Cooking is not rocket science. Nevertheless, for someone with little to no experience handling pots and pans, even something as simple as boiling water can be a traumatic experience. And when the list of ingredients reaches double digits, such a situation is certain to make some people feel highly stressed.
Furthermore, not everyone has the time and energy to prepare home-cooked meals. For instance, the time-consuming nature of cooking often makes it problematic for those who want to get the health and financial benefits of eating at home and have a full-time job.
Still, if you wish to learn how to cook, there are some ways you can explore to make it more manageable. Besides shopping online to have all the ingredients delivered to your door, you could get your family involved in cooking, get the right tools for the job, and do some preparation ahead of time. If you want to know more, here is a short guide that will help you to overcome obstacles that may prevent you from cooking at home!
Shop Online
Shopping online is a convenient and efficient way to take care of shopping. With it, you can get all the ingredients you need from one place and have them delivered right to your doorstep. As a result, you do not have to visit multiple grocery stores looking for the ingredients you need.
When it comes to buying groceries online, you have many services to choose from. For example, if you live in Australia, you could google something like “cream chargers Melbourne” and have the said cream chargers delivered to you quickly and efficiently.
Some platforms allow you to order groceries online and hire local shoppers to pick up and deliver the items once you make the purchase. Others will have your food delivered to your house by scheduled times. The cost of such services is generally comparable to or even less than that of traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
Get the Right Tools
One of the reasons cooking can be so intimidating is because it often requires the use of specialized tools and equipment. If you do not have a sharp knife, for instance, chopping vegetables can be a frustrating experience.
Investing in a few critical pieces of equipment will make cooking much easier. A good chef’s knife, a cutting board, a set of pots and pans, and some basic utensils are all you really need to get started. The best thing about buying professional tools for cooking is that they will last you for a long time. Because of that, you should consider investing in the best tools that you can afford.
Meal Prep Ahead of Time
One way to make cooking less daunting is to do as much preparation as possible ahead of time. If you know you are going to want to make dinner after work, take some time on the weekend to chop vegetables, cook rice or pasta, or purchase all the necessary ingredients. Having such components already prepared will make it easier to put a meal together during the week.
Start with Simple Recipes
As a beginner cook, a good rule of thumb is to start with simple recipes. The point here is not to become overwhelmed with a long list of ingredients or complex directions. Instead, the idea is to learn how to make easy-to-prepare meals that do not require sitting in your kitchen for hours.
It may be a chicken noodle soup, homemade pizza, boiled eggs, or any other simple recipe that does not have too many ingredients or instructions. Once you learn how to cook such meals, you will quickly gain confidence in your ability to prepare food from scratch.
If you are not sure whether you can handle the preparation of a large recipe, start with something simpler. For instance, if you want to make a pizza pie, do not just dive right into making homemade dough. Instead, buy pre-made dough, and try to prepare the topping by yourself.
There are plenty of easy recipes out there that do not require a lot of time or effort. As you become more comfortable in the kitchen, you can start to experiment with more complicated recipes. But in the beginning, it is essential to keep things simple.
Get Help from a Friend or a Family Member
If you are struggling with the idea of cooking at home, enlist the help of a friend or family member. Having someone else in the kitchen with you can take away some stress and pressure. Plus, they should be able to offer helpful tips and advice!
If you have a friend or family member who loves to cook and is willing to help you learn how to cook, arrange some time together where they show you how they do it. You may even want to take notes so that you do not forget anything. At the same time, you can ask them questions about what they do.
In Conclusion
Cooking is not rocket science, but it does require some knowledge and skill. Thankfully, cooking is fun, and it will become even more so when you master the basic principles of cooking and apply them to your next culinary experience. If you learn how to do it the right way, you should be able to enjoy all the benefits of home-cooked meals!
We encourage you to follow all the tips outlined above to make this activity as stress-free as possible and get the maximum health benefits. Still, if you have any doubts, remember that there are always online resources that should help you out with various aspects of cooking. Even if you do not have the time or energy to cook at home every day, aim to do it at least once a week. Now, good luck and have fun cooking!
