With businesses and schools being closed due to the coronavirus, many of us find ourselves stuck at home with nothing to do. Some may flock to game consoles or bookshelves to help pass the time, but more than ever, it seems people are picking up a spatula. Cooking can be a fun  way to get through quarantine, but for some of us the hobby has been tainted by these unfortunate circumstances. Coronavirus has changed the face of home cooking, and I am not here for it.   

Suddenly every middle-age housewife thinks they are a professional chef. With more free time people have taken to social media to document every step of their latest recipe. If I have to see one more sourdough starter or banana bread on a Facebook or Instagram story, I am going to personally come over to feed the next loaf to the ducks. Just because you can mix water and flour in a Tupperware container and leave it out on your counter for a couple days, does not make you the next Gorden Ramsey, Karen.

It is because of Karen’s everywhere that grocery stores are looking more and more like my pre-calculus quiz sheet everyday, pretty empty. It is not like any of us are willing to brave a trip to the store for a jar of kalamata olives anyway. The shortage of ingredients have forced home cooks to become more resourceful when it comes to meals. Meatloafs and frozen tater tot casseroles have made a shameful comeback to dinner tables across the nation, or at least some of them. If you are anything like me, you may be living off of blueberry bundt cake and roasted potatoes, too. 

Baked goods for dinner have become more common now that bakers have no one to give their treats to. There are no more staff meetings, dinner parties or even general gatherings to bring a plate of cookies to. Even if someone just drops off some snacks, there is no way to know someone has not accidentally sneezed or coughed while making them. The only option left for bakers is to eat all 24 muffins on their own, and as enjoyable as that might sound, the taste of vanilla extract gets gross after a while. 

It is great that people are using their time to do something other than binge-watching all 356 episodes of Grey’s Anatomy in one sitting, but sometimes you have got to know when to put down the Tupperware and order some carryout.