Abs are Made In the Kitchen: Why Home Cooking Allows for Better Results Overtime

Before we begin: when I was a junior in college, roughly 21–22 years of age, I was completely unable to even scramble eggs without having the whole egg stick to the pan and then burning the hell out of them as well. I had no idea how to season, what exactly to cook on, or when to actually take the food off the skillet (or whatever I was cooking it on). For the past ~4 years since college, I have been continuously trying and experimenting with new foods, different ways to cook, and just my overall approach to food.

Prior to this, I had already been consistently tracking my food intake, so I had a small idea of what exactly was super calorically dense and what wasn't. Cooking allowed me to make exactly what I wanted (which met my macros perfectly) and eat foods that tasted amazing without having to break the bank calorically.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Well, Josh, I have no time for cooking! There just isn’t enough time in the day to cook.” To which my rebuttal would be: “There definitely is time; you just aren’t efficient or skilled at it yet to complete it in a timely manner.” What if I told you this: the majority of the food I cook takes a whole 15–20 minutes to be fully plated.

Did I stutter there? No, not at all—this is literally the amount of time it takes me to cook just about every time I cook. I remember back in the day, when I was a kid, cooking used to feel like a whole day’s ordeal. We had to get all of this random stuff, clear the way for the stove, have something cook for 28 hours, and then eat it the next day. This simply isn’t the case with modern technology and recipes you can make TODAY! Just like anything else in the world, if you want to get good at it, you have to practice. Next thing you know, you’ll be making 15–20-minute 5-star dishes easily.

So, let’s talk about the benefits of cooking at home for fitness goals:

You have control over everything you put in your body.

A lot of times, when you go to a restaurant or a fast food place, you don’t really know the actual contents of the food you’re getting. The calories are a random guess, and the macros are even more up in the air. When you cook at home, everything is catered specifically to how you want it and to your caloric intake. Plus—you can make EXACTLY what you want to eat.

You can easily prep food for the week.

I know what you’re going to say: “I don’t want to eat dried food out of containers for a week.” Then quit making dry-ass food that sucks. No, it doesn’t have to be dry chicken, rice, and broccoli for every meal. Use your brain—and that damn TikTok you’re already addicted to—to find better foods for prepping. It’s not that hard.

Free movement in return for food.

One of my favorite things about cooking is that, oftentimes, you’re up and moving around while cooking. You’re seasoning things, cutting stuff up, and adding to the plates while running around the kitchen. This might seem silly, but it’s just another way to get movement into your day.

You’ll start to enjoy your own food more than restaurants, which means saving money.

I went to a nice steak restaurant not too long ago and got a sirloin for ~$70. Sure, it came with a side and tasted absolutely wonderful, but then I went to Costco the following week…AND GOT THE SAME CUT OF STEAK IN A 7-PACK FOR $46!! So, would you like to continuously burn money every time you go out, or just go to the grocery store and save some cash?

Now that we’ve covered the benefits, let’s talk about simple steps to get into cooking:

Use your resources.

We have way too much information available to us nowadays, and not using it puts you at a severe disadvantage in life. Use popular platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, etc., to find dishes you like and learn how to cook them at home. Simple explanations for recipes are all over the place.

Medium-High Heat and always oil the pan (for the most part).

First off, Medium-high heat for just about everything. Forget that the dial has all of the options on the stove top, you can basically color those out with a sharpie because I have never even used them.

For oil, I don’t know why this was super confusing for me at first, but when I had no clue how to cook back in the day, I didn’t understand what oil was for. Do you drizzle it on top for flavor? Is it used to power the stove? Do you drink it while you cook? I literally had no idea. The whole point is to lubricate the pan (no Diddy) so your food doesn’t get stuck to it. The number of pans I’ve ruined in the past is insane, so I felt the need to bring this up.

Get yourself the necessary tools.

The simplest way to start cooking at home is to get these three things: a non-stick pan (without all the weird chemicals), some extra virgin olive oil, an internal thermometer to make sure your food is cooked all the way, and a phone to set timers.

Yup, that’s basically it—keep it simple at first so you don’t overwhelm yourself with random kitchen gadgets.

Practice, practice, practice.

Just like anything else, there’s a reason I can cook a steak in 15–20 minutes with a side of roasted broccoli and homemade potato chips. It’s because I’ve practiced. Once you’ve worked on the craft a few times, it’ll feel like Remy from Ratatouille is on your head, throwing you around the kitchen as quickly as possible.

From this, I hope everyone can learn at least a little bit about cooking. Additionally, I hope everyone is able to either keep hopping into the kitchen or take their first steps this new year!

I hope you enjoyed—keep cooking!