To Cook, Or Not To Cook

That is the question.

Maybe not the question you were expecting, but the question I am asking you. What’s your first reaction when you come home from work and your hungry. Do you cook? Or get take out? There are several ways you could answer the question, none of them right or wrong.

You could answer, “I’ll cook.” You’ve got some meat in the fridge you’ve been meaning to cook up and a couple of this, some of that. Without much thought, there is some kind of meal you can throw together with what you’ve got at home.

You could also answer, “Take out.” The Chinese restaurant is down the road and they already know your order. You have a coupon for pizza that’s about to expire. You are just really craving a good burger.

Then there is the most complicated answer. “It depends.” Complicated, because it can be interpreted in any number of ways. It depends, maybe you are in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store. It depends, maybe your S/O is craving their faavorite sushi tonight. It depends, after this long day of work I don’t feel much like making something.

No matter your answer, there is a cost-efficient solution. No matter your answer, you are going to be fed. A problem only arises when you begin to not be real with yourself, so to speak. If you are someone who cooks at home for the most part and sometimes goes out, you probably already are buying the right amount of groceries and resulting in minimal waste.

If you are someone who rarely cooks and depends on take out a lot (no shame), you probably have the right amount at home as well, meaning little to nothing.

Yet, there is a fine line that can be crossed that leaves your wallet hurting. Buying a weeks worth of groceries with the intention of cooking, and alas, eating out nearly every night. This typically results in veggies gone bad and other produce being wasted.

In no way, shape, or form am I telling anyone what is right or wrong, what is better or worse. I am simpling bringing to light the fact that some of us, myself included, can get into a bad habit of buying groceries with good intenions and ending up tossing them.

Being aware of the decisions you are going to make for the week and atually sticking to them are so important when it comes to keeping your waste and costs down. If you buy the groceries for a dinner but decide to eat out that night, you are essentially buying two dinners. When it’s stated like that, you can better see the point I’m getting at here.

Whether you love to cook or absolutely hate it, figuring out budget-wise what you are going to do for the week can be more adult than learning to cook. Be financially responsible for the foods we buy is a big step in the right direction towards adulthood.

It can be reassuring to know that cooking an amazing meal can be extremely simple. With the right spices and ingredients and no fancy equipment or expensive stuff you can make a meal fit to serve a king.

To put some evidence to my testimony, here are a few examples of super simple recipes I have personally tried with minimal, low cost ingredients.

Home Made Shrimp Fried Rice

The picture above features a fried rice I made with boil-in-a-bag rice, frozen stir-fry mixed veggies, and frozen shrimp. For sauce, I simply made a concoction of soy sauce, sugar, garlic, and ginger. With simple recipes like this I wouldn’t worry about exact measurements, everyone likes their sauce a little different so add what tastes right to you. I let the shrimp (or whatever meat) marinate in 1/2 cup of my sauce for about thirty minutes before I cook it, then add the rest of my sauce as it cooks. For the rice, I only add a little bit of soy sauce. Easy enough, right? There is a lot of excellent cooking you can do by just heating things up and mixing them together.

Grilled chicken with veggies and pineapple

Above is summer time classic for my family. With chopped peppers, onion and pineapple I can make two kinds of delicious grilled kabobs. For seasoning on my chicken I make a mixture of chili powder, cumin, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper to make an amazing flavor. It’s so easy and it tastes like it came from a restaurant. As for the pineapple, I put only chicken with it on the skewer, and when it’s done grilling I drizzle some BBQ sauce on it. Try it this summer. I dare you! You might discover a new meal you love.

Things that seem complicated in the cooking world are often not so, it just takes that intial step of trying recipes out and getting your feet wet in the kitchen. Just like any other talent, practice make perfect. The more you cook the more confidence you’ll gain, and the more skills you’ll gain.

Explore flavors. Cook for yourself.