The average American eats an average of 4.2 commercially prepared meals per week. Four or five times a week equates to more than 18.2 meals per month eaten out. When you compare those figures to the cost of cook food at home, it becomes obvious that eating out often requires a significant amount of money.
1. What You Spend On Dining Out Each Month Might Shock You
At an average cost of $12.75 per meal, you would save $8.75 for each of those meals by cooking them at home. More precisely, you would save $36.75 per week. A family of two adults and two teenagers would save $35 by shifting one single meal from a take out to a home-cooked alternative.
2. Benefits Of Learning To Cook
If you can cook or bake, you have the opportunity to impress those around you while also improving your health and saving money.
Improving your health and lifestyle
Cooking your own meals means you get to choose quality ingredients that are good for you.
It’s fun
Cooking can be a great opportunity to get creative. You can also enjoy doing it with others such as your significant other and further strengthen your bond.
It saves your money
Just think of all that money you will save by not eating out. You can take that vacation that you always wanted or treat yourself to something special. If you also make sure you are energy efficient in the kitchen by turning things off when you are not using them and using lids on pans to make meals cook faster will save you even more money by lowering your Peco energy bill.
It enhances your personality
Cooking makes you more appealing and marketable. People who know how to cook or bake are seen as more stable than others. Just imagine how happy you can make someone by making their favorite dish.
3. Beginner Cooking Tips
Many beginners drop cooking altogether because it seems too complex or their first dish doesn’t taste good. Don’t get discouraged as all you need are a few simple cooking tips that can turn any boring dish into an exquisite one.
Never overcrowd the pan
Mushrooms won’t ever brown when they’re crowded. If you do it with meat, you risk that the heat won’t distribute properly, affecting the flavor or even creating a health risk.
Keep your spices safe
Spices can only survive when stored in cool and dark places. Heat and humidity will alter their flavor.
Shut the stove off before the meal is done
Whether you scramble or poach your eggs, turning off the stove when they’re still a bit runny will ensure they are cooked to fluffy perfection with the remaining heat. Take off your steak from the grill when it’s almost done and put it in aluminum foil for a few minutes foil to prevent it from losing its juicy interior.
Combine herbs and salt when chopping
Everyone hates chopping herbs as they end up all over the place. But, this won’t be the case if you sprinkle your board with salt.
Use pasta water
Adding a cup of pasta water to the sauce will enhance the flavor of your dish, especially if you have added a tablespoon of salt to it and stirred it well.
Store vegetables in a paper towel
You can prolong the life of vegetables by storing them loosely in a dry paper towel and in a re-sealable plastic bag that will protect them from oxygen.
Takeaway
Embrace the magic of cooking and you will discover a whole new world while improving your lifestyle, your health, and your wallet. You will also be able to make those you care about happier with your cooking skills. Moreover, when you do eat out, you’ll enjoy it far more when this is not a part of your routine.
