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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Is this split of household tasks fair?

164 replies

Foolsonparade · 26/05/2025 14:30

My fiancé and I both work full time. We have set jobs that we both do that are seen as “our” tasks. So I cook and clean the kitchen and DP does everything else.

I ended up getting a bit fed up of doing the cooking every single night (on the rare occasion that I won’t be back late, he will cook) and then cleaning the kitchen. So I asked if we could split this instead of it being just one persons task. He argued that those are my only two jobs whereas he does literally everything else. I just feel like “everything else” is not as big of a task as cooking and washing the pots.

We don’t have any children, he will clean all other rooms of the house and hoover and do the laundry and clean litter trays. I work hybrid so work from home 2 days a week. This set up has worked nicely tbh because we both know what we are expected to do and just get on with it and are in a routine with it. But would I be unreasonable to think we should take the cooking in turns?

OP posts:
faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:33

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:31

Ah this is unlocking memories. Yes, the stir fries! Lots of omelettes too. Hated a Wednesday because it was always a chopped salad 😂.

My mum loved an omelette - apart from when she was going through her cabbage soup phase 😩😂

intrepidpanda · 26/05/2025 20:32

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:00

You’d never have roast chicken and veg? Ham and chips? Sausages with a jacket potato? Salmon with vegetables and sweet potato? Beef with roasties?

Salmon I'm fine with but not the rest.
Will eat the components in other formats though. Love sausage and chilli pasta/gnocchi. Like chicken curry, like beef shir fry. Just a lump of meat and side of veg is less appealing to me.

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:31

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:25

@Poiuytrewqa yep, my parents always cooked from scratch but neither would ever dream of spending hours standing in front of a hob after work.

We had a lot of stir fries, pasta with various fresh sauces and toppings, oven-roasted meat or fish with vegetables, jacket potatoes and the occasional pizza or frozen dinner too.

Ah this is unlocking memories. Yes, the stir fries! Lots of omelettes too. Hated a Wednesday because it was always a chopped salad 😂.

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:30

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:26

My point is <sigh> that it’s not ‘just’ ‘two minutes’ ‘pop in the oven’. Now I knock them out quickly but with roast beef I’m also studding the beef with herbs/garlic/anchovy, probably adding a herb butter, it goes in at one temp, gets reduced to another. Has to be rare. And then it needs veg.

I suspect some people are just happy with bland, semi-UPF food. And that’s great. But I hate that kind of food.

But what you describe really doesn't take hours and hours. The biggest part of cooking roast "dinners" is waiting around for things to cook, and having to be in the house to add the next "bit" to the oven. The actual prep isn't complicated.

eldermillenialmum · 26/05/2025 20:30

We had this at one point where DH cooked most nights and I did everything else, all the cleaning, laundry, shopping, but also looking after our baby! DH chose this as cooking and washing up is all he'll do but he asked not to cook every day so one of us cooks and one of us does DC bedtime but I still do everything else. Not fair.

I think it's fine if you want to split everything 50/50

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:27

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:26

Get baby potatoes. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. Stick in oven for half an hour. Remove, toss about a bit, add the meat and veg, back in the oven for another half hour. Done. It’s easy.

Wonderful! And great for one night. But if all I ate was potatoes, roast meat and roast veg, I’d die of boredom in about a week.

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:26

intrepidpanda · 26/05/2025 20:26

Today it was BNS, feta and chickpea salad with tahini dressing.
Was a little over an hour all in including the clean up and wash up.
To be fair that is only every 2-3 days.

You must have a lot of time on your hands Grin

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:26

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:23

Only on MN is making roast potatoes described in about ten different stages.

And isn't what you described making yorkshire puddings, anyway? Grin

Edited

My point is <sigh> that it’s not ‘just’ ‘two minutes’ ‘pop in the oven’. Now I knock them out quickly but with roast beef I’m also studding the beef with herbs/garlic/anchovy, probably adding a herb butter, it goes in at one temp, gets reduced to another. Has to be rare. And then it needs veg.

I suspect some people are just happy with bland, semi-UPF food. And that’s great. But I hate that kind of food.

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:26

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:21

Roasties.

Get eggs, flour, milk. Sift flour, mix well with eggs and milk. Rest. Heat fat in oven, make sure it’s smoking hot, pour mixture. Watch like a hawk. Time so they are ready exactly as meat is ready. That’s not nothing.

Get baby potatoes. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. Stick in oven for half an hour. Remove, toss about a bit, add the meat and veg, back in the oven for another half hour. Done. It’s easy.

intrepidpanda · 26/05/2025 20:26

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:17

What are you preparing for lunch that takes an hour? Confused

Today it was BNS, feta and chickpea salad with tahini dressing.
Was a little over an hour all in including the clean up and wash up.
To be fair that is only every 2-3 days.

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:25

@Poiuytrewqa yep, my parents always cooked from scratch but neither would ever dream of spending hours standing in front of a hob after work.

We had a lot of stir fries, pasta with various fresh sauces and toppings, oven-roasted meat or fish with vegetables, jacket potatoes and the occasional pizza or frozen dinner too.

sweetpickle2 · 26/05/2025 20:25

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:21

Roasties.

Get eggs, flour, milk. Sift flour, mix well with eggs and milk. Rest. Heat fat in oven, make sure it’s smoking hot, pour mixture. Watch like a hawk. Time so they are ready exactly as meat is ready. That’s not nothing.

This is yorkies not roasties surely? Why do roast potatoes need any egg?

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:23

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:21

Roasties.

Get eggs, flour, milk. Sift flour, mix well with eggs and milk. Rest. Heat fat in oven, make sure it’s smoking hot, pour mixture. Watch like a hawk. Time so they are ready exactly as meat is ready. That’s not nothing.

Only on MN is making roast potatoes described in about ten different stages.

And isn't what you described making yorkshire puddings, anyway? Grin

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:22

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2025 20:16

I’m not fussy as such, @Poiuytrewqa, because I eat everything, except sprouts; but I do love food, my dinner would be one of my pleasures of the day, so I’m prepared to put a bit of time in.

But you probably wouldn’t describe it as relentless, because you’re making the choice to cook time consuming meals every day.

MrsTerryPratchett · 26/05/2025 20:21

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:00

You’d never have roast chicken and veg? Ham and chips? Sausages with a jacket potato? Salmon with vegetables and sweet potato? Beef with roasties?

Roasties.

Get eggs, flour, milk. Sift flour, mix well with eggs and milk. Rest. Heat fat in oven, make sure it’s smoking hot, pour mixture. Watch like a hawk. Time so they are ready exactly as meat is ready. That’s not nothing.

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:21

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:16

Exactly. I always find MN threads about food baffling, though.

I grew up with two parents working full-time and I can't recall either of them ever spending more than 15-20 minutes on dinner in the evenings, and I've always been the same. I hate cooking and would rather get it over with in as little time as possible - I save the fancier meals for when someone else is cooking Grin

😂 My parents were the same! We always were well fed but neither slaved over an oven.

I actually quite like cooking but wouldn’t be making time consuming meals every or even most days. I really didn’t think anyone did.

BIossomtoes · 26/05/2025 20:21

I wouldn’t rock the boat @Foolsonparade. You’re getting away with murder.

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:17

intrepidpanda · 26/05/2025 20:15

Neither do I. I meant MY lunches

What are you preparing for lunch that takes an hour? Confused

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:16

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:10

I’m the same as you in a way. I’m not at all fussy but can’t see why it takes so long. I often hear people complaining it’s impossible to cook from scratch eat every night so they have to rely on ready meals and I’ve always wondered why on earth it was taking them so long. This thread is eye opening.

Edited

Exactly. I always find MN threads about food baffling, though.

I grew up with two parents working full-time and I can't recall either of them ever spending more than 15-20 minutes on dinner in the evenings, and I've always been the same. I hate cooking and would rather get it over with in as little time as possible - I save the fancier meals for when someone else is cooking Grin

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2025 20:16

I’m not fussy as such, @Poiuytrewqa, because I eat everything, except sprouts; but I do love food, my dinner would be one of my pleasures of the day, so I’m prepared to put a bit of time in.

intrepidpanda · 26/05/2025 20:15

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:00

OP doesn't have children - there is no way it takes anywhere close to an hour to prepare packed lunches for two adults (and he should be making his own anyway!).

Neither do I. I meant MY lunches

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:14

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2025 20:10

And that was my initial point upthread - before the thread got slightly derailed - whether this deal is fair or not depends entirely on the length of time spent on each job.

And the length of time spent cooking depends entirely on the OP. You can very easily feed two adults with relatively little faff and hassle.

If she's standing over the stove making elaborate meals every night, well, more fool her.

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2025 20:10

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:06

But I guess the point is that spending ages faffing over dinner is a choice, for the most part (genuine dietary needs aside). Cooking for two adults is, broadly speaking, as easy or difficult as you choose to make it.

And that was my initial point upthread - before the thread got slightly derailed - whether this deal is fair or not depends entirely on the length of time spent on each job.

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:10

faerietales · 26/05/2025 20:04

DH and I are both fussy eaters in our own way, so we each sort our own dinners out. It really doesn't take long, but then I feel I'm very unusual when it comes to food compared to many people on here!

I’m the same as you in a way. I’m not at all fussy but can’t see why it takes so long. I often hear people complaining it’s impossible to cook from scratch eat every night so they have to rely on ready meals and I’ve always wondered why on earth it was taking them so long. This thread is eye opening.

Poiuytrewqa · 26/05/2025 20:06

arethereanyleftatall · 26/05/2025 20:04

Of course you don’t have to.

but many people want to.

we get that you don’t want to.

i would get zero enjoyment out of the meal you have detailed you are having tonight.

I guess you can count yourself quite lucky that that is a meal you will enjoy as it must make your life much easier.

If you’re someone who cannot enjoy any combination of meat, veg and carb cooked in the oven then you’re quite fussy and it will take longer.

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