A majority of the working professionals that we generally interact with
believe that its difficult to regularly cook at home since work consumes
most of their time. For the second interview of the Chronicles of the
Home Chef series, we met Anuradha
Saxena who is very unlike these
working professionals. What sets Anuradha apart is her ability to
balance work and home front and still focus on home cooking with much
ease. She follows a lifestyle which revolves around health and nutrition
and Cookpad helps her achieve that goal. Lets find out how she does that
in this interview:
Tell me a little bit about yourself and what does cooking mean to you?
I am a married IT professional so generally, the day goes by working and
managing things at home. My mother was a fabulous cook so eating
mediocre food was never an option. So when I left home I decided to work
on my cooking skills and keep experimenting with my dishes. I prefer
satvik
food
so the focus has always been on nutrition. All the three meals of the
day for me and my family are home cooked by me.
Since you are working is it difficult to post recipes on Cookpad?
According to me, cooking is a very basic skill which everyone should
possess irrespective of their gender. It is all about regularity and
discipline. Since the time I joined Cookpad first thing that I do is
take a picture as soon as I am done with my cooking. Then over the
weekend or whenever I have time I will upload all the recipes of the
pictures that I have taken during the week. Since weekdays are
generally caught up during weekends there have been times when I have
posted ten recipes at a go. It's pretty easy to post recipes if the
picture is there with you.
What inspired you to join Cookpad?
One of my close family members told me about Cookpad. I tried posting
and it was pretty easy so I decided why not. I get a lot of
different recipes on Cookpad which helps me plan my next meal and
Cookpad inspires home cooking and that is something I strongly
believe in.
Are you using the Cookpad app or website? How much time do you take to
post a recipe?
I use the app and the website. Whatever is handy at the time of posting.
It takes me not more than 5 to 7 minutes to post a recipe
Prior to Cookpad how did you find your recipes? Is there a favourite
blogger or website you follow for inspiration?
I followed a lot of bloggers on Facebook and Youtube for inspiration.
But my personal favorite was Hebbar's Kitchen
Do you use social media to share recipes?
I do now but I share it via Cookpad since its more convenient
Do you know what are cooksnaps? Have you ever received or posted any
cooksnaps for recipes
I have received a couple of Cooksnaps. I have recreated few recipes that
I have seen on Cookpad but never really gone ahead and shared a
picture. But I will make it a point to do that now because the Cooksnaps
I have received has inspired me to cook more, so I am sure it will help
other members too.
How often did you post when you started off on Cookpad as opposed
to now?
Posting for me has been consistent since the beginning. It is 3--4
recipes in a week.
How do you plan your post on Cookpad? Is it planned well in advance or
is it spontaneous?
Its mostly spontaneous and also planned, since I cook everyday I take
pictures of only the dishes that I want to upload on Cookpad and then
whenever I feel like during the week I will upload the recipe.
Does posting recipe with picture help? Do you spend time on food
styling? Which device do you use to click pictures of your recipe
I definitely think posting a picture is necessary. Because when you are
trying our the recipe you know what the end result is going to look
like. I have not really focussed on food styling till now. I use my
phone to take pictures of the recipe.
Do you feel motivated looking at statistics?
Initially, the stats icon used to bother me because my first recipe
didn't really get a lot of likes. But then I kept posting more and more
recipes, so I now have dedicated followers which feels really good and
helps me stay passionate about cooking.
Any message you have for Cookpad users?
Cooking at home is very easy to learn and healthy. You can make your own
versions with a given recipe. Never stop experimenting with the same
dish. I just want to share my favourite quote by Madame Benoit with all
the readers " A recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can
play each time with variation."
Do you have any feedback for Cookpad?
I am just glad that I am a part of Cookpad because it has given me
access to this global cooking community.
So that was all from the very passionate Anuradha Saxena from the
Cookpad community. Anuradha says " If you believe and love doing
something no matter how difficult it gets you will never quit". All it
takes is to set routine which focuses on home cooking. You can find
healthy and less time-consuming recipes on Cookpad which will make
cooking regularly really easy for you. Hope this interview has inspired
you to live the healthy way and chose home cooking always. If you have
any questions for Anuradha or would like to know anything in specific,
don't forget to reach out to us on info-in@cookpad.com.
Till then keep sharing recipes, keep cooking. Enjoy Cookpad