I... COOKED.

[Chrissy]

Guys, I'm a baker.  I will measure and mix all night long, and not feel like it's a chore.  I don't buy ANY baked desserts anymore; I make all my cookies, brownies, cupcakes from scratch, and they taste a thousand times better than store-bought, and cost less.

However, the peeling, chopping, boiling, sauteing parts of actual cooking make me want to kill myself.  So, I haven't done any of that in, oh, probably 5 years.  But, I was looking for more ways to cut costs, and there's nothing left to trim!  Uh, except my enormous food budget.  So, I've decided to try cooking--or some semblance thereof--once again.

For context, I'm single, no kids... hence, easier to justify the no-cooking lifestyle to myself.

To start, I looked at the ingredients on the package of the single-serve, organic, vegetable lasagna I buy.  Then, I looked at a couple of vegetable lasagna recipes for the appropriate measurements.  Bought the stuff I needed.  Completed the instructions from a promising recipe without ruining anything (which is a g.d. miracle), AND made a substitution, and wound up with 6 surprisingly edible servings of lasagna.  I froze each one in tupperware, and have been bringing them to work with me everyday (I work afternoons/evenings)!  Figured I saved $16.  If I cook all my dinners, I can probably save an additional $65/mo. 

Feelin' pretty badass right now.  Planning to attempt a second dinner recipe and a lunch concoction.

[deborah]

Fantastic!

[Rural]

Good for you!

[NeuroPlastic]

Congrats on the big step.  I also was scratch-prep-resistant for many years, but I am now chopping and dicing daily.  When I think about what makes is easy for me now, two things really stand out: having a small set of high-quality knives (with a sharpener), and knowing how to manage to the temperatures of the ingredients and the cookware so that there is no burning or sticking.

[mveill1]

Awesome! Here are things that as a non-cook I like to make and freeze:
- Stir-fry (store rice separately)
- Shepherd's pies
- beef macaroni
- Meatloaf

[MandalayVA]

Cool!  I always support cooking badassity!

[antarestar]

Check out Budgetbytes.com. That's how I've been learning to cook.

[Dulcimina]

Soups are always a good bet. You can change them up depending on what you have on hand.  They are pretty forgiving too - fairly easy to adjust if you make it too salty or too bland.

[WhoopWhoop]

CONGRATS!

First thing I thought was, "Holy crap! Lasagna takes forever to make!" But then I remembered that when I started cooking, I had to be REALLY motivated about the food I was going to eat, so I'd make anything that sounded delicious, not necessarily things that would save me time.

A couple things that might be appropriate for you to make:

• Fresh pasta the old fashioned way, using a rolling pin. It's similar to making fresh bread, I guess. I'm sure you can make marinara sauce in a slow cooker too.
• Use freshly baked bread to make sandwiches. If you can find boneless chicken at a reasonable price, use that to make chicken sandwiches (with lettuce, tomatoes, and mayo?). If bone-in chicken is better priced, cook it in a slow cooker, then shred it. Sometimes I put the shredded meat back in the juices on low for a couple hours.
• Brownie sandwiches! ...kidding, of course.

If you're a vegetarian, ignore my chicken suggestion. There are a billion vegetarian sandwich and vegetarian taco recipes online.

[Nancy]

Nice job! I've also delved into the world of cooking these past three weeks due to having no choice around it. Found out that I actually like it, and it's pretty easy! I also like using my slow cooker for soups. Delicious and time saving.

[2ndTimer]

I agree wholeheartedly with the comment about the motivating power of cooking something you really like.  My cooking really improved when I started concentrating on the things we had been going out for.  Much more fun cooking food we really enjoy and good for my ego when the Hub comments, "But your's is so much better."

[Zette]

I think it's easier for a baker to learn to cook than the reverse -- you're used to following recipes, you just have to refine your chopping technique so it's not such a chore.  My DH, on the other hand, is an intuitive cook who just knows what ingredients to add to get the flavor he wants.  He couldn't understand why it doesn't work to just dump in a bunch of pineapple and change the flour and sugar amounts on the fly when he tried to make banana bread. 

[Chrissy]

Thanks for the encouragement, everyone!  I'll let you know how the other recipes work out.

Zette, OMG, that banana bread!  I can't even imagine!

[The_path_less_taken]

Congrats!! Being single, it can be boring to do the wash/peel/dice/chop routine for me as well. Married peeps can at least chat with each other.

Music helps, big time. Dancing in the kitchen helps. Letting the dogs dance in the kitchen with you...whatever works.

I find that the 'food porn' pics help because if it looks insanely good...I know I'll try and make it.

[2ndTimer]

I routinely cook, clean etc to audio books that I download from the library.  When I have a good one going, I find myself doing more housework than I otherwise would just to find out how it ends.

[hollyluja]

may I suggest identifying the most unappealing tasks and finding a way to buy them pre-done?  Not 100% mustachian, but 100% better than not cooking at all.  When my baby was brand new, I happily bought pre-shredded cheese and pre- cut green beans until I felt more confident about doing all the work again.

I second the audiobook/podcast idea.  And taking a knife skills class!  They make it look like so much fun to tunnel-bone a chicken.

[crumbcatcher]

Check out Budgetbytes.com. That's how I've been learning to cook.

I'll second this one.  I heard about Budget Bytes on this forum and have been using it all year. Even my son digs the recipes from there (which is saying something) - last night we had spinach-feta grilled cheese sandwiches. SO GOOD. And super easy.

[antarestar]

I had the African Peanut Stew with rice mixed in. I think tonight is Curried Chickpeas and Naan.

[Artemis67]

Welcome to the Reformed League of Reluctant Cooks! ;)

I'm single, live alone, and finally knuckled down and started cooking in earnest after cleaning up my diet and realizing that it was only going to work long-term if I did most of my own food prep. I can now keep myself well-fed for a lot less money, and have complete control over ingredients, and I now have a repertoire of favorites that are tasty and easy to make. I'm to the point where I often prefer my own food over what I can get elsewhere, which is kind of a huge deal.

Cleanup, I've decided, is the worst part of cooking. I used to think I hated cooking, but really, it's the cleaning-up afterwards that is the biggest drag. So I keep finding shortcuts, and ways to maximize efficiency and make less of a mess. I'm still not an enthusiastic cook, but I don't mind it so much anymore.

[DollarBill]

When it comes to lasagna I find it hard to beat a Stouffer's at $9. Don't get me wrong I love cooking but I don't mess with that one...I just like it. I hardly ever measure anything and can make a great meal from anyone's fridge (I watch Chopped). Lately, I try to substitute things like spaghetti squash or julienne/peel squash. I can make some wicked Pad Thai with it.

I don't mind the prep or cooking but hate doing dishes...feel free to PM...(Wink).

[mveill1]

Budgetbytes is awesome! I tried my version of Monterrey chicken skillet. Didn't turn out anything like the picture, but for £19 I got 5 HUGE portions, that I may further sub-divide. And I went to a small local premium grocer to get the stuff. Not so bad!

[MandalayVA]

Another vote for Budget Bytes.  I've made jambalaya and the garlic rosemary beef stew and both came out excellently.

[greenmimama]

Way to go, Lasagna is impressive!

If you don't like the cutting up of veggies, many can be cut and frozen, making your next x number of meals that much less prep time, I use my food processor and prep and freeze a bunch of onions, because I hate cutting onions, and I dice them small so you can pretty much throw them into anything and they thaw and cook quick enough, like scrambled eggs, soups, lasagna or other casseroles, browning hamburger, those types of things.

Plus a tip I learned, when your onion container is empty, don't wash it, keep it in the freezer until you fill it up next time, it only holds onions so then the flavor doesn't transfer to other foods. That tip can be used for many many items.

[purplepear]

Music helps, big time. Dancing in the kitchen helps. Letting the dogs dance in the kitchen with you...whatever works.

My roommate and I totally do this. When we really don't want to cook and/or clean, we'll blast some music. If we're really unmotivated, a glass of wine might also be required. Definitely makes the process more fun.

Also, +1 for podcasts. Keeps you engaged in something while doing the more tedious parts of cooking.

Also, +1 for budgetbytes. That's the blog that got me started cooking years ago, back when I was a broke college student. It's my cooking bible.

Stay motivated! Keep it up! :)

[Kwill]

Congratulations, Chrissy!

I've found in cooking for one that bags of frozen diced onions and frozen chopped bell peppers really help to cut prep time and help me to include those in more dishes like omelets where I only want a little bit. The price per pound for onions is often about the same, frozen or fresh, and there's less waste with the frozen ones. I also keep bags of shredded cheese in the freezer.

[be]

Great job Chrissy,

I don't mind baking, but that stove thing just scares me.  If it goes in the microwave, oven, or crock pot, there's a chance it will get made.  Congrats on the lasagna.  I make mine in the crockpot.  I don't pre cook the pasta, and I use frozen veggies right out of the freezer.  Yes, the pasta is hard like cardboard and it's the regular stuff.  You don't have to use the more expensive no bake pasta.  Probably not as MMM as using fresh veggies in season and chopping, but it's cheaper than buying that many meals. 

Congrats on your new skill!  Not to mention your ready made meals in the freezer waiting for you.

[LudicrousSpeed]

I laughed at the title before I read your post. I am totally with you, Chrissy! I would gladly spend 4 hours on a fancy cake and enjoy it, but I find that cooking is a pain in the ass. I often say, "I can't cook, but I can READ".  (I can follow a recipe, but have no natural cooking skills)
I commend you on your new found badassity!

[tomita]

Guys, I'm a baker.  I will measure and mix all night long, and not feel like it's a chore.  I don't buy ANY baked desserts anymore; I make all my cookies, brownies, cupcakes from scratch, and they taste a thousand times better than store-bought, and cost less.

good for you ! cooking is healthier than baking !
I feel the same way about baking vs cooking, i have to cook but I prefer baking.
Lately to incorporate the craving for baking I an making chicken pot pies with biscuits,

[brooklynmoney]

I'm a reluctant cook, also single and live alone. The slow cooker is my jam, as well as those as seen on TV chopper things (it doesnt have a motor or anything it just slices/chops by pressing down on it). You just chop up the ingredients and throw them in the slow cooker and it makes a lot of food that you can eat over the course of the week.

[SingleMomDebt]

@WhoopWhoop now why you be kidding about brownie sandwiches?! ;)

Nice job Chrissy! There is hope yet. Haha. I tease. I cook 99% by cast iron skillet. Saute goodness in the skillet, toss some cheese on it, straight into the oven for 15min.for a casserole.

Or you can saute or roast veggies. Crack an egg over the veggies. Add a little water. Put a lid for a view minutes... yummm

[olivia]

AWESOME!  I need to do this.

[tariskat]

Well done!!   I like to cook but was unwilling to tackle lasagna for a long time (precooking and then cooking just seemed like so much work).  I finally started just using a crockpot lasagna recipe which turns out awesome! Doesn't look quite as pretty though.

[Chranstronaut]

WOOHOO!  Lasagna sounds delicious now :)

Casseroles/baked dinners are so awesome for multiple portion cooking.  They take a while to assemble and bake, but if you make a whole pan and freeze the extras, you will be rolling in lunches and dinners for days.  Love it!

[Chrissy]

I have now made the lasagna several times, tweaking with each batch.  The last one was perfect.  BF is cheese-phobic, but it smelled so good, he tried it and LOVED it.  We got together and ate it two nights in a row!  He's requested a ground beef version (with even less cheese), which I will attempt next week.

I've moved on to a black bean casserole... first version was bland as hell, and not really edible for that reason.  I'm going to keep working on it.

Also made some baked banana-raisin oatmeal.  Similar problem bland/not sweet enough.  Gonna pour syrup on the remaining servings, and tweak the recipe next time with some rum extract, more brown sugar, more syrup.

Overall, this cooking thing is working out!

[falcondisruptor]

This is awesome!  Everyone always makes it seem like cooking everything from scratch isn't such a big deal!  Cooking's not everyone's favourite activity!  You're awesome!

[shadowmoss]

I find that to make cleanup easier when I'm in the kitchen I'll go ahead and get a sink of hot soapy water run (I don't use my dishwasher except to store extra glasses...) and as I chop/mix/cook I'll go ahead and wash up as I go.  Since things immediately go into the hot soapy water nothing dries on and is difficult to wash off.  Since I'm only cooking for myself I can usually use the same sink of water to wash my dinner dishes. 

[deborah]

I don't use my dishwasher except to store extra glasses...

I store my preserver in the dishwasher - it's got more room than any of my cupboards.

[LouLou]

@WhoopWhoop now why you be kidding about brownie sandwiches?! ;)

Nice job Chrissy! There is hope yet. Haha. I tease. I cook 99% by cast iron skillet. Saute goodness in the skillet, toss some cheese on it, straight into the oven for 15min.for a casserole.

Or you can saute or roast veggies. Crack an egg over the veggies. Add a little water. Put a lid for a view minutes... yummm

Describe some of this goodness! I have a cast iron skillet and want to use it more. Do you saute veggies? Meat and veggies? Which ones! I must know!

[AJDZee]

YouTube is another AMAZING resource for finding great recipes to keep cooking at home a pleasure, less of a chore.

75% of my subscriptions are to cooking channels, here are some good ones I follow.

Chef John at Foodwishes is my all time favourite, he has 1000+ videos, and a voice you can't help love with haha
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRIZtPl9nb9RiXc9btSTQNw

Gordon Ramsay put out a Cookery Course with 100 recipes over like 20-30 episodes. And he's by himself, so he's not all shouty and annoying, actually quite pleasant. Here's one of the episodes...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xwJr-71Lv4

Sorted Food
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfyehHM_eo4g5JUyWmms2LA


And if you want to see some impressive baking/decorating skills, How To Cook That...
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsP7Bpw36J666Fct5M8u-ZA

[HipGnosis]

Kudos
I've been cooking a long (long) time.  Started in the boy scouts.
I cooked at a German restaurant, seafood restaurant and then a cafeteria when I went thru school.
I CAN bake, but I don't because I'm single and want something else after 2 pieces of cake, pie, etc..
Cooking is MUCH more flexible than baking.  I simply can NOT follow a recipe now.  It's a matter of (false?) pride that I know what can be adjusted, substituted or eliminated.   
I traveled a lot in the Air Force - picking up cooking methods and ingredients, which I take great pleasure in hybriding.  My best so far is "Italian fried rice" (lasagna ingredients with fried rice instead of noodles).
Sometimes I think 'cooking for one' ought to be an oxymoron...  it has it's challenges.
The biggest one is ingredients going bad before I use them all up.   I buy a lot of frozen vegetables.  I put the bag of veg's in a freezer bag (I keep re-using the freezer bags).  I put purchase dates on things with a sharpie.
For a while I made things in 4 serving batches, but I prefer to eat variety.  I roast chicken or pork and use the meat in multiple dishes.

[Leanthree]

Get a good sharp knife and learn knife skills on youtube. Dicing an onion should take about 20 seconds. Peeling and dicing 4 carrots should take about a minute. 2 stalks of celery about 30 seconds. This can be done in the amount of time it takes to get a skillet with oil hot over medium high heat and is the base of nearly everything.

Too many people with bad knife skills get frustrated with prep work but it is just a matter of the right tools, technique and practice.

This knife (well, the 2003 version) has lasted me 12 years and counting. I get it sharpened from time to time professionally for $5 every 2 years or so. I learned knife skills in 8th grade home economics and I have terrible fine motor skills. Anyone can figure it out. http://www.amazon.com/HENCKELS-INTERNATIONAL-Classic-8-inch-Chefs/dp/B00004RFMT/ref=sr_1_2?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1421773585&sr=1-2&keywords=j+a+henckels+classic

[Annamal]

Woo! Well done.

I use cooking time as a time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts but that might be a little dangerous if you get distracted while knives or fire is involved.

[Flyingkea]

Another vote for budget bytes here! Though I've discovered if you don't live in the US be careful with the chilli - she uses one with an earthy flavour, in NZ/aus it's very spicy. Hearty black bean quesdilas with homemade naan substituted for the tortillas... Yum!
While I've always cooked, I've found cooking for one to be a pain- never felt like it was worth all the effort, it is much better cooking for two or more.

[Chrissy]

Get a good sharp knife and learn knife skills on youtube. Dicing an onion should take about 20 seconds. Peeling and dicing 4 carrots should take about a minute. 2 stalks of celery about 30 seconds. This can be done in the amount of time it takes to get a skillet with oil hot over medium high heat and is the base of nearly everything.

Too many people with bad knife skills get frustrated with prep work but it is just a matter of the right tools, technique and practice.

Yes, this is my weakness:  no knife skills, everything takes forever.  I will look at YouTube to see how to improve.  Thanks for the suggestion!

My second try at black bean casserole is WICKED awesome!  Cumin!  Who knew???  I couldn't stop eating it.  I now have two meals I can cook!

In other news, the ground beef version of the lasagna was a failure.  Ugh.  I don't know if I can bring myself to finish all the servings.  AND, I hated cooking it, it was so much work.  I baked cookies to console myself.  They were incredible, so... silver linings.

[homehandymum]

:(  Bummer about the failed lasagne.  I find that lashings of sour cream and sweet thai chili sauce cover a multiple of sins if I have a cooking failure (and the kids will drown it in ketchup and mayo).

[Lyngi]

Me too!  I made pizza for the first time ever.   I don't like to have to look up recipes, print them out and then promptly lose them.   So my dough recipe is super easy  1, 2, 3.       1 cup warm water, 1 T honey,  1 yeast-spoon spoonful (2 1/4 tsp) yeast,  1 tsp salt,  2 Tablespoonfuls olive oil, 3 cups of flour.  If I have dough flavor (king arthur flour, that goes in),  mix and rise, then put in the fridge if I'm too tired to finish.   Roll it out really thin.  then:  Sauce--anything tomato-ey (paste, sauce, diced, powdered)  plus some italian seasoning.  ( finishing up some pizza flavoring from a couple of years ago (king arthur flour again).   Cheese,  toppings, bake 450-500 till done. 

[Jon_Snow]

Made Budget Bytes Spinach Artichoke lasagna for my wife tonight...it's cooking in the oven now as we enjoy a glass (or two...or three...) of nice red wine.