After a long day at school, it can be tempting to live off of cafeteria food, restaurants and take-out, particularly when school gets busy. But in the long run, it’s better to learn a bit of cooking and make your own meals. At our School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts, cooking’s one of the things you can learn, thanks to our culinary programs. Either way, making your own meals is a solid option, because…
1. It doesn’t have to take long, or be complicated
If you know what you’re doing, you can have a dinner ready to go in an hour. Most dishes don’t have to be complicated, and as you learn the skill, you’ll become fast at it. It helps if you keep it simple, and all you need is a little bit of research to turn up some fast, basic recipes. We can even help: Have a look at this Centennial series of cheap, healthy, simple recipes, for starters. And consider this: You can make your lunch for the next day at the same time.
2. It’s an excellent way to decompress
True story: Whenever I get home from work, I go into the kitchen, put YouTube videos or music on my laptop, and spend about an hour making dinner. It relaxes me, and if you’ve had a long day, it can relax you too. I didn’t do this when I was in school, and kind of regret it. If you approach cooking with the right mindset, it can be relaxing for you, too. Put on videos, or music, or a podcast and unwind for a bit as you make something delicious.
3. It can be more affordable than you think
When I started buying groceries regularly, I found myself surprised by how cheap raw ingredients could be. I was used to eating out, and basing my ideas on what could or should cost on that. Really, much of that cost covers preparation and service, so if you’re cutting that angle out, the food with always cost less. Even in a grocery store, pre-sliced, shredded, or pre-cooked food will always cost more than the raw, unprocessed stuff. Groceries are certainly pricier than they used to be, but you can also be sure to check the flyers before you buy!
4. It’s almost always healthier
Almost anything pre-made is drowning in salt, sugar and preservatives. If you make it yourself, you can control what goes into a meal, cutting the salt and sugar in the process. I say it’s “almost” always healthier because, hey, sometimes we all go overboard and add too much of the bad stuff that tastes good. The important part is that how much of it goes in there is up to you, and not the person (or company) that made the food for you.
5. There are multiple careers in it, and we can help you get them
While anyone can cook (and they should), if you’d like to be involved in it more professionally, we can help. Our School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culinary Arts has programs like Culinary Skills, Culinary Management, Baking Skills, Baking and Pastry Arts Management, and Food and Beverage Management, among many others, that see you either in the kitchen, or running the kitchen. Regardless of the program, you’re learning at the Culinary Arts Centre, home of working commercial kitchens and baking labs, plus a real restaurant and event centre, giving you the skills to turn your home kitchen cooking into your new career. But maybe start small, and cook for yourself, before you start feeding the masses.
Written By: Anthony Geremia