This year, let’s focus on New Year’s resolutions that celebrate the food we eat, instead of restricting it. Here are seven ideas for cooking resolutions that will help you love being in the kitchen.
Try a new ingredient
If you’re in a cooking rut after 2020’s extreme domesticity, that’s completely understandable. One of the best ways to shake things up is to try a new ingredient. Grab a fruit or vegetable that you don’t recognize or check out what’s offered at a local specialty grocery store. Once you have your new purchase at home, you’ll be inspired to search for new recipes that feature it.
Master a new kitchen skill
Are you afraid of cooking fish, or maybe of making pie? This is the year to hone a new skill. Use your imagination! You could work on something as simple as chopping an onion, or as complex as deboning a duck. Just consult a few YouTube tutorials and try it over and over again until you get it right.
Cook an entire cookbook
Much like an album, cookbooks have famous hit recipes that everyone knows, a few deep-cuts that only true fans love. If you want to take your kitchen knowledge to the next level, try grabbing your favorite cookbook and cooking through the entire thing, Julie & Julia style. You might be surprised by some of the gems that have been hiding in books you’ve owned for years.
Copy a restaurant meal
Does your favorite local haunt make the best beet dip? Do you feel the need to order Caesar salad every time that you see it on a menu? Now is the time to recreate that bliss in your own kitchen. Try a few different recipes at home to see which one you like best, and don’t be afraid to tweak the process! For extra credit, read up on the version at your favorite restaurant. Maybe it has been reviewed in a local paper, or maybe the menu will offer some hints about any unique ingredients that make it extra special.
Make your kitchen greener
There are a lot of things you can do to make your kitchen more sustainable. This year. consider composting or swapping in reusable napkins and towels for their paper counterparts.
Grow something flavorful
Growing your own produce will add an extra layer of connection to your meal. Add a few tomato or squash vines to your garden. If you don’t have outdoor space, a simple window sill will do. Mint is easy to grow in a pot and useful for drinks, dinners, salads, and more.
