How to cook when you're not into cooking

Summary

Life Kit: How to Cook When You're Not Into Cooking

Released January 9, 2025

In this episode of NPR’s Life Kit, host Marielle Segarra delves into the often daunting world of cooking for those who neither enjoy nor feel confident in the kitchen. Titled “How to Cook When You’re Not Into Cooking,” the episode features insightful conversations with renowned chef Samin Nosrat and food writer Margaret Ebai. Reporter Andy Taegel navigates practical strategies to transform reluctant cooks into more confident and creative meal preparers.

Understanding Cooking as a Learnable Skill

The episode opens with a candid discussion about the common belief that cooking is an innate talent. Samin Nosrat challenges this notion, asserting, “[...] cooking is a skill, and skills are something that get better with practice” (05:48). This perspective sets the foundation for the episode’s primary message: anyone can become proficient in cooking with the right motivation and effort.

Margaret Ebai reinforces this by emphasizing the validity of relying on simple and convenient food options. She states, “Frozen vegetables exist for a reason. Ready made meals are there for a reason. All of those are completely valid ways of feeding yourself” (01:41). This acknowledgment alleviates the pressure to always prepare elaborate meals, making cooking seem more attainable.

Finding Motivation and Enjoyment in Cooking

For those struggling to find motivation, Margaret offers valuable advice: “If there's any part of the cooking process that you enjoy even a little bit, if it sparks any kind of creativity or pleasure when you're doing it, my big advice is to notice” (06:25). This approach encourages individuals to identify and build upon the aspects of cooking they find enjoyable, no matter how small.

Andy Taegel adds that integrating fun into the cooking process can significantly boost motivation. Whether it’s involving children in meal preparation or experimenting with vibrant, colorful ingredients, finding joy in the activity can transform the cooking experience from a chore into a rewarding practice.

Expanding the Definition of Cooking

One of the episode’s pivotal discussions revolves around broadening the traditional definition of cooking. Andy elaborates, “Expand your idea of cooking. You’re probably already doing more than you think you are” (07:37). This inclusive view acknowledges that cooking doesn’t have to mimic the precision of a Michelin-starred kitchen. Simple tasks like assembling a charcuterie board, tossing a bean salad, or even using a microwave creatively all qualify as cooking.

Margaret highlights versatile and accessible meal options, such as bean salads and microwave-based dishes. She explains, “The beauty of bean salad is that because beans are so hearty and robust and they come in cans, you never have to worry about the ingredients all going bad before you have a chance to assemble them” (09:59). These suggestions demonstrate that minimal effort can still result in nutritious and satisfying meals.

Approaching Recipes with Flexibility

Recipes can often seem overwhelming, especially for beginners. The episode emphasizes that recipes are guides rather than strict rules. Margaret advises, “Recipes aren’t written on high and inscribed in a stone tablet. Right. They’re something that a person is making” (15:28). This mindset encourages experimentation and flexibility, allowing cooks to adapt based on the ingredients they have and their personal preferences.

Andy suggests starting with simple, verified recipes to build confidence. He recounts his experience with a Filipino chicken adobo recipe, noting the importance of understanding and interpreting recipe instructions rather than following them rigidly. “If you have two onions and it calls for three onions, it’s just gonna taste a little less like onion than you might anticipate from the original recipe” (15:43). This flexibility ensures that cooking remains accessible, even when substitutions are necessary.

Building Cooking Confidence Through Taste

Developing a reliable palate is crucial for building cooking confidence. Samin Nosrat emphasizes, “Your palette develops only with time and only with paying attention” (18:08). By tuning into the flavors and textures they enjoy, individuals can make more informed decisions in the kitchen. Samin illustrates this with an example: adjusting a burrito to include sour cream and guacamole to balance dry chicken (19:05).

The introduction of the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat framework by Samin further aids cooks in understanding and balancing flavors. This fundamental guide helps individuals make intuitive adjustments to their dishes, fostering a deeper connection with the cooking process and their personal tastes.

Embracing Mistakes and Learning from Failures

Mistakes in the kitchen are inevitable and can serve as valuable learning experiences. Samin shares a personal anecdote about accidentally overcooking a prime rib, turning it into charcoal (22:24). While she managed to salvage the dish, not all mistakes are reversible. In such cases, Margaret advises embracing simpler fallback options like cheese and crackers or avocado toast (24:15).

The key takeaway is to remain generous with oneself and recognize that perfection is not the goal. “Mistakes are part of the process. And remember that it’s okay if you really can’t deal with it for a week or two and then you come back to it” (24:26). This compassionate approach helps alleviate the fear of failure, making the cooking journey more enjoyable and less intimidating.

Recapping the Five Takeaways

1. Cooking is a Skill, Not a Talent: Anyone can learn and improve their cooking abilities with practice and motivation (05:48).

2. Expand Your Idea of Cooking: Recognize that simple tasks like using the microwave or assembling a charcuterie board count as cooking (07:37).

3. Recipes Are Interpretable: Treat recipes as flexible guides rather than strict instructions, allowing for substitutions and personal tweaks (12:58).

4. Trust Your Taste Buds: Develop your palate by paying attention to your preferences, which will guide your cooking decisions (18:08).

5. Embrace Mistakes: Understand that errors are part of the learning process and use them as opportunities to grow, without being overly critical (21:23).

Final Thoughts and Encouragement

The episode concludes on an uplifting note, encouraging listeners to approach cooking with creativity and patience. Samin shares her love for simple pleasures like Doritos, highlighting that even snacks can be part of a balanced culinary journey (25:45). The overall message is clear: cooking doesn’t have to be perfect or professional. It’s about feeding oneself with care, experimenting with flavors, and most importantly, enjoying the process.

Conclusion

Life Kit’s “How to Cook When You’re Not Into Cooking” is an empowering guide for individuals seeking to enhance their culinary skills without the pressure of perfection. Through expert advice and relatable anecdotes, the episode demystifies the cooking process, making it accessible, enjoyable, and achievable for everyone. Whether you’re a complete novice or someone looking to build confidence in the kitchen, this episode provides practical strategies and heartfelt encouragement to help you get it together.

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Notable Quotes:

• Samin Nosrat: “I don't know if I buy that anybody is fundamentally never going to get better in the kitchen, because cooking is a skill, and skills are something that get better with practice.” (05:48)

• Margaret Ebai: “Frozen vegetables exist for a reason. Ready made meals are there for a reason. All of those are completely valid ways of feeding yourself.” (01:41)

• Samin Nosrat: “Your palette develops only with time and only with paying attention.” (18:08)

• Margaret Ebai: “Mistakes are part of the process. And remember that it’s okay if you really can’t deal with it for a week or two and then you come back to it.” (24:26)

• Andy Taegel: “Cooking doesn't have to be super taxing to be satisfying or creative.” (09:59)

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Note: Times in brackets refer to the timestamp in the original transcript.

Transcript

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[Marielle Segarra]

You're listening to Life Kit from npr. Hey everybody, it's Marielle. Today we're serving up something special direct from the Life Kid Kitchen how to cook when you're not into cooking or maybe when you just don't feel up to cooking. And don't worry, we are not here to evangelize about the joy of perfectly julienned vegetables or a gorgeous slow roasted leg of lamb. While both sound lovely, cooking doesn't have to be fancy. You don't have to learn a lot of complicated techniques or make magazine worthy dishes for every meal. Even the most accomplished and celebrated chefs get that feeling of not wanting to step foot in the kitchen.

[Samin Nosrat]

Oh, I mean, I have it all the time. I think any professional cook would agree with that. I think there's a trope in professional kitchens of, you know, this thing that you do all day and then you go home and you make yourself a peanut butter sandwich.

[Marielle Segarra]

Samin Nosrat is a chef and the author of Salt, Fat, Acid Heat, a best selling cookbook that won the James beard Award in 2018. It's kind of like the Oscars of food. She hosted a Netflix show of the same name. What was on her dinner table last night?

[Samin Nosrat]

Annie's Mac and cheese with some broccoli in it. Like, was it the most healthy thing to eat or was it the most, I don't know, creative thing? No, but it was the thing I needed in that time, which was just something super quick and comforting and warm.

[Marielle Segarra]

If this answer surprises you, Margaret Ebai says it's time to reconsider.

[Margaret Ebai]

Frozen vegetables exist for a reason. Ready made meals are there for a reason. All of those are completely valid ways of feeding yourself.

[Marielle Segarra]

Margaret is a food writer, recipe developer, and author of the new book you Gotta Real Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself. When cooking feels impossible, she says, while eating is necessary, cooking can plunge us into emotional hot water. Like that lasagna recipe makes your stomach grumble. But then you start worrying about the carb content or whether you should try and find gluten free lasagna noodles. Or you feel judged every time you use box sprouts, breadcrumbs or jarred garlic because your mother would never. Or you really care about cooking with organic produce but your budget is tight.

[Margaret Ebai]

And it's just exhausting. All of those are unbelievably valid concerns. But at the same time, I have maybe seven minutes to make lunch. I just can't solve the world's problems. I need to make some cheese and crackers.

[Marielle Segarra]

So let me be clear. You don't have to cook, but if and when you want to, we have tools to get you started. On this episode of Life Kit, reporter Andy Tagle will help you grow your confidence in the kitchen with the help of Samin and Margaret. She'll talk about reading between the lines of a recipe, learning to trust your taste buds, and the magic of the microwave.

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[Andy Taegel]

If you can't carry a tune, you're tone deaf. Can't keep a plant alive. You've got a brown thumb. There's no cooking equivalent term, but if there was one I'd be it. That's where I started with this story. I've just never much enjoyed being in the kitchen. I'm clumsy, impatient. I hate being hot. And now, with a toddler at home, I have precious spare downtime to devote to the task. So there have been many an overcooked meat, undercooked vegetable, and sadly, sadly seasoned side dish sacrificed on the altar of my cooking efforts. Maybe you can relate. I offered all of this to Samin. Like, maybe some people just don't have what it takes.

[Samin Nosrat]

I don't know if I buy that anybody is fundamentally never going to get better in the kitchen, because cooking is a skill, and skills are something that get better with practice.

[Andy Taegel]

So that's takeaway one, much to my dismay. Cooking is a skill, not an innate talent anyone can learn. But you're gonna have to get motivated if you're coming to this episode hot with a great big attitude towards your oven and not very much time on your hands. There's no secret sauce that's gonna change that for you. You have to decide this skill is important enough to make time for. So Margaret's big advice to get your cooking engines fired up, find the fun.

[Margaret Ebai]

If there's any part of the cooking process that you enjoy even a little bit, if it sparks any kind of creativity or pleasure when you're doing it, my big advice is to notice. That is to notice if there's a part that feels good to you.

[Andy Taegel]

Maybe you want to challenge yourself to eat the rainbow every week. Maybe, like me, you love how much your kid loves to help out in the kitchen, so you seek out recipes that are tiny helper friendly. Or maybe, like Margaret, your motivation is part craving and part saving. For example, she found a simple spicy noodle recipe online that can quickly satisfy a craving for her local Thai spot.

[Margaret Ebai]

And for me, it always feels like a tiny victory. You know, I'm saving $10 or whatever that's such a huge part of it is. Just like, if there's any part of it at all that activates any part of pleasure in your brain, hang on.

[Andy Taegel]

To it and listen. Friends, all we're trying to do here is feed ourselves. At least if you're listening to this, I'm assuming you're not setting out to be a professional chef or food stylist. So if at any point you start to feel discouraged or frustrated by your lack of skills at the stove, remember, there's not just one way of doing things.

[Margaret Ebai]

Your habits and the way that you feed yourself aren't less valid because they aren't professional kitchen habits. And in fact, you are part of a long and proud tradition of every other human on earth who has been doing this since the dawn of humans trying to make themselves some sort of food.

[Andy Taegel]

An imperfectly diced onion is still a diced onion. Eggs can be made in the microwave, and according to Margaret's book, anything's a sandwich if you're not a coward. My point is takeaway 2. Expand your idea of cooking. You're probably already doing more than you think you are. What images do you conjure when you think about cooking? Is it Julia Child or Martha Stewart in perfectly pressed aprons, merrily marinating a chicken or the chops and thwacks of the high pressure kitchen and the TV show the Bear? Yes, Chef. That is what cooking can't be. But you know what else can count as cooking? The Super Bowl. So Margaret and her husband do this thing at their house where every so often they'll turn to each other and ask, is today the Super Bowl?

[Margaret Ebai]

And what it means is that we are having dip for dinner. That is one of the sacred joys of the super bowl, no matter who's playing in it, is you get to have dip for dinner. I think anything that kind of liberates you to treat your dinner the same that you would as the light snacks that you would eat at a party and then call dinner. That's a good day.

[Andy Taegel]

You can also be really liberal with what counts as a chip and what counts as a dip. Chips can be actual chips of all form or flavor. It could also be tater tots or carrot sticks or pita bread or lettuce cups. Dip can be guac or nacho cheese or leftover chicken salad, hummus or baba ganoush or good old sour cream and onion. And yes, assembly counts as cooking. So if you can pop open your favorite jar of spinach and artichoke, or you can throw together a mean charcuterie board, go on, give yourself a pat on the back. You're cooking. Can you also perhaps use a can opener? Great. Another nutrient dense, energy, easy cooking option to add to your repertoire. Bean salad. Maybe this is something a lot of people already know about, but as someone who is far too dependent on flimsy grocery store bag salads, this recommendation was a revelation to me.

[Margaret Ebai]

The beauty of bean salad is that because beans are so hearty and robust and they come in cans, you never have to worry about the ingredients all going bad before you have a chance to assemble them.

[Andy Taegel]

Here are just a few options from Margaret's book. Add chickpeas, cucumbers, cherry or grape tomatoes, and tzatziki. You've got yourself a Greekish bean salad. Throw together cannellini beans, pesto, and parmesan. Boom. You've got a sort of Italian bean salad. Have some leftover leafy greens that haven't yet given up in your fridge. Add some northern beans, some balsamic vinegar, and olive oil, and you've got yourself a classic house salad.

[Margaret Ebai]

It really automatically turns something that could just be like, ugh, a can of beans. This is like what someone down on their luck in a cartoon eats for dinner to something that's really joyful and lasts in the fridge a long time.

[Andy Taegel]

You get the point. Cooking doesn't have to be super taxing to be satisfying or creative. And that brings us to the microwave.

[Margaret Ebai]

You know, people look at it as a way to reheat leftovers, and it is really, really good at that. But also, if you are someone who can't deal with turning on the stove for whatever reason, maybe you don't even have access to a stove. It's truly amazing how much cooking you can do in a microwave.

[Andy Taegel]

Microwaves are just really small, really efficient steam ovens. That means they're not going to be very good at getting food crispy, but they're great at anything with moisture content, like soups or oatmeal. You can make baked potatoes in the microwave.

[Margaret Ebai]

You can make enough rice just for you in a mug in the microwave, and it doesn't take very much time. And you don't have to worry about dirtying a pot or a colander. One of my very favorite tricks is making eggs in the microwave.

[Andy Taegel]

Eggs of all kinds, people, scrambled over easy, extra cheesy. Just make sure you're using a microwave safe container, so nothing metal or plastic in there. Other than that, don't be scared to elevate or experiment with your comfort foods.

[Margaret Ebai]

For example, ramen, like packet ramen gets a bad rap as the food of, you know, desperate college students. But it can be the base for such a satisfying, excellent meal.

[Andy Taegel]

You could throw in an egg or some frozen vegetables, or you could add some peanut butter and hot sauce if you want to give your noodles a quick tie spin.

[Margaret Ebai]

Also, the little flavor packet is so good and you don't have to use it in ramen, yogurt and ramen flavoring. Stir it up. It's beautiful. It's delicious.

[Andy Taegel]

All right, so now we've got a healthy list of pantry meals in our pocket. Some fun new combinations to try. Hopefully you're feeling pumped up and ready to step it up a notch. Takeaway 3 recipes aren't the boss of you unless you're baking okay to set ourselves up for success working with recipes, we first have to pick the right one. Just one thing that can build up your confidence and that you'll be excited about eating. It doesn't have to be the most most beginner recipe necessarily.

[Margaret Ebai]

But I would avoid doing something that is notoriously persnickety and like takes, I don't know, 12 hours. Like I wouldn't pick cassoulet and I wouldn't pick a croquembouche.

[Andy Taegel]

Maybe that means starting with something that's already been pre verified for you as both simple and delicious. Beck Harlan, a fellow life kidder and anti cooking home cook in arms, sent me her go to dump recipe. Meaning you just dump all the things in a pot and you're more or less done. It's a salsa verde chicken recipe from the New York Times that, now that she has it memorized, she makes for her family every week. Here in my kitchen, I decided to spring for Filipino chicken adobo. It's a classic family dish and one of my absolute favorites, so I know how it should taste. It's something I've always wanted to be able to make with ease, and I know it's not terribly complicated. I opted for the New York Times version of the recipe for a few reasons. The end result looked a lot like what I grew up eating. The steps were simple and straightforward and the possible substitutions were clear and upfront. Which brings me to another basic tip. Before you get started, read the whole.

[Samin Nosrat]

Recipe to a know do I have all the ingredients? B Is this something that I can do in 15 minutes? Or is it saying start this and then refrigerate it overnight?

[Andy Taegel]

A couple other quick starters before you really jump in. You want to make sure you have the right size and number of vessels for things those aren't included in a recipe and you want to be mindful of your timing. So my recipe, for example, calls for marinating two and a half pounds of chicken one to eight hours before cooking and cooking in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. That means I'm going to need one container for marinating, another for cooking, and another place to hold the cook pieces separate from serving dishes. And if I really want that chicken to pack a punch, I want to marinate it for as long as possible. Now, if any of this feels overwhelming already, a really important thing to understand about recipes is they're always up for interpretation.

[Margaret Ebai]

Recipes aren't written on high and inscribed in a stone tablet. Right. They're something that a person is making. And they are kind of a mixture of three things, which are a technical manual, a translation project from my kitchen to your kitchen, and a form of poetry. Like, I'm trying to describe what food should look or taste like to you, who has never seen it or smelled it or tasted it.

[Andy Taegel]

Margaret says recipes can often be way more forgiving than people think. Sometimes, and I'm totally guilty of this, people will decide to give up before they even start because they don't have the exact amount of ingredients or the exact right thing that a recipe calls for.

[Margaret Ebai]

And I'm saying you should still try it. Like, if you have two onions and it calls for three onions, it's just gonna taste a little less like onion than you might anticipate from the original recipe.

[Andy Taegel]

Of course, use your best judgment here. If you like the sound of that hot mustard grilled chicken recipe, but you don't have mustard and you don't have chicken, you're probably out of luck. But if you don't have like a cherry pitter or the exact right size baking dish or olives imported from Greece, you can probably find a workaround. And a lot of times in the comment sections of recipes, other people have already done that legwork for you. Now, an important caveat, this logic doesn't always apply for baking. Baking often requires a certain degree of precision because chemistry is involved. But for a lot of other things, like soups, sauces, casseroles, most foods you'll make for casual dinner, you are the ultimate authority in your kitchen. So returning to that adobo, my recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of black peppercorns and 2 teaspoons of granulated sugar. It's okay to eyeball those kinds of measurements. In fact, that might even be part.

[Margaret Ebai]

Of the fun, particularly when you're looking at something like spices, okay? Like the intensity of the spice that you have, there's no way of knowing if it is more or less than the recipe developer's intensity. And so you can kind of look and say, okay, they're saying a quarter of a teaspoon. That's not very much. So I'm going to put in not very much. They're saying a tablespoon, that's more. I'm going to put in more. I'm going to, like, maybe shake it out in the palm of my hand and make sure that that's like, about a tablespoon and Throw it in.

[Andy Taegel]

You add your spices at will. You brown or boil or braise the best you can. And before you know it, you've cooked a whole recipe. And maybe you even liked how it turned out. Maybe you like it enough to try it again next week. Suddenly, you have a go to dish, and you can start to build your skills from there.

[Samin Nosrat]

If you can get like one or two or three wins under your belt, then you can start to eventually, over time, learn. Oh, wait. The same method I use for this chicken adobo. It's basically a braise or a stew. I can change the flavors, and it can become Hawaiian shoyu chicken, or I can change the flavors and the spices, and it can quickly become a delicious Tex Mex Taco filling.

[Andy Taegel]

This brings us to takeaway 4. Trust your taste buds to keep building your cooking confidence. So maybe at this point you're asking, but how do I just grow those cooking instincts, like Margaret's ramen packet and yogurt dip or flipping an adobo into a Tex Mex taco? I love both of those ideas, for the record, but I would never think to do them on my own. When I look into a fridge of mismatched ingredients, I am instantly forlorn. But Samin says it's really not all that complicated.

[Samin Nosrat]

Your palette develops only with time and only with paying attention. And it doesn't have to be only that you're developing your palate. When you cook, you can always just sort of decide to tune in when you're eating.

[Andy Taegel]

If you know what you like to eat, you can figure out what you like to cook. She broke it down really simply and with extremely Californian sensibilities. She was like, okay, Andy, you're from la. You know when you order a burrito and you watch someone put it together in front of you, but the chicken.

[Samin Nosrat]

Looks a little dry. So I'm gonna have them put sour cream and guacamole in there because I want. I want to add something to be moist and creamy to balance out that dry chicken. Or I black beans instead of refried beans, because the refried beans are too runny and they make the burrito too soft.

[Andy Taegel]

Those instinctive preferences you have for your perfect bite are the same ones you can use to guide you when you cook. And they can be broken down into four basics you've certainly heard of before. Salt, fat, acid, heat.

[Samin Nosrat]

And it's just that maybe you have not connected the dots of, oh, sour cream is a fat, but it's tangy. It's also an acid. When I get some refried beans. Those are, you know, salty and fatty. And then on top of that, the only other sort of thing that's not part of salt and fat and acid is texture. So that's the crunch or the creamy or the fresh thing.

[Andy Taegel]

Once you have that basic salt, fat, acid heat framework, try using it with your own cooking. Like, does this bean salad need more acid for tang? Should I grab some chili oil? This ramen could use some extra heat, right?

[Samin Nosrat]

And beyond that, when I'm saying, oh, you learn your adobo and you can turn that to a taco, all it is is just learning what flavor combinations are traditional to what parts of the world. And that you can do by googling a recipe.

[Andy Taegel]

You can also follow chefs you like and trust online to see how they do things. Samin mentioned Sola El Whaley and Melissa Clark, two chefs we've had on the show, as great resources for cooks just starting out.

[Samin Nosrat]

And then eventually it's tasting your way. Your palate develops only with time and only with paying attention. And it doesn't have to be only that you're developing your palate when you cook. You can always just sort of decide to tune in when you're eating.

[Andy Taegel]

So next meal time or snack time, eat extra slowly. Mindfully. We've got an excellent episode on just how to do that. If you need inspiration, maybe close your eyes on that first bite. What taste hits you first? What lingers? Could it use a crunch kick? But you don't have to stick with professionals or, like, make a reservation at a Michelin star restaurant to train your taste buds.

[Samin Nosrat]

There is something to learn, even from Doritos.

[Andy Taegel]

Then bring that data with you the next time it's your turn to make dinner. And don't be scared to get weird with it.

[Margaret Ebai]

Stoners get a bad rap in the kitchen. But like the very classic stoner thing where you're like, I'm gonna throw all these things into a sandwich, that's also kind of the same instinct as a lot of chefs, right? Like, you're just kind of experimenting and poking around the edges and seeing what tastes good. And, okay, maybe it doesn't taste that good. So what, you're out like a sandwich? I think if there's something that catches your fancy and you want to try it, try it. And usually it's edible. And if it's really not edible, then I do usually have bagel bites on hand.

[Andy Taegel]

Which brings us to our final takeaway. Takeaway 5. Sometimes you're gonna need the bagel bites, and that's okay. By bagel bites, I just mean anything that's incredibly easy for you in a pinch, like avocado toast or a microwave baked potato. Messing up every now and then is just a part of the process for everybody, even professional chefs with award winning cookbooks. Like, for Thanksgiving this past year, Samin decided to make prime rib.

[Samin Nosrat]

And I had done the math to figure out the timing, and I thought I was doing such a good job and I was tending to it, and then I fell asleep and I had cooked it so far past what would be well done. Like it was. I was like, oh, my God. I turned our dinner into charcoal.

[Andy Taegel]

Eventually, Sabine was able to find a way to save her prime rib. But she says that's not always how it goes. So when you make a mistake, you have to determine, is this something that can be saved or something that can't.

[Samin Nosrat]

Things like if it's a little bit over salted, you can sort of make up for that by balancing the other elements and adding basically more of everything else. Right? More fat. Like if it's, I don't know, more croutons, more rice, more whatever, to sort of increase the total volume of the dish without increasing the salt until it's back to being balanced.

[Andy Taegel]

But if you accidentally dumped in a whole salt shaker for a recipe that calls for half a teaspoon, that's probably a bagel bite deal. Or, you know, those eggs in the microwave between under and overcooking. Samin says she'd definitely prefer overcooking. Undercooking can be a straight up health hazard, while a dried chicken can be an opportunity for creativity.

[Samin Nosrat]

I would probably let that meat cool, shred it, and turn it into a chicken salad that I can make up for that dryness with either Greek yogurt or mayonnaise or anything creamy.

[Andy Taegel]

If you realize you accidentally skipped a whole page of a recipe or if you grabbed garlic powder instead of cinnamon. Bagel bites. But if your chard is just awful charred, if those fried fish fillets spend a little too long sizzling, everyone scrapes.

[Samin Nosrat]

But I also encourage everyone to taste because sometimes things look charred or burnt and they don't actually taste burnt, so they just taste, like, deliciously, delightfully caramelized. This is again about developing that relationship to your palette and knowing where you are and what is savable.

[Andy Taegel]

And listen, with all of these things, with every misstep, Margaret says, be generous with yourself. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. If you want to cook, when you.

[Margaret Ebai]

Want to cook, remember that Mistakes are part of the process. And remember that it's okay if you really can't deal with it for a week or two and then you come back to it. You can make something beautiful and persnickety and time consuming and the next day just like, absolutely. Call it and eat cheese and crackers.

[Andy Taegel]

Okay friends, I'm officially hungry. Let's do a quick recap and then get to cooking, shall we? Takeaway 1 cooking is a skill, not a talent. That means anyone, even you and me, can learn and improve as long as you're willing to find the motivation and put in the work. Expand your idea of cooking. Microwaving is cooking. So is charcuterie board making and nacho arranging and adding an egg to your ramen. So don't forget to give yourself some credit for the creativity you already have in the kitchen. Takeaway 3 Remember, recipes are up to your interpretation. You are the ultimate authority in your kitchen and it's always okay to play unless you're baking. To start improving in the kitchen, trust your taste buds. If you know what you like to eat, use that to help inform your cooking and help you find balance. When you're putting a dish together, failure is a part of the learning process. That's okay. Know what's worth saving and when. It might be time to order a pizza and grab a bag of your favorite cheesy chips.

[Samin Nosrat]

Honestly, Doritos like are so truly I think one of the like greatest achievements of mankind. Like the way they they like co like you get the cheesiness, you get the salt.

[Andy Taegel]

Do you feel the same about Cool Ranch? Cuz I'm a cool ranch girl. Yeah.

[Samin Nosrat]

I mean Cool Ranch I think has a little more tang. I like them both. I do like classic. I'm cheesy. What can I say? I'm a cheesy person. Yeah.

[Marielle Segarra]

That episode was reported by Life Kit's Andy Taegel. For more Life Kit, check out our other episodes. We have one on how to save money when you're grocery shopping and another one all about how to make soup. You can find [e-mail] LifeKit and if you love Life Kit and want even more, subscribe to our [e-mail] LifeKitnewsletter Also, we love hearing from you, so if you have episode ideas or feedback you want to share, email [e-mail] this episode of Life Kit was produced by Sylvie Douglas. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan and our digital editor is Malika Garib. Megan Keane is our supervising editor and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Claire Marie Schneider and Margaret Serino. Engineering support comes from Robert Rodriguez. I'm Marielle Segarra.

[Andy Taegel]

Thanks for listening.

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