Amidst the chaotic daily life, there’s one thing that I genuinely enjoy doing. That is cooking. Yep, I love cooking. It is therapy to me. No, it doesn’t have to be fancy cuisine. I enjoy making my everyday meals- be it a sandwich or soup. The entire process of preparing the ingredients, preparing, and putting the dish together gives me a sense of satisfaction.
It takes away all my stress in an instant. However, I know most of you hate cooking daily. It just feels like a stressful task that you have to do because you have to eat. What if I tell you there are ways you can make cooking your therapy too?
No matter how busy you are, you can simply make yourself a salad and find it fun. You must eat to survive, so why not make the process happier? Here are some tips that will help you enjoy cooking too.
Organize Your Kitchen/Cooking Space:
One of the main reasons that people hate cooking is probably due to the untidy and unorganised space. Look around and answer these questions:
Is your kitchen a mess?
Are there dirty dishes left on your sink?
Is your refrigerator unorganised?
Is it hard to find things in your cooking space?
Are you frustrated just by taking a look around?
If the answer to these questions is yes, you must pause and start cleaning. Start by cleaning those dishes, organising everything, and putting them together. Next, clean your refrigerator and arrange everything so that they are easier to find.
Once you clean up, you will be automatically attracted to the space. It will make you want to cook even more. Therefore, having a clean and organised space is essential.
Do Not Think Too Much
If you are cooking for yourself, do not stress too much. Thinking about what to make and how to make takes the fun away from it. Let your creativity run wild (to the point where you can make something edible) and see what ingredients you have. You can come up with your own dish or take the help of the internet to come up with something quick, easy, and delicious. Trust me when I say this, tasty doesn’t always mean fancy.
Cooking Is A Form Of Art
When you are cooking something, you are creating a piece of art. Don’t just think of it as making something to fill your stomach. Look at the ingredients, process, and effort to create a dish. Take the aroma in, appreciate the colours and the textures, and praise yourself for putting something like this together. Even a cup of coffee requires you to put in some effort. Only you know what your perfect cup of coffee is; that is bliss.
4. Encourage Your Kids To Take Interest In Cooking
Cooking is an essential life skill, and you must encourage the little ones in your family to take an interest in it. I learned cooking from a very young age because I discovered my love for it. If you want the Lí’ll champ to learn these basic skills, you can make it a fun time for them.
You can make it a weekly thing where you ask them to help you prepare the meals, cut the vegetables, add the seasonings, and so on. Another thing you can do is introduce online cooking games to them.
There are so many different games for you to enjoy with them that they will be spoilt for choices. I love playing this pizza game with my sister since our comfort foods are pizzas.
5. It Is Okay To Make Mistakes
Don’t be scared about making mistakes in the kitchen. It is absolutely okay if your dish does not taste good or does not exceed your expectations. You can always learn. Not every day will be a good cooking day. There are enough materials available on the internet to help you learn. You can also take up cooking classes if you want. The key is “make mistakes, don’t be afraid”.
The Final Food For Thought
Food makes me happy; cooking makes me more comfortable. If you want to genuinely savour the process of prepping your favorite meal, follow the pointers above, and you will not be disappointed. It can be your therapy too.