[The Epoch Times, June 12, 2023](Comprehensive report by Epoch Times reporter Li Ruolin) Cooking by yourself and spending time in the kitchen are also part of a happy life. Belief in the benefits of cooking will bring you the motivation to persevere. Then the following tips will help you find the joy of cooking.
Don’t know how to cook, don’t know what to do and how to do it? Planning ahead can help keep your kitchen organized, reducing stress, mess and time. Things that require planning ahead include writing down to-dos, recipes, and shopping lists, and even rearranging the kitchen, adding utensils, and more.
2. Play music
Some people like to have a drink to change the mood before cooking, how about you? If you really don’t have the motivation, try playing your favorite music while cooking. Listen to a song to complete a dish – it is also very interesting to play a certain piece of music for your favorite recipes. When the song is over, the dish is ready.
3. Talk while cooking
Don’t have to finish a meal in a rush and rush. Put the phone aside, while cooking, chat with people who appreciate you on the phone, or play cooking videos… Encouragement from friends and relaxing video programs are all ways to relieve anxiety.
4. Enjoy the moment
When cooking, put aside things other than cooking and maintain a relaxed mood and focus. Listening to the sound of water flowing when washing vegetables, the crisp sound of cutting celery, and the sound of food sizzling in the pot… There are many benefits to quietly feeling the “symphony of pots, pans and pans”. Enjoy everything in the moment quietly, and those tangled things will not occupy your mind.
5. Organize the kitchen
Get rid of expired food and storage items, and the kitchen will be more spacious and easier to cook. If you have limited time, you can only tidy a part at a time, such as replacing damaged cabinet handles, cleaning countertops, and replacing with new kitchen rags. It’s okay to do a general cleaning, to break up the storage room, or even repaint the kitchen with positive colors to make the kitchen look like you like.
6. Optimize kitchen utensils
Frustrated with cooking? You may wish to find the reason on the frequently used kitchen utensils. The tools you have on hand should be purchased to make food handling easier, including a basic cutting board, sharp paring and cutter knives, egg beaters, good-sized pans, easy-to-clean baking sheets, microwave-safe bowls, and more. If there are many kinds of cooking, it is also necessary to purchase multi-functional kitchen appliances, such as food choppers, steam ovens, economical and practical multi-functional electric pressure cookers and slow cookers, which can help save energy.
7. Simplify the recipe
For those who are inexperienced or don’t think they can cook, starting with simple meals can help build confidence. Ideal for salads, baked potatoes, steamed vegetables, and other dishes that don’t require a fire. In addition, buying pre-made foods that can be served on the table with simple processing, and quick ingredients for clean dishes are also options that save effort and show off cooking skills.
8. Learn to cook
Find a cooking teacher who is passionate about cooking and join his cooking class! The teacher’s profound knowledge and tireless dedication to food can help you find the motivation and joy of cooking. After learning, cooking will become your life skill.
9. Cook multiple meals at once
Cooking three meals a day by myself is a lot of work. Once you feel tired, you can cook multiple meals at once and freeze them. Want to increase the fun of cooking? Then just cook basic recipes like pasta, rice, etc., and add fresh ingredients to change the recipe when you eat it.
10. Cook nostalgic dishes
For many people, food is an expression of love. Grandma’s casseroles, Mom’s cookies…recipes with stories passed down through generations. For us, revisiting those dishes and sharing the experience in the process with family and friends-leaving our own cooking stories are also precious memories.
11. Explore recipes
Cooking food from other cultures can bring more flavors to the table, and at the same time help to broaden your perspective, increase your confidence and motivation. In addition, trying to challenge popular recipes will also stimulate more creativity and fun.
12. Cook your favorite dishes
Cooking is not only about health, the enjoyment of taste is equally important. When you have no cooking inspiration, just cook your favorite dishes! When you think of the good taste of food, you will feel better when cooking. If cooking for the family, it is recommended to cook food that everyone likes to eat.
13. Family Engagement
What an unforgettable time cooking with the family! In some regions, it is a long-standing tradition for the whole family to prepare meals together, especially during the holidays. Might as well design the right job for everyone, ideally including children. Stirring batter, peeling vegetables, turning salad bowls and setting the table are all great chores for kids. Chores have many benefits for children, including building life skills, socializing, and improving picky eaters.
14. Forget about being perfect
Cooking is not a surgical operation, and there is no need to put so much pressure on yourself, especially if you are not familiar with cooking. If the cooking fails, it’s okay, I believe that I will do better next time.
Responsible editor: Jasmine