Do You Cook?

If you don't, who does?

Published on January 9, 2006 By singrdave In Marital Issues

My wife is a great cook, as my ever-increasing waistline will attest. Even with four children and a full-time employee for a husband, she can still put out four or five dinners a week and send me to work the next day with leftovers. And it's good, tasty, variety-filled food, too.

Her mother was an okay cook; she served up a new meal every night with leftovers once or twice a week.

Our family typically eats out more than once a week, as well. Usually fast food, mostly because of busy schedules and no time to make or sit down and eat a dinner-time meal. Sometimes just for fun -- don't get me wrong. We eat out recreationally, especially when we're out and about at dinner time.

I try to help out around the ktichen, but it's mostly helping my wife cut up veggies or clearing the dishes. I'm simply not that good around the kitchen, but I'm sure practice would make perfect.

My wife had a conversation with another friend of ours. She and her husband have one child at home; she is two and quite a handful. She said to my wife, "You make a different meal every night?! I can't find the time!" Her rationale was that she is so busy taking care of her child that she has no time to plan, shop for, organize, prepare, and cook the meals in their house. She and her husband sit down to a lot of pasta and pre-made dinners at suppertime.

Then I happened upon this article, from Reuters...
Almost a third of young Britons have passed off a ready-made meal as their own creation in order to impress someone, according to a survey by the Department of Health.

Women were the worst offenders, with 40 percent saying they had claimed food bought in a shop as their own, compared to 22 percent of men.

And seven percent of the 1,000 16-24-year-olds questioned said they regularly claimed credit for food they had bought.

The research, conducted as part of the department's 5 A DAY campaign to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables, also found that one in 10 had never cooked a proper meal for themselves because they "don't know how."

It also discovered that women were more impressed by a man's cooking ability than whether they owned a flashy car.

...and I realized that this is not an isolated issue, it's a universal problem.

Does someone in your family cook? Who is it? How often do you eat out? If you're not the one who cooks, why not?

Comments (Page 2)

MasonM

on Jan 09, 2006

I live alone and since I don't care for fast food at all (yuk!) or even most prepared foods, I do pretty much all of my own cooking. Once in a great while I'll buy something prepared if I'm short on time, but that just doesn't happen very often. Too many quick dishes one can make when needed.

I've been told more than once that I'm a good cook, but I don't know about that. I just throw some stuff together that I think would go well with each other and serve it up.

garsgolfer

on Jan 10, 2006

We eat out about once a week, mostly because I only go to places where I get food that's better then I can make at home. If someone else cooks for me, namely my wife I am happy, regardless of what's made. My wife has the tuffest job doing maintenance cooking for our home... hotdog's, casseroles, toasted cheese sandwich's and basic recipes, and she does it with lots of love.

I am considered the gourmet cook that likes a creative challenge. I handle all the holiday / family gathering meals and our set down multi course dinner parties. My wife helps me by handling the clean up part allowing me to do what I am good at. The best part of cooking for me comes from walking through the grocery picking ingredients, coming up with ideas and creating a menu for a sit-down dinner party by the time I leave the store...

It also discovered that women were more impressed by a man's cooking ability than whether they owned a flashy car.

That's only true if they have a strong interest in cooking and want to share it with someone, otherwise it's a recipe for disaster. Being a bachelor for a long time I learned first hand when a bachelor puts on an impressive table spread for a date most women grow intimated and don't want to demonstrate their cooking skills.

singrdave

on Jan 10, 2006

MM:

she brings home the bacon , I cook it.

Not for long, eh MM? Are you taking that job?

Taliesin:

I've been able to prepare all of my own meals for the most part. Maybe once every couple weeks I'll order a pizza because I forgot to go to the store. I have my recipies that I cook often, but I am always trying to expand my skills. I've recently started sauteeing mushrooms and steaming fish. I'm at the point now where there isn't any meal that intimidates me. If I want it, I can make it.

This is the point at which I want to be. I see my cooking as a work in progress, but I am too self-conscious to step in and take over. Mostly because I know I have four finicky kids who will probably hate what I make and a wife who will stand over my shoulder giving me "support".

Dr Guy

on Jan 10, 2006

Mostly because I know I have four finicky kids who will probably hate what I make

Chicken Nuggets, Hot Dogs, Mac and Cheese! You cant go wrong with that menu!

Spc Nobody Special

on Jan 10, 2006

I see my cooking as a work in progress, but I am too self-conscious to step in and take over.

You've gotta start somewhere. I lost ten pounds the summer I got married. We were surviving on burnt pork steaks and macaroni. Finally I dug out the Cooking For Dummies my sister gave us as a joke. Voila. I started there with....wait for it...........white rice!!!!!! Which I still always look up the recipe for. I can make French cuisine by heart, but I've gotta look up stinkin' rice. It progressed from there to mashed potatoes. Woah.......

Maybe just make a side dish or two at first, and expand your base from there. It's easier to start if you have a "specialty" dish that they like. Mashed potatoes from scratch is fairly easy, and if you want to spice it up, wrap a bulb of garlic in foil and set it in the oven at 350 for an hour, then mush it up into the potatoes just as you begin mashing. There's a lot of good starter books out there, but don't start out by hitting the Joy of Cooking or the Saucier's Apprentice.

You will join us, resistance is futile.

KarmaGirl

on Jan 10, 2006

I do most of the cooking in our home. Both my hubby and I work full time, but I make 6-7 new meals per week. I shop every two weeks, and make a "menu" so that I know what to shop for and what to cook. It saves a lot of time and money. I also plan things that I can make on Sunday and the hubby can warm up on the first couple days of the week, then have dishes that are either super easy for him to finish throwing together, or things that I can put together the night before. This is this weeks menu as an example:

Saturday: portabella Wellington with greens and raspberries.
Sunday: Polenta with Mushroom sauce, mashed cauliflower, and salad
Monday: Mushroom Stroganoff, Bruschetta, and Green Beans
Tuesday: Mushroom Barley Soup and Spinach Quiche
Wednesday: Spinach, Rice and Cheese Casserole with Broccoli
Thursday: Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta with Salad
Friday: Panninis and Brussel Sprouts

As you can tell, my hubby really likes mushrooms, LOL. Most of the recipes that I make are quite involved, but cooking becomes really fast the more you do it. you can also save time by cooking a couple meals in advance at once since you typically use a lot of the same ingredients and don't make much of a bigger mess than just making one meal.

singrdave

on Jan 10, 2006

This is this weeks menu as an example:

Saturday: portabella Wellington with greens and raspberries.
Sunday: Polenta with Mushroom sauce, mashed cauliflower, and salad
Monday: Mushroom Stroganoff, Bruschetta, and Green Beans
Tuesday: Mushroom Barley Soup and Spinach Quiche
Wednesday: Spinach, Rice and Cheese Casserole with Broccoli
Thursday: Asparagus and Mushroom Pasta with Salad
Friday: Panninis and Brussel Sprouts

I'm seeing vegetarian... correct me if I'm wrong.

KarmaGirl

on Jan 10, 2006

I'm seeing vegetarian... correct me if I'm wrong.

Yep. Most of our meals now are vegan, or I have a vegan counterpart that I make for myself. Some meals my daughter won't eat, so I typically have stuff on hand that she wants to eat. My husband is perfectly content without meat, but my daughter still needs her chicken nugget fix now and then, so I keep a bag of organic nuggets in the freezer for her.

singrdave

on Jan 10, 2006

In addition, until this back pain issue is resolved, I find it difficult to cook more labor intensive dishes that require me to be on my feet for more than a few minutes at a time, chopping, stirring, sauteeing, etc.

Yes, that would make it impossible to cook even when you are inspired.

my daughter still needs her chicken nugget fix now and then, so I keep a bag of organic nuggets in the freezer for her.

That's good that you respect your daughter's "chicken nugget fix".

KarmaGirl

on Jan 10, 2006

That's good that you respect your daughter's "chicken nugget fix".

Yeah, she's a funny kid. She loves raw veggies, and she'll choose broccoli over french fries. The other night my husband and daughter were eating Pizza, and I sat down with a plate of veggies. She said:"Do you have zucchini in there?" I said:"yeah, why? You want some?" She ended up eating all my zucchini instead of the rest of her pizza. She's a strange one.

singrdave

on Jan 11, 2006

You've gotta start somewhere. You will join us, resistance is futile.

I have taken the challenge! I plan to cook dinner tonight. My wife has already promised not to micromanage or even criticize afterwards. Hopefully my kids can take the punishment that will be doled out onto their dinner plates this evening.

Now to plan the menu...

singrdave

on Jan 12, 2006

I cooked last night!
I was very happy with myself and so was the family. I made "Shrimp Ramen Stir-Fry", which came from one of my wife's cooking magazines. Very easy to make, I was quite happy with myself.

I will find the recipe and post it later.

Anybody else cooking out there?

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!