Freestyle Cooking: The Cooking Skill Holding Back Most Beginners
Many people would LOVE to learn how to cook from scratch more often, but no matter what they try, it doesn’t stick! They go right back to ordering takeout or hitting the drive thru. Why? Well, there’s one specific skill they haven’t strengthened. It’s called freestyle cooking.
I see you trying so hard to cook from scratch.
You keep trying new meal plans hoping they’ll finally work for you.
Your binder or folder of your favorite recipes is ready to go…
You’re trying to prep what you can in advance.
Sometimes, you even make 2 of the same recipe and freeze one for later!
You are doing all the right things so why is this still so tricky?
Well first, meal planning is hard. I explained that here when I shared my favorite tips to simplify meal planning.
If you’re already trying to do all the right things and struggling, check to see if this tip applies to you. I’ve seen many people feel stuck in the mud with their meal planning when really, THIS is the problem.
It’s also the reason why I am a terrible food blogger (but a great home cook).
The one skill more people need to develop is this: freestyle cooking.
What is freestyle cooking?
Freestyle cooking is being able to apply basic cooking techniques to adapt recipes based on the ingredients you have on hand.
It’s that thing where you just whip up a dish and people say, “You just came up with that?!” Yes, I sure did!
Freestyle cooking is the one skill I recommend all home cooks focus on. For many, it’s fun and exciting. For other folks, it’s stressful and frustrating.
They hate cooking without a recipe and just want the step-by-step, thank you very much!
What’s going on there?
Get your pantry staples list now!
Cooking from scratch is a gift you can give yourself and your family! It’s way easier than you think and my free pantry staples list & meal planner will help you get started right away.
Send your free downloads directly to your inbox!
Why are some people “bad” at freestyle cooking?
Every person can be great at freestyle cooking! Just like literally any other skill, it just takes practice.
But I think what’s really going on here is that people don’t trust themselves.
They don’t believe that they can whip up a delicious recipe from scratch.
They’re reluctant to mess things up and they’re sure that’s exactly what will happen.
Why?
Where does this reluctancy come from?
“I mess everything up.”
“Oh, I’m useless in the kitchen.”
“I burn everything…”
All of that sounds like self-doubt to me. I hear someone who probably got hurtful feedback on their cooking from someone a little too blunt. Maybe they feel frustrated with the size of the learning curve for their favorite recipes and feel intimidated.
Maybe they’re shut off from the creative parts of themselves. This happens so much, especially as we get older!
We are operating from this fear-based negative lens that tells us we can’t before we even try.
Give yourself a little credit
You are more capable and creative than you think!
Let cooking be easy! Let it be simple.
You don’t have to look through 50 recipes before you find one you feel comfortable making.
You absolutely can tweak and adapt recipes to suit what you already have instead of hitting the store for X, Y, and Z.
Ready to get started? Try one of my 14 tips to cook from scratch without recipes.
Freestyle cooking builds confidence
You don’t have to throw away your cookbooks or cancel your meal plan service.
I’m simply asking for you to imagine yourself successfully preparing simple dishes.
What if you focused on what you could do instead of your doubts?
Let’s tackle some common fears
What if my food isn’t as good as I’d like?
No one wants to eat mediocre or bad food every day. You’re afraid you’ll be stuck eating bland soups and stews until the day you die, right?
Um, no! Have a little more faith in yourself, friend.
You can and will cook tasty meals from scratch.
Not sure where to start? Try one of my 14 tips for cooking without recipes. You can totally start with a recipe you love. Adapt it to make it your own!
What if I ruin a dish?
This held me back a long time! Especially since food costs so much and I hate to be wasteful, the last thing I want to do is ruin something and have to throw it away.
That one ruined dish will teach you SO MUCH more than fastidiously following recipe after recipe.
No one likes to ruin a recipe or waste food. Even if it’s “ruined,” most dishes are still edible. Honestly… a little ranch dressing or shredded cheddar makes pretty much anything tasty.
Unless your recipe is totally burned or unsafe to eat, try to eat it anyway.
What if I fail?
You will.
It is absolutely inevitable that you will fail. Either today or ten years from now, we all make mistakes. Even pros make mistakes.
I always imagine that in every kitchen, even with the fanciest ingredients, someone has ruined every single dish. People make mistakes, especially when they’re learning. Mistakes are normal. Mistakes mean you are trying.
Not failing is a bigger problem because that says you are too afraid to even try.
You can do this!
Ready to start cooking from scratch every day?
Get your pantry staples list now!
Cooking from scratch is a gift you can give yourself and your family! It’s way easier than you think and my free pantry staples list & meal planner will help you get started right away.
Send your free downloads directly to your inbox!
What do you think of freestyle cooking?
Do you cook like this? Have any tips to help beginners cook from scratch? Share them in the comments!
Thank you for this website, Rachel! As I read different articles, I realize how much I do know and practice regularly without even knowing it, and all because of what I learned growing up. But I also am learning a lot.
As for freestyle cooking,..I totally agree that it takes practice. I have been cooking since I was about 8 years old, helping my mom in the kitchen. I had some serious fails when I tried freestyle cooking, so I stuck to using recipes. Even with all that practice, my husband and I agreed that no matter what we cooked and how bad it might turn out, we had to eat our mistakes. That was a sure catalyst for both of us to work on cooking skills. 🙂
Because of health issues, I tried MANY different cuisines trying to find a way to enjoy food instead of feeling like it was a necessary evil. There wasn’t one cuisine I could “own” in order to feel that I was eating food that would be safe for me. But exploring different ways of putting ingredients together helped me learn the properties and characteristics of different ingredients and how they would influence the outcome of a dish. And it is key to taste…taste…taste..along the way so you know if what you are using is close to what you expect in the end. Now I am able to cook freestyle more comfortable, and create a dish that is safe for me to eat and suits our tastes.
Do I freestyle cook all the time? No. But when I pull out a recipe, I look at it as a basic outline and don’t hesitate to substitute ingredients with what I have in the pantry because I know what the general flavor and texture impact of an ingredient is and what has a similar flavor or will create a similar texture – all while keeping it safe for me to eat. And along the way, I taste…taste…taste!
Thanks again for you webset. I look forward to continuing to learn.