Can you cook?

[OldFred]

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

Yes, I can cook. So can anybody if they carefully read the recipe. It's a life skill. I'm not talking about cordon bleu. Just being able to cook nice meals to feed a family.

I remember someone asked Jay Rayner in an interview whether he could cook. He said "Of course I can-I'm an adult."

I have no patience for the (usually) men who can't cook and the women who enable them.

I am a molecular biologist, so I can cook and bake (meaning follow any recipe and not create disasters). But I'm not creative, whereas my DH is, so I don't consider myself a natural cook. I will always make a recipe exactly as written first before I change it in any way (other than substituting ingredients I or a family member don't eat).

When I was a child, I did not cook at all. I learned my family recipes in adulthood, when I wanted to eat the food.

Yes I can cook. But no, I hate cooking. It's just a necessary chore.

I love eating and trying new foods but I despise cooking. Thinking about food shopping and prep brings me out in a cold sweat. I hate it so much I sometimes just don’t eat, or have cereal in lieu of a meal. I wish I liked it, it would make my life a lot easier. Of course I have cooked at points but whenever I’ve tried to force myself to do something more adventurous or “get into” it I hate it even more!

I can cook and bake....but only for myself.

Meaning I never follow a recipe so results are too haphazard to serve to other people!
I will literally throw together vegan cakes that have no egg substitute in them so are heavy as bricks. But they are edible enough for me.

I can cook and bake. Leant at young age from my mum and grandma. We also had cooking classes at secondary school at one point. This actually reminded I even went on a baking course during school holiday one summer. My sister on other hand doesn't know as she was never interested in learning.

I can cook healthy family food to feed me and DS(16).

Chilli, spag bol, stuffed peppers, sausage and mash, chicken fajitas, fish pie, cassoulet, risottos and pasta sauces. As a single mum, I can get a healthy meal with carbs, protein and two or three veg onto the table in 40 mins.

I cannot cook the kind of food the last boyfriend expected - Master chef complexity, 25 ingredients, looks pretty on the plate. I want flavour and a satisfying balanced meal. I couldn't care less about creating a work of art.

Does anyone cook a big meal for the family then don't feel like eating it. I am doing a small pork and chicken with all the trimmings. Will use left overs for sandwiches etc. I don't feel hungry at all though. I have picked at the chicken and pork whilst slicing it. Perhaps it is that. But felt that way before. Might have mine later.

I can cook reasonably, but I don't often enjoy it

I enjoy cooking and I think I'm good at it. My mum isn't a great cook and didn't teach me. I taught myself when I moved out.

I feel more inclined to eat it if I've cooked it!

Sort of. I certainly don't do chuck in the microwave ready made meals. Barely even use our microwave if truth be told. I do the basics like spag bol, chilli, curry, lasagne, fajitas, etc, but I use the powder or jar of sauces from the shops. I don't know how to make the seasoning for a curry from scratch for example.

I can cook as in I can follow a recipe and it usually turns out ok.
But I can’t cook as in know how much of what to put together to make something edible without instructions. I have never really hosted people for dinner so don’t ever cook anything impressive, just a variety of family dinners. I am not very good at baking.

Yes, I’m pretty good.

I enjoy cooking but I don’t get a lot of time to do it, so prefer recipes that are no more than 30mins prep time.

I usually find a recipe I like the look of then adapt it slightly. I do it with cakes too. I always find cake recipes use way too much sugar.

Yes, very capable and can comfortably cook a decent multi course meal for six. I also really enjoy it. Pretty much everything we eat is made from scratch with the exception of bread and sometimes curry paste.

My mother is an atrocious cook and we grew up on overdone meat and 3 veg so that spurred me to learn to cook. I’m also really interested in nutrition.

Having a few hot flushes so don't help when cooking.

Same

Not at all. I was in a massive flap the other day because I tried to cook eggs and some sausages at the same time. I don’t know why but my brain cannot handle it. Thankfully DH is a very good cook, so he deals with all the meals and I deal with all the housework.

I’m a competent cook in as much as I can assemble ingredients into something that tastes good. I use recipes for inspiration rather than following them. I’m quite good at eating a meal in a restaurant and being able to identify the different flavours and recreate it at home.
I’m rubbish at making good curries, they never have quite the right depth of flavour and my steaks are hit and miss.
My presentation is shite too, don’t have any artistic sensibilities whatsoever so my meals usually taste better than they look. Same with baking, I make delicious cakes but don’t ask me to decorate one!

And no, I don’t really enjoy it anymore. I used to. But the daily grind of planning what to eat and then cooking it for ungrateful kids has worn me down. Plus trying to keep meals cheap as food is so expensive now. Ugh.

Yes I can cook but I loathe and detest doing so. I avoid it as much as possible.

Every year I say I will mealplan and every year I fail. But my load has eased as I now have young adult dc who cook mostly for themselves. Hang in there!

@ShowerOfShites My dad could burn water, despite both me and mum trying to teach him. His brain just isn't wired up in a way that enables him to cook successfully. And not everybody has to be able to cook, it isn't a survival instinct.

Back in the hunter-gatherer days, the men would hunt, the women would cook. Cooking was no doubt a lot more basic back then but as humans lived communally, there were probably women who cooked and women who weren't good at cooking did mending/watched the children/gathered berries etc instead.

I'm a chef but I'm terrible at making cakes.

I'm a brilliant cook, I taught myself when I had DD as I didn't want to feed her rubbish food.
I've always been an adventurous eater and she is too.
That said, now she's left home I don't cook much, more throw a quick meal together.