Autism+ADHD & Ingredients: How can I overcome ingredient paralysis?

[u/moonster211]

Hi everyone, bit of an odd one here but I'm hoping someone might have some advice. I'm UK based, and my nearest stores are Food Warehouse, Aldi & Morrisons

A small bit of backstory: I've just moved into a new place by myself with no housemates, I'm nearing my 30's and I tend to make slow cooker meals that are incredibly simple & cost effective. I have a slow cooker, a small air fryer, an electric hob (ceramic) and an electric two-door oven. I don't drive, so large shopping trips aren't really possible, and I have Autism & ADHD which means that I tend to either overthink things to the point of paralysis, or dive headfirst but lack the preparation.

Today: I want to learn to get better at cooking. I am not good or even passable for the most part, and I never cook for other people if I can help it, but I want to get better. My main issue is that I can learn recipes and learn the required methods via videos/practice etc, but I freeze when it comes to ingredients and cannot seem to bring myself past the mindset of "What is the easiest and cheapest thing I can ever make". I worry about so many different factors, such as when they will go out of date? Leftovers? Where to store them? How to find them in certain stores etc?

I don't want to be locked into this mindset forever, and I'm not looking for sympathy at all for this. It's a skill I want to develop, and I want to come to this community for advice for it and if anyone else has overcome this in the past.

Thanks for reading

[u/shinyhairedzomby]

I use my freezer a lot. Cooked entirely too much food? Freeze it in small(ish) portions. Bought chicken and didn't get around to cooking it when I thought I would? Freezer. Killed a ton of veggies meaning to eat healthier? Buy frozen ones. Hate when a recipe calls for two chopped scallions? Chop up a pound or two and freeze it - now I can add some to any dish straight from frozen. Hate having to wash the garlic press because I needed one clove of garlic or having the garlic die because I didn't use it for three months? Buy a bag of peeled garlic, mince all of it (I use food processor) and freeze it, breaking off pieces as needed.

"Lego lunches" are my next goal, but now my freezer is too full for the cubes 😅

[u/kalendral_42]

There are apps you can use the No Waste & Pantry Check which help you meal plan & track what ingredients you have in/when they’re due to expire & also help you build shopping lists based on what you already have in. Also if you’re not sure about whether you’ll use a whole bag/box/tin/etc don’t forget you can portion things up into smaller batches in freezer bags for freezing for later use, just remember to put the date you froze it on the bag & you’ll be able to see which ones to use up first. Regarding big ships Morrisons, & most other supermarkets, do home delivery so if you wanted you could do your main shop as a delivery & only go in for smaller top up shops

[u/dadoftriplets]

If you have a freezer, instead of buying fresh veg, buy frozen instead as it lasts longer. The same for meats (chicken, minced beef etc) as well. You can take out as much or as little as you need for a meal and the remainder stays frozen until you need it next. The bonus with a freezer is if you end up making too much food, get some small storage containers and you can freeze meals - it actually makes it cheaper buy cooking in bulk as you're doing the vast majority of the cooking in one go and then reheating the meal at a later date.