How to Get Into Cooking Again
I’m not sure if anyone has made decisions this year. The source of most people’s problems is nothing that can be changed with enough determination. No one can find a way out of the pandemic or send their child to a safe learning environment, especially when our governing body is more interested in protecting the “market” than the people they have been chosen to serve.
If you’ve made a decision, it’s probably related to a personal project, a daily habit, or your body. These are all things we can control to some degree (although the rapid spread of the omicron makes even this latter feel like a challenge). If you’ve made a decision about your fitness level or diet, it’s highly likely that it’s about cooking for yourself. (If you don’t have the resources to outsource food and hire a personal chef or pay for one of these meal kit services.)
I (informally) interviewed several colleagues, friends, and family members, and with the exception of my mother, no one was enthusiastic about cooking, whether decided or not. But you have to eat, which means you (most likely) have to cook. Luckily, there are several ways I can get into cooking, or at least get a little bit interested in it.
Buy yourself a toy
If you have a submersible circulation pump , instant pot and/or deep fryer , you know how easy it is to focus on a new appliance and try to push the boundaries of what can be cooked in sous vide, pressure cooking, and/or air fried. . It can be an incredible source of inspiration in the kitchen and help you focus on a sea of endless recipe blogs, cookbooks and websites.
But a toy doesn’t have to be a fancy new appliance. It could be something as simple as a new set of measuring spoons , a beautiful knife, mortar and pestle, a shiny new frying pan, a roasting pan you’ve always dreamed of, or anything else that makes your kitchen job easier or easier. attractive.
Sharpen your knives
Chopping and slicing is an essential and inevitable part of cooking, and dull knives make it more time-consuming, labor-intensive, and dangerous. This video shows you how to sharpen your own knives with a whetstone, but even a simple sharpener (combined with honing steel ) can give you the edge you need to get the prep work done (without hurting yourself).
If you don’t feel like sharpening them yourself, just take them to a knife store and have them professionally done. There is no shame in outsourcing labor.
Buy an expensive ingredient
Spending big bucks on a good marbled steak, scallops, duck eggs, or a really good bottle of extra virgin olive oil may seem like waste, but buying these ingredients and making them yourself is still a lot more profitable than dining out. , and – as long as you eat it – buying food for yourself is not a waste, especially if it brings you a little indulgent joy.
Buy the protein, seasonal vegetables, or cooking oil you need, find a proven recipe for it, and cook it with care. You’ll be surprised how one good meal can motivate you to cook more often.
Or catch a fancy condiment or pickle
The right hot sauce, chili oil, or fermented vegetables can transform even the simplest bowl of rice into something special and delicious. You can even plan your entire meal around a seasoning or marinade for great results. Canned Meyer lemons, salted capers, shio koji or hot honey are all great starting points for discovering new flavors and cuisines. (Just google “What to make with canned lemons?” and you’re good to go.)
If you’re not happy with the price, do what I did and compare it to other costs:
If you find yourself thinking, “Oh I don’t know, 10 bucks for a bottle of this super flavorful apple cider vinegar seems like a lot even if I eat salads all week,” do what I do and frame this purchase in terms of cocktails (or some other frivolity you buy without batting an eyelid). Whenever I turn down “luxury” meals, I ask myself, “How many cocktails can this buy?” The answer is usually the same. Then I ask myself, “How long does this cocktail last?” And the answer is usually “only a fraction of how long this bottle of fancy vinegar will last,” which allows me to make a purchase without the guilt hanging over my head.
Buy a nice cookbook
Buying a hardcover cookbook is the culinary equivalent of ” touching the grass “. It takes you out of the internet and into your kitchen, allowing you to avoid the opinions, substitutions, and feelings you find in the comments section of food blogs and websites.
Pick a cuisine or cuisines you want to master (check your takeaway history if you need inspiration), then buy a cookbook with lots of pretty pictures and try to cook from it at least once a week. Create a cookbook club if you need some built-in responsibility.
Allow yourself to be lazy
Resist the urge to make everything from scratch and allow yourself to buy and use semi-finished products as you see fit. I wrote about this a few years ago , before the start of the pandemic, but I think that this opinion is just as, if not more, true now:
At the end of the day, how you decide to cook dinner and what shortcuts you take along the way is nobody’s business but yourself. This is not a reflection of your skill. This is not a sign of laziness. It has nothing to do with your value as a person or as a home cook. It doesn’t matter why you don’t want to peel a pineapple, steam baby muffins, or make your own tomato sauce. I don’t know why I don’t like cooking lentils, I just know I wouldn’t. But I love eating lentils, and I also know that if I have pre-cooked lentils and pre-washed and sliced romaine in my fridge, then I’ll be eating lentil salads for lunch, not bologna and American cheese sandwiches (which, frankly, , stunning, but not the most popular). better from a nutritional point of view). Homemade meals are almost always the healthier and generally less expensive choice, even if you don’t buy the cheapest options for every ingredient. So buy a packet of lettuce, bottled salad dressing, and frozen french fries. They may be the shortcut, but they are the shortcut to happiness.
Give up perfectionism, buy what you want to eat, and take good care of your tools and toys. Once you start to associate joy with cooking, you will want to do it a lot more often.