How to Get Out of a Cooking Rut

At the beginning of the pandemic, like so many people,I turned to my kitchen. I baked manyloaves of sourdough bread,cooked dried beansfrom scratch, and got aroundgrocery shortages using substitutes. But as the pandemic wore on, cooking became more repetitive, less of an escape and more of a slog. Last month, almost a year into social distancing, I found myself dreading the task of planning and cooking dinner, a part of the day I usually enjoy. After so much time inside cooking for myself, I fell into a real kitchen rut. I had been making the same things over and over, and I was just sick of everything.

After a few weeks of peanut butter sandwiches, bagel bites, and takeout, I've finally begun looking forward to cooking again. Ruts happen to even the most accomplished, enthusiastic home cooks, particularly after such an incredibly stressful, trying year. If you're in one, here are a few ways to get out of it.

RELATED:In a Cooking Rut? Ask Our Editor in Chief for Help

If you are able to get food into your body (and the bodies of the people you're caring for) by whatever means you have, that's enough. If you're really struggling, let yourself off the hook. I ate like a college student for a while—a lot of baby carrots and hummus, questionable sandwiches, boxed mac and cheese, and frozen food. Sometimes my lunch was peanut butter straight from the jar. It might sound silly, but I found it so freeing. Who cares? Everyone needs a break. If you're unconsciously putting a lot of pressure on yourself to make innovative meals all the time like I was, it can make dinner into more of a chore than it has to be. Convenience products are there for a reason, and bottled salad dressing works just the same as homemade.

On days when I can't face cooking, sometimes my partner and I declare it foraging night in the kitchen. Basically it means we're going to hunt through the fridge for whatever scraps—leftovers, cheeses, pickles—that you can easily assemble into a meal. Your plate might look wacky, but as long as you're full and happy, it works fine. Assemble enough little bits, and it turns into dinner.

I started breaking out of my rut via vodka sauce. One day I really craved somevodka sauce pasta. I looked up a recipe and found that I had almost everything I needed to make it on hand. It wasn't a particularly difficult or time-consuming thing to execute, and the end result was delicious. Finding a project helped break me out of the same-old same-old cooking routine. Maybe for you that's cookingPad Thaior法式洋葱汤orPesto Babka. If you feel the urge to figure out how to make something, lean into it.

Another good way to coax yourself out of a rut is to riff on something you already know how to make. Swap in a different protein or vegetable. Try a new spice orseasoning mixture. Try making asheet pan dinnerrather than cooking it on the stove.

Got a bunch of things in the fridge and don't know what to do with it? Email us. No, really.Food & WineEditor in Chief Hunter Lewis isopening up his inbox for a weekto help you through your cooking struggles. From March 1 to 5, he's setting up an email hotline—just drop him a line athunter@foodandwine.comwith "Cooking Rut" in the subject. List what you like to eat, how many people you need to feed, your food restrictions, and a list of vegetables and proteins in your fridge or freezer. Within 24 hours, you'll have three recipe ideas from our food team in your inbox. How's that for rut-busting?