What's your cooking routine?

I hit the supermarket once a week and see what's on sale. I buy a few different proteins, a selection of seasonal vegetables, and I stock up on pantry staples if need be. Then I use those ingredients throughout the week, usually just looking up what sort of dishes I can make out of the selection I have. So for example, if chicken thighs and Brussels sprouts are on at a good price I'll have chicken thighs and Brussels sprouts for dinner one night, then the leftovers for lunch the next day. If fish is on for a good price, I'll have fish. Etc etc. Just googling "stew beef and potatoes" or "pork chops and apples" usually comes up with a bunch of hits for different meals that incorporate those ingredients, and I pick the one that looks the best.

We never eat out during the week but do on the weekend. I usually plan my meals on the way to the grocery store on Sunday. My ritual is that I do the big shopping every Sunday afternoon.

Usually I do a big meal on Sunday so it lasts for a few lunches. Think pot roast, casserole, Tri-tip, etc. I'll do fish on Monday so it is still fresh but I have the big meal from Sunday to eat for lunch on Tuesday. I refuse to reheat fish in the microwave. I'll also usually cook a large side on Sunday or Monday so I can stretch that all week. Makes it easy to cook proteins and a simple side for the rest of the week.

I experiment with a variety but I know the flavors I like so I rarely have to restock base ingredients or spices. It's impossible to tell you what to keep however. Some stuff is easy: salt, pepper, chili powder, italian seasoning, etc. I can't tell you whether to keep fish stock and mirin on hand, however. I use it a lot but you may not if you don't cook Asian foods. I do cook a lot of different dishes but you can do a ton with well thought out but not crazy expansive list of ingredients.

I would recommend sticking to a few dishes or styles at first. If you concentrate on Asian dishes or Italian dishes then you can use the same base spices a lot. That way you're not buying a bunch of ingredients that you'll use once.

I rarely follow a recipe exactly. I'll generally pull from a number of recipes and make something up based on what I like. I do wing it a ton, as well. At times I'll make something up completely but there aren't many original ideas anymore. That said, sometimes i'll go on the fly. For example I roasted potatoes, shisito peppers, okra, and onions with chicken meatballs seasoned as if they were potstickers the other day. I then topped that with a soy miso honey glaze and it was really good. I may have made that up but I drew from flavors I knew I loved. As a new cook, I'd recommend using tried and true recipes, however. Learn how to build flavor and don't get upset at the shitty meals you're sure to make, at times.

Wow, this was longer than I expected. Good luck!

Plan out a week in advance. Write the plan on the chalkboard wall. Try to stick to it but keep enough staples on hand to switch it up if I'm not in the mood. Work to FIFO the fridge (first in first out) to avoid waste. Keep a big list of all the things I like to make/eat to choose from and then browse pinterest or cookbooks or the sun basket recipes if I feel in a rut.

We use emeals. It gives you a list of choices for meals for the week, you pick the ones you like, it generates a grocery list, and all the recipes are included. You can pick from different diet themes, too. They also include variants for slow cooking when possible.

On weekends we will make more elaborate stuff. During the week, with adults working, the kids in school/activities, there's no time for shopping or elaborate meals.

We do the vast majority of our shopping on weekends, with a list.

I usually try to incorporate leftovers into my new meal.

I was a chef, now I'm doing a masters in neurophysiology. My wife and I are very busy and we never eat out.

Just keep cooking. Cook in batches once a week to start out, if u don't mind eating leftovers.

Most of all keep it simple, K.I.S.S. method. Experimentation is great but can really be frustrating if you don't have a mastery of basic techniques. If you want to cook more and do it better try practicing things you like to eat, to a level of "perfection".

As you build your toolbox of culinary skills they will carry over to more & more recipes and it will get exponentially easier. Then improvisation and experimentation will feel natural.

I have a few dishes I get back to every time but a little differently each time (trial and error), and I try new dishes when I feel inspired. Stock up on herbs and spices and learn what groups go well together (as in asian, mexican, italian type dishes etcetera)

I never follow recipes but when I dont know how to make something I will read a few different ones

I stockpile a lot of stuff. Mostly dry ingredients. From rice and pasta to dried herbs and spices. It is easy to keep around. Then I added some fresh herbs in my window sill cause it is easy starting with my most used ones.

I have so much stuff ready for when the fancy strikes me.

From there it is starting somewhere and going from there. Do a blue apron meal, realise you like one spice and then have it around for the future to try out. Do some left over experiment and just have fun. Get to know some recipe sites that work for you.

A lot of trial and error in the end, but it the most fun way possible.

Also stews/soups and casseroles are great to eat for a few days (bulk amount, add variety with each serving). Plus because once you understand them you can relate whatever. Leftover cooking is key

Well, I usually cook five dinners during the week (yeah, I'm home that rarely).

I buy any freezable protein on sale at the store when I run by and that is kind of my basis.

Next, veggies that are on sale. Finally, pasta and rice.

With these things I can at least whip up a not too exciting meal if I don't find anything. From there I'll cook anything that piqued my interest during the week if I feel up to it. Most of the fancy cooking goes on the weekend though.

Spices, Baking supplies- sugar, flour, baking powder, etc. cooking oils. These things are purchased less often, but I try to always have them in stock. Once I stared baking more I started always having thighs like cocoa powder, chocolate chips, coconut flakes on hand as well so I could make cookies whenever I wanted or something. If I notice something running low, I replace it. These ingredients last a long time so I’m assuming I’ll use it eventually.

I’ll also try to have a supply of starches and grains like rice, pasta, corn meal, oatmeal since these keep forever too and I usually use some kind of starch in every meal. BEANS. Beans are key. Beans and rice is a complete protein, it’s filling, tastes amazing, and is a good way to use up soup veggies. Sometimes I’ll keep them canned or dry (dry is more work but is worth it sometimes). Also garbanzo beans (chickpeas) I always have on hand now because I’ll make hummus from scratch every week (chickpeas, garlic, cumin, tahini, olive oil, lemon). Lentils are good to have around too, they have a surprising amount of protein.

Produce I’ll buy at the store each week depending on what looks good and what I feel like cooking. Onions, garlic, and ginger last awhile and I will always have them because I use them a lot. Carrots and celery are nice to have too so I can use them in stocks. Celery I buy when I make red beans, then I’ll usually just eat a bunch of that raw and whatever I don’t eat I freeze for stock later. Carrots are awesome, I’ll use them in bolognese, roast them on their own, pack them raw in my lunch to eat with hummus, and freeze leftovers for stock.

With all greens, the day you get them- wash, dry, store with paper towels- this will extend their freshness time by days. Fresh herbs I’ll wash, dry, and store in a mug with a little water and light covering, with this I can get parsley to last over a week.

I usually buy fruit too, also depending on season. I’ll pack an apple or a grapefruit or some berries in my lunch every day if I can. I’ll also always try to have lemons and sometimes lime on hand. They last awhile and almost all dishes need a little spritz of acid at the end.

Okay this got long, but

TLDR- keep non-perishables stocked well, and for perishables, make sure you have multiple dishes you can use them in.

I collect recipes that interest me all the time (saving them in various places online). Once a week on Thu or Fri I pick a few recipes I want to make for dinners in the next week. I double the recipes and add those ingredients to my shopping list along with a pre-made dinner or two (e.g. tomato soup with whole wheat bread and cheese) and get groceries Saturday. Generally on Sat and Sun I'll make a double dinner recipe each night and freeze half. During the work week I'll probably cook one double dinner recipe one night and eat previously-frozen dinners plus a night of store-bought soup or whatever.

I try to cook something new/interesting every week but I don't have time to do that every day. I supplement the interesting meals with really easy stuff like pizza with store-bought dough, or fried rice. Stuff I don't need a recipe for and can shop for/cook without extra thought.

I don't have a car so I primarily buy groceries through Amazon Fresh, and I bike every couple weeks to the nearby Trader Joe's for fun. I buy very little in bulk since I live in a small urban apartment.

When I had much less money I created a 14-day dinner menu for each season and simply cooked those 14 meals in rotation for the whole season. I put a lot of thought into designing the menus to prevent leftover and wasted ingredients, so I didn't want to make new ones all the time.

Here is my usual routine:

My wife and I sit together Saturday or Sunday and think about what meals we want to make from Mo. til Fri. We think about who cooks when, and how much time we'll have. Sometimes one of us has time to make a more elaborate meal, other times we make a simple pasta. Then we think about what we have and what we need to buy, and what we should buy fresh on the day and go to the grocery store with that list.

On Weekend, I cook, so Saturday morning I think about what I want to do. Usually on Sat. I try a new dish, or something fancy, and on Sun. a simple lunch and a big dinner that leaves lots of leftovers I can take to work.

We usually have a big stock on most spices and herbs you need, different sauces (like soy, fish, mirin, worcester, etc.), bouillon cubes, some dairy, pasta, rice, potatoes, a couple of cans of tomatoes, beans etc. and some fresh vegetables (especially onions, garlic and chilies) and fruit. No meat unless we found some for a very good price.

To add a last note, this works for us, but we don't live in the US, so I can't say how well it works for you.

If you find cooking annoying or don't have time, I would highly reccomend meal prep, which is where you make a lot of the same meal ahead of time and freeze some of it, then just heat and eat. Check out r/mealprepsunday

Baking ingredients for breakfasts. I ended up having flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, eggs, milk, and butter for pancakes. This turns out to be the base ingredients for a lot of baked goods! It's also okay to go to the store for a missing ingredient. I often cook extra breakfast quick breads and eat leftovers

Sausage and bacon often for breakfast, as with eggs. I often like the egg sandwiches (can be bread, English muffines, or whatever) more than the fast food ones. Fresh egg sandwiches of course require a little more work. Sausage and bacon are often left overs, but the eggs are fresh

Buying in bulk depends. If it's not perishable and you have the space, then go for it. Anything in a jar or box can last longer. Meats can be frozen. Fruits and vegetables are better kept with using a smaller amount unless frozen

I shop at the grocery 1-2 times/week, and part of me likes to. Lunch is often leftover dinner.

You can also freeze your food. This works great for waffles.

Roasts are awesome. My trick is to go light with the seasoning. This allows you to reuse the meat for other dishes that can be made quickly. Note that your quality will suffer by using leftover meat, but it still can be good. I like to cook beef and pork roasts at around medium-rare to medium (pork in the USA is pretty safe at 145 F). You lose less quality if it's cooked to that doneness when you reuse

If you need to start out with boxed dinners, which are some of my dinners, it's okay! Start doing it and make it a habit!

I go to the store with some idea of what I want to eat for the next few weeks, then I get the product.

Stuff I've been making regularly includes: Sausage and peppers pasta with tomato sauce and mozzarella, green curry chicken with tons of veggies and rice, turkey keema, guacamole, sandwiches, oatmeal, salads with lots of fresh veggies, chicken curry, frozen pizza and some frozen entrees as well. Frozen veg is your friend. Stuff like the keema, curries, pasta etc. can be made and held in the fridge for up to a week and a half before it starts getting questionable. So make time to cook one day and just go ham like a master chef. That way, you have multiple options for what you may feel like eating at any given moment, and you don't have to cook anything.

Obviously making fresh food is best but you can stagger your cooking days out so that you'll have enough options and food to last until the next one. Keep sides made like mashed potato, coleslaws, fattoush, etc. so that if you want a quick and healthy meal you can quickly saute a chicken breast, pork chop or steak and have that with your premade side.

A good way to go about it is write out some dishes you know you won't get sick of, list all the product you need, have those things available, and prepare it as you need it.

I home cook almost all our meals and eat out about once a week as a treat. I know how to prepare at least 400 dishes of wide ranging nature. Diversity in all things! Buy cook books and read them for inspiration.

Friday night or Saturday morning we plan our meals for the week. We cook like 6 or 7 nights a week. Planning consists of us stockpiling fun recipes and then coming up with a plan for what will work, taking into account our work schedules, making sure we have left overs for lunches, making sure we use everything. Frequently we'll plan for a stir fry to use up any extra vegetables. Always saving stuff for stocks and what doesn't get used for a stock is composted.

Saturday we hit the farmers market and see what we can grab. Then get the rest of the stuff from the grocery store. We frequently have one or two recipe that's "whatever looks good at the farmers market/store" and incorporate fun vegetables, stuff that's on sale, or when im like damn that fish looks freaking amazing. I'd say its about 50/50 on recipe vs random recipe we come up with. I'm a cook by taste kinda person so even if i am following a recipe I'm probably modifying it. 1 or 2 cloves of garlic is never enough. We mix through new recipes and classics. We repeat over the month but definitely not the following week. We also always plan a bit flexible so if we're lazy we may do a quick pasta or tuna nicoise instead of a meal that may take an hour.

We try and buy as local as we can. Usually farmers market then grocery or trader joes. We do semi weekly costco trips to stock up on big stuff. Make all our own stock and freeze it. I bulk buy olive oil as I learned to cook from my italian grandmother and you can never have too much olive oil in the kitchen. We make sure we have all the major oils, soy sauce, fish sauce, spices, etc.

Weekends we tend to cook more complex dishes. I tend to smoke meat on the weekends or grill. Honestly, if I have the time I'm probably grilling something. I grill outside on a charcoal grill and weather doesn't won't stop me.

My girlfriend and I usually split up the work. Depends what the recipe entails but usually the first person who gets home starts the marinade. Open a bottle of wine. Turn on some music. We split up the tasks and talk about our day as we cook.

I'll make my lunches for the week on Sunday, as well as a nice dinner.

Monday I eat Sunday's leftovers, then I cook Tuesday. I'll eat those leftovers on Wednesday. Sometimes I'll have enough to eat them on Thursday and Friday too. If not, I cook Tuesday and eat the leftovers Friday.

Saturday entirely depends on what I'm doing. If it's a busy day I'll probably just eat a quick lunch at home and get takeout for dinner. If I'm not busy I'll cook a nice meal then too.

I pass by the shops on my way home from work so I usually just stop in and buy what I need for the meal I'm making.