Cooking is one activity that is enjoyed by many. Whether you are cooking, yourself, or just watching cooking demonstrations on YouTube, it gives a certain kind of pleasure and self-fulfillment when you cook for your family or yourself. Watching someone on video cooking and demonstrating how a dish is cooked, also gives us a sense of motivation to cook even if we have not tried it, not even once.

In the past, we only relied on cookbooks to come up with a kind of dish that will suit our jaded taste and jaded palates.

Today, anybody can cook because of the videos that present cooking of different dishes local and international. It is possible to cook the simplest to the most intricate dish with your videos on your tablets placed on the kitchen counter to follow the recipe and cook them

In my experience, I think the videos are more effective for me to learn how to cook some basic dishes as I am not really a good cook. I have spent almost my entire life working with somebody else cooking for me. When I got married, it was my biggest fear to cook for my husband because I know men love women who know how to cook.  

So before I got married, I asked my future husband what his favorite dish was. He responded curtly, and I was happy that his favorite dish was easy to cook. Eventually, we got married and I was able to satisfy his gastronomic wish.

For the long years of being married, I only cooked basic dishes that even younger ones can cook but I was happy every time I cooked a simple dish that tastes as it should be. It was fun and self-fulfilling especially when family members eat them with gusto and delight.

Culinary skills cater to men and women.

I enjoy seeing men cooking some of the most difficult-to-cook dishes in front of the camera. They do it with fun and dedication. So it is now my leisure activity to watch videos on cooking while I relax at home with my family.

Some chefs really give detailed information about the dish they are going to cook for a certain video. They really see to it that all ingredients and measurements are displayed on the screen clearly and while cooking they also explain some things about the ingredients such as the nutritional values of vegetables included in the dish. They also explain why some ingredients should be cooked first than others and why they are included in the dish.

It was really fun and informative to watch cooking demos on videos because I learn a dish each day that I watch them and I was able to apply some of the do’s and don'ts in cooking. Motivated and more interested, I began to buy some more cooking utensils to add to my collection (not really a big collection) of cutleries and other kitchen tools and cookwares essential for cooking.

Just recently, I cooked one dish that has many ingredients and the recipe instructions are more intricate than other dishes. It was my time to shine. I did it but not as successfully as my daughter, my dish taster told me bluntly that it was bland, no taste at all.

Because of my firm resolve to learn how to cook, I did not lose hope to continue my sojourn to a culinary adventure. There is some advice on how to cook vegetables (Conopio. F.B) which I know you already knew but somehow it is good to recall, namely:

• Select fresh vegetables. Cheap ones are not always the best to buy.
• Wash vegetables thoroughly between paring or cutting
• Cook vegetables until they become tender; do not undercook or overcook them
• Use the right amount of water
• In vegetable cooking, be sure the water is boiling before dropping the vegetables in
• Cover the pan when cooking vegetables; exceptions are the strongly flavored ones such as cabbage, onions, radish, etc.
• Acids such as lemon should be added when vegetables are almost done; if added early, vegetables will not become tender and the green color will turn brownish-green
• Remove the skin of vegetables as thin as possible when paring them
• Served them as soon as they are cooked. Don’t cook vegetables long before serving time

In cooking, there is also some advice that I want to share with you for your reference( Conopio. F.B.), such as:

1. Don't overheat oil when sauteing or frying. The fire should be moderately regulated. Avoid too much frying as much as possible
2. Condiments and spices should be used sparingly
3. In cooking dried beans or legumes, wash beans thoroughly. Then add enough water, bring to a boil, remove from the fire and let stand overnight or at least 3 to 4 hours. Continue boiling until the beans are done. Beans cook  faster also in soft or rainwater.
4.  Don’t use too much oil in sauteing. Oil is better than solid fat. Among the vegetable oils, corn oil is one of the best.
5.  Make use of foods in a season when cooking. They are fresh and inexpensive.
6.  Fried foods and rich pastries are hard to digest. They should not be served together in a meal
7.  Menus should be flexible to adjust to the availability of food supply
8. Try to plan weekly menus. Avoid having the same menu on the same day of the week, week after week.

With this advice, we together can start to cook up our culinary activities for the day having in mind our family members as our motivation and inspiration. 

When you are preparing a dish and cooking a dish you stand longer than sitting, so it is better for you to use an anti-fatigue mat from Flexispot. This is the  Standing Desk Anti-Fatigue Mat MT1 which is an ergonomic standing solution designed for comfort and cozy work experience even while cooking in the kitchen.

You can enjoy a cushioned layer of support that suspends your body weight to reduce stress and fatigue. It is also anti-skid to keep you from slipping and for your safety. The beveled edges ensure that the mat will not curl up over time with the surface easy to clean with a damp cloth.