I’ve been cooking my whole life and want to help new beginners cook so I periodically try to drop some advice I haven’t read anywhere. Today we obliterate this bizarre concept of having to cook at “Lunchtime” or “Dinnertime”. Ok, from the mountain top I shout:
IF YOU WANT TO LEARN TO COOK BETTER, COOKING MORE OFTEN IS THE KEY AND THE KEY TO COOKING MORE OFTEN IS TO COOK WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT FOR YOU.
3pm on a Sunday? 2am Iron Chef sessions on a Friday? Or a personal favorite, while your whole family is ripping around the house and you sneak into the sweet sanctuary of the kitchen to appear to be doing something constructive.
Often dinner time is really hectic, breakfast is out of the question and cooking “lunch” is reserved for the aristocracy so just find your own window when you have low stress, low expectations and some time to just relax into the learning process. Frantically trying to feed the family or yourself is rarely a time to learn. It helps me a lot to think of cooking more like going to the gym aka. “when I can fit it in” vs. at some obscure time society created. You can ALWAYS reheat the food or leave it out or keep that beautiful Irish Lamb Stew warm for a couple hours.
Let me give you permission to cook outside of standard meal times. The last thing I’ll add, if inspiration hits you, use it, it might blindside you on an idle Thursday at 9pm but when you FEEL like cooking make a batch of something to eat.
