| I got into cooking because I was on a lower salary. I calculated my expenditure and realised I was spending between 150 to 300 per month on just lunch at the time. One of the easiest ways I found is to simply follow a very basic recipe. To this day I read the recipe several times before I do the shopping and always always put all the ingredients in it's own bowl (or you can put multiple in a single bowl if the recipe asks for them to be into the pan together). By the time I started reading the methods to do the actual cooking, I have all the ingredients chopped, separated and within reach. That way, as the recipe methods call for certain things, all you have to do is reach for it. Lastly some general tips. As you can imagine, putting all the ingredients in their bowls gives you more dirty dishes than you would have otherwise. So clean as you go. If your recipe asks for something to be in the oven, you're likely going to have 30 mins to clean. Think about the tools that can be reused and don't wash them yet. YouTube, as always, is full of amazing YouTubers who teach you how to cook, and use your utensils properly. Joshua Weissman is one of my favourites and has some insane tips. Learn to wield a knife. And learn to sharpen a knife. Seriously. This is one of the most dangerous things in the kitchen, and an dull knife is even more dangerous. Joshua Weissman has a video on both topics. When you're starting out, it's okay to choose the easy path. Picking frozen veggies over fresh veggies and having to cut them yourself is not an issue. It'll set you back slightly more, but it's okay for the convenience. Once you're more comfortable with a knife, start cutting these things yourself. At the end of it, I promise, you will feel a lot better. Every time I get out of habit and start eating out more than in, I feel terrible. Both physically and mentally. Once I go back to eating in, I just feel better. Good luck. |