time — you’ll get there!), but you will be able to prepare dishes that are significantly cheaper.
Let’s say you were eating takeout food three times a week, and that it costs you $20 every time. That’s $60 a week, $240 a month, and more than $3,000 a year. Just think of what you could do if you directed all that cash to your savings account rather than spending it on food.
Upgrade Your Kitchen
You’ll be less inclined to spend time cooking up a storm if you don’t like being in your kitchen. On the other hand, if you have a shining, well-designed, spacious kitchen that you positively love, then you’ll be more than happy to spend time there.
So take a look at your kitchen space: does it inspire you to become a good cook? If the energy feels a little off, then look at making some improvements. You don’t necessarily need to renovate the space; even small changes can have a positive impact. Look at improving the lighting, creating extra space, and adding some homey touches.
Have a Clean Space
You’ll also be more likely to go through the cooking process if the space is clean and inviting. There’s nothing worse than planning to make a meal, then walking into the kitchen and seeing that there are dishes in the sink and that the sides haven’t been wiped down. That’s enough to make anyone pull out their phone and order food instead.
Be sure to clean the kitchen after every use (or have someone else in your household do it, if possible; the person who cooks shouldn’t also clean!). The goal is to have what feels like a “blank canvas.”
Go-To Recipes
There will be times when you have an open schedule, which will allow you to spend many hours planning and preparing a meal. But in the majority of cases, you’ll likely only want to spend a small amount of time in your kitchen. On those occasions, such as during the week when you’ve also been working, it’ll be best if you have some go-to recipes that you can whip up. What’s great about building your collection of recipes is that they become your specialty. Over time, you’ll figure out how to prepare the dish to the highest of standards, and it’ll be very much one that’s infused with your personality.
Try to put together a list of recipes that are healthy, delicious, and relatively quick to make. It’ll ensure you always have something to make.
Try Something Fancy
Those everyday, standard recipes will be your ‘go-to’ options, but it’s also recommended to push the boat out every once in a while and try something a little extra special. This is a good approach because it’ll show you the full potential of cooking at home.
Most people believe that they need to go to a restaurant to get truly top-quality food, but that’s not the case. With the right ingredients and an excellent recipe, you’ll have the option to prepare a dish that is truly impressive — and which you absolutely love eating. If you love seafood, then you could look at ordering a lobster from Maine Lobster Now, and create a dish that most people believe they can only experience at an East Coast restaurant. Steamed mussels in white wine, another luxury dish, is also much easier to make than you might expect.
Putting together extra-fancy dishes does require more work, but the payoff is delicious — and it might just prove to you that you don’t just enjoy cooking at home, but that you’re positively passionate about it.
Host a Dinner
There aren’t too many things more enjoyable than going to a restaurant with your friends and family. Alas, that’s expensive — and it can also be a little difficult to organize since you usually have to set a specific time in order to get a table.
The solution? Host a dinner at home. This is a good option because it allows you to spend quality time with your loved ones, it’s more relaxed, and you get to show off your blossoming cooking skills. If there’s one thing that’ll show you the full benefit of cooking at home, it’s seeing the positive reaction of your friends and family when they try the dish you’ve prepared for them.
Bring the Happiness
It’s understandable why some people aren’t overly enthusiastic about getting into the kitchen. If you view it as a place of work, and not fun, then you’re unlikely to be all that eager to cook a meal.
One way to get around this is to, well, make it more fun! You’ll be more likely to get into the kitchen if it’s a place that you associate with joy. For example, could you buy a speaker, so that you can play your favorite songs and dance around? Or maybe you could use the time you spend cooking to listen to engaging podcasts, or even listen to an audiobook.
It actually doesn’t matter all that much how you decide to have fun while cooking. So long as you’ve got a smile on your face, then it’ll do!
Make a Lot of Food
You’ll be more likely to do anything if you’re getting a high return on investment. One way to do this in the cooking side of your life is to make a lot of food every time you get into the kitchen. You’ll be happier that you’ve made an effort if you have leftovers that you can eat for lunch all week!
Consider Taking a Class
Some people were lucky enough to be taught how to cook well by their grandparents or parents. But for others, how to cook well is something of a mystery. If you feel a little confused about how to cook well, or you’re just a little insecure about your skills and want to improve, then consider taking a cooking class. You can quickly become a much better cook even with just a few lessons.
Reduce the Annoying Elements
Finally, take a look at proactively managing the annoying elements that may disturb your enjoyment of cooking. For example, maybe you avoid cooking because you hate having to deal with a big mess in the kitchen after you’ve had your meal. Or maybe you don’t like that you spend an hour cooking, but then eat the meal in a matter of minutes.
Whatever it is that you find annoying, look for ways to handle the problem. For instance, you could clean as you cook, which would mean there wouldn’t be much to do after you’ve finished eating. You could also consciously slow down the eating process by working to make it an ‘experience’ — you’ll feel better about cooking for an hour if you eat slowly with your family in a restaurant-worthy dining room, rather than while scrolling through your phone.
Conclusion
Everyone has to cook sometimes. And in most cases, have to cook all the time. So if you have no option other than doing something, then it’s worthwhile taking steps to ensure you positively enjoy it. Take the tips we’ve outlined above, and it won’t be long before you’re looking forward to trying new recipes — and who knows, maybe you’ll discover that cooking is your passion!
