For RG cartoon:

Every time I try to think of something new I come up short.

OR

It's a small world when you're stuck in a rut.

I have been lucky enough to have had my whole kitchen redone- no more cooking rut for me

I re-read your question and you want to know why and how we get into ruts. it's routine, same meals, same time, same people, same kitchen, same pots and pans, same dishes....... even something as simple as an inexpensive frying pan or a different sized roasting pan can make the creative juices start running again.

I received an email from my friend Chef Alan Bickel who read about being in a cooking rut and had the following to say. Thanks Alan.

Hi Gary, how are you doing these days?  I know it's been a little while (well, ok, actually quite awhile since I've contributed to your site)  but, I was browsing your blog the other night, and happened across your post about falling into a cooking rut.   

When I looked over your list of reasons for these ruts, it hit me that almost every single one of those is applicable to working in a commercial kitchen.

One of the things that I find really helpful is, simply enough, taking a break.  I know that after a few days off, I'm very well rested, alert, and ready for a challenge.... perhaps something as simple as grabbing pizza or take-out for a few evenings is something home cooks can do to sort of recharge their culinary batteries.

As far as the lack of appretiation factor is concerened, if your audience does not appreciate your efforts, find a new audience! in other words, if you are cooking for kids and wife(hubby) every night, and they're too busy shoveling it down to appreciate your meals, then invite over some friends, or throw a little party, or heck, just cook something nice for yourself. You'd be surprised by how far just a little gratitude goes!

If your concern is with the difficulty of a meal, well, if you know how to read, and can understand most of the common terminology in a recipe, then the only thing stopping you is yourself.  Cooking isn't just about providing the body with fuel, but also expressing yourself and working with an ever-changing pallett of ingredients.

When budget and ingredient availability come into play with (particularly when it can be very easy to pick up all the same things when grocery hopping)  check out the awesomeness that is the internet.  Google is one of the most powerful tools available, and I use it constantly when looking for new ideas... Try simply typing in the name of one or two ingredients, and you've got access to worldwide interpretation of foodstuffs. People all over the US and throughout the modern world post ideas, comments, and recipes, and chances are you'll come across some fresh ideas for tired foodstuffs.

Lastly, on  the topic of experience, or lack thereof,  the only way to get better at something is to practice.  Once you've got a few fundamentals under your belt, the sky's the limit when you wanna explore the endless world of food and cooking.  If you're spooked about trying something new, then that should be reason enough to try it out... yeah, you might make some mistakes, but learning from your mistakes is the surest way to gain experience.  Once you know how NOT to do something, you are one step closer
to knowing how To do something.

So, there you have it, my take on how to break up the cooking ruttage...
Hope this helps, Chef Alan

I agree about the long long long winter,
even cooking on the grill on the nicer days are not helping much...
THINK SPRING!!!