Do you find cooking therapeutic?

Answer 1

I do if I'm doing something like baking. And can really enjoy it if I try a new recipe for dinner, have some music playing and a glass of wine while I cook, and it all turns out nicely. But cooking for entertaining is much more pressure, can't say it's therapeutic then! My sister says she feels down if she doesn't cook for a few days. It can be a mood booster, definitely.

Answer 2

Oh yes, I love the preperation for it and the creative spirit. Working out ingredients; buying ingredients; the chopping and dicing; the combining; and then, of course, the chance to share with someone. It's very much a ritual and should be treated like that. Mind you, when I was a chef and was cooking 50 meals a day I didn't feel quite the same. Mostly it became stressful and tedious, but there was still the buzz of creating!

Answer 3

Oh definitely! Though I must say, that baking is so much more therapeutic than cooking. I love baking bread when I'm really stressed. You get to really work the dough and then the result is great and makes you feel so much better :)

Answer 4

Yes I do... I love cooking a meal especially for people who are appreciative. I like to create special atmospheres for serving the meal. Also I enjoy making the food decorative and festive. I love to eat also.

Oh, and it's really therapeutic if someone else cleans up the mess and does the dishes....

BURP! oh excuse me......

Answer 5

Ooh yeah! Great fun!! Get home from work after a really hard day, spend about an hour cleaning the house or ironing then start doing the dinner. Get really hot standing over the stove just to hear the whines of "but you know I don't like peas" or "but why can't we have chips again" Or better yet - "I'm going out - save mine for me" Oh Joy - what fun!

And then, just because I'm such a lucky mummy, I get to clean it all up again afterwards!!

So who would need stress counselling - just get in that kitchen and cook for joy!

Answer 6

YES oh YES!!!! its the best way to think of nothing! I love it.
i really like to cook sweet treats though. I love it when someone eats some of my sweeties and enjoy them, that is the best feeling and VERY therapeutic!

Answer 7

Absolutely.

I adore cooking.

I like how my mind just goes blank and i concentrate on just the cooking. I allow myself to be free in the complete sense.

It's a wonderful feeling.

Plus, i love cooking for other people so it's fun trying new things and just knowing that your food is going to make other people happy.

And the other upside is that i don't eat much i cook (not because it's bad :P) but because i get full from just the smell of the food cooking.

Answer 8

No! It stresses me out everyday trying to think of something to cook that my kids, partner and I will like (Kids are especially fussy). I just add a bit of this and a bit of that and a hell of a lot of pepper and hope it tastes good! I hate unseasoned english dishes I prefer foods with spice. So it does take awhile in the kitchen before something is cooking. Usually my fried brain from to much thinking!

Answer 9

Yes I love it but only with the right food and kitchen space. I need to shop at my Organic butchers - Chadwicks in Balham - and to dig up vegetables form my garden and obviously have lots of red wine handed, for the sauce of course, then it is therapeutic.

Answer 10

Yes, but only if I am doing it when I feel like it. Lately, with my broken ankle healing, I have enjoyed cooking up stirfries and stews, such as the one below-

From my special collection of Indonesian recipes:

Cotterall Adam's Indonesian Fish Curry

Overall timing is 40 minutes and can't be frozen

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1 1/2 lb. cod fillets
salt, pepper
1 onion
2 tbsp. white flour
1 large cooking apple
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 oz. butter
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. mild or medium curry powder
1 pint stock (560 ml.)
2 tbsp. yellow sultana raisins without sulfur coating
2 oz. split almonds
2 tbsp. cornstarch

Cut fish into chunks and sprinkle with salt. Coat with flour. Peel and slice onion. Peel, core and slice apple and sprinkle with lemon. Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven or saucepan. Add curry, onion and fry 5 minutes. Add fish and cook a few minutes on each side. Add apple and cook a little longer.

Pour stock into casserol and add raisins. Blend cornstarch with cold water and then hot stock. Add carefully and bring to a slow boil. Simmer up to ten minutes. Add almonds and cook two more minutes. Taste and season to liking. Serve with Cotterall Adam's favourite: hot steamy 'congee-style' rice with homemade apple or mango chutney. Don't forget to drizzle a little melted butter over the rice.

I recommend Raj beer along with Kokanee. Cider is nice as well, maybe a nice BC Grower's Green Apple or Macintosh.