Whether due to illness, the weather, or our own preference, we may often find ourselves...at home.
While you could always order takeout for dinner, your kitchen can also offer you some great flavors and dishes.
5 Reasons to Enjoy Cooking at Home
Here we share five reasons why choosing to stay in and cook for yourself or for your family can bring you joy, no matter your level of cooking skill.
1. Save Money
With some takeout menus that declare $10 salads, $15 containers of asian cuisine, or $8 sandwiches, plus $2 for adding a shmear of avocado, eating out - although not actually “out” can really add up. Choosing takeout or delivery is a convenient and easy way to get a meal for yourself and your family. But so is cooking at home.
An article from Forbes shared that eating out, getting delivery cost about five times as much as eating from home. While there is a lot of variance and other factors to consider like what you’re ordering or how you grocery shop, the difference between costs is still significant.
Especially when you plan out your menu, use coupons or rewards as you grocery shop and are intentional about saving money at the store, you can see your savings add up quickly when cooking at home.
2. Choose Healthy
When you’re the chef, you get to choose exactly how much butter goes in those mashed potatoes or the portion size of a sandwich. If you’re following a special diet, you have the power to make those choices that help you stick to your goals.
That choice gives you the opportunity to be intentional about eating healthy. You can be mindful of preservatives or additives that you can more easily limit when cooking at home. Choose fresh produce that’s in season from your local grocery store. By putting in the time and effort in preparing a meal yourself, you may just appreciate your dinnertime even more.
3. Start a Family Activity
As a kid, did you come running when you heard it was time for dinner? When you choose to cook at home, you can provide your kids that same experience. Even if your kids don’t show a particularly strong interest in learning how to chiffonade basil or sauté an onion, you can involve them in the dinnertime-making process as well.
Invite them into helping you stir the pot of mac & cheese or peel potatoes to roast. Whether they’re an energetic five-year-old or bored teenager, make dinnertime family time by cooking something together.
4. Make What You Like
Have you ever asked for a substitution at a restaurant?
When you cook at home, you don’t have to ask for no onion or for the dressing on the side. You are in charge of what you make. Even when other areas of your life seem a little out of control or stressful, what to have for dinner can still be in your control.
If you use a recipe, you’re free to make the substitutions you and your family like. The power is in your hands. Can’t find an ingredient? You’ve got the opportunity to improvise and even find something even better.
5. Have Fun
Whether your days go by fast or slow, we could all use some fun in life. Cooking at home with the right attitude can be an exciting and entertaining activity, especially when you include your kids. Wear a fun apron, turn on some upbeat music and find a new recipe or an old classic to get cooking.
Rediscover the Joy of Cooking at Home
Whether you’re someone who already loves to cook at home or are new to the practice, we could all use a reminder of the value of staying in. With a lower cost, healthy options, entertainment for the family, the opportunity for choosing what you like and having fun, cooking at home can be a great practice that can bring joy during any season.