[I posted this over on r/MGTOW before. Thought that this is a good message to share.]

Its too easy today to be lazy and just order in a pizza, grab a six pack and scroll like a mindless zombie on the internet until you fall asleep only to repeat the cycle the next day. This fucks you up not only physically, but mentally and emotionally as well.

Humans were built to move, to jump, to run and to do shit. And for us to do that, our nutrition needs to be balanced and on point, while being sustainable. These are some of the things/tips/advice I have found in my journey of cooking that you could incorporate to keep your kitchen functional enough to not be a financial burden but still be stocked with enough appliances/tools for you to make anything you are brave enough to try.

  1. Get a good quality fridge. The kitchen today starts with the fridge; you not only store veggies in there, but also store food that you can take out, heat up and eat. You also store things you want to keep cool in there (ice cream, juices, chutneys, maybe an occasional beer or two ;P ) Also investing in a good quality fridge often means that they are built to be more energy efficient (at least here in my country). Fridges can also store a lot of stuff that you would need to store in additional containers in drawers if kept outside, thus causing them to last for a far shorter time period. Don't skimp on this, research well and buy the best one you can in your budget. It is an investment which will last for years.
  2. Some vegetables like peas and corn (kernels which have been removed from the cob) can be stored for upto a year if you freeze and store it. I keep peas and corn in my freezer and when I want to add some veggies, I just take out a handful, dump them in the pan when my food is 95% cooked and turn off the heat. The residual heat thaws and cooks the peas and most of the time the ice on the surface just turns to water and evaporates.
  3. Invest in a good knife set. Not a singular knife, a knife set. A 5-piece set is enough for any home cook who wants to learn about different cuisines and cooking techniques. Also get sharpening stones and learn how to sharpen a knife, there are great guides on YouTube on how to maintain, sharpen and effectively use knives. A good set of knives makes cooking a lot more enjoyable.
  4. Spices are a great way to bolster the flavour profile of a dish. It does not matter whether you are white, black, Hispanic, brown or green, the correct combination of spices will ensure your palate is never bored. If you have zero experiences with spices, start with building a basic spice box. What you place in there will be based on how you like your food and which cuisine you prefer. Also, try to buy spices whole rather than ground, they can be stored frozen for a long time in your fridge and not lose their flavours. Also the ground ones here in my country often come with additives used as fillers to reduce cost of production. Some spices like turmeric, chili powder, asafoetida etc. will better to be bought ground, but others like cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, star anise, bay leaves are almost always better to be brought whole. Also get yourself a mortar and pestle to grind spices in case you don't have a grinder.
  5. Lentils are a great and cheap source of protein, especially for those on a tight budget. They are ridiculously easy to make (just soak them overnight, pressure cook them the next day. The heat some vegetable oil, add two dried red chilies, some cumin, some asafoetida, some mustard seeds and add this mix with the pressure cooked lentils. Add salt according to taste. There you just made daal, a native dish of my country. Simple and delicious). Watch Indian channels to make more dishes with them. They are very versatile and experimentation-friendly.
  6. In appliances, I would recommend getting an air fryer and an Instant pot. An air fryer makes deep fried stuff with a lot less oil. I have made french fries, fried chicken, paneer tikka, chicken tikka etc with a lot less oil than normal, cutting down waste and reducing my costs when it comes to buying oil. I am less familiar with instant pots, but in my research I have seen a lot of versatility in their cooking functions. They cook, boil, steam, bake. I would definitely get one when I get my own place.
  7. Mise-en-place. It is the singular thing that has reduced my stress when it comes to make stuff. It basically states that before you even turn on the stove, every ingredient you need in whatever quantity must be prepared and ready to go. It might take you about 20 mins before a meal to prep the ingredients, but having everything you need on hand, at the go, makes the cooking experience much more enjoyable.
  8. Buying non perishables in bulk is a great idea. Things like rice, lentils, different types of peas (chickpeas, horse gram, pigeon pea etc.) last for months on end if you keep in airtight containers. We have a stock of at least 3 months of rice at our home and we can cook it in less than 20 mins (most of it unattended). Great starch to carry flavours of curries and soups and good source of fibre and carbs.
  9. Some great content creators on YouTube have amazingly easy yet delicious recipes to make at home with basic ingredients and also give you great techniques to make your cooking more delicious. For simple stuff, Adam Ragusea, Pro Home Cooks, Ethan Chelbowski are great places to start. For more fancier stuff, Joshua Weismann, Binging With Babish, Sam the Cooking Guy are great sources. For cooking junk food at home CookingShooking is an Indian YouTube channel that makes easy to follow recipes about ice-creams and fast food.
  10. Be patient with yourself. Cooking good food takes patience, time and most importantly practice. Your first few dishes will not be restaurant-quality in taste or presentation, but with a few months practice, you will be able to replicate those tastes to a very close margin. Eventually you will start to customize your food to suit your tastes, your health needs and your fitness goals; all the while you spend a lot less that you would have if you always ordered take out. Not to mention, making things with our hands that benefit us, that is the way we men survive. So why not do it in todays world?

That is all from my side. You might know some of it, maybe even all or none of it. But if you can learn even one new thing to help you, I will have considered this post to be a success. Please feel free to add new tips in the comments, I am always willing to learn new stuff. Good luck gentlemen. May the way always be clear to you.