Evaluation on The Benefits of a Home Cooked Meal

Do you like to eat gourmet food, or for that matter, just plain good food? I do! I love to eat well prepared, well flavored food. I am happy eating at a fancy restaurant or at home as long as the food is good. And although I appreciate the convenience of going out to a restaurant to eat, dining out is not cheap. In addition, finding a babysitter to watch the kids at home can be tough. But when my wife and I do take the children out to dinner with us, they do not always behave. For these reasons, I am most at ease and relaxed when I can cook a fine meal at home. Aside from being a relaxing endeavor, cooking your own meals is cost effective. In fact, by preparing food at home, I can actually save enough money to take a family vacation or upgrade home computer equipment. Besides providing me with a way to relax and saving me money, cooking a meal is very rewarding. Cooking can be challenging and requires a lot of effort, especially when I am trying new recipes, but providing delicious food to my family or friends is worth the time and effort. In other words, whether it be grilling outdoors or whipping up fancy gourmet food, I love cooking!

I have always found cooking to be a relaxing experience. Sharing a well-cooked meal with family and friends can slow down an often hectic pace. Too often, I am rushing somewhere to accomplish some minor task. Taking the time to sit down and eat a home-cooked meal with my family relaxes me and pushes aside all the hectic daily events that can pile up. In keeping with the notion of relaxation, cooking is a great way to relieve stress. Whether used to soothe anxiety from a busy and demanding work week, to relieve stress buildup from a long commute to and from work, or to recover from a load of homework, the physical act of cooking helps me unwind. After a long day of mental strain, mindlessly tossing ingredients together and creating something tasty can be liberating. Another thing, chopping vegetables with a large chef's knife can work wonders at releasing tension.

Aside from helping me unwind, cooking a meal at home rather than eating out saves me money. When I eat out, not only do I pay for the food but I also pay for the service and setting. Sometimes I even pay for the occasional cocktail or glass of wine. All these little "extras" add to the total cost of the meal. The cost of cooking a fine gourmet meal at home, however, is a fraction of what it would cost to eat at a fine dining establishment. For example, with what I would spend on a meal at a restaurant, I can stock my pantry with ingredients for many home cooked meals. Or I can use the savings for a family trip or for new toys or movies that the kids want. Whether it's a gourmet meal, a pizza, or hamburgers, I have realized that you can save considerable money when cooking at home. All it takes is a little time, effort, and sometimes sweat.

While cooking at home is relaxing and cost effective, cooking a tasty meal for my family and/or friends is very rewarding. I derive great satisfaction from spending time with family and friends while cooking. I spend a large part of my day at work or on the go, so spending some time at home cooking a meal for my wife and kids is time well spent. Another reason I find cooking to be gratifying is the sense of accomplishment that I feel whenever I successfully plan and cook a multi-course meal for my family and/or friends. Whether it's an outdoor barbecue or a fancy gourmet dinner party, there is a great deal of effort that goes into choosing recipes, planning the menu, deciding on what beverages should accompany the meal, and then cooking the meal itself. Besides feeling a sense of pride and spending quality time with my family, I enjoy the effect that food can have on the senses. For instance, cooking exotic recipes or using exotic ingredients can transport me to far away places without ever leaving the comfort of my own home. I can envision I am in Spain while eating fragrant garlic soup, or that I am in Hong Kong enjoying an assortment of dumplings, or that I am visiting the beaches of Thailand while savoring a spicy coconut curry soup. I can pretend that I am sitting in Rome, snacking on a decadent dessert of lady fingers, espresso, mascarpone cheese and cocoa powder. All in all, cooking food has always been a positive experience for me.

I have been cooking food for a long time. Cooking is fun, relaxing and saves me money. It also affords me an opportunity to experiment and try new recipes which usually result in the great reward of producing a delicious dish or meal. Cooking can take me on an adventure in my very own home and always leaves me with a sense of accomplishment. All I need to do is look at the faces of those people sitting at the table as they eat one of my dishes. As the saying goes, a look is worth a thousand words and usually I see a smiling face with a look of satisfaction.