For many, cooking is a hobby that lets you embrace your creativity, while playing some music and enjoying the sense sensation with every bubbling pot and frying fragrances., but even the most passionate cooks can get into a funk, and it can make something that was once your escape feel like a chore.

So what can you do to get out of this funk and enjoy cooking again? Here are four ideas to help. 

Make It Easier 

Sometimes, funks happen because you get more ambitious with each dish. Yet still, you don’t need to make something superb for every single meal, and it might be that you’ve got cooking burnout. You can overcome this by keeping things simple, whether it’s making a straightforward classic like grilled cheese, or focusing on effective meal planning that will minimize the amount of work you need to do every night. You needn’t make this a permanent change, but it could revitalize your cooking and get you back to where you want to be. 

Make It Fun 

If you’re the only person who cooks (and washes up), you might also feel like all of the fun has been sapped out of the experience, so try overcoming this by getting the family involved in food prep. Depending on how old your kids are, you can trust them with a range of tasks, even if it’s just grabbing ingredients from the refrigerator. Being together during cooking is a fantastic bonding activity, too, and it might inspire a love of cooking in your kids, too. 

Treat Yourself 

Using the same dishes and the same equipment for every meal is bound to get boring, so why not treat yourself? You can upgrade your old pots and pans with something sleek and shiny, or you could invest in a slow cooker and christen it with this Mississippi Chicken recipe that will excite your taste buds. The easier you make cooking, you more you’ll enjoy it, and the sooner you’ll climb out of your funk, especially with all these shiny new pans that are easy to clean and don’t even stick. 

Try Something Different 

Themed meals are a superb way to fall in love with cooking again, especially if you have experience traveling the world and want to bring some of those flavors into your home. You don’t need to make something exotic every night, but setting aside one night a week to make something different, whether pad thai, tacos, kebabs or anything else will do wonders. It gives everyone something to look forward to each week and will expand your family’s palate. As much as pizza and burgers are dependable choices, everyone likes to try something different now and again. 

Getting Out

It can be tricky to climb out of funk no matter what it is, especially if you’re not sure what’s caused it. Hopefully, these ideas will help you escape your slump and fall back in love with your favorite hobby, ensuring you can get back to your best and create delicious dishes for everyone you hold nearest.