Cooking from scratch is a forgotten skill. However it would be so easy to revive if the will was there. I learned all my skills at school and in the Girl Guides. I believe that it is my super power. It has saved me so much money. Food was often the only household bill that I could cut back on.
Cooking from scratch has been the biggest help to me living a simple, frugal life. It has also kept me healthy as I have consumed a lot less UPF and sugar than most people. We are fed the line that it is inconvienant, and takes a lot of effort and time. However, with a bit of organisation, a meal can be prepared quickly. How easy is it to throw some ingredients into a slow cooker and switch it on to make a curry that would last a few meals and save cooking another day?
We can have a stirfry on the table in 15 minutes, or home made burgers with salad in the same time. Fajitas, omelettes, pizza, and so many other quick meals can be made as quickly as opening a packaged meal and warming it up in the microwave. They also taste better, and there are no nasty ingredients lurking that I don’t recognise. Bolognaise, sweet and sour, Moroccan stews etc, all can be done in a slow cooker, with or without meat.
By cooking with simple ingredients I have control of our nutrition. By adverts and media, we have been programmed to believe that we need all of the variety in the supermarket. That we need to fill our trolleys up each week. We don’t. I mostly cook from about 12 staple ingredients, and we always have beautiful meals. Lots of the things found in the supermarket can be easily made from scratch. Waffles, yoghurt, biscuits, burgers, chicken nuggets, hash browns, wraps etc, to name a few. Foraging and growing food gives us even more variety, and choice. Now and again we will buy a luxury ingredient like cocoa or dried fruit. 
It scares me how much hidden sugar is in the so called healthy foods that we feed our children, and ourselves from the supermarket. I used to think that things like yoghurt and fruit juice were healthy. Apparently, lots of under 5s are needing extractions due to rotten teeth, now. Cooking from scratch helps me feel in control of things like this, but also helps me feel like I am being rebellious and not doing as expected. It is my way of protesting against changes to food that I don’t agree with. If anyone doesn’t know how to cook from scratch, here are some simple tips. 
1. Start with a simple recipe with just a few ingredients, for example, a casserole, or bagels made with just yoghurt and flour, or a pizza base. Build your skills gradually.
2. Prepare your ingredients and get your equpment out before hand.
3. If possible try cooking at first with someone who knows how to cook from scratch, especially if that suits your learning style. Maybe you could cook a meal with friends.
4. Watch YouTube tutorials.
5. Always read the recipe through a couple of times before starting.
6. Don’t be upset if you make mistakes, or your first attempt doesn’t work out as you had hoped. That is how you learn. My first bread loaves were like bricks. Now I can make gorgeous bread without looking at a recipe. Somethings take practice.
7. Learn and master the different cooking techniques eg. Boiling, frying, steaming, roasting etc.
8. Pick one meal, or dish, to master and practice it until you get it just how you want it. Then go on to the next one until you build a meal plan. I did this with cheese sauce, which I only became confident to make 5 or 6 years ago. I cheated with a packet before then, or got Mr S to make it.
9. Make sure that you clean your cooking area as you go along. It makes life easier and is less stressful.
10. Taste your food whilst cooking, and season well.
11. Keep a stocked pantry of essential staples. This way you can always make a meal.
12. Invest in good quality appliances and tools. We get ours in sales, or for presents. I have had my cake tins since I was 11. Quality saves duplicate buying.
13. There are cooking classes at some food banks and projects. Colleges also do evening classes if you want to learn from someone more experienced.
14. As you become more confident don’t be scared to be more creative and make up your own recipes using what you have. Different ingredients can be swapped in if you don’t have exactly what is in the recipe. Experiment and have fun.
15. When making meals always be aware of nutrition. You need a good balance of proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats and carbohydrates.
Do you cook from scratch? What tips would you give to someone just learning?
