It is convenient to order a take-out yet the benefits of cooking from scratch are incredible. I think everyone should acquire at least basic cooking skills.
Honestly, I have struggled a lot in this area. I want to say if I could do this, you can do it too.
Cooking is one of the great gifts you can give to those you love -Ina Garten.
Here is a brief story
My mom made every meal from scratch but I never realized the importance of home-cooked food.
After marriage, my husband and I ate out most of the time. Since I hated being in the kitchen cutting veggies, kneading the dough, making curries, etc., Instead, I loved watching TV or surfing the internet.
A few months later, we started noticing the adverse effects of junk food. There was weight gain, irritability, hormonal issues, and low immunity (frequent cold-cough-flu).
We were spending twice, firstly on the restaurant/packaged food, and then the medical bills. Things were getting worse day by day.
At this point, I decided to change our lifestyle. I took cooking seriously, I learned from my mom how she cooks from scratch and followed her.
As I learned to cook, I developed a passion for it. And today, I wish to be remembered for my simple and delicious recipes.
6 REASONS YOU SHOULD START COOKING FROM SCRATCH TODAY
1. It’s great for your family’s health:
Did you observe the unwanted effects of eat-out or processed food? It is often followed by crankiness, bloating, water retention, sleeplessness, etc. These are the only short-term effects, it harms you in the long run as well by affecting your weight and health.
But when you cook at home, you are in total control of what goes into your family’s plates.
You can make healthier choices like a homemade chicken or vegetable stock over store-bought cubes, lemon juice over vinegar, rice flour over cornstarch, fresh tomatoes over store-bought sauces, or freshly marinated meat over the packaged ones frozen for days.
Read: 3 Best At-Home Exercises For Women Who Hate The Gym
2. It saves money:
In both ways – on grocery bills and medical bills (as I mentioned above).
You can make delicious healthful dishes for so much less price compared to convenience food which is full of preservatives, high sodium, sugar, and fats.
Read: How I Save Money On One Income (With No Kids)
3. You can alter the recipes:
You can get creative and rework the recipes to suit your family’s taste preferences.
Example: For a simple chicken curry recipe – some people prefer to have less spicy, some may like it spicier, some like it to be a little sweet, and others salty, health-conscious people like to prepare it with less oil, foodies may want to add more butter or oil, etc.
With ready-to-eat options or restaurant food, there’s just a standard taste that you may not have the choice to alter. But these changes can be made while cooking at home.
4. It’s always great to be an independent person:
It feels so great when you don’t have to rely on others to fulfill your family’s hunger and taste. Also, to know that your family loves what you cook more than restaurant/convenience food.
Read: Why I Love Being A Homemaker
5. You start valuing food and avoid wastage:
You start valuing the food since you’re aware of how much each item from the recipe cost and the efforts you put into preparing the food.
Wastage can also be avoided by adjusting the quantity as per the requirements.
6. Home-cooked food is hygienic:
You can make a quick one-pot meal just in half of the time the restaurant delivers food to your place (as it takes them a minimum of 30 minutes).
Additionally, you cannot promise the quality of the food delivered. Whereas at home proper hygiene is ensured.
Here are some ways to make cooking from scratch easier for you:
1. Keep 2-3 quick and easy meal recipes handy for hectic days or when you don’t have time for detailed cooking.
2. Stock up on the ingredients required for the recipes that work well at your place.
3. Learn the importance of meal planning and prep. Create a meal plan for the week beforehand.
The night before – put all the ingredients needed for cooking in one basket, make the ginger-garlic paste, cut veggies, soak beans/cereals, marinate meat, boil potatoes/beans keep them in the refrigerator.
This will help you cut the cooking time in half after a long day at work.
4. If you are unfamiliar with cooking, learn about the food items and their preparations first. In the beginning, learn 3-4 recipes, try to master them, and then move on.
5. Gather recipes that you like from your mom, aunties, grandma, and friends. Create a journal of these recipes for your reference and to pass them on to your children when they grow up.
6. Have some refreshments — fresh juice or snacks before getting started to keep calm while cooking.
7. Start in a clean kitchen for a relaxed state of mind.
8. Have some disposable plates and cups handy for when you’ve had a hard day and cannot clean after cooking. This will avoid the last-minute order from the restaurant only because you don’t feel like cleaning after meals.
Cook and serve with love, and trust me your family will enjoy it. There’s immense contentment in cooking the food for your loved ones, with your own creativity and efforts. What is another great way to love your family?
Thanks for reading. Why do you think it’s important to cook from scratch? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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Phenomenal blog very detailed information love it
Thank you so much!
Excellent advice in all areas. I would add to get some of Ina’s recipes as they are usually very straightforward unlike say America’s Test Kitchen which has about 20 steps to each. I always wonder who does the washing up on that show as they have about 10 cookware items for each meal. But I am not meaning to criticise, just saying follow Ina 🙂
One thing you hinted at for dining out is the amount of food you get. Not so much in fast food joints where you can manage the amounts, but in regular restaurants. You are paying for a meal, half of which you will take home and reheat. The leftovers will certainly not taste as good and you will have paid double what was needed if they served a sensible portion and not had to pay a 20% tip on the food you took home. That’s one of my pet peeves about US restaurants – the quantity of food and how a lot of it goes to waste or it forces you to overpay.