As a cooking coach and teacher, we always create and develop tools (besides our classes) to help you become a more confident and creative cook too. This list will be updated whenever we have something new for you to try out.
- Creative Cooking Planner
- ~ coming soon ~
Creative cooking planner
Peeking in your fridge and create a meal based on what you have, felt like our ultimate goal as a beginning cook. To help you learn that, we created the Creative Cooking Planner.
The concept of the Creative Cooking Planner is easy to grasp: write down a few ingredients and start brainstorming. By limiting yourself to a few ingredients, you will make it easier on yourself to come up with ideas.
How the creative cooking planner works
Step 1
Write down a few options in each column for protein, starch and vegetables components. In the last column, you can jot down condiments you want to use or need to finish.
Step 2
Mix and match ingredients you like together. Or that you want to try out.
Think about meals you’ve cooked before, meals you’ve tried at an restaurant, that recipe your friend gave you, combinations of ingredients you know that work. Use Google or flip through your cookbooks or torn out recipes pile. Everything is allowed to get ideas.
Ask yourself: can I replace that ingredient in that recipe with one from my list? Think quinoa for rice, parsnip for carrot, pork for chicken – or the other way around. Can I leave out, or add that one ingredient? Often the answer is yes.
Note: Don’t feel pressured to use all the ingredients. The canned roasted eel on the list above is still in our pantry! [And here‘s the result of our brainstorm.]
Step 3
Write down your ideas, create your grocery list and enjoy your meals.
Download the creative cooking planner here and try it out for yourself.