AIBU to give up cooking next Monday?

I used to have a couple of meals everyone would eat together but no longer. I have a vague hope I might be about to return to a previous favourite but of course simply saying that out loud will mean someone now hates it.

DH took the teen DC to visit his parents for a few days over the summer, leaving me at home alone with the cat. I cooked nothing. I lived off cheese, olives, charcuterie and Sainsburys had some ready meal Spanish tapas type stuff you just shoved in the oven. It was glorious.

Yes, this. It is such a chore. My children are still
14 and under, so I’ve got a fair few years of it. I bloody hate it now-it’s been a downward spiral since lockdowns happened and all I did was cook meals.

We're just back from holiday and the best bit was not working out what to feed everyone three times a bloody day. It's so bloody tedious.

Not extreme at all. It’s what I’ve done too. Twenty five years of making all our food from scratch (even pastry and bread), and admittedly loving feeding everyone so well, and I’d had enough tbh. I now buy ready made salad because I can’t even be bothered to chop veg. M and S and Waitrose are a God send as I still want to eat relatively healthy food just without the effort. But it’s a novelty atm and I may go back to it in future I suppose, once I get fed up with salads and seafood…

I have checked out of cooking too op. DH has taken over as he is off work at the.momemt, keeps telling me how easy it is - then asks what should he make? Told him that's the boring bit, planning it. Says he doesn't know what the fuss is about so l told him.to come back in
15 years after doing it pretty much every day and throw in the odd "l don't fancy that" And then tell me how much fun it is!!

I stopped cooking in June. I was bereaved but I have always loathed cooking, thinking about what to make, buying food, clearing up. Amidst the utter awfulness I thought, really clearly, right that's it. I'm never cooking again. And I haven't and it's been marvellous.

Same! I’m always jealous of families who can just make one pasta bake for everyone, and just make a weekly meal plan with one meal per day 😩

I hear you. I have two DC with ASD and varying food issues. Every single day I make multiple meals and some days I just want to throw the cooker out the window.

Sounds very reasonable. Your daughter needs to learn to cook.

my lovely eldest is excellent in the kitchen and she would rather cook than do any other chore and it’s bliss somebody else taking over.

other child less happy in the kitchen but one out of two is not bad.

I hear you! I know I should be so grateful to have the luxury of deciding what to eat but sometimes I just get so bored of it. No one ever gives me any ideas, they are all so accommodating until it’s dinner time and then the kids just want pasta. Again.

Today I caved in and made pasta bolognese by breaking up some spare smash burgers, frying off with a chopped onion, and pouring in a jar Tesco’s low sugar bolognese sauce some cremata I had left over from another recipe.

Honestly you’d think I’d made a cordon bleu meal!

I could serve pasta every day and they’d never get sick of it.

Our dc are living away from home in university & since then when they are not here i cook v little! Soup, sandwiches, salad, rotisserie chicken etc - its bliss!

I also adore cooking & am a good cook but i am really feeling a sense of relief - one dc was home for the summer & went back last week. I miss them a lot but don't miss the cooking!

you say for family, then only mention daughter moving out? are there other people at home or will it just be you?

I feel exactly the same way, I've spent the last 35 years cooking for other people and I've had enough. Once my teenagers become adults I will be done.
I shall live on soups, sandwiches and muesli and be very happy 🙂