Why Do You Love or Hate Cooking? Share Your Story

[Drakkith]

Cooking. I hate it. I can't stand it. It's boring in every way possible to me. I hate everything about it. The cooking, the cleaning, everything! I'd rather have something easy and simple that tastes worse than something that takes longer. Baking? Nope, done it maybe once. Frying? Done it once. Hate them. The dinners I usually cook consists of some sort of pasta, or a piece of meat such as steak or chicken that's simply baked, along with easy sides. I love food, but I HATE cooking. Perhaps its my ADHD, I don't know. So, if you hate or love cooking, tell me why!

 

[turbo]

I love cooking, canning, making preserves, pickles, salsas, etc. I grew up doing this stuff, and after another 50 years or so, it hasn't gotten old. It's a great way to keep in touch with the land and keep body and soul together. This year, I had a lot of tomatoes, peppers, herbs, etc, and made tubs and tubs of marinara sauce. It's so nice to be able to go to one of the freezers, and get out a tub and start making spaghetti sauce or soup without buying some crappy stuff from a store.

My wife loves the day-to-day small-batch cooking and baking. Every couple of days, she makes up a batch of artisan bread (traditional French bread made of only flour, water, yeast, and a bit of salt). She generally gives a loaf (large boule) to a neighbor and leaves one here for me, so I have fresh-baked bread every couple of days. One nice side-effect of the cooking is that the house always smells good.

 

[nucleargirl]

I love cooking! I love food, but don't trust restaurants... dirty. and I have no money to go out. and I like to create my own inventions. Dont like ready meals cos they use substandard ingredients. So I make my own. But cooking can get boring if you have to cook everyday tho... I usually make one huge batch and eat it for a week :)

 

[Borg]

My wife and I make our week's lunches every Sunday. It is far better than the junk that's served in any fast food place. It usually only takes 40 minutes or so. If I get really ambitious, maybe twice that. I'm sure that you could get lots of ideas from everyone for quick and simple recipes.

 

[cobalt124]

My wife taught me to cook. I enjoy cooking for my family day in day out, when it's just for me I don't like cooking, get lazy, and eat junk. You can save money cooking too. It also tastes a lot better than anything you can buy.

 

[dkotschessaa]

My wife and I make our week's lunches every Sunday. It is far better than the junk that's served in any fast food place. It usually only takes 40 minutes or so. If I get really ambitious, maybe twice that. I'm sure that you could get lots of ideas from everyone for quick and simple recipes.

My wife and I kind of want to do something similar with our lunches. What kind of stuff do you make?

Love cooking, BTW. I have been doing most of it lately since my wife is working and I am not. Before my mother passed away last year she gave me the best relationship advice ever - "Don't let her get hungry." She was so right!

My wife said my cooking is one of the the things that made her fall more in love with me. If that's not incentive I don't know what is. (Sorry I'm still talking like a newlywed). But there is nothing quite like it when I make a meal for her that she absolutely loves. We also like cooking together. Last night I was going to have dinner ready for her by the time she got home, but I purposely held off on a few things because I had this idea she wanted to help. Turns out I was totally right, and she thanked me for waiting. It really helps calm us down to do kitchen stuff. Last night was shrimp piccata with wild and brown rice.

We live with 4 other people so the kitchen is the hub of activity. There's always something going on in there and lots of food sharing going on between us and the other family.

The physics and thermodynamics of cooking are really interesting, not in the sense that you're sitting there doing calculations about things or even thinking physics, but that you really can get an intuition about how to work with heat, different metals, liquids of varying viscosities, and how different foods react with all these. Stir fry masters talk about "wok hay" - the energy of the wok - a distinctive taste that comes from using very fresh vegetables cooked for a short time at extremely high temperatures. But what is it? Why does something cooked on the grill pan taste different than broiled? Why is deep fried tastier than fried? There's a whole world in there!

But yeah, the cleaning sucks.

-DaveKA

 

[dimensional]

Cooking is one of my greatest joys in life. Okay, maybe it's not *that* important to me, but I do get a lot of pleasure from it. I mostly taught myself along with help from my mom. As a youngster I was always in the kitchen trying to learn different things. Nowadays I tend to make a lot of traditional Mexican dishes, along with my own cultural dishes (Creole/Cajun mostly... I come from a long line of swamp rats).

 

[radou]

There's nothing better than preparing something and then enjoying it, or even better, preparing something for someone else, and then looking at her (!) enjoy it.

Actually, a grat majority of people I know who enjoy food enjoy cooking, too.

Edit: and btw, there are lots of delicious meals which you can prepare fairly easily, without many dishes afterwards (believe it or not, I actually got no problem with doing the dishes - in a way, it relaxes me, no matter how stupid it sounds). That's why I eat pasta based-meals very often, there's a great variety of sauces you can prepare and not get bored with time, although this is not especially exciting for the can't-eat-without-meat-eaters, I must admit..

 

[Kurdt]

I hate cooking. Bores me to death and there are a million other things I would rather do that are more productive. Can't remember the last time i actually cooked anything. Does heating soup from a can count?

 

[leroyjenkens]

I hate cooking too, which is why I stick to the three S's; Salads, Sandwiches and Serial.

 

[Drakkith]

I hate cooking. Bores me to death and there are a million other things I would rather do that are more productive. Can't remember the last time i actually cooked anything. Does heating soup from a can count?

My exact feelings.

 

[Borg]

My wife and I kind of want to do something similar with our lunches. What kind of stuff do you make?

Myself, I make pretty simple fare. I usually alternate variations of 5 or 6 dishes.

One extremely simple dish that I like is a pound of hamburger, 1 1/2 to 2 cups of rice, along with assorted vegatables. I cook the hamburger and rice separate. After they're cooked, I stir fry whatever vegatables I feel like using (usually corn) with brown sugar and red pepper flakes. When the vegatables are done, I throw the hamburger and rice in with it. The brown sugar and red pepper give it a nice blend of sweet and hot. This dish takes only 1/2 hour and dirties one pot for the rice and a large skillet for everything else.

My wife eats more healthy than I. Her dishes often include lentals, tofu, fresh tomatos, etc. I'll have to see if she has any recipes laying around if anyone is interested in those.

 

[dkotschessaa]

Your recipe has been assimilated. We keep ending up with ground beef we don't know what to do with. (Part of a bundle from our butcher).

 

[Borg]

Your recipe has been assimilated. We keep ending up with ground beef we don't know what to do with. (Part of a bundle from our butcher).

LOL I actually try not to use that phrase. :tongue:

 

[dkotschessaa]

Yeah I know. Too obvious. But I get to use it with you once at least.

 

[Evo]

I hate cooking. Bores me to death and there are a million other things I would rather do that are more productive. Can't remember the last time i actually cooked anything. Does heating soup from a can count?

Someday you will have to cook. Get your mom to write her recipes down, I'd like to try a few, they sound yummy.

 

[Jack21222]

Someday you will have to cook.

Why should this be the case?

 

[radou]

Why should this be the case?

If you happen not to find a partner in life who's willing to cook, for example.

Just kidding, if you plan to eat out the rest of your life, that's a different thing. But it probably costs more than if you cook for yourself. Then again, it takes up less of your time... Depends on what kind of life you're living.

 

[Jack21222]

Just kidding, if you plan to eat out the rest of your life, that's a different thing. But it probably costs more than if you cook for yourself. Then again, it takes up less of your time... Depends on what kind of life you're living.

Right, it might cost more, but Evo said we'll HAVE to cook someday. That simply isn't the case. There is no reason why I should ever *have* to cook. Maybe *want* to, but never *have* to.

 

[Proton Soup]

Someday you will have to cook. Get your mom to write her recipes down, I'd like to try a few, they sound yummy.

i've been in the process of scanning my mother and grandmothers' recipes lately. some of them are literally falling apart.


On-T: i like to cook but hate to clean. simply nothing compares to fresh-cooked foods.

 

[Jack21222]

i've been in the process of scanning my mother and grandmothers' recipes lately. some of them are literally falling apart.


On-T: i like to cook but hate to clean. simply nothing compares to fresh-cooked foods.

I disagree. I've had fresh-cooked foods, and I still prefer McDonalds.

 

[Proton Soup]

I disagree. I've had fresh-cooked foods, and I still prefer McDonalds.

i liked it when i was a teen, but now it feels like I've eaten a rock.

 

[Jasongreat]

On-T: i like to cook but hate to clean. simply nothing compares to fresh-cooked foods.

Same here, that's why I always try to make the deal of I cook you clean, it works most of the time. When that doesn't work I use the Weber quite often, or use cast iron pots and pans, a quick wipe is all they usually need.

 

[Evo]

i've been in the process of scanning my mother and grandmothers' recipes lately. some of them are literally falling apart.

Get your loved ones to write them down ASAP if they aren't already. Ten years ago my oldest daughter asked me to write all of my recipes down. I didn't because I had them all memorized, I made them every day. Then they went to college, moved out and I wasn't making them every day. And now I don't remember, did I put celery in that, no it was the other dish, wasn't it? did it have bay leaves? What was that special ingredient I used? I had 3 chicken soups that were as different as night and day and now they all taste the same because I forgot the tricks.

 

[turbo]

Get your loved ones to write them down ASAP if they aren't already. Ten years ago my oldest daughter asked me to write all of my recipes down. I didn't because I had them all memorized, I made them every day. Then they went to college, moved out and I wasn't making them every day. And now I don't remember, did I put celery in that, no it was the other dish, wasn't it? did it have bay leaves? What was that special ingredient I used? I had 3 chicken soups that were as different as night and day and now they all taste the same because I forgot the tricks.

Bad, bad, bad!

Years back, we raided my father's kitchen and scanned my long-deceased mother's recipes, including recipes that she had collected from older family members that are long-gone. Some of them are favorites! You can't let comfort-foods disappear through neglect. That's a problem for me, because I don't write down recipes. When my wife says that we're running low on pizza sauce, I make a batch. When she gets a deal on the extra-jumbo tiger shrimp, I make a batch of marinade/basting sauce to grill them with. Same with salsas and chili relishes, marinaras, etc. I have tried to quantify a few of them on this board, but I am really bad with that. When I'm in the kitchen, there are no hard-and-fast rules.

When my cousin's daughter and her husband (both in the restaurant trade at the time) begged for my shrimp-marinade recipe, all I could do was give them a list of ingredients in the approximate order of quantity. Same with the pizza sauce recipe. He's a restaurant manager and a good cook, but I'd bet he'd still prefer my food to his. It's like a dance. I love cooking (when I'm feeling well and am in the mood), and you need to stay out of my kitchen so I can do it. I used to let Sarrah (correct spelling, BTW) help me with some Christmas-day dishes when she was a little kid. I've got a strong feeling that her choice of a mate was driven by his love of cooking. She'd beg her parents to get to our house early on Christmas day so she could help me cook. Open presents, then "OK, let's get going!" Her younger sister liked getting there early, too, to help my wife with enchiladas, egg-rolls, etc.

 

[chiro]

I'm with the OP in hating cooking. My excuse is an economic one: let other people do what they're good at, I'll stick with programming and math and let the chefs do their thing.

i liked it when i was a teen, but now it feels like I've eaten a rock.

Although I haven't had McDonalds in at least half a year, I had some Dominos a little while ago and I couldn't finish it: it just tasted like crap compared to smoked salmon and salads [my OCD dish ;)]

 

[Proton Soup]

Get your loved ones to write them down ASAP if they aren't already. Ten years ago my oldest daughter asked me to write all of my recipes down. I didn't because I had them all memorized, I made them every day. Then they went to college, moved out and I wasn't making them every day. And now I don't remember, did I put celery in that, no it was the other dish, wasn't it? did it have bay leaves? What was that special ingredient I used? I had 3 chicken soups that were as different as night and day and now they all taste the same because I forgot the tricks.

tell me about it!

 

[Evo]

tell me about it!

Oh NO! Looks like something I'd do.

 

[turbo]

Oh NO! Looks like something I'd do.

The pecan pie section looks like a prescription for a coronary! Not a keeper!

 

[Evo]

The pecan pie section looks like a prescription for a coronary! Not a keeper!

Some things you eat in moderation for the taste treat. If you have an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle and occasionaly splurge, it isn't going to hurt you. A pecan pie is not something you eat as a major part of your daily food intake.

I'm not a big sweet eater, so a slice of a great pecan pie once a year is a delight that I deserve.

 

[lisab]

Some things you eat in moderation for the taste treat. If you have an otherwise healthy diet and lifestyle and occasionaly splurge, it isn't going to hurt you. A pecan pie is not something you eat as a major part of your daily food intake.

I'm not a big sweet eater, so a slice of a great pecan pie once a year is a delight that I deserve.

That's about as often as I have it too. Such a treat! Butter and pecans...wow! :!)

 

[cobalt124]

Forgot to mention it can be a healthier way to eat, too.

 

[Periotic]

I hate cooking. It is because whenever I cook, it is always an epic failure. Well I can cook, but it tastes bad. I am more of making snacks than cooking. I only enjoy cooking whenever I am with my friends.

 

[Evo]

Just found a *recipe* in a cookbook.

Italian tomato soup

1 cup water

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (oregano & basil flavored)

1 11.5 oz can of tomato juice

Pour into 3 qt pan, stir, bring to boil, serve in bowls with croutons.

No salt, no cooking, no seasonings (aside from the bare bit in the canned tomatoes)

Who in their right mind would eat this?

 

[turbo]

Just found a *recipe* in a cookbook.

Italian tomato soup

1 cup water

1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes (oregano & basil flavored)

1 11.5 oz can of tomato juice

Pour into 3 qt pan, stir, bring to boil, serve in bowls with croutons.

No salt, no cooking, no seasonings (aside from the bare bit in the canned tomatoes)

Who in their right mind would eat this?

Only someone who hates cooking so badly that they would try to choke down the product of this "recipe". My wife and I will thaw out a 2-quart tub of my home-made marinara to start a soup, but that's just the beginning of the stock. Without chopped vegetables, canned black beans, more seasonings, and perhaps some fine pasta or rice, it's just not a soup. Often, we will have saved and frozen stock produced in the making of a boiled dinner or by boiling poultry carcasses, and that will add to the character of the soup.

In college, I had to make time to cook. My weekday evenings were spent studying, and my Friday and Saturday nights were spent performing at frat parties, etc. That meant that at least some of Saturday and much of Sunday were spent making big batches of stuff that I could eat the next week. Bread, baked beans, boiled dinners, spaghetti, chili, etc. No other way to make it through on my budget. I certainly couldn't afford to eat at pizza joints and sandwich shops every night, though I know people that did.