Cooking Rut? These 10 Easy Ideas Inspire Instant Creativity in Kitchen

Due to quarantine and social distancing measures, Americans have found themselves cooking more at home than ever before.

However, after creating some of the same meals week after week, many are starting to lack inspiration and hitting a home-cooking rut. To shake things up in the kitchen, consider these 10 ways that will add excitement and creativity to your future dishes.

Explore cultural dishes: Look to other cultures for food inspiration. Whether inspired by a book you read, a movie you watched, or a place you have visited (or want to visit), there are a lot of dishes that can open your eyes to the way people all around the world eat and enjoy food.

Use a new ingredient: “Try a new ingredient you’ve never cooked with before to expand your palate,” celebrity chef and restaurateur Jordan Andino said. “Experimenting with a new ingredient like SPAM Classic is great because the product is flavorful, versatile, quick to cook, and when added to a dish, it can give your favorite recipe a whole new twist.”

Host a virtual theme night: Invite friends for a virtual dinner party where everyone shows off their homemade creations. To add a little excitement to the virtual party, pick a different theme to create a meal around – a luau, a crawfish boil or decades night are a few examples. Don’t forget to add some fun decor to make the virtual mealtime extra special.

Get inspired online: With cooking classes going virtual across countless social media platforms, look to some of your favorite foodie influencers and celebrity chefs for inspiration in the kitchen. Your favorite cooking brands, restaurants and chefs are probably hosting online cooking classes where you can learn some new tips and simple tricks to make a tasty new dish.

Get the gadgets and tools: Turn your culinary world upside down with a new kitchen gadget. Try out a vegetable spiralizer that’ll help you make zoodles (zucchini noodles) or a dressing mixer to create homemade dressings, marinades and sauces. Pick up a sushi kit for a fun family dinner activity.

Try trending recipes: Try your hand at one of the latest food trends for more motivation in the kitchen. A few recipes that are gaining popularity include bread making, cooking flavored gnocchi or eating the iconic Hawaiian snack SPAM Musubi.