A Kiwi accountant who has launched a series of best-selling recipe books says modern cooks lack confidence and in one generation have lost the essential culinary art of “trial and error”.
Linda Duncan said the lack of culinary skills among Kiwis is contributing to food wastage with meal kits and cooking shows failing to teach the benefits of “a flop” in the kitchen
Duncan, who has sold more than 60,000 copies of her book of simple-to-cook recipes worldwide, said many Kiwis are unable to creatively use individual items that are left in the pantry or fridge.
This has been made worse by baby boomers failing to pass on their cooking nous and thrift, she said.
Baby boomers and their parents often grew their own fruit and vegetables, made sauces from scratch, baked their own treats and preserved spoiling fruit by making it into jams or chutneys.
“Kiwis’ lack of confidence in the kitchen means they scared to make something from scratch without a detailed recipe, which results in wastage.
“The rise of non-traditional meal source methods including takeaways and meal kits and competitive reality TV cooking shows has led to a generation who are incapable of cooking a meal from memory or creating something of their own with whatever they have at hand in the fridge or cupboard,” Duncan said.
“A reliance on detailed recipes leaves little room for flair or experimentation and it is this trial and error with culinary successes and failures that helps develop a cook’s confidence.
“I think many people have become apprehensive of cooking without a detailed recipe and often there will be ingredients at hand that could be used to create something delicious, but they simply don’t have the confidence to try.”
Duncan’s new book, designed to use modest items already found in most pantries, with tips on how to stop food wastage, launched this month and sold 2000 copies in two days.
Duncan said families are busy so often one person is delegated to do the cooking and as a result often there are meal kits, takeaways or pre-packaged foods used and little time to teach kids how to make a meal from scratch using basic cooking skills.
“Just one generation ago our parents could look in the fridge and pull a meal together with a few leftovers or a couple of products pulled from the pantry.
“I am aware that there are many people out there who are incapable of doing this.
“This more frugal approach to cooking came from baby boomers whose parents had lived through wartime food shortages and taught them to waste nothing.”
As an accountant Duncan is often alarmed at the sheer amount of food wasted and said using simpler recipes, which are often handed down through families, and cooking with what you can find at home can go a long way to saving money.
She said her books, The World’sEasiest Recipes volumes one, two and now three, are designed to take the stress out of cooking and are ideal for beginner cooks or those who are “over” cooking.
“I want people, regardless of experience, to produce a meal that is easily achievable, economical, tasty, and above all stress free.
“Each recipe takes 15 minutes or less hands-on prep time with just a couple of simple steps, and all of the ingredients are standard pantry or fridge staples.”
“The decisions we make on a daily basis impact us financially for the rest of our lives. Food can be one of our biggest expenses so it’s important to keep a constant eye on this.
“I know we’ve all heard it time and time again, but meal planning is key when trying to cut your grocery bill.
“Plan your meals, stock staple ingredients, always buy fruit and veges that are in season and check what’s on special before you go shopping,” Duncan said.
