Can you cook?

[OldFred]

Do you consider yourself a capable and competent cook?
Do you enjoy cooking?

Yes. And so is dh

I'm 'OK' as a cook but I'm a great baker.

Yes and yes. Why?

I can cook but I don't enjoy it.

Yes I do enjoy cooking. I would like to think I'm quite good! I'm attempting Roast Beef for the first time today.
I specialise more in traditional food like cottage Pie and Spag Bol... I love making puddings too. Mixed Fruit Crumble today.
I use my slow cooker a lot and have just aquired a slow cooker from a friend.

I'm hoping we have some budding masterchefs on here 😅

I can cook and do enjoy cooking.
I can follow a recipe when it comes to precision cooking (baking, when quantities matter!) but on the other hand, I'm equally happy just to put things together without thinking (everyday meals).

I can cook, but I can't bake!

I'm a great cook and a somewhat chaotic baker. I love cooking very much, I find it so relaxing.

Yes, but I'm shit at baking

Yes I can cook. I don't always enjoy it. I'm shit at baking though.

Yes, but I have been practising staging incompetence for so long everyone has forgotten I can so I don't. DH and adult DC cook 😂

I think I’m fairly good (terrible at baking through - truly truly awful).

But I’m quite messy - would love be more like a “chef” and not make a bomb site of the kitchen when doing anything more complicated than an everyday meal.

Well played.

I can cook but it's just basic home cooked food, nothing fancy. So roasts, shepherd's pie, stews, soups, spag bol, chilli, pies. I could do more complex stuff well if I have a recipe. I was also taught bake as a kid so can do pastry and cakes etc.... but need a recipe cos I cant remember the quantities i need. I make everything from scratch and use fresh ingredients. I don't enjoy cooking as such but I enjoy the end result so to me cooking is more of a means to an end.

No not at all, I absolutely terrible at it and never do it.

I can but need recipes to follow. I left home barely knowing how to boil an egg. Luckily my partner was taught how to cook as a child so I learnt through him and by watching cookery shows

I love cooking but not interested in baking -

I cook really well, so does DH and both DS,s. I like doing fancy food for entertaining but unless I plan meals for the week I get fed up of the daily what the feck are we having for dinner routine.

I can cook and I love it. My mum taught me how to look in a bare cupboard and mouldy salad draw and come up with a meal which has proved very handy. The key is to always have a stocked spiced cupboard!

I find cooking really enjoyable

I think I'm a very good cook and my family agree. I can cook a wide range of dishes and rarely use recipes.

Give me a range of fresh ingredients and I could do something interesting with them.

Or I could eat a dish in a restaurant and recognise the flavours and figure out how to recreate something similar.

But ask me to make a nicely risen iced sponge cake and I guarantee it would be a disaster. But I don't eat things like that thankfully, too much sugar.

I don't really believe in people who can't cook. I think everyone will be able to follow a basic recipe. Nowadays you can even watch video versions, so if you don't know what something means, you'll be able to see it. Maybe your end result won't be fantastic, but it ought to be okay.

Yes I can cook well and bake! And I’ve always ended up being with guys who are really good at cooking 😄

I really enjoy cooking myself and sometimes with others. I don’t do it enough beyond cooking the same set of simple healthy meals for myself every day, but I’m planning to be more adventurous with my recipes next year and develop a wider range of dishes to cook.

Yes and no. I am a chef. Have worked in Michelin star restaurants, catered high profile weddings for around 200 people, run a kitchen. I can make fancy food but at home my go tos are porridge, chicken broccoli and rice, scrambled eggs on toast, salad. I just don't have the desire to cook for myself on a daily basis. I'll make an effort for parties etc. Cooking a family meal just seems like so much effort, it actually stresses me out cooking for friends and family because im just not used to doing home cooking and people always have high expectations. It's a completely different skill set. I really appreciate a nice home cooked meal rather than restaurant show off food!!

@Precipice absolutely! Anyone can follow a recipe! I like to think I can cook because I can rustle up lasagne, casseroles, stews, bakes etc. Baking is trickier in the sense it's a science so measurements need to be exact, but again one can follow a recipe.
The one thing I struggle with is cooking for multiples and having everything 🔥 at the same time!
I'm also not the fastest cook as I like to faff so never take any notice of the time guidelines on recipes! I also don't enjoy the weekday feed the kids ASAP cooking malarkey as there's no room for innovation - they just want their jacket spud, cheese&beans NOW!