A note from Healthy Food Guide editor Nikki Wallman – May 2012

I’ve got a challenge on the go at home, and have a sneaking suspicion some of you might like to join me. I’ve decided, after years of taking 100% responsibility for the cooking in our household, that I’m going to get my husband into the kitchen as well. It’s not purely to give me a break every now and then (although I admit I’m excited about that, too) but it’s for his benefit, too. Why?

Because knowing how to cook will hopefully mean he’s less likely to opt for takeaway when he's left to his own devices; that he’ll know more about portion sizes and healthy ingredients; and I know from my personal experience that the more you are involved in preparing your own food, the more likely you are to seek out healthier ingredients and recipes (most of the time!).

It’s mainly my own fault that all the cooking has, until now, been up to me – my husband has offered to take on dinner duties many times in the past. But I’ve always loved cooking, I see it as part of my job even when at home, and I admit – I can be a bit of a control freak as well. After a particularly disastrous attempt from my husband early in our relationship, I decided I’d rather avoid stir-fries that involved every type of sauce in our fridge (sweet chilli, oyster, soy, black bean, plum and I believe a little bit of BBQ made it into that one!) and gluggy rice.

But my mum gave me a good piece of advice the other day. “If you don’t encourage him now,” she said, “he’ll be discouraged and never cook in the future.” She speaks from experience – my Dad never ventured into the kitchen unless he absolutely had to, and has only recently started showing an interest in learning to cook anything more than a steak after a heart scare last year. Although he always ate well, he’s now more interested in healthy cooking and healthy food in general.

So, I started my husband off slow – he’s done a couple of nice marinades for a BBQ to date, and reported back that he quite enjoyed taking part in preparing the food for our guests and knowing that he’d done it himself. Next I think we’ll attempt a stir-fry (I’ve decided I need to face the horror of the last one head on!) and we’ll go from there.

Now – I just need to get to grips with being the one to wash the dishes on his cooking duty nights!

I’d love to hear from you – whether you’re the one responsible for the cooking at home and want to get your partner involved; or you're 'kitchen-shy' but want to learn how to cook. We may be able to help! Send me your pictures and stories at editor@healthyfoodguide.com.au or leave a comment below.

Until next month,

Nikki