The Enlightened Kitchen: Simple Suggestions for Reluctant Home Cooks
Top Tips for Getting Back into the Kitchen
When my friend Dr. Matthea Rentea asked me to be on her podcast, The Obesity Guide, to talk about my philosophy on cooking, I was a bit nervous. A big believer in everything in moderation, I don’t know that my cooking has ever been conducive to losing weight. But Dr. Rentea—who has been working with people struggling with obesity for more than a decade—made it clear, addressing unhealthy eating habits doesn’t start with weight loss, it starts with a healthier outlook on eating. She wanted my thoughts on how to start cooking or return to it after a long hiatus.
Sure, I can do that. Here are some thoughts on how reconnecting with cooking doesn’t have to be stressful. In fact, it might even save you some money, while helping you live a healthier, dare I say, enlightened life. (note: the podcast will be out in a few weeks).
The Three Biggest Cooking Mistakes
After years in the kitchen, I've noticed three common errors that stand between the home cook and delicious dining:
Not Enough Browning: Proper browning–what’s called the Maillard reaction–creates depth of flavor that transforms ordinary ingredients into extraordinary flavor bombs. Don't rush this process! Allow proteins and vegetables to develop a proper sear before moving or flipping them. Potatoes and grains come alive with a nice crust, and pine nuts toasted in a pan for a minute make an ordinary salad taste like fine dining.
Under-seasoning: Don’t skimp on salt. The FDA found that 70% of our salt consumption comes from processed foods, not the salt we add to recipes or place on the table. Chances are, if you don’t like how your homemade foods taste, you’re not salting them enough. Also, buy some flake kosher salt (which absorbs faster and provides better flavor distribution than table salt) and season throughout the cooking process, not just at the end.
Leaving out ingredients: Cooking is chemistry, and leaving out an ingredient might prevent an essential reaction. Salt is a flavor enhancer. Adding it to chocolate chip cookies actually makes them taste sweeter and more chocolaty. Acids like lemon juice or vinegar brighten up flat flavors. A splash of olive oil gives body to sauces and stews. Chances are, ingredients are in that recipe for a reason. If in doubt, make it both ways and choose your favorite.
Let’s share war stories. What was your biggest fail in the kitchen?
The Basic Tool Kit
We could spend an entire post on what gear you should have in your kitchen. But my philosophy on cooking tools leans heavily on the wise words of Alton Brown: no unitaskers. Every tool in your kitchen should have more than one function. I am a devout believer in this rule except for this guy. Not a single day goes by in my avocado-holic household that someone isn’t using this tool, or looking for it in the dishwasher.
That said, here’s a starting list to help make your cooking a success (I really should make an affiliates link, but I don’t receive any endorsements for the recommendations below):
Chef’s Knife: They don’t have to be expensive. I like this one.
Paring Knife: Saves you from cutting yourself with that quality chef's knife when working on smaller morsels.
Cutting board: I prefer wood. They’re easier on knives and we don’t need any more plastic in our lives that we already have.
Measuring cups: Both wet and dry.
Sauce pan and frying pan: Stainless steel is a great start; we can talk about my cast iron fetish later.
Baking sheet: Splurge on a couple sturdy ones that won’t buckle under heat in the oven.
Cooling rack: one of these has too many uses to list; in addition to cooling baked goods, it’s perfect for roasting and crisping foods, glazing or decorating, draining, drying or thawing.
Strainer/colander: For draining pasta, washing produce, and steaming.
Storage containers: again glass is my preference; don’t like putting hot things into plastic, and glass freezes better.
Thermometer: This will ensure you never overcook a piece of meat again; start with this bargain version and then upgrade when you can afford it.
Tongs: This might be a personal preference, but I can’t live without mine. Great for flipping, grabbing, and serving.
Leave a comment with your favorite tools!
Where Do I Start: Menu Items
Let’s assume you’ve been away from the kitchen for a while. Or maybe this is your first time. Rather than committing to complicated recipes every night, consider mastering a framework for basic and balanced meals:
Start with protein: Structure meals around satisfying protein sources. Contrary to popular belief, grass-finished beef can be as lean as chicken while providing more iron and flavor. For the vegetarian, beans, tofu, and lentils should be prime on the plate.
Embrace fiber-rich foods: I fill half my plate with non-starchy vegetables and incorporate whole grains like wild rice, bulgur, and quinoa. These foods provide sustained energy and promote digestive health without the need for calorie counting.
Doctor up pre-made items: If you don't have the time, outsource some of the work. In a pinch, I buy pre-made marinara sauce that is zero-sugar and then doctor it up with protein, herbs, and spices at home. Saves time while staying away from heavily processed–salty and sweet–store-bought items.
Use frozen veggies: If you can't go to the store regularly, buy frozen broccoli, green beans, and riced cauliflower (great rice substitute). I can prepare a quick veggie side dish in 5-7 minutes straight out of the freezer.
Try heritage grains: If you missed my piece on farro, check it out. I'm exploring this topic in more detail over the next several months, but ancient grains–like bulgur, quinoa, and wild rice–are great substitutes for pasta or white rice. They also come with lots more fiber and nutrients.
Want some recipe suggestions? Leave a comment!
The Butcher's Corner
For the meat eaters of the world, there are lots of exciting kitchen experiments you can try. Here are just a couple to get you started:
Buy large format proteins and cut them down: A prime rib roast is often cheaper than individual ribeye steaks. Bulk ground beef also comes at a discount and can be portioned at home and go right into the freezer. Practice basic butchery to save some dough.
Don't throw out bones: Save up your chicken and steak bones, and put them in the freezer. On the weekend, throw them all in a pot and make some broth. It will come in handy for future recipes. If you don’t know what broth is, or how to use it, my friend Heather has you covered.
Quality over quantity: Good meat is more filling than bad. Splurge on the quality and stay away from factory farmed stuff that is often higher in calories, full of other bad things, and bad for farms and farmers.
Practical Meal Planning for Real Life
The all-or-nothing approach to meal planning often leads to frustration and aborted efforts. Instead, try these more sustainable strategies:
Culinary Boot Camp: Pick five basic recipes–maybe ones that use a single pot or baking sheet, and require minimal prep and cleanup. Take a weekend to practice making them. It should take about an hour for each recipe. After a long afternoon, you’ll have leftovers for a week. When you’ve mastered those recipes, you’ll be able to make them fresh when you want in half the time. Experiment with new recipes on weekends.
Practice Makes Perfect: Once you have your skills up, plan 3-4 days of meals at a time rather than an entire week, which can feel overwhelming. Choose recipes with overlapping ingredients to reduce waste and decision fatigue.
Make extra and FREEZE: If you're making a labor-intensive dish, double the portions. So many recipes taste better the next day, and tons freeze easily. Start with the “low and slow” cooked foods, like pot roast, chili, and soups. These can last months–if not years–in the freezer.
My Kitchen Philosophy
My relationship with food has ping-ponged between enjoyment and anxiety over the years. I wasn’t always trying to be a mindful eater. In fact, as a teenager, I prided myself on how many 49 cent McDonalds cheeseburgers I could eat. The number was thirteen! Does anyone else remember that price?
Today, eating looks quite different for me and my family. You might have heard me chattering away about it on my podcast. I guess you could say I've developed a bit of a philosophy on food that starts with three core principles:
Regenerative: Food that rebuilds our capacity to make more food is the most intuitive and sustainable model we can embrace. I choose ingredients that support farming systems that give back to the land rather than deplete it.
Resilient: Just like nature's most successful species, our superpower as omnivores lies in maintaining a diverse diet that doesn't over-rely on any single calorie source. This diversity makes us adaptable and strong.
Restorative: The most important ingredient in any meal is love - food must nourish not just our bodies, but our minds, spirits, and connections with each other. If food has no intrinsic value, it probably doesn’t deserve to go into your body.
This approach runs counter to much of today's diet culture, which often prioritizes restriction or over consumption of a handful of things. Somewhere along the way, we forgot about nourishment and fellowship, the only two ingredients that matter to me.
Let’s Be Mindful
Truly mindful eating starts in the kitchen, but it really comes to fruition around the dinner table. For my household, dinner is the only time I see my teenage kids most days. It’s not just where we share a meal, but where feelings and newly formed ideas can percolate; even if those thoughts are that the Jedi were actually the bad guys, and the Empire was just trying to promote law and order. Really?!?!
If you can, try to eat with others. It’s a hoot.
To truly nourish me, food must affect my mind, body, heart and spirit. That’s when it becomes medicine rather than mere calories. I can then create a more fulfilling relationship with my food, the system in which it was raised, and the people with whom I share it. That's at the heart of being an Enlightened Omnivore.
And remember, we all make mistakes in the kitchen. Be kind to yourself when things don’t go your way. That’s part of the learning process. Not every meal will turn out perfectly, mine don’t. Whether you're cooking for one, or feeding a busy family, the key is finding an approach that works for your life and makes home-cooked eating more accessible in your daily routine.
That's how we get back into the kitchen. One meal at a time.
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I’ll let you know when my podcast debut comes out on The Obesity Guide in a few weeks, and post a comment if you’d like to hear more about Dr. Rentea and achieving metabolic health. We all could use with a little more moderation these days.
Nourishment of body & spirit & yes!
Your good list of tools does not take into account the (often European) recipes where weight is the unit of measurement, rather than volume. So a small scale should be added to your list.
BRAVO for the whole blog!
Nick Brown