More of a takeaway person rather than a chef? For a lot of people, cooking at home and preparing food from scratch doesn’t come naturally. It takes practice, being prepared to eat some food that didn’t quite turn out like the recipe, but everyone has the ability to prepare top quality food. Not to mention-the savings on your wallet you will get from cooking at home – double winner!
So have no fear. Here are some quick and easy ways you can get cooking at home, without the hassle:
Start basic
Keep it simple when cooking at home. It’s great to build up your skills, so just get what you need to start. Don’t spend money on an expensive electrical whisk or high-end recipe book. Instead, get basic pots and pans as well as food staples such as rice, pasta and vegetables. A great source for easy meals to make at home is BBC Good Food – a bonus is that it features cuisines from all around the world so you can travel the globe without leaving your kitchen!
Get the tools
Cooking at home doesn’t have to be expensive, but getting some basic tools will allow you to create a range of dishes. From a larger pot for one pot cooking, to a sharp knife for chopping food up. Start with getting a good quality non-stick frying pan as it can help you create anything from poached salmon to pancakes – a decent all-rounder. Also, there are plenty of guides on what to buy if you get stuck.
Set a timer
Give yourself a small challenge to do your cooking at home in 15 or 30 minutes. For instance, a simple weekday dinner. Later in the week, you can then take an afternoon for a bigger challenge of a couple of hours such as baking a cake or creating a homemade marinade. Make a goal and stick to it, so you don’t feel like a) cooking takes forever and b) that you feel accomplished at the end of it.
Create a food plan
Meal prepping when cooking at home will not only help you be more creative with your recipes, but it’ll also help reduce costs as you can plan out exactly what you need for ingredients. This means minimum overspend and less wastage, which is great for you as well as for the environment. It’ll also help you stick to your home cooking habit, as if you come home exhausted from university, you’ll be more likely to reach for your local takeaway’s number if food isn’t already pre-prepared.
Leftovers delight
Leftovers are amazing and are an unsung hero of cooking at home. When cooking, find recipes where there are a couple more portions than you need, use Tupperware to portion them out and hey presto! The perfect leftover portion for the next day. If you want to get more experimental with your leftovers, then there are leftover guides specifically tailored to explaining how to nail it, sounds like a plan to us.
There you have it. Mouth-watering great tips on how to get cooking at home. After reading through this, we’re sure you’ll be able to create great food even better than your local takeaway. Give yourself time and be patient with yourself and watch your skills in the kitchen blossom. Nothing left to do but to grab an apron and head it to the kitchen to make a masterpiece!
If you need a student accommodation room for all that cooking? Search on www.student.com to find your perfect home away from home at university.
