how to find a love for cooking at home

Cooking at home is not something we all enjoy. If we lack experience or knowledge of how to cook, it might hinder our confidence in experimenting with home cooking. Or, you might lack the time to spend hours creating new dishes each night. Either way, there is a way to find a love for cooking to pursue it more. 

Cooking at home can help you save money and ensure you are eating a healthy balanced diet. 

Using these tips, you can best understand how to rekindle your love for cooking so that you can enjoy more home-cooked meals. 

Photo by Vanessa Loring: https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-ingredients-on-the-table-5971874/

Source new recipes

You might lack a love for cooking at home due to cooking the same meals on repeat. If you cook the same food all the time, the experience will lack excitement. Hence, you will lose your motivation to continue cooking. 

The best thing you can do to rekindle your love for cooking and find enjoyment in making food at home is to source new recipes. It is a good idea to try new things as well as search for recipes within your comfort zone so that you achieve good results. 

For instance, you might love Asian flavors and want to experiment with different meats, as you always cook with chicken or fish. Hence, finding a steak teriyaki recipe you’ll love will help you create new meals and attain the utmost fulfillment as it involves flavors you adore. 

It can be as simple as searching for similar recipes that you already make but changing the protein. Or, finding new dishes depending on your favorite cuisine. Searching the internet or looking through cookbooks for new recipes will help you seek inspiration and cook new meals that maximize your cooking and eating experience at home.

Equip your kitchen

Equipping your kitchen with everything you need will make the cooking experience much more enjoyable. Instead of having to go to the shops halfway through prepping your meal because you haven’t got a few ingredients, you can have everything you need to cook at home. 

It is a good idea to equip your kitchen each week in preparation for the meals you plan to have. 

For example, stocking your pantry with many yummy and preferable ingredients will inspire you to utilize them and cook more. If you have empty cupboards, you won’t only lack the motivation to cook but you will lack the resources. 

Hence, fully equipping your kitchen with the right tools and ingredients will encourage you to cook and make the experience seamless. If you have everything at your disposal, you will feel more relaxed and prepared to cook at home.

Meal plan

Furthermore, meal planning is a great way to encourage you to cook more. When you meal plan, you will need to purchase the ingredients. Having the ingredients in your home in preparation for cooking each day makes life more convenient. 

Plus, if you have a plan for what to eat each night, it makes your life much easier. You won’t need to sit and think about what you want. Instead, you can know what to expect and get on with cooking once your workday is over.

Batch cook

If you lack the time for cooking at home yet still want to enjoy the experience, it can be a great idea to batch cook. 

For example, you might lack time in the evenings to cook after work due to having children and other commitments. Hence, cooking a few meals on the weekend means you can enjoy them from the microwave when getting home. You can enjoy a balanced and cost-effective meal without needing to spend hours in the oven after a long day.

Find company

To motivate yourself to cook, it can help to find company. This could be your favorite music playing on the radio or your children that can help with the preparation.

You might get bored cooking alone. Therefore, enhancing the atmosphere by adapting the experience can make it more relaxing and enjoyable. 

Asking someone to keep you company and assist with the cooking might further encourage you to enjoy the experience. You might find the preparation, cooking, and cleaning too much work. Hence, having someone to help can lighten the load and make the experience easier. 

Although you might lack the love for at-home cooking now, you will soon rekindle it using these tips. Having company, sourcing new recipes, and stocking your kitchen with the essentials are simple yet effective ways to help you seek motivation for cooking at home. 

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This post was written with the Life According to Steph readers in mind