I definitely used to have the same attitude towards cooking, back when my dad and I were first learning to cook. There’s a few things I did to alter my perceptions (in no particular order):
Start thinking of cooking as nifty biology/chemistry. There’s a lot of books out there that go in-depth on this, but I think my favorite is “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” (Harold McGee 2004), which covers pretty much every foodstuff I’ve ever used.
Think of the last time you went out to a nice restaurant to eat, specifically of the best portion of food you got. Imagine being able to eat food of close to this quality multiple times a week, at much lower cost (I generally pay as much to make an 8-serving dish as a restaurant charges for 2). This probably only helps if you’re big on food and/or eating fairly low-quality food now, but I found it a big motivator when I was learning.
If you’re one of the many people posting in the dating advice comments above, consider the fact that cooking is an attractive skill in a romantic partner, so the time taken to learn it could be a useful investment.
Try starting with recipes you don’t need to pay much attention to, such as stews; this helps to minimize the feeling of wasting time, as you just combine the ingredients and leave.
As always, your mileage may vary, especially if you don’t think with your stomach like I do.
I definitely used to have the same attitude towards cooking, back when my dad and I were first learning to cook. There’s a few things I did to alter my perceptions (in no particular order):
Start thinking of cooking as nifty biology/chemistry. There’s a lot of books out there that go in-depth on this, but I think my favorite is “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen” (Harold McGee 2004), which covers pretty much every foodstuff I’ve ever used.
Think of the last time you went out to a nice restaurant to eat, specifically of the best portion of food you got. Imagine being able to eat food of close to this quality multiple times a week, at much lower cost (I generally pay as much to make an 8-serving dish as a restaurant charges for 2). This probably only helps if you’re big on food and/or eating fairly low-quality food now, but I found it a big motivator when I was learning.
If you’re one of the many people posting in the dating advice comments above, consider the fact that cooking is an attractive skill in a romantic partner, so the time taken to learn it could be a useful investment.
Try starting with recipes you don’t need to pay much attention to, such as stews; this helps to minimize the feeling of wasting time, as you just combine the ingredients and leave.
As always, your mileage may vary, especially if you don’t think with your stomach like I do.