Far too often we get caught up in the necessity of cooking in order to eat and
forget the absolute joy that can be found through the act of cooking. Of course this isn't limited
to stovetop cooking. There are many men and women around the world who find baking to be an
extremely pleasurable pastime in addition to traditional stovetop cooking or even barbecuing on a
grill. The main distinction occurs in how you perceive your cooking projects.
How Do Your View Cooking?
While this question is asked somewhat rhetorically, it is a question you should ask
yourself and answer. Do you view cooking as a chore or duty or do you view it as a project? There
is something much more exciting about embarking on a new project than getting around to a loathsome
chore. If you do view cooking as a chore the more important question might be why?
Some common reasons that people dislike cooking include the following: lack of
skill, lack of confidence, boredom, or you could simply dislike the inevitable clean up far more
than you enjoy the process of cooking. For each of these, there are solutions if you are willing to
make the effort.
A lack of skill when it comes to cooking can be easily corrected in most cases by
taking a few cooking classes. Classes are offered for varying degrees of skill sets and are meant
to help you develop your cooking talents while teaching you the basics of meal planning and
preparation. You can increase your skills by taking more classes down the road.
While a lack of confidence is a little more difficult to address having a few
'dinner parties' in which your quests can compliment your culinary talents can often solve this
particular dilemma. The key in this process is to plan your menu carefully and remain well within
your comfort zone. You will be amazed at the wonderfully rich and delicious meals that can be
prepared with very little effort if you are willing to sift through the recipe books in order to
find them.
Boredom in the kitchen is perhaps one of the easiest problems to fix there is. The
solution is exceedingly simple-find a challenge. Try cooking Thai or Indian cuisine. Try more
difficult recipes. Try making only meals from scratch or simply try broadening your use of spices
and seasonings. There are many things you can do in order to bring some excitement back into your
kitchen. You may even discover hidden talents and tastes in the process.
There will always be clean up. My suggestion is to make a deal with either your
partner or your children and they can draw straws over who cleans up. Of course if this won't work
in your family, you could always turn over a new leaf and clean as you go whenever possible. This
makes the clean up process after dinner so much simpler to handle that it is well worth a few extra
minutes during meal prep.
Cooking for pleasure is really the only way to cook. If you have difficulties when
it comes to finding the enjoyment and entertainment value of cooking, perhaps it's time you bring
some fun back into your kitchen. If you're barbecuing, put on some Jimmy Buffet and dance around
your kitchen. If you're cooking Italian find some nice Italian music to set the mood. Bring the fun
back into your kitchen and you will find that cooking is a pleasure rather than a chore.
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