Every heroine should know her way around the kitchen. Cooking in is often less expensive, more healthy, and also more rewarding! Here’s my best advice for getting started.

1. Invest in a nice chef’s knife.

Cooking became so much more pleasant when I realised that there was something more than the random assortment of dull knives in my student kitchen. I love the colourful knives by Kuhn Rikon. A decent chef’s knife isn’t too expensive and totally worth it. Keep it sharpened too!

2. Perfect the art of throwing stuff together.

It may seem daunting to follow an entire recipe, so perfect a simple stir fry and serve with noodles or rice, or a yummy tomato sauce with leftover veggies for spaghetti night. Monkey is way better at this than I am, experimenting with spices and sauces from the cupboard. It never gets dull!

3. Write a menu of your specialties.

If you already have some go-to dishes, write them all down in a list and keep it handy in the kitchen. Consult it next time you can’t think of what to make! And if you don’t know how to make anything yet, pretend like you’re ordering your favourite take out, and start by learning how to make that.

4. Have a shopping list & routine.

Every Saturday, we write up a menu for the week, pop the ingredients on Wanderlist, and head to the farmers’ market. It’s a great way to acknowledge the week’s activities as well. If food prep sounds overwhelming, read Valerie’s Guide to Weekly Food Prep. She makes it look super chic.

5. Find a favourite cookbook or food blogger.

Aimless googling never brings results as satisfying as my go-to favourites. I know I can trust the Oh She Glows cookbook and I constantly consult Minimalist Baker, so I’m familiar with their style. Also, sometimes the recipes overlap, calling for a homemade sauce or vegan cheese from another page off their site.

6. Set the table ahead of time.

This new favourite tip comes from At Home With Madame Chic: Before you go to bed, set the breakfast table. Seriously, knowing that a table is waiting makes it so much easier to roll out of bed in the morning. Now whenever I finish a meal, I set the table for the next one.

7. Construct the perfect Cooking Playlist.

To celebrate along the way, treat yourself to a special cooking playlist of your favourite tunes.

8. Take out the ingredients ahead of time.

It’s time to cook dinner. I’m exhausted from the day’s work, and everything feels like it take extra effort. So I do myself a favour and set all the ingredients for the evening’s cooking on my kitchen counter. When it’s all laid out, it seems much less overwhelming.

P.S. have a peek: my minimal kitchen & the cookbooks I’ve used.