I seriously dislike cooking.  Really.  I would rather clean bathrooms than cook.  I would rather mow the lawn, pull weeds, or trim shrubs than cook.  I would rather change poopy diapers than cook.  Well, maybe not poopy diapers, but I would rather do a lot of things than cook.

I’m not a bad cook.  When I do cook, the food is usually edible and somewhat tasty.

Like many people, it’s the process of cooking that I dislike.  I’m not a huge fan of finding recipes and creating ingredient lists and then shopping for those items (grocery shopping – *shudder* – I hate it more than cooking).  Then there’s all the pulling out of the dishes and pans and utensils and spending an hour in the kitchen preparing the food.  And then, after you enjoy a brief moment of bliss while inhaling your masterpiece, you’re left with a dirty kitchen and a collage of dirtied dishes.  Yep.  Not too exciting in my book.

Even though cooking is not on my list of favorite activities, there is something I’ve realized about disliking things:

You increase your dislike for things by your own thoughts and actions.

If I didn’t talk so much trash on cooking, I probably wouldn’t dislike it so much.  If I didn’t dread it, I’d probably grow to enjoy it … a little bit.  And, mostly, if I figured out some ways to make cooking more efficient and enjoyable, while also stumbling up delicious recipes, then I think I could be one of those people that loves – or at least tolerates – cooking.

With that in mind, I think you have to look at the bright side – find the things you do like about the activity and/or change the things that you dislike about that activity.

There are a few things that make cooking more enjoyable for me:

1. enjoying a glass of wine whilst preparing the food
2. cooking on a weekend night (spending 2 hours in the kitchen after work just isn’t my cup ‘o tea)
3. cooking with G
4. grilling (which rarely never happens, because we live in an apartment that doesn’t allow that sort of fun)

These are the things I would like to change about my cooking habits:

1. time spent cooking and efficiency of my cooking (I need to plan better)
2. meal-planning in advance (no spur of the moment grocery lists)
3. cooking things I really enjoy (printing/saving recipes as I come across them)

And I have a few criteria for the types of meals I cook.  They are:

1. healthy
2. cheap
3. quick
4. tasty

I don’t care to cook if the food is unhealthy – what’s the point?  Besides, that’s one of the perks of cooking – it’s usually healthier than store-bought or restaurant-served food.

For now, I want to learn more quick recipes.  I’m never going to become a lover of cooking if I kick off this voyage with hours-long cooking marathons.  I need to ease myself into this hobby.  Start off with some sprints, then try out some 5Ks, and then think about a marathon.

What brought on this desire to cook, you ask? 

1. Mainly because of all the cool kitchen gadgets and tools we’re receiving for our wedding.  My gracious friends, family, and co-workers are throwing us four – yes, FOUR – wedding showers.  This equates to a kitchen full of handy doodads that will make cooking easier and fun.  (And, by the way, we are SO happy to be finally retiring our cookie sheets from college and hand-me-downs from our mothers.)
2. But, it’s not just the new kitchen paraphernalia, it’s that whole future family thing, too.  I was lucky enough to have a home-cooked meal on the table every single night during my childhood.  Some of my favorite family memories are of normal weeknights at the dinner table.  We want our future family to have those memories, too.
3. And, of course, for my physical and fiscal health.  Eating out is generally unhealthy and expensive.  Although I love to be served, I want to start cooking for my family more often than not.  And, just so you know, G is a great help in the kitchen.  When we cook at home, it’s always a joint effort.  I may lead the way, but he definitely contributes half the effort almost every time.

I plan to start researching recipes and looking for ways to make cooking easier.  Things like printing off recipes from blogs, keeping a running grocery shopping list, meal-planning, and blogging about the process are in my future!

Do you like or dislike cooking?  Tell me about your cooking habits!

{source: a hilarious comic about cooking at home from The Oatmeal}