I am very thankful for 2016, I feel like the expectations of women "staying in the kitchen" have finally disappeared. It is now understood that regardless of your sex, you can be the one who cooks—or you can just not cook at all. Unfortunately I am the latter, I do not cook, not because I am absolutely terrible at it, I just don't. The unfortunate part is I am a nutrition student, so I learn every day about how beneficial cooking is but I just cannot get on track. So nevertheless here are 10 reasons why I just don't cook.
1. Grocery shopping.
OK, it is one thing to go grocery shopping for milk or the essentials, but to go shopping for ingredients is tedious, and there is a 100 percent chance that I will forget something. I know what you're thinking, "Just bring a list." No, I will still forget something. The idea of navigating through Walmart just so I can get 20 ingredients that I am only going to use for one recipe? No thank you.
2. I'm impatient.
If I read a box that says I have to stir something 50 times every 30 seconds or any of that nonsense, I am not going to. I am going to find a shortcut. Unfortunately, with a lot of dishes if you do this it results in them not turning out right. For example, yeast bread has to be done with patience. Yeah, no.
3. I'm a perfectionist.
Yes, an impatient person who finds easy ways to get out of things can also be a perfectionist. I hate when I cook something, and it does not look identical to the picture. I am convinced that in the ingredients/directions leave something out so mine does not look as pretty as theirs. That is just cruel.
4. It can get expensive.
I am sure if I spent an entire week cooking I could budget it out, but in reality of being a full-time college student with a job, that's just not possible. It's not even like the main ingredients of dishes, if I want to make a type of pasta, the noodles are only usually a dollar but if I want to add a spice it's like four bucks? Who even comes up with these prices?
5. I'm forgetful.
I can spend an hour or two preparing a dish, but in that 15 to 30 minutes it has to cook, I have forgotten I am cooking. Yes, I am usually hungry, but at this point, I have resorted to snacking on a bag of chips I have found in the pantry. There is a 90 percent chance that my food will always burn, even if I set a timer I tend to go in a room where I just can't hear it.
6. Cleaning.
This reason is by far the most important. If I spend over an hour preparing a meal with at least three different pans, five different utensils, and three different bowls, not to mention the plate and fork I use to eat with, I do not want to wash them afterward. Cooking is a mess; it does not matter if you are a master chef, I do not have time to wipe down the counter every 30 seconds to ensure I don't get salmonella.
7. I'm bad at proportions.
Cooking for one is kind of impossible, I tend to think that there will be enough food for me, and then I end up still hungry and going to get fast food anyway. If I overcook, obviously I can still have leftovers. But it's usually not enough leftovers for a meal, it's usually just a side of beans.
8. Cooking directions.
I am serious, what is a "dash"? What is a "sprinkle"? I do not know how much that means, and most likely I am going to put more or less of this product than I need. Do you know how many ingredients say a spoonful? I have at least three different size spoons in my drawer, and frankly, I don't know which size you want.
9. I'm picky.
Whenever I cook, I make the same three things over and over again. There are so many foods I don't like, and if I replace them in the directions with something, I'm convinced I just won't have the same experience. Sure, I have tried new things, but it's my tastebuds' fault really.
10. I'm lazy.
Of course, it all leads to one thing: I just don't feel like it. If I am hungry on the way home, I stop at a drive-thru. To me, that seems like common sense. Obviously I know this is probably one of the worst things for my body, but it is so easy and simple that it is hard not to. I would rather come home and relax after a long day than slave over a stove for something I am just going to mess up.
