This last year has rejuvenated a love for our kitchens! But can too much love for our kitchen turn into resentment and fatigue? Keep reading to find out how I deal with cooking fatigue.
The evidence of love is clear with the viral sourdough craze and the necessity of cooking at home more during the stay-at-home orders we walked through together. However, as things are opening back up, the cooking fatigue has set in, and the last thing we feel like doing is cooking three meals a day.
Here are some ways to deal with cooking fatigue so you can continue to make delicious and healthy meals at home.
1. Take a Break from Cooking
When you feel burnt out from work, you take a break. The same goes with cooking -- when you feel fatigued from constant cooking, take a short break. Order some Doordash from your favorite restaurant, or ask someone else in your home to cook for a week or two. Allow yourself some time to take a break and come back inspired to cook and try some new recipes. Ordering from restaurants every once in a while will also help small businesses, which is especially important as we are all recovering from this last year.
2. Prepare Ingredients, Not Meals
Instead of stressing yourself by cooking full meals, stick to preparing single ingredients. Batch cook some rice or quinoa, grill some vegetables, or air-fry a fillet of fish. That way, you’re not overwhelming yourself with putting an entire dish together, but you’ll have all the ingredients ready to go when you’re hungry. All you need to do is pair the staples with some quick salad or side dish. This way, you can meal prep without needing to figure out exactly what meals you plan to eat for the entire week. As long as you have the staple ingredients batch cooked, you can quickly assemble a balanced meal.
3. Make Cooking a Family Event
Cooking by yourself can get boring, so invite the family to join. Give everyone a task and make a fun event out of it. Not only will you get some extra helping hands, but the time will pass by much quicker with a bit of fun. Allow someone else to find a new recipe, teach the little ones some cooking skills, and play some fun music. If you live with roommates or a significant other, you can make more difficult recipes without worrying about hot stoves or sharp knives.
4. Change Up the Meals
Sometimes, it’s not the cooking itself that gives you fatigue, but rather the repetition of cooking and eating the same meals over and over again. If you’re feeling uninspired, order a meal delivery service that sends over all the ingredients and a recipe to try something new. You can also browse through cookbooks, old family recipes, or websites to find something really exciting.
5. Invite Some Friends for Dinner
Find a new crowd to cook for. Invite some friends over for dinner and make a theme if you’re feeling creative, such as Taco Tuesday. You can even decorate! If you can’t have friends over, schedule a virtual dinner date. You can even cook the meals together on Zoom— find a recipe you all love and try making it together. Maybe you can send a friend your favorite recipe to make while they send you theirs, and you can taste test. Get creative and have fun with it.
Switching things up can really get you inspired again and bring back that love of cooking you once had. Let me know in the comment section below if you are dealing with cooking fatigue and if you’ve tried any of these tips.
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