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Learning to Cook at Forty
B1 📝 Blog · 324 words · about 2 min
A blogger tells how learning to cook changed his everyday life.
For most of my life I was afraid of the kitchen. My mother always cooked for me, and later I ate in restaurants or bought ready meals. When I turned forty, I decided that it was time to change this. Here is what I learned in my first year.
For most of my life I was afraid of the kitchen. My mother always cooked for me, and later I ate in restaurants or bought ready meals. When I turned forty, I decided that it was time to change this. Here is what I learned in my first year.
Lesson one: start with simple recipes. My first dinner was a plain omelette, and it was terrible. It was burnt on one side and raw on the other. But I ate it anyway, and the next day I tried again. After a few weeks I could make soup, pasta and a decent salad.
Lesson one: start with simple recipes. My first dinner was a plain omelette, and it was terrible. It was burnt on one side and raw on the other. But I ate it anyway, and the next day I tried again. After a few weeks I could make soup, pasta and a decent salad.
Lesson two: cooking is cheaper than you think. I used to spend around two hundred euros a month on take-away food. Now I spend half of that on vegetables, rice and meat, and I always have enough left for the next day. I also feel healthier because I know exactly what is on my plate.
Lesson two: cooking is cheaper than you think. I used to spend around two hundred euros a month on take-away food. Now I spend half of that on vegetables, rice and meat, and I always have enough left for the next day. I also feel healthier because I know exactly what is on my plate.
Lesson three: cooking is more fun with other people. In March I joined a small cooking class at a community centre. There were twelve of us, from teenagers to a lady of seventy-five. We laughed a lot, we made mistakes together, and we shared the results at the end of every lesson. I have made some good friends there.
Lesson three: cooking is more fun with other people. In March I joined a small cooking class at a community centre. There were twelve of us, from teenagers to a lady of seventy-five. We laughed a lot, we made mistakes together, and we shared the results at the end of every lesson. I have made some good friends there.
Lesson four: don’t be afraid of failure. Last month I invited my neighbours for dinner and tried a new fish recipe. The sauce was too salty, and the fish was a little dry. Nobody complained, and we finished the evening with bread, cheese and a lot of conversation. I understood that a good meal is not only about the food.
Lesson four: don’t be afraid of failure. Last month I invited my neighbours for dinner and tried a new fish recipe. The sauce was too salty, and the fish was a little dry. Nobody complained, and we finished the evening with bread, cheese and a lot of conversation. I understood that a good meal is not only about the food.
If you have never cooked before, I hope this post will encourage you. You don’t need expensive tools or special talent. You only need a little patience and a sharp knife. Next week I’ll share my recipe for tomato soup, which is now my favourite. See you then!
If you have never cooked before, I hope this post will encourage you. You don’t need expensive tools or special talent. You only need a little patience and a sharp knife. Next week I’ll share my recipe for tomato soup, which is now my favourite. See you then!