5 Reasons to Cook More in 2021

As many people were stuck at home last year, finding new hobbies to pass the time was an essential part of daily life. From crafting to gardening, people found joy in new things in a time of crisis, and even starting to cook more meals from scratch grew in popularity. There can be a lot of pleasure in cooking, and a lot of benefits to doing it as well. Below are just five reasons you might want to cook more at home in 2021 if you don’t do this often already.

1. Develop Skills

Knowing how to make a delicious meal from scratch is an important life skill, and even if you already know how to cook, perhaps trying to find more challenging recipes is worth it to hone your culinary skills. Some of the more challenging dishes to make include souffle, beef wellington, béarnaise sauce, and paella. Why not put your new skills to the test and try out some of these delicious treats?

2. Manage a Healthy Lifestyle

Another big benefit of making homecooked meals is that you have more control over what you’re putting into your body. A lot of frozen ready meals and takeout are full of unhealthy fats and can be high in sugar and salt. If you want to maintain a healthier diet this year, making the effort to cook your meals from scratch is a fantastic way to do this, and you can even use healthier substitutes like these Beyond the Equator products for certain recipes if you would prefer.

3. It’s Fun

As mentioned previously, cooking can be a very enjoyable experience, and some people even find it to be a soothing activity. If you have kids, baking some sweet treats with them at the weekend can be a great way to spend some great quality time together and teach them this important life skill. Even if you’re cooking solo, creating a tasty dish to enjoy is incredibly satisfying, or being creative with cake decorating can be a lot of fun.

4. Impress Your Guests

You might still be unable to have people over for dinner depending on where you are in the world or how cautious you’re still feeling, but when things start returning to some kind of normal, practicing your chef skills could lead to you impressing your guests at the next dinner party! Be the host with the most and then wow them with your culinary wizardry at the next gathering with a show-stopping dish.

5. It’s More Sustainable

Finally, taking the time to make more home-cooked meals could be a step towards a more sustainable way of living. Although you will likely still purchase your groceries from the store, reducing the number of takeout boxes or plastic packaging from frozen or chilled ready meals is a good place to start. If you want to make more of an effort, consider growing some herbs, fruits, or vegetables yourself at home if you have space in your garden to do so. 

Nothing beats a home-cooked meal, and although it might require a little more effort, it’s worth it. If you want to try and be healthier this year or simply want to find something to pass your time, cooking more from scratch is a great way to do this.