The Cooking Experiment

Can a dislike turn into a like? Can I find a way to enjoy cooking instead of regarding it as a chore?

For many years, I didn’t need to cook. My husband Andy shared his cooking passion with our kids, and most of them were happy to take turns being the family chef.

Then, one by one, my children left home, and now if I want to eat, I have to cook. I make meals because I must. As I pull out pans and arrange ingredients on the kitchen bench, I say, “I don’t love cooking, but I love the people I’m cooking for.” That’s why I swallow my cooking resistance and head into the kitchen at the end of each day.

But I wonder, what if I loved cooking instead of just tolerated it? What if I felt like racing to the kitchen each afternoon with a sense of anticipation instead of sighing with reluctance and heading there with heavy feet? Could I turn things around, transforming a dislike into a like? Could cooking become a passion?

I know all about doing things I don’t particularly enjoy. Years ago, I somehow found myself doing a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in botany. I wasn’t particularly interested in learning the chemical pathways of photosynthesis. I hated trudging through the freezing rain on Welsh winter days, a magnifying glass in my hand, searching for mosses and lichens. Even worse was standing in an Irish sea fishing for seaweeds with numb fingers. Setting up elaborate laboratory experiments with primroses culled from the forest didn’t appeal to me either.

But there was one thing I did enjoy: drawing plants.

Drawing was my angle. My way into a subject that didn’t excite me. As I copied the different parts of a flower, I felt wonder. I realised I did love plants after all.

These days, I am greatly interested in the native wildflowers in the bush near our home. As the seasons change, I document the changing flora with my camera and try to identify all the species. The local plants, like the weather and the birds, are an essential part of my life.

I wonder if I can find my individual angle into cooking like I did with plants. Is there anything that might excite my curiosity?

First, I think about what makes cooking seem so difficult. What dampens my enthusiasm? Not being able to find the ingredients quickly? Cooking when I’m tired? Not knowing what to cook?

My daughters recommend Tonight, a cookbook by Nagi Maehashi from RecipeTin Eats. They cook some of the Asian recipes and invite me to dinner. The next time I’m in town, I buy a copy of the book.

Back home, I open the book and gulp as my eyes run down the ingredients list. There are so many things that aren’t in our pantry. I almost stumble before I’ve cooked anything. Perhaps cooking Asian food was a bad idea.

“Once you’ve stocked your pantry, you’ll be fine, Mum. The recipes are easy.”

Andy and I go shopping and fill our trolley with Asian staples like hoisin sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and Chinese cooking wine. I arrange everything neatly on trays and slide them into the pantry and fridge. Everything is ready and easy to find.

Early in the afternoon, while I still have lots of energy, I choose a recipe, find the ingredients, arrange everything on the kitchen bench, and then begin cooking.

Once I’ve overcome the challenge of opening the oyster sauce bottle with its plastic pull plug – I soften it under the hot water tap – everything goes smoothly. Soon, I’ve made sesame ginger mince with rice. It smells delicious. I can’t wait to eat it.

“That was good!” says my youngest daughter as she swallows the last of her dinner. “Can you please make that again?”

Maybe I can! Appreciation is an excellent motivator for continuing to cook.

I have a new cookbook and an organised pantry of ingredients. Is there something else that might spark my cooking curiosity?

I usually listen to podcasts while I walk our dogs. Could I listen to a food one? I find an episode of Use It Up, a podcastabout not wasting food, and discover we can eat broccoli stems and leaves as well as the florets. That’s interesting, especially as I’d like to avoid wasting food and money. I might do some research.

I enjoy watching MasterChef Australia. The other night, a contestant made gnocchi. Could I make some too? I find a RecipeTin Eatsrecipe for gnocchi with ricotta and Parmesan cheese. I toss those cheeses into my weekly grocery shopping trolley. Later, Andy discovers them in our fridge. “I’m going to make my own gnocchi,” I tell him. Andy is surprised. He’s also impressed.

Laura, a MasterChef veteran, is a pasta specialist. Could I make pasta too? Do I need one of those fancy machines that laminates the dough? I need to do more research.

I love photography. Could I combine this interest with cooking? I remember some YouTube videos about food photography. I could watch them and then take photos of my cooking creations.

Today is the solemnity of St Mary MacKillop. My mind skips ahead to dinner. Could we celebrate this special day with a feast? I flip through my RecipeTin Eats cookbook until a fish and coconut curry catches my eye. I have some barramundi fillets in the freezer. Could I use them in the curry? Perhaps I could make some naan. What about a dessert?

I guess I won’t be throwing a few crumbed fish fillets and some frozen chips in the air fryer tonight. I’ll be cooking something from scratch, something special for the people I love.

So, I’ve been conducting a cooking experiment. What have I discovered? How am I feeling?

I can’t say cooking has become a huge new passion. I won’t be starting a food blog or writing my own cookbook. But my reluctance to cook has lessened. My curiosity has awakened, and I suspect cooking could be a fascinating subject.

I will continue to cook. I will continue the cooking experiment. I might even buy Dinner, another RecipeTin Eats book.

So, do you enjoy cooking? Or is it something you reluctantly do at the end of each day? Do you have any food-related interests? Perhaps you like watching cooking shows or taking photos of food? Or maybe like me, you love going out for dinner!

Featured Imageby Luisa Brimble, Unsplash