Expand your idea of what it means to cook, says Margaret Eby, author of You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible. That includes assembling a charcuterie board and dressing up foods like cottage cheese or instant ramen with simple, nutritious toppings. Illustrations by Mariá Toro, excerpted from You Gotta Eat by Margaret Eby (Quirk Books, 2024) hide caption
toggle caption Illustrations by Mariá Toro, excerpted from You Gotta Eat by Margaret Eby (Quirk Books, 2024)I've never enjoyed being in the kitchen. I hate the heat of the stove. I always seem to mess up recipes. And on the rare occasions I make a meal, it's often sadly seasoned and overcooked.
If you're like me and just not that into cooking, there's a way to make it less of a chore. Change the way you think of what it means to prepare food, says Margaret Eby, a food writer and the author of You Gotta Eat: Real Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible.
Your time in the kitchen doesn't have to be taxing, time consuming or even involve heat to count as cooking, she says. "Your habits and the way that you feed yourself aren't less valid because they aren't professional kitchen habits."
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Here are three mindsets to help you gain confidence in the kitchen.
If you can make a sandwich, use a can opener or throw a few ingredients in a slow cooker, go on and give yourself a pat on the back. You're cooking!
Assembled meals you can try at home:
