How do I teach my helper to cook in Singapore? Plan the week's menu once, and write down amounts and heat (with menu table)

Yiru · Updated 23 October 2026

Two steps:

1. Plan the menu once a week. For example, on Sunday evening decide the next seven dinners and explain them all at once, instead of being asked “what's for dinner tonight?” every afternoon.
2. For your usual dishes, write down what “done well” looks like. Write down amounts, heat and how salty, then take a photo of the finished dish.

Cooking is what helpers (maids) are most often told is “not right”. It's usually not about skill: words like “a bit of salt” or “fry it briefly” mean something different to everyone.

Step 1: plan the menu once a week

• Leave a day or two for “eating out” or “her choice” — easier for her, and you don't have to think of something every day.
• Write the shopping list together: when to go to the market and the budget.
• Put dietary restrictions and allergies at the top: who doesn't eat spicy food, who doesn't eat beef, who's allergic to peanuts.

Step 2: for your usual dishes, write down what “done well” looks like

Pick the 3 dishes you eat most often — and that most often “don't taste right” — and write one card for each:

Example: tomato and egg stir-fry (serves 3)

1. Beat 4 eggs with a small pinch of salt.
2. Cut 2 tomatoes into chunks.
3. When the oil is hot, cook the eggs first; take them out as soon as they've just set.
4. Then cook the tomatoes until they release their juice; add 1 teaspoon of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt.
5. Put the eggs back in, toss a few times and turn off the heat.

What “done well” looks like: the tomatoes are juicy but not cooked down to a paste, and the eggs are in big pieces, not scrambled small. Put a photo of it next to the card.

When you write:

• Write amounts as numbers: “1 teaspoon”, not “a little”.
• Describe heat by what you can see: “until the juice comes out”, “until the eggs have just set” — not “fry it briefly”.
• Describe seasoning by your family's standard: for example “a bit less salty than at a restaurant”, and taste it together the first time.

The first time she cooks it

• Stay nearby, or taste it together when she's done.
• If something's off, mention just that one thing: “Half the salt next time”, not “it's not nice”.
• Write the fix back onto the card, so next time she follows the new version.

Yiru makes this easier

• Put the weekly menu and your dishes' methods into the house guide, translated into her language. Burmese, Indonesian and Filipino all work.
• Each step can have a photo, so she can see what “done right” looks like at a glance.
• Her phone reminds her when it's time to start cooking.

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