Is Cookware The New Self-Care?

Home Kuel Category Expert: Lori Roach

What comes to mind when you hear the term “self-care”? Most likely you immediately envisions a massage, a pedicure, or a long, hot soak in the tub. And while those are excellent examples of self-care, have you ever stopped to consider…cookware?

Cooking is Not My Love Language

One of my stated goals once we conquer COVID is to never – I mean never – cook again. I’ve been cooking for years and years and it’s just not fun for me anymore. These days, with restaurants closed down (I’m in California), I find myself cooking dinner at home every single night. I am tired of cooking. I’m even more tired of cleaning up. This virus has worn me out. So, why would I buy new cookware?

What was the point?

“I discovered that cookware can be a form of self-care”

To understand, we must revisit Thanksgiving 2020. My daughter was appalled to discover that my roasting pan had a bit of rust on the rim. Also, she noticed some flaking of the non-stick coating that I hadn’t noticed before. She was even more aghast on learning that the roaster was a wedding gift circa 1989. In my defense – I only use the darned thing once a year!

Apparently, using cookware that predates her arrival into this world was just not okay with my girl. And even I know that flaking Teflon is A Bad Thing. After dinner, my daughter insisted the pan follow the turkey carcass into the trash.

She then went through all of my cabinets, pointing out the fatal flaws in many of my kitchen tools. Now, I think aging, in many ways, is pretty great. But the complacency we sometimes feel as we grow older is not necessarily a good thing. We become accustomed to the tools we have. We may not even consider that there are new and improved versions available to us.

After all, if your cookware has an expiration date – what does that say about you?

Clearly, I had become too blasé about the contents of my kitchen. Looking through my daughter’s fresh eyes, I had to admit I agreed with her. It was time to replace it all.

And that’s how I discovered that cookware can be a form of self-care.

Finding Self-Care in the Everyday

“Easy, happy, less stressed – sounds like self-care to me”

Self-care, by definition, is the practice of caring for one’s own well-being and happiness and reducing stress.

My new cookware has so many advantages over my old, random assortment of pots and pans. Stainless steel. Pouring lip on each piece. Measurements marked on the inside of the pots in large writing for my farsighted eyes. Glass lids with built-in strainers. Ceramic frying pans so slick my eggs literally slide right out of them.

Cooking is easier with better tools. And easy makes me happy. Do I actually enjoy cooking these days? Well, no – but I do find it considerably less stressful.

Easy, happy, less stressed – sounds like self-care to me.

As for the roasting pan that started this journey – I’ve decided not to replace it. Instead, I plan to go to my daughter’s home for Thanksgiving from now on.

And that’s good self-care, too.

About The Author:

Lori Roach’s professional career has encompassed convention management, corporate training, education administration, and – most important to her – full-time motherhood.  As she entered her mid-fifties, she found herself moving to a new city – leaving her friends and job behind just as she became an empty nester. Seeking both purpose and a new challenge, Lori started a blog, CircleSquareOval.  Her goal is to help every woman “shape a modern midlife” by focusing on self-discovery, confidence, and connection to the world around them.

 A bit of a gypsy at heart, Lori has relocated twenty-two times in her life, making her something of an expert on settling into a new space, unpacking and decorating quickly, and creating a feeling of “home”.  She joins Kuel Life as a Home Category Expert.

You can read more from Lori at CircleSquareOval and find her on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest as well.