How to get into cooking more (I hate it)

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Replies

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    okbuddha wrote: »
    I’m living at home right now, so I don’t cook a lot. Buying pre-made meals costs more, then I save less and it’s a vicious cycle.

    Is there a way to make it less painful? All of my meals right now are raw or microwaved. Sometimes 15 minutes in the oven, sometimes the crockpot.

    I spend less than an hour preparing my meals. I did a basic google search and some health bloggers spend 2-4 hours in the kitchen each day. How do I get to maybe just an hour, for now?

    I LOVE to cook but when I was employed normally spent no more than an hour total for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Now that I have more free time I make more elaborate meals.)

    Perhaps share what you're cooking and we can suggest how to streamline it.

    Check out Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. I haven't watched her in ages, but when I did loved her energy and time saving tips.

    https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/all-30-recipes-from-rachael-rays-30-minute-meals

    i LOATHE rachael ray. her recipes are fine, I've tried several over the years. but id rather gouge my eyes out with a shrimp fork than see or listen to her :D
  • PKM0515
    PKM0515 Posts: 3,090 Member
    @kshama2001

    Thank you for posting that video!
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    okbuddha wrote: »
    I’m living at home right now, so I don’t cook a lot. Buying pre-made meals costs more, then I save less and it’s a vicious cycle.

    Is there a way to make it less painful? All of my meals right now are raw or microwaved. Sometimes 15 minutes in the oven, sometimes the crockpot.

    I spend less than an hour preparing my meals. I did a basic google search and some health bloggers spend 2-4 hours in the kitchen each day. How do I get to maybe just an hour, for now?

    I LOVE to cook but when I was employed normally spent no more than an hour total for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Now that I have more free time I make more elaborate meals.)

    Perhaps share what you're cooking and we can suggest how to streamline it.

    Check out Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. I haven't watched her in ages, but when I did loved her energy and time saving tips.

    https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/all-30-recipes-from-rachael-rays-30-minute-meals

    i LOATHE rachael ray. her recipes are fine, I've tried several over the years. but id rather gouge my eyes out with a shrimp fork than see or listen to her :D

    I just want her house. :)
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    okbuddha wrote: »
    I’m living at home right now, so I don’t cook a lot. Buying pre-made meals costs more, then I save less and it’s a vicious cycle.

    Is there a way to make it less painful? All of my meals right now are raw or microwaved. Sometimes 15 minutes in the oven, sometimes the crockpot.

    I spend less than an hour preparing my meals. I did a basic google search and some health bloggers spend 2-4 hours in the kitchen each day. How do I get to maybe just an hour, for now?

    I LOVE to cook but when I was employed normally spent no more than an hour total for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Now that I have more free time I make more elaborate meals.)

    Perhaps share what you're cooking and we can suggest how to streamline it.

    Check out Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. I haven't watched her in ages, but when I did loved her energy and time saving tips.

    https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/all-30-recipes-from-rachael-rays-30-minute-meals

    i LOATHE rachael ray. her recipes are fine, I've tried several over the years. but id rather gouge my eyes out with a shrimp fork than see or listen to her :D

    I just want her house. :)

    didn't it catch fire?

    Theres a 250 acre farm for sale near us. a cool $1.7 million.

    sigh. dreams.

    LOLOLOL
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    okbuddha wrote: »
    I’m living at home right now, so I don’t cook a lot. Buying pre-made meals costs more, then I save less and it’s a vicious cycle.

    Is there a way to make it less painful? All of my meals right now are raw or microwaved. Sometimes 15 minutes in the oven, sometimes the crockpot.

    I spend less than an hour preparing my meals. I did a basic google search and some health bloggers spend 2-4 hours in the kitchen each day. How do I get to maybe just an hour, for now?

    I LOVE to cook but when I was employed normally spent no more than an hour total for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. (Now that I have more free time I make more elaborate meals.)

    Perhaps share what you're cooking and we can suggest how to streamline it.

    Check out Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals. I haven't watched her in ages, but when I did loved her energy and time saving tips.

    https://www.foodnetwork.com/shows/30-minute-meals/all-30-recipes-from-rachael-rays-30-minute-meals

    i LOATHE rachael ray. her recipes are fine, I've tried several over the years. but id rather gouge my eyes out with a shrimp fork than see or listen to her :D

    I just want her house. :)

    didn't it catch fire?

    Theres a 250 acre farm for sale near us. a cool $1.7 million.

    sigh. dreams.

    LOLOLOL

    Yes, but isn't the one she's filming from now, her guest house or something?? Which IMO is a mansion. :)
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    I love cooking, I don't love cleaning up after. :)

    If I found it painful - I'd probably just pick foods that are quick and easy. If you have a skillet and oven - you are in luck - 10 minutes and you are out of the kitchen. Sounds like you already are doing a lot of raw foods.

    Cooking doesn't have to be painful or time consuming -I grew up with a working Mom, who after work -tossed steak in the broiler for 2 minutes on each side and put it on a plate. That's it. Time was of the utmost importance. She used tin foil - because who wants to wash dishes? (I now own a crueset dish, but I digress...lol)

    If you are looking to find easier ways of cooking to up your options and boost your nutrition -I'd get a good no stick skillet and a pan for the oven. Saves on butter and oil.


    Any of the below - skillet,
    ==Hot & fast - Most under 10 minutes.

    *filet of ANY fish. - pan fry or oven poach/oven bake - (pan -2/3 min each side depending on taste)
    *scallops - pan fry
    *steak - grill or pan fry
    *Pork chops - grill or pan fry
    *omelette
    *tofu scramble
    *sauteed veggies or baked veggies- time differs per veggie. (Baked potatoes, yams, squash - chuck it in oven, set timer, boom - done.) no fuss.

    you can literally cook any vegetable in the oven by wrapping in foil or placing in an oven dish and setting a timer. When you come back - its done. Put in dish, season if you are fancy, set timer, come back to whafting aromatic smell, open oven - et voila!

    Clean pan or ignore in sink. Ignore - put some water in that bad boy and let sit. (Or see above for tin foil hack.)


  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,311 Member
    I find omelettes for 2 people take about 20 minutes from beginning to end - but most of that is cutting up the filler ingredients - so I guess you could do it in less if you use pre cut items or less ingredients or don't cut up as finely
    (or you could pre cut and keep ready in fridge)
  • thelastnightingale
    thelastnightingale Posts: 725 Member
    Timing is everything.

    I get completely burnt out from work and often can't face cooking. The trick is to catch that moment during the weekend when I'm rested enough to cook without it feeling like the hardest thing in the world.

    I only make things that I really enjoy and that are worth my time.

    A soupmaker is great - cut veggies, add to soupmaker, lid on, leave it to do its thing. You can probably do similar with a crockpot?

    I like soufflés, but not enough to make them. Instead, I pan fry some veggies with oil spray, then crack in some eggs and make a scramble. Not even a tortilla/omelette - scramble is quicker.

    Have a think about which foods you really enjoy (what would you order if eating out?), then how you can simplify them into something quicker to cook that you'll still enjoy, and then have a think about how those meals can be adapted for bulk/meal prepping. Your starting point has to be food that you really want to eat, as opposed to food you think you should eat.
  • 2furryfriendz
    2furryfriendz Posts: 283 Member
    edited January 2021
    There are great suggestions here. The video on how to use a knife is good. Having a good fundamental on knife skills and a good sharp knife, IMO makes cooking easier because you're not spending your time prepping (this is the time consuming part). BTW, my Dh doesn't like cooking.. just watching him use a bread knife makes me cringe. :#

    I love cooking. It's a place where I can be creative with recipes.

    Do you have a bbq or a electric grill? These are great cooking appliances to have if you have room or budget. For an indoor grill, I have the Cuisinart griddler but any indoor plug-in grill will do. When it's cold outside, I like to be able to grill steak, chicken and vegetables indoors.
    Whether you're using a bbq or indoor grill, grilling a steak can take up to 8 min depending preferred doneness, add a green salad or a side dish and you will have a meal - less than 30 minutes from prep to sitting down to eat.

    Another note - (this might be a repeat) - search for 30 minute meals, crockpot, instapot, air fryer. The last 3, you will have to prep the food but just pop the ingredients in, set it and you have a meal.

    Cooking doesn't have to be painful. It's really how you make it out to be.

  • Deewithadoo
    Deewithadoo Posts: 26 Member
    I hear ya. I hate to cook too! I'd rather clean 15 toilets! Looking for stuff I can buy and just heat up...healthy of course.
  • penguinmama87
    penguinmama87 Posts: 1,155 Member
    I think part of the reason I like cooking is because I like eating what I make, and so am willing to put in the work. I've gotten faster at it over time and once you build in that efficiency it gets a lot easier. Even meals that take longer rarely involve more than 20-30 minutes of actual standing in the kitchen working time. I also don't cook every single night or cook every single dish from scratch every night. We have a dedicated leftovers night (and I usually eat leftovers for lunch too), and I frequently double or even triple a weekend dinner so I can freeze some for later, so that's another night taken care of. Or if I make a side dish, I make enough so that I'm only reheating it the next night, which cuts down on dishes and prep time.

    I tend to like variety for dinner and trying new dishes, but you don't have to if it feels like a chore to you. Pick enough dishes to satisfy your tastes and then just rotate them. It makes meal planning and grocery shopping easier, which to me are the annoying parts anyway in addition to dishes. I also as much as I can clean as I go, so I'm not left with a giant mess after dinner to clean up - just the last pan I was cooking in, maybe. I tend to be sleepy in the evenings (I'm definitely a morning person), so a bunch of dishes are the last thing I want to have to contend with. I've also chopped veggies in the morning to use in the evening later.

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