Moving in with your other half can be a pretty big deal and I should know because I was doing it this time last year! When I say a pretty big deal, I mean extremely exciting and a whole load of fun of course. However as with most things, most silver linings do come with that pesky cloud and this can come if you find yourself as leader of the household – the gaffer, if you like. For me, this is when Abby leaves the bloody cap off the toothpaste because she knows muggins here will replace it. Or when she leaves her bloody slippers, scattered at odd angles to each other right in my pathway to the bathroom, ready to go you-know-what over you-know-what in the middle of the night.
For others, it’s cooking that causes major beef – but not literally because that there is the precise problem. This isn’t an issue for us as we dine out a lot (like, a lot), or I’m genuinely just as chuffed to whip something up for us both as she is to tuck into it. Plus, Abby makes a mean grilled cheese and making our signature ‘sloppy eggs‘ has actually become a bit of a joint effort so we’re quite the dynamic duo in the food department. For some couples though, dinner time can end in a right old bout of Barney Rubble.
If you’ve got yourself a real lazy one on your hands, you’ll probably also find yourself furiously scrubbing the dishes to within an inch of their lives post-meal time too. So imagine doing this day in, day out… It’s almost inevitably going to lead to arguments and this is where some basic training is required. Sure, sharing an extra large, stuffed crust pizza is one of the best parts of being in a relationship but sharing all of the boring stuff (like cooking and cleaning) is just as important too if you’re going to get along.
So if your other half doesn’t have a clue about cooking, here are some basics you can get them on board with to try and coax them into the kitchen…
Get general hygiene and safety down
Washing hands, wiping down surfaces, protecting hair from falling into food is all bog standard kitchen hygiene… yada yada yada. I’m going to boldly assume (and hope) that most of us don’t need to be told to wash our hands but you would be surprised just how many people aren’t clued up on the more threatening elements of food safety. Teaching your other half how to know when a chicken is cooked (no pink meat, juices running clear) and how to recognise when an egg is underdone will go a long way towards dodging an unpleasant consequences. Yuck.
Start with simple and go from there
Sometimes laziness or blissful ignorance can’t be blamed for your partner’s lack of participation in the kitchen. Sometimes, cooking just might not be their forte and that’s okay. You can’t just chuck ’em in at the deep end and expect them to be the next Gordon Ramsay or Nigella Lawson. Start with a simple meal such as chilli (the only thing they’ll need to perfect at this early stage is dicing an onion without dismembering their digits) and pair it with something basic like chips so as to ease them in more gently. Cheesy chilli chips are an all-American classic that you can’t really go wrong with so it’s a great starting point.
(If you haven’t already got one, you should definitely try out an air fryer for a more healthy, crispy chip. If you’re stuck for which one to buy, check out some write ups first like these at ReviewLoft)
Once you’ve nailed the basics, you can move onto things that you’d really like to have on a plate in front of you and before you know it, the pair of you will be as perfect as milk & cookies, Nutella & pancakes and pineapple on pizza. Hey, don’t fight me on that one.
This is a collaborative post.
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