As the pace of daily life seems to increase with every year that flashes by and greater and greater demands are made on our bodies and our time, it is perhaps hardly surprising that a "microwave culture" has evolved, particularly among those who are single and live alone. Why should you face the additional "pressures" of slaving over a hot stove in the evening when you just want to flop down in front of the TV, PC or whatever? It is not as though there is anyone there but yourself to appreciate it! Why should you go to the bother of shopping for a list of ingredients, preparing and cooking them, when a trip to the supermarket once a week can simply be a matter of collecting seven cartons of frozen, fully prepared meals that can be ready in ten minutes and a "ping?" Actually, there are several reasons for doing so and, equally, several ways to simplify the process...
As stress and all of its associated conditions becomes a bigger factor in so many of our lives, so our bodies as well as our minds require the necessary tools with which to combat it. We require vitamins, minerals, proteins, etcetera, etcetera, many of which are simply not found in great enough quantities, if at all, in the "junk foods" with which we as a planet have become obsessed. We require the nutrients found only in the freshest of ingredients, properly prepared and consumed. Daily, we read in newspapers or watch TV about the obesity problem that is ballooning out of all proportion (if you will pardon the pun) simply due to the way we are eating. It is in our own hands to change it!
Cooking as an art form? Cooking is all about preparing that which our bodies need to survive: food. Art is a form of self-expression and allowing our inner selves the opportunity to roam free. Why shouldn't the two be combined? They make excellent bedfellows. We all have to eat and we all have our own favourite types of food. Perhaps you may list chicken, garlic and mushrooms, purely as an example, as your own personal preferences? So why not sit down and think of how you can prepare a succulent and nourishing dish using chiefly your own personal favourite items, expressing your inner desires and natural creativity - we all have it? You will find it relaxing, therapeutic and probably resulting in an excellent ultimate eating experience. Take WHAT you like in base form, prepare it HOW you like food to be prepared - and voila! It really can be that simple!
Recipes devised for us and published in books, magazines, or indeed increasingly on websites such as this, should, with very few exceptions, be considered guidelines as opposed to a list of hard and fast rules. There are of course certain types of pastry, for example, where the balance and content of the ingredients is critical, but it is unlikely that the type of meal referred to in this article will include preparations falling in to this category. If you are following a recipe which calls for the use of basil, which you don't like, try using flat-leafed parsley; if you think a dish would be a little too spicy for you but you otherwise like the look and sound of it, just reduce the quantity of the chilli or whatever the hot ingredient is; if you don't like carrots and find them in a beef stew recipe, simply miss them out. The only major potential stumbling block here is that you must be very careful when replacing principal ingredients such as chicken with pork as this could, and most probably would, affect the length of cooking time required.
If you are like me and have to do the bulk of your shopping in your local supermarket after working hours, it is a good idea to go some day/night when you have a little more time and browse the entire store as opposed to simply heading direct to the frozen food aisle! Look at the butcher's counter, the fishmonger's counter, the fresh fruit and vegetable section and get to know what is and what is not readily available to you. Fresh herbs in particular can some times be difficult to find and with a few exceptions, the dried alternative in jars is no comparison. When you know what you have easy access to, you can continue planning your healthy, balanced meals with fervour and lip-licking anticipation.
Well, the best of luck to you all. Cook well, be creative...and have fun!