Where do you get cooking inspiration?

Question

I LOVE to cook, but lately, I have NO motivation. I'm tired of the sa-a-ame stuff, week after week. I need ideas, things that normal people can do. Where do you get ideas from?

Answer 1

My favorite food sites are foodnetwork.com and epicurious.com... they have the greatest assortment of truly inspired and gourmet dishes. I tend to shop by what's on sale and what's in season, so then I look to cook from those items.
And I do tend to cook seasonally..like now that it's spring, I am making a lot of pasta's with fresh lemon sauces, fresh tomatoes, and also cooking with more fish and shellfish.
I get inspired by just the creative process, but also, just standing in the produce or meat and seafood section will inspire me!...I try to make at least one new dish every week...even if it is just a new side dish or salad.
Like, when was the last time you made a beautiful risotto, or wild rice with mushrooms? Have you ever tried to make a paella, or crab cakes? Salmon patties with a spicy dipping sauce? A new twist to alfredo? When was the last time you made an nice omelet for dinner, and served it with a salad? Sometimes for me, it is just thinking outside-the-box...stretching my usuals into something new and different.
Believe me though, there are definitely those nights I am just not in the mood to cook...then I make reservations! lol!

Answer 2

I love going to recipe sites, like Recipezaar. I look at random recipes, or if there's a certain food I try to eat alot but I'm getting tired of it, there is almost certainly a unique recipe for that ingredient that I would have never thought of. Looking at cookbooks helps. Watching cooking shows give me lots of inspiration and motivation, because everything they cook looks so good!. Sometimes just trying something new, like in a restaurant, can give you ideas of new things to make. I also love to cook but I have lots of slumps as well, where I just get tired of making the same old stuff. That's when I try to look for more ideas.

You could join a cooking group online too. They will have lots of recipes and ideas to try : )

Answer 3

Usually it's a mix of watching Food Network, recipe emails, flipping through cookbooks, epicurious, or dreaming. I'm not kidding! I'll dream about some kind of food and then wake up and I just HAVE to find the exact right recipe. Another one is peeking through the fridge, freezer, and pantry and thinking "What could I use that for tonight?" Then I hit the computer or cookbooks and try to find something new.

And I know your feeling, I've been stuck in a rut lately too.

Answer 4

My inspiration comes from a desire to please people and make them happy. I use to be a waitress, I loved the job, knowing that I could make someones night enjoyable just by being friendly and bringing them good things to eat. Today I love to cook for my husband and sons (adults) they never hesitate to bring friends over. I plan parties and get togethers so that I can cook. Seeing the smiles on their faces makes me want to cook all the more. I too get a lot of recipes from Epicurious.com and Foodtv.com when I find something everyone really enjoys I save it and use it again to WOW other people.

Answer 5

Nine months ago my husband and I became vegetarians. I thought the change take some getting used to, but it turned out to be the most fun with food we've ever had! It's weird, you take out three basic ingredients (beef, pork, poultry) and sometimes fish, from your diet and you end up with all these incredible things you've never tried before.

Since we began I've tried pine nuts, barley, portabella mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, avocados, all different sorts of breads, and pastas, just to name a few. It's a whole new cuisine.

I like to check out cookbooks from the library. But they have to have pictures. Ha. I recommend trying some vegetarian dishes, even if your an omnivore.

Beakers Barley Soup at www.allrecipes.com is fantastic!

Answer 6

A lot of my inspiration comes from my childhood-my mom was a fabulous cook. I just try to re-create tastes from my childhood and do it fresher and hopefully better than my mom did it.

Other than that, I get some ideas from the FoodNetwork and browsing FoodNetwork.com.

Answer 7

just think of something u want to do and experiment with it..... i make new things all the time and actually alot of them are terrific.... like making Chinese fried rice, the key to that is oyster sauce..... using onion soup mix and also using cream of mushroom help make delicious sauces and when u smother meat in it there is none better.... also try grilling for a change makes for a nice meal sometimes.... just depends on your kind of taste on what u can do and how much time u have..... Good Luck and been there and done that got the award for it lol!!!!!

Answer 8

I was never into cooking but now I love it...... my friend told me about recipezaar.com..that site has the coolest recipes from simple to hard recipes..... they post new recipes every day....... I just made pumpkin whoopie pies with chocolate chips....easy to make and delicious..... also I get alot of enthusium from watching rachel raye....she makes cooking seem so fun and easy......

Answer 9

....go to Epicurus website, or watch cooking shows, try to learn cultural food eg. Italian, French, German, Mexican and google some recipes etc.

Answer 10

I love going to the library and looking at old cookbooks.