Look, I’m not here to start a generational war in the kitchen. But after spending years analyzing patterns in how different age groups approach daily tasks, I’ve noticed something fascinating: the way Gen Z cooks would make my grandmother roll over in her grave.
And honestly? I get both sides.
On one hand, there’s something beautiful about traditional cooking methods. The slow simmer, the hand-kneaded dough, the carefully chopped vegetables. On the other hand, we’re living in a different world now. Time is scarce, energy is limited, and sometimes you just need to eat something that isn’t takeout.
So let’s talk about the cooking shortcuts that are quietly driving a wedge between generations. Some of these might make you defensive, others might make you nod in agreement. Either way, they’re worth examining.
1. Pre-minced garlic from a jar
This one hits hard for anyone who grew up watching their grandmother peel and mince fresh garlic cloves.
I’ll admit it: I used jarred garlic for years. Why wouldn’t I? It saved time, reduced tears, and meant one less thing to prep after a long day at work. But here’s what I learned the hard way during a cooking class I took on a whim last year.
Fresh garlic has a completely different flavor profile. The jarred stuff? It’s been sitting in preservatives, losing its punch and developing that slightly metallic taste. When you crush fresh garlic, you release enzymes that create its signature flavor. That doesn’t happen in a jar.
Am I saying you should never use jarred garlic? Not at all. But understanding what you’re trading off matters.
2. Rotisserie chicken instead of roasting your own
Walk into any grocery store and you’ll see them: those golden, already-cooked chickens spinning under heat lamps.
For Gen Z, it’s a no-brainer. Why spend two hours roasting a chicken when you can grab one for eight bucks? The math makes sense. The time savings are real. I’ve done this myself countless times, especially during particularly brutal work weeks.
But my mentor, who grew up in a household where Sunday chicken was a ritual, once told me something that stuck. She said the smell of a chicken roasting in your own oven creates a feeling that store-bought never can. It fills your home, signals care, and turns cooking into an experience rather than just fueling up.
There’s also the waste factor. When you roast your own chicken, you get the carcass for stock. With rotisserie, you’re often left with less usable bones and more packaging.
3. Using a rice cooker for everything
Rice cookers have become the Swiss Army knife of Gen Z kitchens. Oatmeal, quinoa, steamed vegetables, even cake. If it can be made in a rice cooker, someone’s posted a TikTok about it.
Traditional cooks find this baffling. Why not just use the stove? Why add another appliance to your counter?
Here’s my take after years of going back and forth: rice cookers are brilliant for consistency. You set it, forget it, and get perfect results every time. No watching, no stirring, no burnt bottoms. For someone juggling multiple things or dealing with ADHD (like several friends of mine), that’s not lazy. That’s practical.
The downside? You miss out on developing the intuition that comes from actually watching your food cook. That sensory feedback teaches you things a machine never will.
4. Buying pre-chopped vegetables
Those bags of pre-diced onions and sliced peppers? Absolute lifesavers for many Gen Z cooks. Also absolute sacrilege to anyone who learned knife skills from their grandmother.
I used to judge this hard. Then I started volunteering at a community kitchen and met people working two jobs who still wanted to cook healthy meals for their kids. For them, those pre-chopped vegetables weren’t about laziness. They were about making home cooking possible at all.
That said, there are real tradeoffs. Pre-cut vegetables lose nutrients faster, cost significantly more per pound, and often come with excessive packaging. Plus, and I cannot stress this enough, learning basic knife skills is genuinely empowering. There’s something satisfying about efficiently breaking down ingredients yourself.
5. Microwave “hacks” for traditionally slow-cooked foods
Microwave mug cakes. Microwave risotto. Microwave caramelized onions that take five minutes instead of forty.
Look, I’ve tried most of these. Some work surprisingly well. Others are crimes against cuisine.
The thing is, some cooking processes exist for a reason beyond just heating food up. When you properly caramelize onions over low heat, you’re facilitating a chemical process called the Maillard reaction.
Does that mean you should never microwave anything besides leftovers? Of course not. But it’s worth knowing what you’re actually skipping.
6. Dump-and-go slow cooker meals
Throw everything in a crockpot in the morning, come home to dinner. It sounds perfect, and honestly, sometimes it is.
But here’s where traditional cooks get twitchy: many of these recipes skip crucial steps like browning meat or sautéing aromatics first. Those steps aren’t just busywork. They build foundational flavors that a slow cooker alone can’t create.
I learned this the hard way when I made a “simple” slow cooker beef stew. It was edible, sure, but it was flat. When I remade it after taking ten minutes to properly brown the beef first, the difference was staggering.
That said, I still use my slow cooker constantly. Sometimes good enough is genuinely good enough, especially on days when the alternative is fast food or skipping dinner entirely.
7. Using bottled lemon juice instead of fresh lemons
This one seems minor until you actually compare them side by side.
Bottled lemon juice is convenient. It doesn’t go bad as quickly. You don’t need to keep fresh lemons on hand. All valid points.
But fresh lemon juice has brightness and complexity that bottled versions just don’t match. The oils from the zest, the slight variations in acidity, the fact that it hasn’t been sitting in a plastic bottle for months. These things matter more than you’d think.
Chef and author Samin Nosrat, in her approach to teaching cooking fundamentals, emphasizes how acid is one of the key elements that makes food taste alive. When you’re using subpar acid, you’re starting with a handicap.
8. Relying on meal kit services
Those boxes that show up with pre-portioned ingredients and recipe cards? They’ve revolutionized cooking for a lot of people. They teach techniques, introduce new ingredients, and eliminate the planning burden.
Older generations tend to view them skeptically. The cost per meal is high. The packaging waste is enormous. And fundamentally, they remove the skill of meal planning and shopping.
I tried meal kits for three months last year. They taught me some great techniques and got me out of a cooking rut. But I also noticed something: I stopped thinking creatively about food. I wasn’t looking at what was in season, adapting recipes based on what I had, or developing that crucial skill of improvisation.
They’re training wheels, and training wheels serve a purpose. But eventually, you need to learn to balance on your own.
9. Air fryer everything
If you spend any time on social media, you know the air fryer has reached cult status. Crispy food without the oil? Yes, please.
But talk to someone who’s been cooking for decades and they’ll tell you: air fryers are just small convection ovens with better marketing. They’re fine for reheating or making small batches, but they’re not magic.
What concerns me more is the tendency to view the air fryer as a replacement for actual cooking skills. Roasting vegetables in an oven teaches you about heat management, timing, and how different foods behave. Using an air fryer with preset buttons teaches you… to push buttons.
Again, I’m not anti-air fryer. I have one. I use it. But it’s a tool, not a substitute for understanding how cooking actually works.
Final thoughts
Here’s the thing: I’m not actually interested in declaring one generation right and another wrong.
Every shortcut exists for a reason. Time scarcity is real. Cooking fatigue is real. The demands on our attention and energy are genuinely different than they were fifty years ago.
But I also think we lose something when we optimize everything for speed and convenience. Cooking has always been more than just fuel production. It’s how we connect with our food, develop intuition, and yes, sometimes slow down enough to actually experience what we’re doing.
You don’t have to become a purist who hand-mills flour and churns butter. But maybe consider which shortcuts genuinely serve you and which ones you’ve adopted without thinking. Try fresh garlic once. Brown your meat before the slow cooker. Squeeze an actual lemon.
You might find that some traditional methods stick around because they actually make things better, not just because grandmas are stubborn.
And if you still prefer the shortcuts? That’s fine too. Just know what you’re choosing and why. That awareness matters more than any specific technique.
What’s Your Plant-Powered Archetype?
Ever wonder what your everyday habits say about your deeper purpose—and how they ripple out to impact the planet?
This 90-second quiz reveals the plant-powered role you’re here to play, and the tiny shift that makes it even more powerful.
12 fun questions. Instant results. Surprisingly accurate.
Dining and Cooking