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Today, the Redlands Ranch Market team is tackling fast food vs. slow food (the good ole’ home cooking).
Fast food might be convenient because it’s fast and it’s food, but have you ever considered the ways in which cooking at home could actually be the best decision when it comes to eating? In this article, we’ll be discussing the importance of home cooked meals and why everyone should be doing it… including you!
Join us as we break down the 7 reason why cooking at home should be a thing in 2020. Our intention? To provide useful information and a new perspective on and appreciation for food.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
- Knowledge. Cooking at home means you have improved knowledge of what’s going into your food.
- Healthier. When cooking a meal at home, chances are it’s going to be healthier than foods purchased elsewhere.
- Sanitation. There’s no doubt sanitation will be easier to monitor when cooking at home.
- Cheaper. Despite popular belief, buying ingredients to cook your food at home might actually be a cheaper alternative than eating out.
- Creativity. For those who appreciate the creativity in life, home cooking definitely allows you to tap into your creative side and add variety to your meals.
- Therapeutic. We’ve heard of hobbies that could help reduce stress, and cooking could be an exceptional decompressor for those looking to relax.
- Convenience. There are few things more convenient than eating in the comfort of your own home, which cooking at home allows you to do.
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Knowledge is Key, Even in the Kitchen
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]Do you know all the ingredients that your favorite restaurant puts in your favorite dish? Chances are, you probably don’t. When you cook at home, however, you’re aware of every ingredient that‘s going into your dish.
As an example, consider a dish as simple as spaghetti aglio e olio. This dish traditionally consists of cooked spaghetti, garlic, and olive oil. That’s it! However, a restaurant might include other ingredients to the dish to enhance flavors or accommodate the demographic in that area.
And what about allergies? Hidden allergens might exist in a dish that even employees such as servers or food runners might not be aware of. The fact of the matter is: When eating food prepared in a restaurant, you simply can’t know everything in your dish unless you make a special request or do research prior. However, cooking at home takes away that lack of awareness and gives you the full advantage and confidence in knowing what you’re putting into your body[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
Your Time, Your Health
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]To piggyback off the previous point, cooking at home means you’ll more likely opt for healthier options as opposed to junk options. The stakes are high: cooking at home means you’re leveraging your time and effort to provide the best for your family.
The link behind cooking at home and eating healthier might have something to do with how we wouldn’t want to put forth time and effort into something if it wouldn’t benefit us in the end. Just like any relationship, we want our relationship with food to benefit us at the end of the day. With that in mind, would it really be satisfying to spend time, money, and effort cooking a meal only to have it make you feel groggy or lazy? More than likely not.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
With Food, Sometimes More is Actually Less
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]Have you ever heard someone say that cooking at home is more expensive than eating out? Maybe you’ve been that person. In any case, when it comes to finances and food, you could get more bang for your buck if you cook at home more than eat out.
Cooking at home gives you the opportunity to purchase bulk items and prepare meals in advance. This, in turn, allows you to freeze meals so you have leftovers ready-to-go. You could also utilize coupons and discounts and take advantage of sales and membership perks that eating out simply doesn’t offer. In retrospect, when combined, all of these behind-the-scene home-cooking details favor your bank without compromising your belly.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
Let Your Creative Juices Flow!
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]So, you want perfectly crisp chicken wings, but no place can accommodate your current unique craving of wings with hollandaise sauce. What now?
There’s no denying that when you cook a meal at home, you have absolute freedom to create whatever food combination you want, no matter how simple or how absurd. Belgium waffles with pickled eggs? You could make it! Naan with a jalapeno-chocolate sauce? You could make it!
The power to express yourself in the kitchen takes us right into our next point.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
Decompress in the Kitchen
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]Cooking at home could be exactly what you need after a stressful workday or week. Some tasks that require focus and attention to detail could be therapeutic for some people, and cooking falls right into that meditative category. While traditional practices such as yoga and meditation are still effective, cooking is also effective in how it forces us to focus on the now.
In an article that discusses the link between baking and improved mental health, the author expresses how baking allows a person to “focus on the present instead of [our] mind wandering into all sorts of places”–namely, places that one might not want their mind to wander into.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
The Convenience of Being Able to ‘Netflix and Cook’
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]Being able to cook a meal in the comfort of one’s home while dressed in pajamas on any given day might be one of the best experiences ever. It’s the comfort of being at home… that home-field advantage without the competitive atmosphere.
So, toss on your onesie, heat up some pans, slice up some onions, and treat yourself to some good entertainment, a good meal and, most importantly, a good experience that prioritizes your comfort and health.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]
Give Homecooking a Try
[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px”][vc_column_text]How do you feel about our ‘home-cooked’ reasons? Would you agree?
Remember that you don’t have to choose between eating to live or living to eat. When you cook at home, you could do both. We take initiative to provide our body with the proper nutrients but we also get the advantage of experiencing some really tasty foods that make us happy to eat.
Are you ready to buy up some ingredients and cook a feast at home? We hope so, and we support you! Stop by the Redlands Ranch Market today to start your home-cooking journey[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]