Minimalist lifestyle is a growing trend these days as it encourages people to focus on important things while removing distractions. The main idea is to keep things as simple as possible. Obviously, one important part of our lives is cooking. Applying minimalist ideas to how and what we cook is quite helpful as it allows us to focus on really healthy eating. Obviously, if you are more interested in using commercial kitchen equipment, it is not a problem. But, maybe you also want to explore minimalist cooking.
If you are interested in learning about some simple minimalist cooking ideas that can always be considered, here are those that can always be mentioned, no matter what you prefer eating.
Single Ingredient, Whole Foods
Various foods need to be considered as a part of our daily diet. Unfortunately, people tend to eat way too much processed food and junk food. This happens due to a hectic lifestyle and how we are used to cook. One idea to consider is to remain focused on whole foods that are single-ingredient based. Great examples include nuts, whole grains, poultry, eggs, vegetables and fruits.
Buying processed food seems great as there are usually numerous ingredients included and often health claims are made. In reality, truly healthy food will not have that long ingredients list. It is the food that is the main ingredient.
Healthy eating can be really simple when you just avoid the processed foods and you stick to a diet involving whole foods without artificial chemicals.
Simple Flavorings
If you look at many of the new recipes online and current health trends you quickly notice that people started looking for fast ideas and more quality. This is always a great approach because using really high quality ingredients allows you to remove much of the unnecessary flavoring. Always buy really good salt, pepper and olive oil and you might not need something more.
Fresh herbs will always do wonders for your meals and you should always avoid new flavoring purchases unless you are sure it will be great. When new recipes require some condiments and spices that are really hard-to-find, they can be replaced with others that you have. Rare ingredients are often used just once.
Use Less Oil
Most people use way too much oil when they cook. This is a mistake. Getting back to the tip about flavorings, it is always better to use high quality oil as you need less of it. The same goes for what you are cooking in. For instance, it is better to use a high quality wok instead of a really cheap one you buy from the local store. If you look at the best woks reviewed you quickly see why quality is an important thing. Be sure that you maintain quality as high as possible with everything you use in cooking.
Maintain An Organized Pantry
Minimalism does not have to apply just to what you cook with or foods. It also has to apply to your pantry. Make sure it is properly stocked with the quality foods that you regularly use. This makes it much easier to prepare really healthy meals.
Pantries free of clutter allow you to reduce the possibility food will spoil and organized items make cooking faster. As you organize the pantry, consider these simple tips:
- Storage optimization – always store the items you are often using close to the front.
- Grouping – designate shelves with specific purposes. For instance, keep all canned foods on a single shelf and all breakfast goods on the next shelf.
- Labeling – you want to label pantry items and store in sealed containers.
Always take the needed time to organize and plan the pantry so cooking and shopping becomes more enjoyable and simpler.
Simplify Used Kitchen Tools
So many great gadgets can be bought for a kitchen but most of them are single purpose or simply nonessential. There is no need for really fancy kitchenware if you want to cook healthy, great meals. Basics are all you really need.
As the kitchen becomes cluttered with rarely used items you end up spending much more time than needed as you want to cook healthy meals. The best thing you can do is to donate or sell those that you do not actually need.
Obviously, you need to first figure out what is essential. This is unique to you. It will vary because what you use more often may be different than what someone else uses. All depends on how you are cooking, the foods you like and your lifestyle.
A great tip is to store the items that you are rarely using somewhere else. When those items are not used for around 6 months, the best thing you can do is donate or sell them.