Adulting is frightening. I recognize this. I am a GenX woman and admit that growing up in the ’80s was easier.
First, we had no internet, mobile phones, or even computers. This meant no one ever knew where anyone was, what they were wearing, eating, or how they felt about anything.
Second, it meant most of our parents were busy with their careers. Hovering was something only a few weird parents did, and nobody was hanging out at those houses. I remember walking home from school by myself when I was only seven years old. Nobody thought anything of it.
Third, we had no internet or contact with our peers outside of school. We could only co-opt the corded phone for so long before our parents or siblings made us hang up. We were bored a lot of the time. Generally, after school, I watched tv until my brain started to melt… reruns of Gilligan’s Island, Looney Tunes, and The Brady Bunch. So, when my mom started making dinner, I was happy to have a distraction. This was the beginning of my relationship with the kitchen.
The birth of Chaotic Kitchens
My idea of creating a resource for people who don’t know how to cook started with my daughter. She, of course, had the internet, a mobile phone, and both parents working from home, and did not have any desire to learn to cook. She’s now in her mid-twenties, living on her own, and often has either a bowl of cereal or “sleep” for dinner. She is not at a point where she wishes she knew how to make good food for herself and her partner, because it sounds like too much. Work, prep, shopping, planning, then cooking… and she gets tired thinking about it. I want to impart what I know about food to her in an efficient way, but also in a way that can entertain us both and build our relationship closer.
I thought about all this off and on over the last five years. This year (2020), when COVID has hit us broadside, I could almost feel the panic of an entire generation. I worried, “how will they feed themselves??” Turns out, those Millennials and Zs are as resourceful as any other generation. They’ve mastered takeout, GrubHub, and premade frozen meals that deliver to their door. But, I suspect they are going to find those are temporary solutions.
Even so, I know my girl is still having sleep for dinner sometimes… and that’s not okay.
Making How To Cook Videos?
So Kate and I started joking that we should do a “cooking show” to help her (and others) learn to cook. Our show would be for real people… so, sort of a chaotic and messy and mismatched version. I could cook, and she could film me and editorialize during the process. I figured I’d cook in my kitchen, which is my 88-year-old mother’s kitchen (since we live with my parents). It’s a nice sized kitchen with many great tools on hand. They work well, but they aren’t super fancy. The kitchen has a fully-stocked, walk-in pantry. We use a regular old electric coil range, standard oven – no convection. If we wanted to make it more realistic we could film it in her smaller, apartment kitchen.
Wherever we decide to film, we won’t worry about gleaming, chrome, matching pots and pans, or expensive knives arranged in a streamlined block. No spotless apron to match pristine hand towels.
This got me thinking about what sort of kitchens the newly-adulting might be operating out of, so of course, I Googled “average kitchens”. Here’s what came up in my image search:
Right. Average. In what alternative universe are these kitchens average?
Is it any wonder Kate’s generation struggles to prepare food? Is this what they have come to expect will be the norm? Do they rent their first apartment, take one look at the kitchen, and give up? What should they base expectations on? What do their kitchens look like?
So, then I went on realtor.com and looked up some homes in the price range of what younger-ish adults might expect to pay. Here are the kitchens in those homes:
Okay. Now that’s what I’m talking about. I have cooked in these kitchens or at least some very much like them.
- These kitchens are lucky to have four matching plates to eat from.
- These kitchens have a weird assortment of knives, most of which are dull.
- These kitchens do not have the counter space to arrange 400 separate little bowls containing the myriad ingredients most recipes call for.
BUT, that doesn’t mean these humble little kitchens can’t pump out some good, healthy food for their occupants and friends.
Chaotic Kitchens
So, since Kate is now living in Portland, our plans to do cooking shows have become more complicated. We can’t see each other as often, and she can’t come in the house for extended periods because that could endanger her grandparents (COVID-19).
How can I reach out to my people? For now, I’ve created some downloadable materials that explain how to make a meal plan, grocery shop, and cook. See the Guides and Recipes page to learn more about that.
Eventually, I’ll create an online course where I can offer more meal planning tips and strategies for cooking. I’d also like to offer personal kitchen coaching through Zoom. So, that’s what we’re working on.
In the meantime, I’ll be in the kitchen with either a glass of red wine or a cup of coffee in hand. My pots and pans will be far from perfect. My knives will be sharp, but mismatched. I will not be polishing or perfecting anything, but I will be ready to try new recipes and work through a variety of food topics.
I’m calling this Chaotic Kitchens because, you know, that’s the reality most of my people are dealing with.
If this piques your interest or you have a question, contact me!
I’m envisioning all sorts of ideas… cookbooks with simple recipes, video tutorials, personal private coaching, zoom happy hour for groups, recipes to make with kids… I’m open to your ideas as well!
Ready to make your nightly meals less of a hassle?
Learn how to Plan, Shop & Cook for Life with this Beginner's Strategy
