For most of my life, cooking has felt like one of those "basic adult tasks" that somehow requires every single part of my brain at once.
It's not just cooking. It's deciding what to make. Reading the recipe. Checking the ingredients. Chopping. Timing. Coordinating. Remembering what step you're on. Cleaning up. Waiting for the reward. If you have ADHD, you know how fast all of those tiny steps add up.
I can organize a drawer. I can clear a surface. I can make my home feel calmer. But cooking has always felt like a lot.
Even though I usually share cleaning and organizing tips here, this felt worth sharing too, because it's really about the same idea: reducing friction.
The Kitchen Tool I Wasn't Expecting to Love
The one I use, sitting on my counter and doing all the work.
I bought and tried a slow cooker, and I genuinely think it might be one of the most ADHD-friendly kitchen tools I've used. The recipes I've tried so far take less than 10 minutes of prep. Nothing has to be perfect. It's not precious. It's not fussy.
It's very much:
- Rough chop
- Throw it in
- Measure-ish
- Season with your heart
- Press a button
- Walk away
This is the entire prep. No precision required.
And that works so much better for my brain.
Why It Actually Works for an ADHD Brain
I don't have to stand over the stove. I don't have to coordinate five things at once. I don't have to keep checking the exact timing of every step. I just do the quick prep, let it cook for hours, and come back later to stir, blend, shred, or serve.
A few hours later, dinner just happens.
That is the kind of low-friction system I can actually use.
What Have I Been Making Lately?
Since we're heading into fall, it's been a lot of soups and stews, and just today I made my first daal. My husband is typically the cook in the family, and he makes an incredible daal, so we'll see if mine lives up to the hype.
It only took cutting about five vegetables, grating some ginger, chopping some garlic, and adding cumin, turmeric, and a bit of salt. That's it. Once it's done cooking, I'll finish it with a hand blender to make it smooth. Fingers crossed it turns out great.
The One I Use
I linked the exact one I bought below, because I genuinely love it so far. It's an 8-in-1, so it does a bunch of other things too, not just slow cooking.
If cooking has always felt weirdly hard for your brain, this might be worth trying. Less friction. More support. Better dinner. That's the goal.