Despite the fact that I come from a family of talented cooks, I’ve always been afraid of the kitchen. I’m not the best at multitasking, I don’t work well in cluttered or messy environments, and I’ve had some pretty intimidating cooking to compete with growing up with my parents and siblings! But between the prompting of my mother (the ultimate kitchen queen), the pressures of living on my own, and the reality of my college-sized takeout budget, I’ve had little choice but to face my fear of the kitchen.
The good news is, I’ve found out over the course of the last year and a half (yes, this is a recent development) that the kitchen is really a lot less intimidating than it looks. So if you’ve just moved into an apartment or are fending for yourself for the first time, don’t panic! Here are a few things that have helped me ease into the kitchen and make those experiences a whole lot less stressful.
1. Start small – If the thought of making multiple dishes at once makes your head spin, the easy solution is to just start small! I started out making one entrée per kitchen session, like a vegetable or meat, and combining it with precooked foods that I either bought or simply microwaved. For example, in the picture above, I combined chicken and pasta that I made with frozen green beans that I simply seasoned after microwaving. Another fun meal I did on the go was spaghetti I cooked combined with beef chili from Kanbar (this may be considered pasta sacrilege though). Meals like these took a ton of pressure off and allowed me to focus on perfecting (and not destroying) what I was making! It’s also really convenient if you don’t have time to make full meals.
2. Clean as you go – This is really simple, and I can’t tell you how many times my mother has told me this, and (like most things she tells me) it’s pretty helpful. By cleaning up as I go, I reduce the amount of mess and clutter in my workspace, which makes it a lot easier for me to think and function. Plus, it’s a great way to kill time while waiting for water to boil or an oven to heat up, and it makes the process of cleaning after eating a lot more manageable!
3. Get recipes – Unless you enjoy doing making things from scratch and inventing your own dishes, there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel! If you don’t want to spend money on a cookbook, it’s just as easy (and less expensive) to simply start a Pinterest board or assemble your own book of recipes sourced from friends, family or the internet (my personal favorites are Tasty recipe videos, which are produced by Buzzfeed). This can also come in handy for meal planning and makes trips to the grocery store cheaper and more efficient.
4. Never underestimate the power of a sauce – I’m a huge fan of sauces and dressings because they can transform simple foods into flavorful meals! One of my favorite meals is boneless chicken thigh fillets marinated in a salad dressing or sauce overnight, and baked the next day. It takes next to no effort to make, and there are so many varieties of sauces out there that you can pretty much get any flavor your heart desires.
Whether you’re new to apartment life, expanding your cooking skills, or an experienced kitchen veteran with limited time, these four tips are great ways to make the kitchen experience easier!