I’m so shocked by the amount of people who claim they can’t cook these days.
Cooking is a basic life skill. No one is suggesting you have to whip up some haute cuisine or fancy three course meals at the end of a working day but you really should know the basics and be able to provide a nourishing meal for yourself without resorting to a visit to the nearest McDonalds.
Obesity is rising. People getting in the kitchen is declining. You do the math.
Michael Pollan says in his book Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation
: not cooking breeds helplessness, dependence and ignorance.
And I agree. By not teaching kids the basics – or by not learning the basics yourself you’re leaving yourself dependent on big business.
Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is all about getting kids enthused about food and getting families back in the kitchen preparing home cooked meals. Not only is it a way to fight the obesity crisis but it’s cheaper and it’s fun! I urge you to sign his petition to get schools to offer food education to all children.
Because that’s where it all starts- with children. I learned how to cook by watching my mum prepare meals. She worked long hours and did shift work, so sorry being “busy” is no excuse. They weren’t fancy meals, mostly Spaghetti Bolognese, curries, casseroles etc – but they were homemade, nutritious and filling.
Why I cook…
This blog is all about making life better and cooking makes life better.
Let’s start with knowing what you’re eating. It wasn’t that long ago that people were up in arms over the fact that ready meals contained horse. Well, I’ve news for you, when you’re living on fast food and pre-made meals then you’re probably ingesting all kinds of nasties – horse meat is probably the best of a bad bunch.
It’s creative. It’s fun having a bunch of ingredients and trying to fashion them in to something that tastes good. There are no real rules so it’s the perfect place to get creative.
It’s healthier. By cooking you’re in control of what you’re eating.
It promotes independence. Who needs to reach for a micro-meal when you know that with a tin of tomatoes, a few herbs and a bag of pasta you can whip up a variety of tasty and healthy dishes.
IT’S CHEAPER. I mentioned this earlier but eating healthy isn’t expensive when you know what you’re doing. It’s certainly cheaper than visiting McD’s or ordering a pizza.
You’re in full control. Eat what you love. Simple.
It’s a time saver. Yep. TRUTH. Cooking is time saving. No more waiting 45 minutes for your food to be delivered after spending an hour trying to decide what to have. You can cook a great meal up in around 15 minutes. If you want to save even more time then I SWEAR by the foil takeaway cartons, just make loads extra and dish up portions to whack in your freezer. Ready meals are even better when they are made by your own fair hands.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT?
HOME COOKED MEALS TASTE BETTER!!!!! #FACT. Ready meals and processed foods are so full of salt and garlic powder that they actually all tastes the same. Who wants that?
Cooking is empowering. It really is as simple as that. It’s empowering, it’s cheaper, it’s healthier and it’s such an important skill that EVERYONE should have the chance to learn the basics. I’m not saying never have a takeaway or fast food again – but they should be a treat not an every day occurrence.
So, do you cook? What’s on the menu this week and are you cooking with your kids?
PS: Have you signed up to Busy Girl Kitchen yet?
I completely agree that home cooked meals taste better, and although I rarely get the time to cook much myself I tend to make one massive meal and freeze it to use over the week. x
Absolutely great post! I am a firm believer in healthy fresh meals. Thanks for posting K x
Yes! Healthy food is where it is at. I cook everyday at home and rarely have a takeaway or processed food. Love the work that Jamie is doing to educate people.
This is all so true. I need to get better in the kitchen. I’m a bit of a lazy cook but do try to keep everything healthy and fresh x
I’m always shocked too at the amount of people who claim not to be able to cook, especially parents. Cooking is a skill that should be passed down by your parents.
Totally agree, cooking isn’t even hard so I never get why people dont do it. I have been cooking with Little G since she was 18 months x
I agree that home cooked always tastes better. Always prefer a home cooked meal to fast food (although maybe not at the time but I always regret it afterwards)
I’ve been teaching myself how to cook from scratch for the last 6 months. Home cooked is definitely tastier 🙂
So true homecooked meals taste better and are well worth the wait Jamie is doing a good job x
I agree that good home cooked meals are fantastic if you have the time. I tend to do a combination of homemade, with possibly a quick fix version too. I do support Jamie though. We can’t all live on ‘chicken’ nuggets and chips
I try and cook from scratch as much as I can but sometimes, we do go for the quick fix option as we are just so busy, juggling so many things. I definitely prefer to cook myself, it’s much more nutritious and homemade meals usually taste much better 🙂 X
I love to cook and do agree that sadly, it’s not taught to the little ones – especially in this generation. The kids love to help in the kitchen, and what’s even better they take pride in it and love eating all kinds of cuisine!
I 100% back Jamie also.
i LOVE cooking, I actually used to hate it.
But the things Ive heard about kids not having a hot meal at home breaks my heart.
Thanks for sharing hun
Charlotte x
I love to cook from scratch 🙂 I am making a chicken curry tonight 🙂
I’m not a massive fan of Jamie Oliver but I do love a few of his recipes. I don’t always cook from scratch but when I get the chance I really enjoy it. But sometimes something quick and easy is best, but saying that I am a 21 year old student x
Im not a jamie Oliver fan but he can cook for me anytime, some of the things he comes up with are amazing x
I often say I can’t cook – but I guess it’s more I don’t like to cook. We do cook everything from scratch but we are stuck in a rut and have a few set meals we seem to be doing to death at the minute – and preparing those even from scratch doesn’t feel much like cooking! I guess it’s time to branch out a little!
Great post, I love cooking but with three small children finding the time can be difficult
There is nothing better than a healthy meal in the evening 🙂
Yes, I cook most days and I have to agree with you: homemade food is much better and cheaper 🙂