If you find yourself stuck in a cooking rut, then the pleasure of waving a spatula can quickly lose its shine. Whipping up the same three meals a week may be convenient, but it does little to nudge forward our love of cooking. So what do you do when your cooking well has run dry? You look for new and innovative ways to bring a little inspiration back into your kitchen. Here are our tips for getting your culinary cool back in action…

Get a Cooking Box Subscription

One of the simplest ways to crack open your culinary world of possibility is through a cooking box subscription. Brands like Hello Fresh and the Mindful Chef will deliver boxes with made to measure ingredients for a recipe you never would have considered cooking. Foolproof step by step instructions make it so you don’t skip a beat, and at the end, you have all the knowledge of a brand-new dish you can recreate whenever you like. Cooking boxes are a great way of getting you out of a cooking hole.

Find Some Foodie Bloggers

The internet may bring out the good, the bad, and the ugly – but it also brings out pure foodie fabulousness. For anyone who needs a little pick me up in the culinary department, get searching for some brand-new food bloggers to follow. No matter what your dietary preference, you will find a food blogger who is just perfect for you and can fill your social feeds with dazzling make at home dishes to truly wow your housemates.

Reboot your Kitchen

If your kitchen is a drag, then you won't feel compelled to spend any time in there getting creative. Sometimes all it takes to breathe a bit of life back into your cooking soul is a well-organized uncluttered and freeing space. Take the plunge and spend a day clearing out old food from the cupboards, arranging your pans, hanging your chopping boards, and even inviting simple touches like adding a small herb garden or spice rack to your windowsill. The more inviting your kitchen space is, the more you will want to get creative in there.

Simplify

Sometimes we can get stuck in a cooking rut because we are trying to dream big with our ideas and then feel overwhelmed. Taking the slow path back to finding your love for preparing food can be truly helpful in this scenario. From lovingly returning to a roast chicken to even sprucing up childhood favorite dishes like Mac and Cheese – the aim is to get your hands moving in the kitchen, to think outside of your box inch by inch, and to rediscover the pure delight in putting good food together.

Hit a Different Food Store

If you want to change up your cooking routine, then it may be time to change up your grocery buying habits. If you always visit the same stores, you will know exactly what is waiting for you on the shelf and odds are, you will fall back into your same old habits. By going to a different store or even hitting a farmers market, you may be reintroduced to produce and ingredients you hadn’t considered before and it will get the creative juices flowing.

Plan Ahead

It's hard to feel the drive to whip up bright and zesty dishes when you are exhausted from work or don’t have much time on your hands. This is why planning ahead is an amazing way to bring more positive meal inspiration into your kitchen. When you have some time, make a list of the dishes to prep that week – this gives you space to peruse the internet, check out food blogs, and to have an action plan rather than reverting to the same old ideas. Opt to do all your grandiose cooking on a day when you have time to spare. Invest in some good leftover containers and store your delectable meals. Now on those days when you can’t dream up anything better than a takeout delivery leaflet, your freezer is stockpiled with gorgeous nutritious goodies.

How do you find new ideas in cooking? Share tips and techniques in the comments and together lets extend our repertoire.