By Eleanor Knowles

A male relative once said to me “Oh, nobody cooks anymore”, to which I replied “Well I do, every night”. I thought everyone did. Then I began to find out that maybe he was nearer to the truth. Sure, we love cookery shows on the TV and we read cookery magazines and recipe books for entertainment – but do we actually make any of the dishes that we’ve watched being cooked or that we’ve read about?

Probably not. Especially when it’s so easy to sling a ready meal in the microwave and wait for the ping. Or order up a takeaway. Or get fast food from a drive-through restaurant.

Why make a big deal out of cooking?

Well, having a go in the kitchen could help us all to be healthier and slimmer. Grab an apron, and read the checklist below to find 10 top reasons why.

1. “You” time in the kitchen – enjoy a little quiet time to muse on the day while you prepare the evening meal.

2. The feel-good factor – everyone loves home cooking, but rarely get it, so just wait for the complements!

3. It tastes great – of course it does, because you can enjoy all of your favourite foods and none of the things you hate!

4. Knowing what’s in your food – you made it, so there are no nasty hidden additives.

5. Eating more healthily – without even noticing, mainly because fresher food is more nutritious AND it won’t be bulked up with fillers or fattening additives.

6. You have control – over portion sizes (a BIG problem with takeaway foods), ingredients and timing of dining.

7. Cheaper than takeaways or eating out – and better quality food too!
8. Healthier than a takeaway or eating out – definitely, and your body will thank you for it…

9. It’s fun – just try making bread if you don’t believe me! All that clattering of pans in the kitchen can be very relaxing too, it’s a great stress buster.

10. Satisfaction – the sense of achievement you get from providing a delicious meal really does produce a feeling of wellbeing, which lasts all through the washing up (especially if you persuade someone else to do it).

And don’t worry if you think you can’t cook. If you can work out the instructions for heating up something in a packet, then you can easily cook a simple meal from scratch. Cooking a chop is no more difficult than toasting bread under the grill. Even raw vegetables have cooking information on their bags – boil in water for a while!

So get down and dirty with the oven, or among the pots and pans, and enjoy what my mother-in-law calls “playing about in the kitchen”.

Categories : Cooking