What Are Your Greatest Obstacles in Cooking Dinner?

A couple weeks ago we sat down with a few dedicated readers of The Kitchn and talked with them about favorite cookbooks, what they look for in a recipe, and the joys and challenges of cooking day in and day out. Today we want to broaden the conversation and include all of you. We know that most of us love to cook and enjoy the process, but there is more to life than cooking. Even for accomplished cooks, getting dinner on the table night in and night out can be a stretch.

We’re curious — where are the pain points for you when it comes to cooking dinner nightly? What trips you up? What obstacles do you face? What do you love about weeknight cooking, and what feels tough?

The Kitchn has always been a place where we aim for a humane, empathetic view of cooking. We don’t think that you or the rest of the country need any urging to cook more; we think that all of us probably want to cook more and eat better.

But the actual doing of that is not a trivial thing. Those of us who want to cook delicious, interesting, healthy meals every night face all sorts of challenges — and we don’t dismiss those obstacles saying you should just try harder or be smarter (or spend more money). There are good reasons why so many recipes advertise themselves as quick or easy — and it’s not because you or others like you are lazy.

The more we talk about the nitty-gritty specifics of what obstacles we hit when we try to cook more, the more we can work together on finding good solutions.

So tell us — the more specific the better — what are your challenges when it comes to cooking dinner nightly, and what, if any, resources have helped you the most?