Cooking is meant to be enjoyable but all too often it can be stressful and quite frankly the last thing you feel like doing after a long day at work. The result is that you find yourself reaching for the convenience foods, the easy to cook options, the packets, and jars and in turn, you might be compromising great taste and nutrient-rich foods. To help you get the most out of your culinary prowess and to start enjoying being in the kitchen once again, here are some tried and tested ways to make cooking easier, and ergo more enjoyable.
Plan your meals and make a list
Meal planning is a great way to take the stress out of cooking. If you know what you are making for dinner each night you will avoid the stress and hassle of rummaging through cupboards for inspiration. It enables you to choose foods you know you will love (and can make) and will ensure you have all the ingredients in to make them. What is more, it will help keep your grocery bill down too.
Take advantage of cooking aids
Slow cookers, pressure cookers, and air fryers make cooking so much easier so don’t be afraid to pull them out from the back of the cupboard or invest in one. These helpful kitchen aids can make just about anything from homemade chicken shawarma to a fully loaded veggie packed stew, with minimal input from yourself. Other than prep time. What is more, air fryers are a great healthy alternative to cooking or frying using lots of unhealthy oils. Further, you can load up your crock pot with ingredients in the morning, leave it to cook slowly all day, and when you come home your dinner’s ready and waiting. All you need to do is serve it up
Use your leftovers
Never throw away your leftovers when they can be put to good use. You can use your leftovers in two ways, you can either freeze or reheat the same meal you have already eaten or re-purpose them into a new dish. A great example is your leftover Thanksgiving dinner can be used to make a delicious turkey curry, the veg can be used in soup or stew, or even all mixed together to make a tasty hash. Not only does this save on food waste and expense, it provides you with plenty of easy meal options that will not need to be cooked from scratch.
Cook food you enjoy
If you really do not want cooking to feel like a chore then one of the best pieces of advice is to cook food that you know you will love. Cooking is that much easier when you are making a dish you know you will want to eat, one you are looking forward to eating. If you find yourself regularly cooking your favorite dishes they will become easier to make and you will do so more efficiently, after all, practice makes perfect.
