Feeling a bit useless - cooking related!

[Spir3]

Seriously, I can’t cook, I find it difficult and stressful getting a meal on the table. Is this pathetic?

I’m not even talking about proper cooking, just stuff that you bung in the oven and a few veggies.

What’s more is I hate the cleaning up after and would gladly pay someone to come in and do this, barely 20 minute job, each evening if such a person existed.

Mostly I just muddle through and it’s fine really, but everynow and again I do actually feel a bit down about it....I’m being silly aren’t I?

There's no such thing as not being able to cook! If you can read you can cook!

What happens when you follow a recipe?

What is the bit you find difficult? What goes wrong?

I dance cook! Takes away all the stress. Stick on some good songs, and just get on with it.

Start with some simple stuff. Measure everything you need into separate bowls and when you start cooking, you just pop it in in the correct order. You've just got to practice!

Is this because you do it all the time? When you always have to do something it can become a chore.

I positively look forward to cooking something - but don't feel they same if I never get a break from it.

How many people are you cooking for?

There's loads of one pot 'bung it all in together' and cook for an hour type recipes. Would they help?

I actually enjoy cooking but I might quite time limited so I rely quite a lot on pre chopped frozen veg (diced onions, frozen mash etc) to save time and utensils.

So for example a cottage pie would involve a packet of mince in a cast iron pot and about half again of pre chopped pre mixed frozen diced onion/carrot/celery, some water and after about an hour's cooking some gravy granuals to thicken. Fridge overnight and then chuck some frozen mash discs on top and cook in the oven for 45 mins. Hey presto 'home cooked' cottage pie and only one pot to wash.

Get a slow cooker chuck veg potatoes and meat with made up gravy andyou've got stew in 6 hours

Try Gousto for a while, it really helped me get into cooking!

I’m exactly the same! Can’t cook, have no idea what flavours go well together and am no good at deciding what we should eat.

I have some recipe apps on my phone and often use the slow cooker for simple things. But I hate preparing food, and hate the cleaning up afterwards!

Get a slow cooker and look up 'slow cooker recipe' groups on Facebook - you could learn lots of easy recipes which is good place to start!

Yes I am the one that has to cook all the time, for 4 people.

I think the problem is I just hate it and am not interested in it....like if someone said you had to knit every evening when you simply don’t like knitting and have no interest in trying to like it!

Not sure how I solve that one

I quite like clearing the kitchen every night. Just me, Netflix on a tablet, no interruptions.

You can do anything with a good distraction from what you're doing.

But also if there's 4 people why are you the only one in the kitchen?

Mmmm sounds like you need a cooking rota for the four people living in the house!

OP , you must cook SOMETHING at the moment otherwise you wouldn't be alive! What are your usual meals?

What do you like eating?

Start making things that you really like and look forward to eating and following recipes. You don't need to know what goes with what and timings etc if you're following a recipe

I hate cooking as well. I can cook though.

I cook a few things that are pretty good and which get compliments but I am 53 now and I would say despite doing at least 50 %of the the planning,shopping and cooking in our house over the last 20 years (luckily DH likes cooking) and having vastly more experience than in my 20s, I am a much worse cook than I was then. This is because, evwn though I never loved it, I used to be able to summon some enthusiasm for cooking new things and making an effort but I can't any longer. If I lived on my own I would live on cold food and salads, takeaways and meals out.

Cooking make me feel stressed. It is all about planning and organisation, getting things ready together at the right time and I just can't be bothered any more. I absolutely loathe the clearing up as well.

I reckon if you have a freezer grit your teeth and spend a day filling it. Then buy a packet of those special bags you can microwave vegetables in, and a massive bag of frozen peas. Then you can have plenty of nights when you don't have to cook at all. And then on other nights you can have pasta with a bought sauce, or fish cooked in the oven in foil with new potatoes and vegetable. Stuff like that. And if any of the other 3 people are over 10 then you never wash up. If they don't want to wash up-they cook.