Ever purchased a bag of vegetables with the best intentions only to discover the veggies sitting unused in the refrigerator a few days later? This has been known to happen. Cooking at home can sometimes be monotonous when there are always the same ingredients being repeated.
There is one way of getting out of this small rut – cooking seasonal foods. The types of fruits or vegetables that may be available in a certain season may differ significantly from those found in another season.
Fruit Does Not Have To Stay In The Fruit Bowl
Fruits are always served in their natural form, and it is absolutely alright. However, once you have a bit of time and some ripe fruits on your hand, you do have more opportunities than that.
The mango may be mixed into the yoghurt or with the milk. Apples can be added to the porridge or baked with a hint of cinnamon. Citrus fruits could provide the tanginess to your salad. Ripe bananas could be added to the pancake or even to the bread.
None of this requires a complicated recipe. It is mostly about looking at what is already in the kitchen and thinking, “What else could this become?”
Give Vegetables A Chance
Certain vegetables tend to be very boring simply because they are always cooked the same way.
Cauliflower is one such example. It could be roasted with spices which will give it a crispy texture. Spinach could be used to garnish the dal, eggs or even sandwiches. Sweet corn is suitable for chaat, salads and quick noodle dishes.
Exploring something new could turn out to be quite interesting as well. There may be a vegetable that has been ignored at the market simply because there was never a good idea for what to do with it.
Fresh Produce Without The Extra Trip
Fresh ingredients are wonderful until the fridge is missing exactly one thing needed for dinner. A fresh grocery app can be useful for those situations.
It can also make smaller shops more manageable. Instead of buying a large amount of produce and hoping it gets used, ingredients can be picked up according to what is actually needed for the next few meals.
Buy With The Week In Mind
Online grocery shopping becomes much easier when a few ingredients are given more than one job.
A bunch of coriander can finish a curry and then go into sandwiches or chaat. Tomatoes can be used for breakfast, lunch and dinner in completely different ways. A bag of spinach can stretch across several meals if it is used while still fresh.
This sort of planning does not need spreadsheets or elaborate meal charts. A quick look at the fridge before shopping is often enough.
Make Room For Something Different
Seasonal cooking is all about keeping the experience fresh. The usual staples will remain in the kitchen, but there is always room for the odd new food item or even a twist in preparation of the old ones.
A fresh grocery app can make it easy to get some fresh ingredients when necessary, while online grocery shopping can be useful in building a cart based on what is currently in season.
And maybe that’s all there is to say on why one should try to cook seasonally. It adds something new into the kitchen, and sometimes, that’s all it takes to add just a bit more zest to the next home-cooked meal.