this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2023
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This is mostly for my ADHD-havers, but non-ADHD folks can pipe up if they like. Do y'all find cooking hard? Like I feel like it takes me 2 hours just to cook a 35 minute meal. Now that I'm working I don't really have time to prep ahead. But I'm tempted to do it on the weekend when I can because this is infuriating.
I just wish my boss wouldn't keep me back until 5:20 to do my "daily progress". I think now I'm gonna have to ask him at 4:50 instead of 4:55 because he just ... talks, a lot. And this is coming from someone who talks a lot (if y'all haven't noticed).
It started out hard, then got easier with experience, but became hard again over the last 18 months as I became increasingly burnt out and sapped of energy (not to mention my appetite dropped a lot).
Frozen veg is a lifesaver. Tinned beans, as well as any premade stir fry sauces (which you can make once at home). Ginger garlic paste as mentioned in yesterday's thread. Makes all the difference between "ugh what a fiddly job this will take forever" to "okay I can do this quick" and actually getting into a flow.
An air fryer has hugely expanded options as I don't like using an oven (fiddly, takes too long to heat up) but it makes cooking a frozen crumbed fish or whatever a nice quick meal.
But yeah, the biggest thing that has helped my whole life is meal prep/bulk cooking. Fuck weekday cooking (usually). Whenever I do have the energy I'll power through and make enough to last a while, freeze anything I can't eat in the week, and thank myself when cooking is hard but there's something ready to go. When I'm tired or can't concentrate I don't mind eating the same thing for days on end.
(Anything that can be eaten with rice is much more versatile and worth cooking in bulk and freezing - mainly if you use a rice cooker.)
Yeah I do all that, it's just, I don't know. It's hard. It's also hard with chronic pain. I just feel so... iunno, I can never finish dinner at a normal time, like I just finished making dinner now at 8:30.
Yeah, sometimes there's no way around it, I'll often finish cooking at like 10pm and feel exhausted. Which is why if I'm going to cook I'll make at least 3 meals out of it so it's worth it. And I don't do any other chores for that day
Yeah I meant fresh rice with defrosted/reheated sides. Not a fan of any other rice myself, but it's the most versatile carb imo.
Microwave pouches are not as good as freshly cooked, but if you can't be arsed getting out the rice cooker, then they fill a need. Ready in 90 secs/2 mins if you want the rice really soft. One pouch does one person with some sauce & veg & sardines/herring on top. The Aldi coconut, chilli & lime one is quite nice. Also their basic basmati and basic jasmine rice. I'm not a fan of the egg fried rice one - edible but not delicious. Good cupboard standby.
I’ve not owned a microwave since I blew the last one up about 15 years ago. Sorry Force, no nuked potat.
Your loss
It takes a long time to become proficient at cooking, like at least ten years , so don't stress, accept you're on a learning curve
during the week cook easy stuff you know, try new recipes on the weekend
Even recipes I know take me forever. Currently cooking a Japanese curry that I've cooked countless times, still takes me 50million years to cook it. Seriously, I started at 6:30 and it's almost 8.
It's usually the chopping. You don't have to be precise, you don't have to cut tiny pieces. Use frozen cut vegies for speed. 👍
I agree with @Seagoon_@aussie.zone quick meals during the week. Pick up some pre-packed salads or frozen mix veg. Pair them with a protein or roast vegetables. Keep it simple. On the weekend spend time making more elaborate meals in larger quantities and freeze some.
It can take a while, especially when you are trying new things. I do pre-prepare a lot of things, but not all the sort of all-in-on batch cooking on the weekend. More cutting up vegies for a few days in advance. I do also make things like stews in larger quanties when I am making them so I often just have to prepare side dishes and not the full meal.
I plan meals in advance and have a basic template I follow so I don't have to start from scratch - nothing fancy, for example lunches are basically a repeat of toastie, sandwich, soup, sandwich & I just have to work out which specific type for each day. I write it on a whiteboard on my kitchen wall, which is directly in front of where I do food preparation. So I don't have to remember what is coming up & what I need to do, it is right in front of me. Then for example if I am cutting up a salad to go with dinner, I will look at the board and see I have two more salads planned in future, so I will get out two containers plus the plate for dinner, and fill them all at the same time.
I can hyperfixate and cook all afternoon, but then I make a lot of food to last me days. Otherwise, I keep things boring and simple.