Home Cooking Tips During Quarantine

With Maui’s stay-at-home order still in effect until April 30th, you may find yourself trying to remember how to cook and bake on a consistent basis. Cooking is not only a fun and enjoyable activity you can do with the whole family, but it’s also a great way to pass the time that allows you to be expressive as well as creative. At the end of this quarantine experience, you may find yourself cooking at home more than ever simply because you have found some great recipes and enjoy the time in your kitchen. Let’s take a look at some tips below that will help you to thrive while cooking at home.

Experiment With Staple Ingredients

Just because we are working with staples and bulk food items doesn’t mean they have to be boring. You may be surprised at how many different preparations there are for simple food items like rice, beans, and meat products once you start adding spices and fresh produce. You can also have some fun with the toppings, like a burrito bowl with tomatoes, chiles and a homemade sauce. It’s also good to experiment with different textures as well so you don’t get too bored with the same food items.

Use Fresh Produce

When people have more time on their hands and are stuck at home, they actually tend to cook less and binge on more processed foods than usual. After a few days of this, you may feel groggy and irritable. Filling up with healthier foods, however, will give you the boost that you need to take control of your time in quarantine and accomplish chores that you have been meaning to do, learn a new hobby, or simply be more present with your family. Whenever possible, mix in fresh fruits and vegetables with your recipes.

Try More Complex Recipes

If you have read a recipe online or seen something in a cookbook and decided you didn’t have time for something so complex, now would be the perfect time to try it. Learning a new technique while making a complex recipe may even help you incorporate those techniques in other parts of your cooking as well. One recipe that is easy to make and extremely satisfying is any type of bread, which your family is sure to love too.

Invite Your Kids Into The Kitchen

With the kids being home from school they are probably bored and looking for a new activity. Cooking is the perfect way to teach them a new skill as well as give them the satisfaction of helping prepare a meal for the family. Start with recipes that incorporate some of their favorite ingredients and then encourage them to try new ingredients from there. You may find that most of their picky eating habits disappear when they are the ones preparing dinner.

We hope these tips will help you in your home cooking adventures, and please stay safe and healthy in the midst of this uncertain and challenging season.

Photo by Le Creuset on Unsplash