losing your touch?

[cooker]

 Does anyone else ever have those days or weeks where you just can't seem to cook anything right? The done-ness, the spices, the aroma, even with a tried and true recipe? I know that if I am in a bad mood, nothing seems to taste the same, even if the measurements are exactly those of the last dish...

[lost it]

Definitely.  I also wondered if it is because I'm not cooking as much here as I used to, as our helper loves cooking.  But I certainly have days where I think that I'm not as good as I used to be.   I also think that I don't have the same amount of patience anymore because it gets so hot in the kitchen that I don't enjoy it as much.

[spices]

My cooking has always been touch and go no matter where I've lived, especially baking, I'm a terrible baker.

Tastewise, it could be that your spices etc are suffering from the heat.  I keep mine in the fridge - this started when I found a layer of mould on the chili powder that I'd only bought a few weeks previously, so now they all go in the fridge and stuff like tabasco sauce I keep in there too (that went all vinegary and separated when it was kept in the cupboard).

It's getting to the stage where I need two fridges!

However, if you already do keep them in the fridge, maybe they need to warm up a little before you cook with them. 

[Hot chef]

Agree about the heat in the kitchen.  I am passionate about cooking and before coming here would love to get into the kitchen at every opportunity.  Here I find that the heat just saps my of my creative juices and sometimes it goes horribly wrong in the kitchen.
One thing I have found that spurs me on is to find a local ingredient I have not used before and find a recipe.  It can be a bit hit and miss but it is fun to try and gets me out of a rut.

The issues with the spices is also a problem.  But if you keep them in the fridge dont they sweat?  I keep my dried mushrooms etc. in the freezer to protect them from bugs.

[Old Mike]

If God had meant us to cook He would NEVER have given us MacDonalds.

[spices]

If God had meant us to cook He would NEVER have given us MacDonalds.

I thought he gave Maccy D's to actively encourage us to get back in that kitchen 


Spices sweating, no mine don't do that.  Do you mean with the condensation when you take them out of the fridge?  They're never out for long.  I haven't noticed that keeping them in the fridge impairs the flavour - I make lots of curries and they seem fine.

I keep things in the freezer too - pasta, lentils, noodles, rice, flour - I've had weevils in all of those kinds of things before now so put them all in the freezer these days.  We get ants in nearly everything in our house so most stuff goes in either the fridge or freezer, even breakfast cereal.

[OP]

  Thanks Spice, I had meant that lack of spice or passion metaphysically, or is it metaphorically, or both? But your suggestions are good ones none the less. These days I can't even seem to grill a piece of fish properly or make pasta with a stir through sauce! :-) (Though Leggos char grilled tomato sauce is a wonder)

[spices]

sorry OP, I'm a bit slow sometimes and I've also realised that I didn't read Old Mike's comment properly either  last night - woosh, it went over my head 

But yes, Leggos sauces can be really good - I like the sundried pesto one - add some olives, salami, mushrooms etc and it's great.

[JR8]

Does anyone else ever have those days or weeks where you just can't seem to cook anything right? The done-ness, the spices, the aroma, even with a tried and true recipe? I know that if I am in a bad mood, nothing seems to taste the same, even if the measurements are exactly those of the last dish...

Agree. Some days your heart just isn't quite into it, maybe you're tired, or grumpy, and simply can't be bothered to season and balance out a gravy or sauce as precisely as other days. Little things in the finishing make a lot of difference to the overall result in my experience.

For us, we have no maid, and I used to cook a lot (I did 4 weeks of cook-school in NYC etc). But as others have suggested, we have no air-com or fan in the kitchen and it is a flipping nightmare, it gets so hot. If you open the windows the hob/range-burners often blow out or don't flame properly because of the breeze. Plus in out mental kitchen the total preparation space is 40cm wide on the edge of a double (why!?) steel sink. There is no room to stretch out and breath anymore, and just not really enjoyable.

Maybe a year ago, I still had 'the feel' for how to put a meal together and cook it, but my enthusiasm has really waned. We're out of here shortly, and I hope I haven't lost that, as it was/is a very useful skill...

[No cooking]

To OP, I feel like that sometimes too, both when we lived in Singapore and still now when we are in another location.  I simply refuse to cook for 7 nights a week, so in Singapore and in here, we eat out a couple of times a week or take take-away.  That helps and I feel more motivated to cook a meal again the following night. 

[eat emptor]

 I've found I have lost that "sixth sense" that tells you when a new recipe is likely to be a dud, or a total disaster. Something about the ingredients or the method used to send off warning bells in my head before I started cooking that something was amiss. And I can't seem to salvage things the way I used to if a dish does go wrong.

[Rach .]

Yes I know exactly what you mean - and it's amazing how many very simple dishes I have completely cocked up..... purely due to lack of enthusiasm!  I think if you cook almost every night (which I do), it does get hard to stay keen.

So my advice (which I should follow more often) is:

1.  Buy a new cook book or 2 to get some inspiration.
2.  Or - take an old cookbook which you always use the same recipes from and go through it picking out recipes you've never done, a new one for each night of the week.
3.  Do some fun cooking eg make pizza bases (enormously satisfying) and get some simple but fab toppings.
4.  Batch cook every so often - gives you a night off at a later date, and some satisfaction from cooking knowing that you're cooking for 2 or 3 nights.
5.  Take things back to basics a little - eg a roast chicken stuffed with herbs, with salad and a nice loaf of bread, or fresh pesto and pasta.... can't think of anything else right now, but I'm sure you will!
6.  If you don't have a maid, make sure that your kitchen is clean/tidy/neat before you start.  It's much more conducive to good cooking.
7.  If you're getting too hot, get a fan.
8.  If you haven't got one, get a good radio/music system for your kitchen, mine makes me far happier about spending time in there.  Some good music and a large glass of wine definitely increase my enthusiasm!
9.  Try to prepare a little in advance.  I find that I'm pretty knackered by the time I've got the kids in bed, so if I have just done a bit - chopped onions, peeled prawns, marinaded meat, made a sauce etc - it's all a lot more appealing.
10.  As other's say - take a night off every so often - we usually have 'take-away friday', and often get a babysitter in on saturday nights.

I'm hoping that some of these tips might be good to get you more enthusiastic and get the love of cooking back.....

Good luck!