Most women love to cook, and some can put together a sweet or savory dish with just a few ingredients — utilizing simply anything that they find in their pantries. Some are adept at following recipes online, while others follow recipes taught by their grandmothers and mothers.
But what about the times when you do not have any recipe idea in mind? We cannot discount the moments when you lack inspiration because you and your family members have become tired of having the same dishes over and over again.
Finding inspiration for new recipes
A woman typically looks through various recipe sources to find new and easy-to-follow recipes, both online and offline. They may even have some go-to recipes when they do not want to think of what to prepare. Running out of inspiration for new recipes is nothing new. Everybody suffers some downtime, just how writers can have writer’s block now and again.
If you suddenly find yourself uninspired to whip up a dish, here are some tips.
Make an inventory of your fridge/pantry
It is possible that you bought several ingredients before and stored them in your pantry or refrigerator. It’s time to clean your kitchen and start managing your inventory. You may even discover some ingredients you have already forgotten about. With your cooking experience, you can put together something from these ingredients. You can stir fry vegetables or a simple pasta dish with cheese and tomatoes. You can quickly turn leftover meat, eggs, frozen mixed vegetables, and rice into savory fried rice.
Read food blogs
Aside from standard recipes in cookbooks, you can draw inspiration from food blogs. There is a wealth of information from blogs, which could reveal new cooking methods that could turn simple ingredients into more flavorful dishes.
You also deepen your knowledge, as creators of food blogs come from different cultures. Many people worldwide share most of their recipes online. Visit a good women’s forum website where you can find expert advice and inspiration for cooking and for many other diverse topics.
Visit a food market
Looking at the fresh vegetables, fruits, and other ingredients at a food market might excite you. Sometimes, you cannot think of a dish because you have limited ingredients in the house. But seeing the varieties of meat, seafood, and fresh produce can give you a lot of ideas on what dishes you can prepare, some of which only need a few ingredients.
Look for old cookbooks
Consider digging out old cookbooks from your collection, the library, online, or bookstores. Many old cookbooks have simple recipes that you can try, or jazz up a bit in your own way. You can use them when you are tired of cooking and spending hours preparing dishes.
Sometimes you do not have to use a cookbook to find inspiration at all. Looking at fresh ingredients can do the trick, as simply seeing them can already inspire you to cook something you know will taste good without any recipe to guide you.