This resource is part of our ‘Love what you eat‘ campaign for National Nutrition Week 2025.
This resource is part of our ‘Love what you eat‘ campaign for National Nutrition Week 2025.
Cooking is an adventure, a chance to unleash creativity, spark connection, and grow confidence. Cooking is an act of care for yourself and those around you. How we approach food preparation shapes not only what we eat, but also how we feel about food. People who cook at home more often tend to eat a wider variety of nourishing foods and feel more positive about their meals. (1) This love cooking guide is designed to help you:
Enjoy some simple ideas, prompts, and activities to help you slow down, connect, and build positive food habits that nourish both body and mind.
Food literacy is about more than just eating, it’s the knowledge, skills, and confidence to choose, prepare, and enjoy food that supports both your health and the planet. It’s:
Understanding where food comes from, how it’s grown or produced, and the impact it has on our wellbeing and the environment.
Making smart choices from reading labels and planning meals to buying seasonal, affordable, and sustainable ingredients.
Building confidence in the kitchen by cooking safely, experimenting with flavours, and creating meals that are delicious and budget-friendly.
Celebrating flavour, texture, and the simple joy of sharing meals with others.
Meal planning isn’t just about organisation, it’s about creating space to enjoy food, bring balance to your week, and celebrate the love of cooking. Having a plan helps you feel more relaxed during busy days, saves money, and makes it easier to choose nourishing options that you’ll look forward to eating.
Mix in favourite go-to meals with new recipes to explore. Cook once, enjoy twice, turn dinner into tomorrow’s tasty lunch. Add colour to your plate, a simple way to boost variety and nutrients while making meals look vibrant and inviting.
If planning feels overwhelming, start with little steps. Try daily themes like Meat-free Monday, Soup Night, or Friday Fiesta. These playful anchors make decisions easier and add a spark of fun to your week.
“When you fall in love with cooking, every meal becomes more than food, it’s creativity, connection, and care served on a plate.”
Cooking isn’t just about getting dinner on the table, it’s a chance to play, explore, and enjoy the moment. A joyful kitchen makes food taste even better!
Try these ideas to bring more fun into your cooking:
Put on your favourite music or light a candle to set the mood.
Create your own Kitchen Playlist. Songs that make you feel calm, energised, or perfectly match the vibe of your meal. Turn up the music and let cooking become a celebration! Get creating!
Here are some fun, mood-boosting tracks to get you started. Play these to make cooking feel lively and joyful:
“Walking on Sunshine” – Katrina & The Waves
“September” – Earth, Wind & Fire
“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell
“I Want You Back” – Jackson 5
“Happy” – Pharrell Williams
“Can’t Stop the Feeling!” – Justin Timberlake
“Levitating” – Dua Lipa
“Shut Up and Dance” – WALK THE MOON
“Put Your Records On” – Corinne Bailey Rae
“Banana Pancakes” – Jack Johnson
“Sunday Morning” – Maroon 5
“Valerie” – Amy Winehouse
Tip: Mix and match depending on your cooking mood! Upbeat tunes for chopping and stirring, or chill songs for slow, mindful meals. Turn your kitchen into a place of creativity, joy, and good vibes.
Food has a magic way of bringing people together. Cooking side by side turns an everyday task into a moment of connection where stories, skills, and laughter are shared. Plus, it takes the pressure off just one person in the kitchen. Children who help prepare meals are more likely to try new foods and build lifelong habits. (2)
Invite someone to help with one part of a meal, even small tasks like washing vegetables or setting the table count. Better yet, turn it into a mini cooking challenge: give each person a role (chopper, stirrer, taster, playlist DJ!) and celebrate the meal you created together.
Cooking and eating well isn’t about getting everything perfect it’s about progress. Every small win in the kitchen matters, and over time, those wins grow into creativity, confidence, and a healthier relationship with food.
Learning to cook doesn’t mean mastering complex recipes overnight. Start simple:
🥕 Learn to chop an onion
🌾 Cook a grain like rice or quinoa
🥣 Try a new sauce or dressing
Each new skill is a building block that makes cooking easier, more enjoyable, and more rewarding.
Shortcuts are okay!
While you’re building confidence, give yourself permission to lean on time-savers. They’re not cheating, they’re smart tools to help you enjoy cooking without the stress. For example:
Grab pre-chopped veggies
Use microwave rice for quick meals
Keep frozen fruits and veggies on hand
Pick up a supermarket hot roast chicken and make it your own
The more little steps you take, the more fun (and less overwhelming) cooking becomes. Before you know it, you’ll look back and see just how far you’ve come.
Join a local cooking skills class like OzHarvest’s NEST program to learn practical skills, share ideas and meet others who care about good food.
The right tools and knowing how to use them make cooking safer, easier, and more enjoyable. Mastering a few simple techniques can boost your confidence in the kitchen.
Keep knives sharpened regularly, a sharp knife is safer and easier to use than a blunt one.
Hold the knife close to the top of the handle for best control.
Use the ‘claw grip’ when chopping tricky shapes like carrots or potatoes it keeps fingers safe and reduces slipping.
Protect your fingertips: tuck them under or keep your hand flat on top of the food, away from the blade.
Heat your pan before adding oil or food to avoid sticking.
Use non-stick pans for delicate foods (like eggs or fish) and cast iron or stainless steel for searing and roasting.
Learn the difference between sautéing, stir-frying, and simmering. Small variations in heat and oil can change the whole dish.
Always preheat your oven for consistent results.
Use the middle rack for even cooking.
Get to know the difference between roasting, baking, and grilling. Experiment with which method brings out the best in your ingredients.
Invest in a good chopping board (wood or plastic).
Store leftovers in clear containers so you can see what’s inside.
Label and date your freezer items to reduce waste.
Choose tools that suit your regular cooking style:
Air fryer → quick, crisp roasting with less oil
Blender or food processor → smoothies, sauces, dips, or soups in minutes
Slow cooker → set and forget for soups, curries, and stews
Microwave → reheating, steaming veggies, or shortcut cooking
Flavour is what makes food exciting! Learning the basic tastes and how they work together is one of the easiest ways to take your cooking from good to great.
Try adding just one contrasting flavour to your dish. If it feels too rich, add something sour. Too plain? Add a pinch of salt or a sprinkle of spice. Over time, you’ll learn to balance flavours instinctively.
Found in: Fruit, honey, carrots, sweet potatoes
Balances: Sour, bitter, spicy
Example: Sweet mango cuts through the heat of chili in salsa.
Found in: Citrus, vinegar, yoghurt, tamarind
Balances: Sweet, salty, fatty
Example: A squeeze of lemon lifts the richness of grilled fish.
Found in: Dark chocolate, coffee, kale, rocket
Balances: Sweet, salty, fatty
Example: Bitter greens pair beautifully with a sweet vinaigrette.
Found in: Sea salt, soy sauce, olives, cured meats
Balances: Sweet, sour, bitter
Example: Salt on caramel enhances its sweetness.
Found in: Mushrooms, tomatoes, parmesan, soy sauce
Balances: Sweet, sour
Example: Parmesan adds depth to a simple tomato pasta.
Found in: Chili, ginger, pepper, wasabi
Balances: Sweet, sour, fatty
Example: Sweet coconut milk balances the heat of Thai curry.
Pizza with herbs from the garden
Get creative and enjoy a build your own journey meal with a pizza night. Personalise your pizza and experiment with different toppings and flavours.
This classic family favourite is the perfect way to build confidence in your cooking skills. Enjoy the aromas of the array of spices whilst you master this recipe. Enjoy with friends and family.
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