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I had a fried chicken disaster a while back. My fried chicken is usually pretty darn good. This particular time, though, the coating came completely off in the skillet. I have no idea why, and it hasn't happened since.

I am just coming out of one. I got tired of cooking the same things, just did not feel myself in the kitchen. Surround yourself with friends who are gourmands, who you may learn from. Also, just like working out, if you don't feel it...take a break.
I decided to eat out a bit more, in a diverse way. This gave me a break from my kitchen and allowed me to see a variety of cuisines and even wonder if I could make that..and how may I improve on it.
Everyone needs a break. You will od betetr by not forcing it and taking a hiatus, let someone cook for you..be the diner instead of the chef and server. I would watch Food Tv alot to get ideas but their programming has lately not been interesting to me, so I watch Bourdain as he explores food and culture around the world. This inspires me.

I also recently started a food blog and this has given me a new avenue within my foodie world to explore.
You can check it out: http://blogs.creativeloafing.com/dailyloaf/rishi/

SO K9 lover, here is my advice in summation.
Do not force it, your mind is telling you it needs a change, a rest or inspiration from another source. Take a break, leave the kitchen alone and let your inner chef regroup and rest. trust me with time you will miss your kitchen and you will be aching to go to the store for ingredients to cook.

I hope this helps. I know the feeling..I suffered for a few months thinking I was no longer a good cook. But I feel I am back.
Also, you probably are cooking fine, but maybe you are tired of the same old thing. Challenge yourself into places you previously dared not go. I decided to challenge myself and tackle bread making, for example

((K9)) Yes. It happens to most, if not all cooks. Let's face, it when an artist has a block, he or she needs to investigate a new source of inspiration. Maybe that's what you need. Try not to cook familiar foods - stay out of your comfort zone. Maybe a new ethnic cuisine? Doing something from scratch that you've always wanted to try but haven't?

Get back in there and have fun :D.

I don't cook well when I'm distracted, and there are times when I just shouldn't be in the kitchen. That's when I turn to the stuff I've made beforehand, and we eat out of the freezer for a while. So that means ravioli and sauce, tamales, things like that. There's always something in there than can turn into a meal with little effort, and that's just fine until I shake off whatever's got me off my game.

Usually what happens is that I start browsing recipes until suddenly I find something that excites me. I just have to try it. Sometimes it's just a new cookie recipe, but it gets me back into the kitchen again, and the spell is broken. Or sometimes it will be some old recipe that I haven't made in a long time that gets me out of the funk. Or maybe I go shopping and pick up some new gadget or serving plate, and then I need to use those things.

I also went through a period where my taste buds were off-kilter. Needless to say, seasonings weren't quite right. The best thing to do then was to cook simple things -- grilled steaks -- that didn't require a lot of tasting and adjusting.

This happened to me very recently. I usually know when it's going to happen because I get depressed about the fact that I'm working too much and about the hours I keep. I get this "I don't want to get out of bed" feeling, which extends itself to the "I don't want to f*&^ing cook anything" feeling.

It's just a matter of getting over the initial hump. I force myself out early to a farmer's market or to an interesting ethnic market. Anything that will revitalize my food love. Good luck getting back into the swing of things.

If I'm in a poor mood, or tired, I don't put heart into my cooking. Cooking is all about putting one's all into the process. If I'm not motivated, the results are usually bad.

The way out for me is to just let the mood pass, and focus on simple things I'm crazy about (lamb chops, burgers, good pasta with simple tomato sauce). After a while I'm back on my game.

I am normally a good cook, but right now, I can't cook rice to save my life. Mushy. Too firm. This is a recent occurrence that I attribute to temporary loss of mojo.

Also, I lost my confidence with my mandoline there for a while after the stitches, but I can use it again now.....:)

totally! i get it all the time. And often it has nothing to do with anything, I just dont have the touch anymore. The best thing to do for me is wait it out. I try not to force myself into the kitchen and making more disastrous meals that lower my confidence and then compound the issue. If I just give myself a break for a few days, I'm usually back to my old self in week.

Yes this is happening to me right now...actually for the last 2 weeks. Just no motivation to come up w/ new or old stuff to cook. HELP!! send me some easy and yummy recipes pls.?!?!?

Yes, I felt this way last month and I think part of it has to do with boredom of winter food. I'm not inspired right now, I really want to move on to spring and summer ingredients, and I miss the grill.

Happened to me on the grill for about 3 months or so. I couldn't make a steak without killing it. on days when i would try to undercook it, the flames would be out of control and burn it. Don't know how i got out of it, but thankfully my "mojo" is back

I agree with the comments above. I lose my 'mojo' in two different ways. One is when I'm just trying to put something edible on the table for my wife, son and daughter, two of whom are very picky eaters (note: not my son; he'd happily live off glue if I served it to him). There are only so many times you can make plain pasta with tomato sauce and enjoy it. We also don't eat chicken (we keep chickens as pets and for eggs...best eggs ever!) and very little other meat...we want our kids to think of meat as a special treat and not 'filler' to make up a meal. Luckily, we have two local butchers who specialise in local, free-range and organic meat. So the typical menu options are limited.

The other time is when I try and do a huge fancy meal and get stressed about it, especially if it's something I've never done before...I over-think things, look up too many recipes, and then am soon in quicksand.

I've lost my seasoning mojo - my husband was told to watch the salt by his doctor, and now I am undersalting everything. I used to have a heavy hand with it, but I can't seem to find a middle ground..