Published on 12, July, 2020
Does anyone struggle with cooking?
I’ve been trying to lose a bit of weight and thought that cooking fresh meals instead of having microwave/ready made meals would be better for me - but when it comes to cooking I really struggle to follow instructions and when I do and come to eat the food it’s not very nice.
For example, I was recently using one of those “Maggi cook in a bag” and it asks for 100ml of water for a meal that they say serves 4 but as it was just me eating the meal I would (after being told/snapped at by my mum) need to quarter it - i didn’t realise this and it has since meant having to cool more food.
The best way to describe it is that my brain likes to read and re-read the instructions but when it comes to doing them, I completely forget/don’t realise I’m doing it wrong - I do have dyslexia too so maybe it could be just that?
I’m still yet to be diagnosed but wondered if this was something other people experienced.
Find a dish you'd like to master: something you could eat most of the time and spend time with it.
One thing I learned about my senses is how to use/engage them! Cooking is one part chemistry and one part sensory experience.
When I'm looking at a recipie, I might re-write everything down and then say it out loud to make sure I'm actually hearing it correctly. Chances are I'll mix up words in my head so when I say them out loud I can give myself a wee chuckle. I also started out baking (being ceoliac), so I had learned in a fun way how various ingredients influenced each other. Like baking soda and lemon juice.
The sensory part is important. Smell the herbs, indulge in covert things like charcoal salt or garlic herb mixes. If you engage your senses thoughtfully while cooking, eventually you can tell when a thing is finished with your nose!
It's easier to do a thing when you enjoy it, though. Peel through recipies on BBC for example and look for a particular food item which is a favourite (it's not full of adverts and frustratingly difficult information).
Of course, there's always a trusted jacket and a little salad. But even with the potato, little did I know you could rub it in oil, stick a skewer through it and throw it in the oven! My son taught me this one :)