Cooking at Home vs. Eating Out
I’ll be one to admit that as much as I love cooking and baking at home, I also hate it. So how can that be?
Benefits of cooking at home
I get satisfaction in the fact that I can throw together a random dessert at any time without following any directions or how much of certain ingredients to include. If I’m on a whim and craving anything sweet I can rummage through the cabinets and find things that will make a dessert. Its like a grown up science project and depending on the taste you either alter it for next time or keep it the same because you got an “A” on it. Of course particular recipes I’ll follow directions to make sure I get what I want.
Appreciation is another feeling that I get when I’ve prepared food for myself at home. I enjoy the food better because I know I put time and effort into preparing the meal. The best part is that I know what is in the food. I don’t have to worry about asking the waiter or waitress whether or not there is flour, nuts or dairy in the dish, or asking for them to swap out the options (Most of the time they are friendly about this, other times they look at you as if you’re questions are a hassle).
I get to use ingredients that I know I can eat and are fresh! That can be an important part if you have food allergies or sensitivities and when eating meat and fishes. You honestly do not know how long it has been in the restaurant, and the ways they manipulate the scent of it so that you the customer cannot tell if it has gone bad. Food-borne illnesses easily are passed onto individuals if the food is not prepared properly.
Another important key of eating at home for me is to be able to put aside food for later. Usually this is hard because I could easily eat numerous servings of food at once, but I have the chance of practicing portion control when I eat and cook at home.
By practicing portion control, I can bring leftover food to work the next day or wherever I am going. Unfortunately I do not always have the opportunity to bring tupperware, and so I have to eat on the go (packing healthy snacks is key to eating when you cannot sit down to have a proper meal).
Downside of cooking at home
In all honesty, I hate cleaning up after myself. I have to do it while I’m in the motion of cooking or else I just leave it sitting there.
Another conflict is that I cannot always carry tupperware with me or else I’d have a suitcase behind me! Sometimes I leave the house after 8 and get home way after 6. I have to have other options available than just my own meals. Granted it is nice to have something of my own, but if not, I know healthy restaurants and fast serving food options near me so that when I am out and about, I can still eat healthy without the tupperware in my bag.
Knowing where to eat healthy and what they serve takes time, practice and patience. Even though it may be a salad with a little dressing, you do not know what is in the dressing. Always ask whether there are alternatives in order to fit your dietary needs!
When I am at home, I like to cook only for myself. I know that many of my friends don’t eat the same way I do, and for not eating and cooking meat in so many years I cannot taste it before I serve it to them. This means it’s fish, rice and veggies for everyone!
With the the right restaurant, everyone with their eating restrictions can choose from the many options a menu has to offer. At home it is hard to please everyone with food, and the pressure is taken off of you and you can enjoy each others company instead.
Eating out gives you the possibility of trying new flavors. It allows you to open your eyes to the new options of foods that you can experiment with at home later on.
Let’s not forget that when you eat at home you only eat what is at home. If you do not buy chocolate because you know you will eat it in a sitting, the chances are you won’t have many indulging desserts for after a great meal! But when you do go out, you have the chance to eat a little off path and enjoy something that you normally do not.
While it may have its perks of eating at home, eating out can be beneficial as well if you find the right restaurant that prepares its food in a clean environment and uses fresh produce. Enjoying a variety of foods with a larger group of friends and family is possible in this situation. Don’t rule out cooking at home, it may come to be something you enjoy doing in the end regardless of having to do dishes and cleaning up!
*I use ATE as my go-to food journaling app to keep me on track of my on and off path meals.
