Asra Yousuf

Much has been said about ‘Writer’s block’ (of which I am a forever victim) and reader’s block, but the world needs to talk more about the ‘Cooking block’. What is the cooking block, again? It is when you spiral down into a routine of ordering/ eating out or have your freezer come to your rescue at the last minute. Not all of us are born cooks (who really is?!) but the benefits of cooking your meals with the ingredients you enjoy and trust cannot be underscored enough. So when work seems to be stretching into dinner time or the show on television seems to have you stuck to your couch, how do you convince yourself to break away and cook? Here are some tips and tricks that might help you navigate the daunting world of meal prepping:

Treat it as a break rather than a chore

Easier said than done, but imagine yourself enjoying the process and not just the outcome. Food brings alive all of our five senses: the crackling sound of oil, the vibrant color of vegetables, the smell of freshly baked bread, the chewy yet crumbly texture of a cookie, or the comforting taste of a warm home-cooked meal. So for the next meal you cook, take a break from whatever that might be on top of your mind and immerse yourself in the experience of cooking a meal. Put on a playlist you enjoy, or listen to an audiobook, light up a candle, or bring along a partner, and pause and nourish your soul.

Go back to the basics

Failure might sound glamorous in the light of a success story, but when you are living it, it can be quite discouraging. Failing at getting the flavor you were aiming for in a dish can set you several steps back in your attempt to use your kitchen more. But as impossible as it may sound to some, there isn’t much rocket science behind making a good meal. Getting the basics right can help you ace most dishes, even when following the recipe does not produce the desired result. Basics can be as simple as knowing the right amount of salt to use, roasting the onions and tomatoes till it achieves the right color, marinating certain ingredients in advance. Pick a cookbook or watch a couple of tutorials to correct common mistakes. Personally, reading ‘Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat‘ written by Samin Nusrat guided me in paying attention to the nuances of everyday cooking.

Stock up your pantry

Grain & beans, check. Spices & seasonings, check. Oils, check. Condiments, check.

The benefits of a well stocked pantry can never be overstated. A can of chickpeas and a bag of rice can make you a complete meal. It is your safety net when you procrastinate on your grocery run for the week. If you are a non-vegetarian, it doesn’t get easier than defrosting a piece of chicken or salmon, marinating it with your favorite spices and throwing it in the oven. NYT Cooking came up with a complete guide on ‘How to Stock a Modern Pantry’, which serves as a good reference for everyone, from beginners to experts.

Tip: If you geek out on organizing, investing in aesthetically pleasing jars and containers (and a label maker, of course) does add a bit of joy to your kitchen.

Getting grocery shopping right

We don’t talk enough about the emotional roller-coaster that grocery shopping is! I have often found myself having decision paralysis in the cookies and dessert aisle at Trader Joe’s, deliberating on whether ‘to buy, or not to buy’, weighing the calories per serving and wondering if it is worth it. And that is why planning your grocery shopping is important. It encourages me to be conscious of my consumption, both nutritionally and economically. The key is not to refrain from the unhealthy stuff, but to ensure that you are adding the healthy stuff to your cart i.e a pack of chocolate is fine as long as you are getting your bag of spinach and broccoli. Following the plate method and incorporating a mix of vegetables, proteins and carbs has made grocery decisions lot more simpler. My ideal weekly grocery haul ends up being a combination of chicken or seafood (proteins), vegetables and fruits, while the carbs (grains, beans, lentils) are usually from the pantry.

Work backwards

You know of a quick and easy recipe but don’t have the ingredients for it. Rather you don’t seem to have anything that can be converted into a meal. Isn’t that the best excuse for pizza night?!

The ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry might have more potential than you think. Pick out a couple of ingredients that might be the main star of a dish- say, a can of chickpea, a block of tofu and some veggies; add them to a google search and look for recipes made using them. This is pretty much how I stumbled onto this amazing recipe- Vegan Lettuce Wraps. I had a lettuce head on the verge of going bad and a block of tofu, with no idea what to make of them. A simple google search of ‘tofu lettuce recipes’ led me to try out this recipe to which I have returned ever so often.

As with life, Experiment!

Nothing can beat the comfort of ‘mom-cooked’ food but as with anything else, variety helps spice things up. Step out of your comfort zone and try cooking dishes from cuisines you have never cooked before. You would be surprised how it can spark your inner creativity and make you more curious. Subscribing to different food blogs and channels has helped me go further in my journey of experimenting with new ingredients and cuisines. My favorites lately have been NYT Cooking with its innexhasutive library of recipes, Pick Up Limes, Rainbow Plant Life, Clairre Saffitz. Meal subscription services like HelloFresh makes it easy to experiment without the added task of searching for new recipes and shopping for them specifically.

So get up and instead of ‘dash’ing to order your food, spin up some magic in your kitchen and treat yourself to something fresh and delectable.