One of the best skills to develop, especially while you’re young, is the ability to cook. I am not talking about turning on the oven and throwing something frozen in, I mean taking raw ingredients and combining them to make an entire meal.
I understand that as a student, it may be hard to set aside time to cook a meal and that convenience is ideal, but there’s nothing nutritional about many of the microwave meals that are made readily available. Taking a break from studying and assignments is very important, and what better way to do it than using your brain creatively, and as a result, crafting a meal that will refuel your body? It’s a great way to focus your brain on something else, instead of constantly thinking about what needs to be done. One of my favourite stress relievers when it comes to cooking is pounding out chicken into thinner pieces, or aggressively mincing onions.
If convenience is a big deal, there are so many meals that can be made in large batches and reheated throughout the week. It may be time-consuming for one day to meal plan but ultimately saves time throughout the week. It also saves money, which is important right now. Since you know there is food waiting at home, you won’t be as tempted to stop and pay for something.
Not every meal needs to take hours to prepare. Some of the best meals that I cook are ones that take less than 30 minutes. It also does not need to be challenging. Sure, there are extravagant meals that can take hours to make, but that is something you can work towards. One good thing about the instant access to technology that we have now is that there are many places to find recipes and places that can teach the fundamentals. For example, there are many YouTube videos that can help with basic knife skills, all the way up to multi-course meal recipes. There are also food blogs, TikToks and Pinterest boards to help inspire and walk you through the steps. Thankfully, cooking is not as exact as baking, and there is always room to adjust recipes to your liking. It is a great option for picky eaters since you are in control of what you are preparing. There are no set rules, and you don’t even have to follow a recipe. Some of the best meals come from throwing random things together that seem like they would taste good.
There is a great feeling of accomplishment after each meal you make that involves a bit of preparation. There is something fulfilling about watching everything come together and the ability to share it with others. I love cooking for the people I care about and taking in their feedback on each recipe. When just experimenting on your own, there is no pressure. It isn’t a professional cooking show.
Cooking is fun with a few friends as well. One of my friends and I cook together often, and we have it down to a science now. I usually cook the meat, and she will prepare the sides. It is a fun idea for girls’ night, and paired with some loud music, it is a great bonding experience. This goes for cooking with family members as well. For my family, we rotate throughout the week who is making dinner, and sometimes we will all work together.
If you take one thing from this article, let it be this: there is no pressure when it comes to cooking. Move at your own pace, cook what you are comfortable making, and when you are ready, expand your abilities. Nobody expects perfection in the kitchen, everyone burns something, makes a bad meal, or creates a disaster. But that makes it fun.