12 Ways to bring Mindfulness to your Cooking

For me, cooking and mindfulness go hand in hand. Cooking can invoke all of your senses. There’s something intrinsically magical about combining a group of ingredients to produce a delicious meal. But I do appreciate that this isn’t always the case, and sometimes, rushing to get something quick on the table isn’t quite as enjoyable. Here are some suggestions for you to bring some mindfulness to even the most basic of meal preparation.

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is making sure you are present and aware of your actions as you do them. It includes checking in with your body, your senses, your surroundings and your mood. It means not being distracted or unconsciously carrying out tasks. It can take some practice, as many of us are used to rushing from one task to another, always thinking about what’s next, rather than focusing on what’s now.

I know for many people, cooking does not necessarily inspire the same feelings of joy and magic as it does for me. I enjoy being in the kitchen and experimenting with food. Even if I don’t always get it right. Hopefully, some of the ideas below might help you to find a bit of mindfulness when you are next in the kitchen.

1. Make Cooking a Ritual

Considering a task as a ritual rather than a chore can change how you feel about doing it. Finding a quick activity that will serve as a reminder that this is your time will put you in a more present mindset. This could be as simple as lighting a candle, or pouring a drink you enjoy in a fancy glass. Maybe it’s putting on an apron, or getting out your favourite knife. Combining a few of these together could be the start of your own cooking ritual.   

2. Prepare your Kitchen Space

A clear and clean space can help clear your mind ready for the job at hand. Take a couple of minutes before you begin to clear away any clutter, wipe down your surfaces, wash your hands and get out what you will need. Consider that you are cleansing the space of any unwanted energy as you get ready. Again, this could become a part of your ritual. Use cleaning sprays with a scent you enjoy and use the tea towels you’ve been saving for best.

3. Consider your Ingredients

As you get your ingredients out, have a look and make sure everything is fresh and suitable for use. If you are missing something, what can you substitute it with? You can go deeper and consider the correspondences of the ingredients and add any to match your intentions as you cook. Think about where the ingredients have come from & how they need to be prepared.

4. What can you Hear?

Check in with your senses as you cook your food. Really notice the sounds around you. Have you got music on? Can you hear people talking in the next room? Is the fridge humming? Can you hear sounds from outside? Then, as you are cooking, listen to the noises made – the water boiling, meat sizzling in a pan.

5. Check in with your Mood

We can all get distracted as we’re cooking. Maybe we’re thinking about what we’ll make tomorrow, or what we’ve got to do later. Gently remind yourself to check in with your mood. Are you happy? Inspired? Are you enjoying making this dish? Are you looking forward to eating it? Try to name your mood, be as specific as you can.

6. Feel the Food

As you chop your vegetables, prepare meat, or mix a batter, take the time to feel the food. Is it soft or firm? What’s the consistency of the batter? Does the knife go through easily? Consider the textures, notice how they change as the food is cooked. Remember, the same hot water that softens a potato, hard boils an egg.

7. One Step at a Time

If you are cooking a recipe from scratch, read the recipe through before you begin. However, as you work through it make sure to focus on just one step at a time. We quite often find ourselves rushing ahead to the next job, so consciously bring your awareness to the current step and complete it before moving on.

8. Engage your Sense of Smell

Take some deep breaths and notice what you can smell. Take time to smell the individual ingredients.  Notice the changes as they heat up and as they start to merge together. When the meal is ready see if you can identify the different ingredients in the dish.

9. Have a Taste

Taste as you go along – if you can. Obviously, this is not so easy when baking a cake. If you are making a sauce or a soup or a stew, taste to check for seasoning. Is it too sweet? Too salty? Bitter? Has one herb overpowered another? Can you pick out the different ingredients?

10. Stir in your Intentions

There aren’t many recipes that don’t involve stirring at one point or another. This is an easy way to bring mindfulness into any meal preparation. Even if you are just heating a tin of beans on the stove. Stir mindfully, watching the contents of the pan move around the spoon. Stir clockwise for positive intentions such as ‘I prepare this with love’.

11. Take a Look Around

If at some point you have a little waiting to do, take a look around your kitchen and search for a colour. Green, for example, and see how many shades of green you can see. Maybe it’s on packaging, a plant on your windowsill, a mark on a cup, grass outside your window. Is there something you haven’t noticed before?

12. Be Thankful

My last mindfulness tip is to be grateful and thankful for what you have. For your kitchen where you are preparing your meal. Access to running water. For the ingredients you have. Thank the farmers who have grown the vegetables. And be grateful for the time you have had to spend cooking.

I am not suggesting you do all of these every time you make a meal, but maybe give one or two a try next time you’re in the kitchen. Cooking or preparing food is an activity we all have to do and a great way to practice mindfulness and bring some magic to your kitchen.

Let me know in the comments which one you’ll try first, or are there some mindfulness techniques you use that I haven’t mentioned?

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