For me, it’s buying ingredients for one recipe and then watching the leftovers go bad because I don’t know what else to make with them.
What’s the most frustrating part of cooking for you?
It could be choosing what to cook, grocery shopping, meal prep, getting the timing right, cooking on a budget, cleaning up, or something else.
I’d especially love to hear about the last time it happened and what you tried to do about it.
My family and their multiple and varied dislikes that change from day to day
Just tell them you made what you made and they can eat it or…ha no, I know that works great for some families but it doesn’t work here. I don’t make extra meals but I do have to make sure all our food sort of meets everyone’s needs and some days, it grates. If I complain about this, I get the above advice from people, which is unhelpful.
It is called meal planning and meal prepping.
I buy in bulk, meal plan and meal prep. I freeze things before they go bad or I dehydrate them
I go online, enter a bunch of ingredients I have in my fridge and search for recipes. That way I'm using what I have and don't need to get anything else. Have found lots of new, fantastic recipes that way too.
I started doing that years ago, I honestly think that’s what changed me from a good cook to a really good cook
Food dot com. You can enter a specific ingredient, and recipes pop up.
Maybe cop out answer but just the cost of groceries. I want to make all the tasty food but the cost of things keep holding me back. The ingredient thing can be tough! Think about making big batches and freezing. Or mainly keeping around the same ingredients that work for different kinds of dishes
This is what I do. I keep staples and some extras that are interchangeable depending on the protein and seasonings. I'll splurge periodically if I get there in the morning and find something I like or want on markdown because it's about to go out.
Seasoning foods. Been eating healthier recently and with that it usually goes with foods that dont taste good because of the lack of butter and sauces. So i have tried so many different seasonings in the kitchen but nothing gives me the satisfaction. Im so bored of eating right now because everything i do tastes like shit because i cant seem to find a good set of seasoning for my foods. Tried everything there is to google, asked for recipes on reddit and tried most of them. I have just come to the realization that i just have to not enjoy food for a year or two. And then i can start eating good again lol.
This is a very minor issue, but spice level balance. My husband and I like spicy food. Now that he’s 45 his stomach is less on board with higher spice levels. I also don’t always want spicy food. I usually just make it how I want it and set out sour cream and a variety of salsas/hot sauces/chili oil
Over the years I have slowly trained myself not to buy ingredients for more than one new recipe at a time. Mental bandwidth can handle one new thing, and the rest of the week needs to be stuff I don’t need a recipe for. If there are ingredients for two new recipes, one of them is not going to happen.
Cleaning up 🤷♂️ but I like trying different recipes, so buying special ingredients you only need a little of or may not use until the next time you make that particular dish. If I’m making something new I try to figure out what else I can do with the remaining jar or box of whatever or seasoning etc
i don’t know why i’m so slow at processing garlic. i use it in many things and i put a LOT and i feel like i’ve tried so many tricks for peeling it quickly and it still takes forever.
Smack it with the side of a heavy knife blade and the skin will fall off the clove. You really don’t need to be precise when chopping it.
Inventory. Cook and freeze or dehydrate or juice. Above all, buy less and with intention.
OP, I totally understand, I was you. Now I use AI and it has really helped me reduce the amount of food waste I have. I just tell it what I have to use up and list things I have like "all the spices, rancho gordo beans, quinoa, rice, canned corn, canned beans" etc and it gives me many ideas of what I can make. Just last night I had 1/2 bottle of tomato juice, 1/2 gallon of milk, thawed boneless skinless chicken breasts, and some ricotta that I had to use. I told it that I was also going for lower carb and wanted to use some high protein pasta. It came up with a casserole of some sort but also a creamy tomato soup with diced chicken, high protein pasta, topped with some parmesan and ricotta. Hubs loved it and I got to use up 3 things that were on their way to being rotten.
Deciding what to cook/ buy
Cooking for one is a b**** because you end up sometimes having too much of something. Or even the same thing too many days in a row.
Low sodium options. I buy low sodium soy sauce, or Table seasonings from Mrs Dash. I only keep Tabasco, because of the high sodium content of tastier brands if hot sauce. Olive oil no butter. Sodium adds up so fast.
My husband wants to know what "we're" doing for dinner. I don't know. You are eating. I'm not. We're 57 years old and you think I am planning this shit? I haven't been hungry since 2024 (cancer patient here.) I'm not hungry. I have a body mass index of 14, only because I try to eat some cheese and crackers. Get off your well-padded ass and microwave something.
People trying to scam me for information so they can develop yet in another unneeded damn app.
Lack of freezer space! I hate wasting food. We rent, and do not have space for an extra freezer. I literally dream about owning a big ass FREEZER!
Make stock and then use it in everything.
You mean besides dishes? Cause it’s definitely dishes
Not being horrible, but find out what to make with them? I had some leftover takeout egg fried rice, and some tuna/onion/mayonnaise sandwich mix a while back. Into the wok, bit of dark soy sauce, et voila!
I’m with you. It’s such a pain when I need just a little of this fresh thing. Then not really be in the mood or forget to use it later. Most things you can throw into eggs if you eat eggs. Just for your future left over onion, peppers, mushrooms or whatever.
When oil splatters all over my stove because of a slight temperature difference.
I've been cooking 70 years so you would think this wouldn't be an issue, but finding the best pan for a new recipe is still my biggest problem.
Not getting garlic cut properly. I know all the tricks on the internet, none is working smoothly. Archieving a good golden brown color on, for example, meat. I get it done on one side but after a stir, the juice takes over and from that moment on, it just boils...
Figuring out what to cook and what im even in the mood for
Could you make bigger portions and freeze them?
My biggest bitch is throwing out yeast, baking powder and baking soda. I don’t need the regular sized ones on hand and there is only so much you can do with the opened expired containers. Smaller quantities would be nice, but you know they will charge more for them.
I do “cuisine months” where I’ll cook out of one cuisine specific cookbook for roughly a month. That way my specialty ingredients get more use.