Does cooking soothe your soul?

[LPBeier]

I find many of the threads where someone asks "what is your favourite..." or "what is your background/knowledge/interest of a certain subject" quite interesting. So, I decided I would try one.

When I am really stressed or down I find that baking or cooking really soothes me. It is where I can really find myself again....specially if I am making something for others.

The thing that most calms me is baking cookies. I have been known to get up and bake 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies (I have a convection oven and KA pro mixer) at midnight because I can't sleep.....and then give them away to the nieghbours grandchildren or our youth group. There are always cookies in my freezer.

How about you - does cooking soothe your soul and is there any particular thing that works best?

 

[kadesma]

Baking except for bread sets my teeth on edge. But let me make my pasta gravy or make the filling for stuffed onions and I'm happy as a clam. I adore the smells and really making the pasta gravy brings so many memories a smile replaces any frowns. It relaxes me and I adore the smells. It's time consuming but it erases and unhappiness. My home filled with good food is my top priority. Great topic Laurie.
kades

 

[Kayelle]

I don't do any baking at all, I think mainly because it takes real concentration, and when I need my soul soothed I don't concentrate well at all. I really admire those who bake well.
Cooking is another story, and it often is very soothing to me. Often, if I'm upset about something I'll cook something that takes a lot of chopping....whack, whack, whack.......it works wonders.

 

[roadfix]

I usually zen out staring at the flames and the glows of coals during a cook.
I can never get this feeling in an indoor kitchen. I also don't like to have people around me when I'm in this state of mind.

 

[Andy M.]

I'm not sure I'd describe it as soothing my soul.

When I'm doing a lot of cooking or preparing a new and complex recipe, I find I have to really concentrate and that forces all other thoughts out of my head for a while. That is usually (but not always) followed by a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction occasionally followed by compliments.

Now THAT makes me feel good.

 

[GrillingFool]

Yup! Slicing, dicing, chopping, mixing, cooking... better than a Valium for me!

 

[luvs]

i adore making food & giving food to others. & cooking's a distraction that diverts me from stressors for a few. i'm adept @ several types of foods; i luv cooking soups as they allow for many adaptations. they're very easily stored, too. & they can be thinned or thickened so well, or adapted using stocks or soup-bases. they could be made of potato or of tomato or of cheese or of yesterday's dinner or of noodles & broth. & a few cheese rinds tossed into a simple veggie/veggie-beef soup is heaven on earth!

 

[LPBeier]

Wow, some great answers! I am afraid if I am too stressed I avoid the chopping and dicing...I might get too carried away LOL!!!!

 

[luvs]

hey, laurie, if ya slice/dice too many foods, a foodsaver is a great item for that!

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I find cooking to be the ultimate in relaxation, even if I am running around trying to get everything done at the same time. There's bad stress and good stress...cooking, for me, is all good. It's very cathartic.

I feel my best when starting with a pot of water and adding to it to make stock, then adding more to create a one of a kind soup.

 

[getoutamykitchen]

Pretty much just being in the kitchen making anything. Like GrillingFool though, give me a knife and I'm zoning out. Love to slice, dice, chop, etc...

Love cooking soups, stews, chili, etc. The aroma of something that is so comforting when you eat it.

 

[licia]

Sometimes I'm completely happy in the kitchen, cooking, baking, prepping, etc. But sometimes I want to be far far away. I don't like having lots of people in my kitchen when I'm trying to do anything so I always try to do as much as possible ahead. I remember as a child watching my grandmother and all her daughters and daughters-in-law working like beavers in the kitchen and enjoying it so much, and wish I could be like that.

 

[Mimizkitchen]

Cooking and baking are two of the things that can take my mind off of everything... They put me in a zone of just focusing on the task at hand and i'm suddenly in a world of my own... I love being in the kitchen, it warms my soul...

 

[LPBeier]

I so agree Mimi! I just spent two hours trying out my new Cricut cake and even though I have nothing to put my decorations on (just practice runs for the cake due Sunday), it was so relaxing.

 

[Mimizkitchen]

I so agree Mimi! I just spent two hours trying out my new Cricut cake and even though I have nothing to put my decorations on (just practice runs for the cake due Sunday), it was so relaxing.

So LP how do you like it???

 

[LPBeier]

Very much! I may not have enough cakes to satisfy my urge to experiment with it!

 

[Mimizkitchen]

Have you had any problems with tearing??? I use it at medium speed and medium tension for large pieces, however the smaller ones are a bit tougher to make I find... What are you using??? I've heard the frosting sheets are horrible...
BTW I viewed your cake pics a few weeks back and I must tell you they are beautiful, do you own your own shop??? XOXO Mimi...

P.S. LP found a new site you might like called cakecentral.com haven't joined it yet just viewed... It's pretty interesting...

 

[radhuni]

I love to cook various rice dishes.

i don't like to cook for myself, I like to cook for others. Cooking is a kind of experiment for me, I apply different methods and different spices and when the end product tastes good I feel like a scientist, who is successful in his experiments.

 

[LPBeier]

Radhuni, I would love to try some of your rice recipes. I am sure the flavours are marvelous!

I too prefer to cook for others. But when I am cooking a large meal I rarely eat it. I guess I have had my fill with all the tasting to get it just right!

 

[Margaux]

I, too, enjoy the chopping and preparations involved in cooking. On days that I don't cook, I feel like I'm really missing something.