How
to overcome the fear of cooking
Hey, mommies! If I ask you to name a few cooking fears, what would be on your list?
Would it contain a handful of common ones such as the fear of making someone sick, fear of overcooking, fear of spoilage, or fear of recipes? Would it also count in your simple worry of getting cut or burnt while cooking? (Point-black, same fears would appear on my list if I am to make one too!)
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| Photo source: http://www.blisstree.com |
Well, cheer up moms! Neither of these little phobias would make us pay regular visits to a psychiatrist’s couch nor would cause us to frequent a weekend workshop full of holding hands, singing “Kumbayah”. For all that, what these kitchen nightmares can actually do is prevent us from being better cooks than we are already.
The fear of cooking, clinically dubbed as mageirocophobia, is extremely common according to the Medical Review Board. It's a condition that can take many forms and is correlated with the possible outcomes of the cooking process. While these fears are considered simple and run-of-the-mill, they can get severe enough to interfere with one's daily life. As mothers, we don't want that to happen, do we?
Just the same, if this fear of cooking always get in the way making us, the home meal planners, feel uncomfortable in the kitchen, how can we cook for our families?
Chef Marie Gonzalez, owner and chief vegetable whisperer of Kitchen Revolution, gives us a slew of recommendations that might help us face our worst kitchen nightmares and overcome them.
(1) Fear of causing illness
This is noted as the most common cooking phobia of all. It roots from the basic creeps of contamination, spoilage, and/or undercooking. In reality, there are number of possible foodborne illnesses which can be acquired by anyone—even our kids at home. This fact adduces why we must understand the reasoning behind many “food rules”.
“Foodwise, a mother should follow proper sanitation practices—more so if her kitchen handles meat,” Chef Marie explains. “Raw meat is a breading ground of bacteria,” she points out.
How to face the fear:
- Designate one chopping board for meat which should never be used to cut veggies and fruits.
- After using it, always wash with soap and diluted bleach to kill bacteria
- Disinfect kitchen surfaces with 1 capful of bleach in 1 liter of water
- Keep raw meat and seafood away from cooked food in the ref or freezer
- Don't leave out raw meat and seafood more than 4 hours in room temperature
- Rule of thumb: keep cooked food in the refrigerator only up to 5 days
(2) Fear of serving inedible food
It is true, mothers as cooks are quite overwhelmed by seasoning options. This is why, we, on occasion, fail to trust our own abilities to mix flavors and nail down the best choices for each dish.
Chef Marie clarifies that inedible foods are those which are bland or extremely sweet, salty, bitter, or spicy.
How to face the fear:
- Always taste the food as you prepare or cook it
- For savory food, add a pinch of salt every time you add an ingredient to the pot
- For baked desserts, follow the recipe to a T. Add salt or sugar sparingly so adjustments can be made easily
- Learn what particular ingredients are bitter and use sparingly. (For example, kids won’t eat ampalaya greens so don’t serve it to them. If they can’t handle spice, don’t sprinkle in cayenne pepper at all)
- If something’s bland, add a pinch of salt, sugar, or citrus / vinegar. Too sweet, salty, or spicy? Dilute with water
(3) Fear of presentation
Let's face it, some of us are perfectionists even in the kitchen. We get bothered by presentation concerns such as how the food looks! Experts say “this phobia seems to be triggered most often when giving a dinner party or otherwise entertaining at home”.
“Colorful food is a sure fire way of a good presentation,” Chef Marie reveals.
How to face the fear:
- Make sure the food you cook has plenty of color: red from tomatoes and bell peppers, orange from squash and carrots, yellow from potatoes and camote, green from leafy greens and string beans, purple from eggplant and onions, white / brown from singkamas and brown rice
- Trust your creativity in terms of serving meals for friends and even for close family
(4) Fear of the cooking process
Most of us have this kind of phobia. We worry about getting ourselves cut or burnt, or having other difficulties with the process. We are even afraid of techniques that we don't fully understand, from blanching to poaching, which hinder us from cooking other savory meals for the family.
Chef Marie notes that “if a cooking process seems daunting, Google or Youtube it!”
How to face the fear:
- Watch cooking shows
- Follow recipes carefully
- Understand that the process involves great effort (even if it'll cause you a cut)
(5) Fear of recipes
Seemingly complicated recipes can be intimidating. That's why at times, we question our ability to perform all of the steps or fret that we might miss one.
“A recipe is a guide to help you successfully cook or bake a dish. Think of it as a way to avoid disaster in the kitchen,” suggests Chef Marie.
How to face the fear:
- Note that a recipe is a great way to expand your cooking horizons
- Also, consider it as your bestfriend in the kitchen so next time you have a fridge of leftover produce without a clue of what to cook, it can give you an idea how you can whip up something fantastic
“The families that eat at home together, stay healthy together,” Chef Marie believes. So if we, moms, want our kids to build good eating habits, we must avoid fast food joints and just cook and eat at home.
We must not let our kitchen nightmares overturn our dream of keeping our family in the pink of health. So, whip up only the healthful and yummy dishes for the whole family!
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