We’ve all heard the complaints: home cooking is too time-consuming, too expensive, and too complicated. It’s much easier to sprawl on the couch with some order-in pad thai. Takeout is great; it’s easy, simple, reliably delicious, and just what you need after a long day at work. When you stop at your local Asian-fusion spot or Mexican grille, you don’t have to fuss over bubbling pots and pans, or even cast a stray thought towards cleanup more complicated than tossing cardboard containers into the bin. But as good of a fallback as takeout is, buying to-go boxes of food can’t compare to the experience of enjoying a home-cooked meal with family. Here, I provide some tips on how to make a home-cooked meal easier, cheaper, healthier, and more enjoyable than takeout could ever be.

The worst mistake a would-be cook could make is failing to plan ahead. Leaving recipe selection until an hour before dinnertime inevitably means a last-minute run to the grocery store, a grumpy effort in the kitchen, and a wholly un-enjoyable meal for everyone. Moreover, a lack of planning leads more expensive meals. By planning ahead and choosing meals with common base ingredients, you can slash costs and limit your grocery store...

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