Can you cook?

[OldFred]

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

@AnneLovesGilbert
Oh no particular reason, just curious.
Food is such an important part of my life and culture.
I learned very young from both my parents by just always being in the kitchen so I can't recall ever struggling with any aspect of cooking, but I know some people do.
Baking came a lot later in life.
I love to bake but don't actually like cake 😄
DH is a great cook too. MiL is a fantastic cook and baker so he had good foundations!

Yes, and I really find it therapeutic and enjoyable. I'm a good cook because I want food the way I want it. I enjoy a nice restaurant meal but honestly, there's always something over seasoned or a combination that I don't enjoy, and I know I could do it to suit my preferences at home.
I'm bloody good at fridge emptying meals and using scraps, nothing is wasted except for gristly fatty bits of meat. I despise the texture of fatty meat.

"Can you cook" is subjective - when I want to I can do your basic roasts, stews, risottos, sauces, a steak, pasta dishes, stir fry's, curry's, lasagna, fish/shepards/cottage pie etc. I can follow most recipes, but dont consider myself a cook, don't particularly enjoy it and pick easy dishes a lot. Ask me to cook something complex, for larger numbers, or multiple dishes then I'd very quickly get out of my depth.

What I am good at is cooking very cheaply and healthily, true to my name.

Yes and I find it relaxing when I have time
Nothing fancy but I can do a good lasagne, cottage pie, beef stew, lemon drizzle etc
If I follow a recipe it always turns out nice

I don't really believe in people who can't cook

Anyone can follow a recipe!

Can people not just accept that we are not all the same and some people find tasks like this impossible?

It makes no difference to anyone on here if I can cook or not, so I'm not sure why my own knowledge of my ability to cook can't be respected

I would say I am an adequate cook, nothing more.

No.
Absolute despise having to prepare, fumble with and touch food.
Such a profound waste of time.
Fortunately I don't have to do much of this stuff.
Obviously cannot cook at all.
😁

Yes I'm 66..
So my Mum taught me and l taught my daughters.
We are also great bakers.
Obviously when l was younger a takeaway was fish and chips.
We had roast dinners.
Meat and tatie pie( home made pastry).
Liver and onions/ stews . etc.
But taught myself to make bolignase / currys/ Chinese etc.
Also my Mum taught me to bake and my daughters are brilliant.

I can cook, I enjoy it and I love baking.
I used to cook with my mum and my nan when I was young.
My DD and DS both cook I had them making dinner once a week from about 13.
Nearly 30 years married, DH is getting better, but doesn’t really enjoy cooking.

I'm envious of the good cooks and bakers. My mum wasn't a good cook at the start, she'd been excluded from her mum's kitchen, and Nan was a wonderful cook. Mum learned it over the years whilst raising her own family and she became a tremendous cook, but I was never in her kitchen growing up. When my turn came, I did learn to cook and became reasonably competent and even adventurous, however I lost it along the way. I still eat home cooked healthy meals, but I started wanting simple 10 and 15 minute dishes, things I wouldn't serve guests, and now I feel intimidated cooking for guests!

I can, but I don't really enjoy it. My husband does 95% of the cooking. If I lived on my own I'd probably eat nothing but jacket potatoes, pasta and pesto, or toast. I love baking though.

No and no. 😄 Never had any interest in it (not that interested in food, much less preparing it) and was put off for life by a bullying home eco teacher. I always found it stressful. These days I'm very happy to leave it to the village cook, and even if I had any desire to take it up, I haven't the storage space for food or utensils, or an oven (microwave only), so it wouldn't be happening.

I'm an OK cook. DH doesn't cook now but he used to when he was a SAHD. Adult DS is a competent cook, has to be or he wouldn't eat as his girlfriend doesnt/can't cook.
I see it as a bit of a chore sometimes but it's OK. Used to bake but no longer as only DH and I at home to eat it now and I have enough trouble keeping the weight steady without scrummy cakes etc being available.

Yes, I'm an adult so of course I can.

Being able to feed oneself properly in order to survive, is the basic level of competence I would expect from anyone over the age of about 15.

Amazing how many of us have managed to survive without that "basic level of competence", innit.

I think I'm a decent home cook and baker.

I enjoy cooking and am told I am good at it, less so at baking.
I am in my element preparing starters and cooking main courses, with accompaniments as appropriate, but just can't be bothered with desserts. I've never been a big fan of cakes, puddings and sweet things though.
So, I do what the French do - prepare and cook the savoury courses myself and buy desserts in.

Any NT adult can cook.

But as you said, 'you don't'.

That's fair enough, but there's no point in getting arsey when people call you out on the fact that you can, (assuming you're NT, don't have a disability that prevents you, and have cooking equipment).

Feeding oneself and being able to cook are not the same thing. It's a shame you think I lack basic level competence. There are several factors at play that contribute towards that, however I for many years felt like an absolute failure. Turns out accepting my limited abilities has been life changing.

It's depressing that so many people are quick to put others down, it makes them feel like they are better. I don't need that; thankfully. I can't cook but I don't need to cook, I don't care about cooking and I'm damn sure your comment about basic level competence isn't going to make me feel bad for not being able to do it.

Yes and my partner does too, we sometimes argue over who's cooking because we both enjoy it 😂

@ShowerOfShites

I wasn't being arsey?

Its ok for me to respond to people when they suggest everyone should be able to do something I can't (sorry if I wrote don't, I think I meant I don't do it because I can't, perhaps that wasn't clear - my fault there)

Oh just cross posted there I didn't realise that was the same poster

I'm not on this thread to make you personally feel better.

I'm on this thread for the same reason you are, and that's to discuss what the OP has asked.

You said it "I don't need to cook".

I think that's the basis for most people who claim they can't follow very simple recipes.

I love cooking! And I think I'm pretty good at it - but possibly on account of the fact that 1) I don't have kids (I imagine that makes mealtime much more stressful...), 2) I've turned it into my therapeutic downtime and 3) I enjoy quite adventurous cuisines, so exploring new ingredients and recipes is a real interest. I also enjoy entertaining for friends and letting them sample dishes.

I think it depends on so many factors. I was also really lucky to have a mum who was quite adventurous with cooking and taught me a lot of skills in the kitchen growing up. My DF, on the other hand, would probably have lived on steak and chips ha!

That said, I can't remember the last time I baked. I assume I'm probably rubbish at it, while my bro has taken to it like a duck to water. Just not really into baked goods anyway. Give me a curry over cake any day! Or... just a simple jacket potato and beans, sometimes :)

Edit: I still can't poach the perfect damn egg. But I don't think there needs to be strict, elite list of competencies to qualify you as 'someone who can cook'.