"Can't Cook, Won't Cook"

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I will flick to another browser tab and forget to stir, or put a pan on a high heat then wander off. I think we always underestimate our capacity for change,” says Signe Johansen, author of Solo: The Joy of Cooking for One.

Two people, one of whom can't cook and one of whom won't cook, were nominated to appear on the show and under the instruction of a celebrity/world class chef prepare and cook a meal. Part of scaling up in the kitchen, Johansen suggests, is finding “like-minded” people to cook for, who are less concerned about what’s on the menu than enjoying each other’s company. Two people, one of whom can't cook and one of whom won't cook were nominated to appear on the show and under the instruction of a celebrity/world class chef prepare and cook a meal. Then once the winner has been decided the walls of the studio open up to reveal a prize (usually a food blender or set of saucepans).Iyer tells me that she developed the traybake concept when her own enthusiasm for cooking was at an all-time low, after a bad breakup. The effort bar was supposed to be: if you can tear the film off a ready meal, you can probably chop some sweet potato and put it in a tin.

Relying on leftovers is often a practical necessity if you’re cooking for yourself, but if you didn’t quite pull off the recipe, leftovers taste of failure – and if you did, you may not want to repeat it once you’ve eaten it three nights in a row.Seeing my staples, when I look in the fridge or cupboard, means I feel more capable and inspired – and I would not have known what they were had I not been forced to find out. For example: it’s important that aubergines are “very finely” sliced, but you can usually fudge onions – and always save the pasta water. So if someone else handles the cooking in your household, ask them to take a week or two off, for the sake of your self-development.