The kitchen is often described as the proverbial heart of the home, being a place that usually serves a multitude of purposes and brings together all the members of a household. But if we strip it down to its most basic function, that of meal preparation, this communal space starts losing its appeal for some, as pretty and cosy as it might be.
The truth is that not everyone enjoys cooking. In fact, many think of it as one of the many chores they have to tick off their to-do list and who could blame them for it? Spending hours in the same room preparing ingredients, cooking meals, and then cleaning all the dirty dishes after a long day at work is not something that most people would find easy or fun.
However, more often than not, it’s not the actual cooking that people hate but the daily grind that comes with it. It’s the effort and the little inconveniences that turn the process of meal preparation into such a tedious and cumbersome task and make us fall out of love with our kitchens.
If only there was a way to make cooking easier and more enjoyable, maybe you wouldn’t feel so apprehensive about spending time in the kitchen. Well, as luck would have, there is more than one way to address this issue, so here’s what you can do about it.
Declutter and organise
If your kitchen looks like a war zone, even before you started cooking, with all sorts of utensils and appliances covering every square inch and cabinets that threaten to burst open for being so full of cookware, it’s no wonder you dread getting in there. Even making a sandwich can turn into a real adventure when there’s chaos and clutter everywhere.
So, here’s a wild idea: maybe if you had more space to move around and wouldn’t have to search for the needle in the haystack or worry about the mess around you all the time, you would find it easier to get on with your meal prep. A bit of decluttering every now and then and a more effective organisation of your kitchen can make a world of a difference in this respect.
Also, if your kitchen furniture no longer matches your current needs, there are plenty of providers like Kitchen Warehouse Ltd that offer an extensive range of affordable kitchen units, perfect for every style and budget. This should help you cut down the clutter and keep your kitchen functional.
Invest in quality appliances
Cooking is so much more enjoyable when you have a bit of help and don’t have to do everything yourself. This doesn’t mean you should always get your family to help in the kitchen, although that can also be extremely useful and a great way to bond and spend quality time together.
But if you live alone or can’t convince your cohabitants to get involved, you can always rely on some good old kitchen appliances to get the help you need. Take a look around your kitchen and think about what tools would help you save time and effort and make your life easier. Something like a touchless faucet, a dishwasher or a double oven could be great additions to your kitchen arsenal. Or maybe you simply need to replace your outdated kitchen equipment with newer, more efficient appliances.
Choose easy recipes
Who says you have to be a Michelin-star chef to prepare great meals and be efficient in the kitchen? Holding yourself to impossibly high standards when it comes to cooking can rob you of all the joy you could experience. Do yourself a favour and start with the basics first, especially if you’re a novice in the kitchen. Instead of jumping straight into complicated recipes that look like mind-boggling scientific experiments, go for simple and quick dishes that are easy to prepare. That should help you build confidence in the kitchen and encourage you to try new things as you go.
However, if you have years of cooking under your belt and you’re bored with making the same dishes over and over again, you might find it invigorating to try new recipes every now and then. Getting creative in the kitchen is a great way to break the routine and rediscover the joy of cooking.
Clean as you go
One of the most tedious things about preparing home-cooked meals regularly is dealing with the aftermath. Even a simple meal can leave you with messy countertops and piles of dirty dishes in the sink that seem to stare at you judgingly when you no longer have the energy to clean up.
If you want to avoid this all-too-common scenario, try your hand at multitasking and clean as you go. Wash kitchen utensils and put them back where they belong as soon as you’re done using them, store leftover ingredients, throw kitchen waste into the garbage, wipe workspace surfaces clean if a spill happens and so on. The fewer things you have to do after you finish cooking, the less burdened you’re going to feel by the whole process.
Bring some entertainment to the table
No matter how you look at it, cooking is a necessity. But just because something is practical doesn’t mean it can’t be fun as well. You can always make your cooking sessions more entertaining by listening to some music, putting on a podcast or pouring yourself a glass of wine. This way, you can turn meal preparation into a relaxing and mindful activity that will help you take your mind off every day worries.
It’s certainly not easy to think of cooking as something enjoyable when you have so many responsibilities to take care of on a daily basis. However, there are plenty of small changes you can make, like the ones we mentioned above, that can change the way you look at cooking and bring back the joy of spending time in your kitchen.
