I'm going to say about 97% of people can't cook.

[ShrikeAttack]

I read threads on here about food all the time & even people who claim 'to 'cook', as in 'make stuff hot and eat it', have no idea about food. How to make delicious things, how to treat ingredients, what goes together.

It honestly makes me a bit sad.

The majority of people probably eat really rubbish food.

I really want people to understand food and eat better, not because I'm a dick, but because it would make their lives more pleasurable.

Well I can cook a fry up, roast dinner, home made soup (actually made ribollita this week I'm sorry to say, as now I feel like I must be as much of a dick as the OP) and open a packet of smoked mackerel so I reckon I'm in the 3%.

Weird thread. Would I agree that many people don't cook well? Yes. Would I agree that I personally find it sad that some people don't derive the pleasure I do from good food? Yes.

I don't think you can come close to justifying the OP's claim that 97% can't cook though.

How bad a cook do you have to be before you "can't cook"? Of course if you set the bar high enough you'll eventually find that only 3% of people can jump over it, but that doesn't seem a very meaningful exercise.

Ok op, a serious question. How much do you spend on food per adult per week?

I spend about £20 but still ensure ds gets a balanced diet. In case you hadn't noticed there are few other things going on.
Covid - redundancies, furlough etc
Home schooling - people working 14 hour days in split shifts.

Black pudding ! Slow cooked brisket!! Maybe you should focus on growing a reality gene instead. Or a sensitivity gene perhaps !

Did you pluck 97% put of the air or did you do some actual scientific research

Dinner; slow-cooked brisket. Rice. Soured cream. Hm guacamole. Pico de gallo. Hm tacos.

So you've your own much maligned slow-cooking method here with your slow-cooked brisket. Rice? A bit random. Soured cream? WTAF? Guacamole? Emmm..... I'll say nothing. Pico de Gallo? Chicken? And Tacos? How many fucking cuisines can you fuck into one meal?

@Mintjulia

Ok op, a serious question. How much do you spend on food per adult per week?

I spend about £20 but still ensure ds gets a balanced diet. In case you hadn't noticed there are few other things going on.
Covid - redundancies, furlough etc
Home schooling - people working 14 hour days in split shifts.

Black pudding ! Slow cooked brisket!! Maybe you should focus on growing a reality gene instead. Or a sensitivity gene perhaps !

@Mintjulia Black pudding and cheap cuts of meat like brisket are not expensive.

@Hatstrategicallydipped How is it so different from Irish food? Potatoes, stew, bacon & cabbage, soda bread, irish breakfast, etc. One of my parents is Irish.

@ShrikeAttack

Ok my food for the next week (including lunches as we're all at home).

Sunday- Brunch: Bacon, sausage and duck eggs. Rosti using the leftover potatoes from last night. Roast tomatoes and mushrooms. Black pudding.

Dinner; Roast pheasant. Roast potatoes. Braised red cabbage. Roast parsnips. Port gravy.

Monday: Jerusalem artichoke soup for lunch with hm bread.

Dinner; Roast beetroot with smoked mackerel, potatoes with soured cream and dill, cucumber salad.

Tuesday; Lunch: Ribollita, ciabatta, cheese, green salad.

Dinner; slow-cooked brisket. Rice. Soured cream. Hm guacamole. Pico de gallo. Hm tacos.

That is the level of cooking we all do in our house. DD has inherited my love of cooking, and brought the pot noodles home that she took to university, because she cooks properly.

When they chose their second year house the main priority was a nice kitchen, which they got. It even has a range cooker.

I came home from taking DD back to find that DH had made pizza completely from scratch for our evening meal. His pizzas are famous among friends and family now. DD's friends said they are even better than Domino's

@EverydayImJuggling

Your menu is way too meat-heavy, old fashioned and stodgy for my tastes, OP. Black pudding l? Never, ever would that grace my plate. Pheasant made me laugh, too.

why does a pheasant make you laugh? :)

It's pretty ordinary fayre. We have it instead of chicken but one only feeds 2 people so assume the OP doesn't have DCs or she buys more than one.

You're quite good at cooking up a percentage of 97

[quote wonderup]@Hatstrategicallydipped How is it so different from Irish food? Potatoes, stew, bacon & cabbage, soda bread, irish breakfast, etc. One of my parents is Irish. [/quote]
I suppose we stick to what we know a bit more. English and Irish cooking are relatively similar though I agree - the traditional English dishes anyway.

I can cook. I actually really don’t enjoy cooking though so I guess my skills are limited because I’m just not interested.

I don't think it's fair to mock the OP's menu too much though. I don't see where she says we all need to cook the things she does, and she was asked many times to post it.

I know pheasant can be very cheap if it's bought in the right place, as I used to live near a wholesale game dealers in a rural area. It's basically a by-product of the shooting industry, and they practically gave them away at the right time of year. I rarely eat it now though, as I live in a large urban area where it's only sold for high prices in "posh" shops. I'm not so sure about the duck eggs though!

I kind of know what you mean I think OP.. I think I can cook pretty well, but I do make some rubbish food-I spoil good dishes by trying to hide too much veg in it sometimes, or bunging in lentils when it was better without.. I think it's because I don't just see the taste as being the ultimate goal for my meals. I'm also trying to pack in as many veg as I can so my kids will be healthy.

@Ineedalargeone

Did you pluck 97% put of the air or did you do some actual scientific research

She shot the statistics, plucked them and roasted them with rosti and some red wine sauce.

Oooooh I kinda see what you mean OP, but you have to be careful

My DS once ended up explaining to a friend’s mum (a friend of mine) after tasting Bisti, that to make proper gravy you have to add wine and shallots and reduce it. I never lived that down (luckily we are still friends )

By the way, the focus on meat, sour cream and dill on your menu hints at Central European influences, am I right?

I am often surprised when watching “Come dine with me” that most people on there can’t cook at all. And I often hate other people’s bolognese sauce, as it’s often watery with big chunks of semi-raw onion (and indeed random veg to “bulk it out” )

@ShrikeAttack

Ok my food for the next week (including lunches as we're all at home).

Sunday- Brunch: Bacon, sausage and duck eggs. Rosti using the leftover potatoes from last night. Roast tomatoes and mushrooms. Black pudding.

Dinner; Roast pheasant. Roast potatoes. Braised red cabbage. Roast parsnips. Port gravy.

Monday: Jerusalem artichoke soup for lunch with hm bread.

Dinner; Roast beetroot with smoked mackerel, potatoes with soured cream and dill, cucumber salad.

Tuesday; Lunch: Ribollita, ciabatta, cheese, green salad.

Dinner; slow-cooked brisket. Rice. Soured cream. Hm guacamole. Pico de gallo. Hm tacos.

This doesn’t sound like you cook much veg. Can’t be good for your health to have that much meat and carbs.

I would say there are perhaps more influences? I was born & raised in London, both parents from different countries. Same for all my school friends. Having said I love English & Irish food, love a carb overload!

@villamariavintrapp

I kind of know what you mean I think OP.. I think I can cook pretty well, but I do make some rubbish food-I spoil good dishes by trying to hide too much veg in it sometimes, or bunging in lentils when it was better without.. I think it's because I don't just see the taste as being the ultimate goal for my meals. I'm also trying to pack in as many veg as I can so my kids will be healthy.

Same as that. Low salt too. Rarely fry anything.

I generally don't enjoy food cooked by others.

[quote ShrikeAttack]@Userzzz, I don't judge or care really. I'm an utter twat in real life.

I just want people to eat decent food. Because it's a pleasure.[/quote]
Well I won’t be coming round to yours for decent food based on your menu.

Braised cabbage and roast parsnips together are far too sweet, especially with port gravy too. Where are your balancing flavours, what’s going to cut the richness of the pheasant and potatoes?

You clearly do judge if you think 97% of people eat crap.

🙄🙄

I’m an excellent cook, as is my DH. My daughter, aged 22 is also a very capable cook. Two of DH’s brothers are very good as well.

You obviously don’t move in the right circles...

Sounds like Henry the eighths meal planner.

YABU it's not fucking hard to cook if you have fire, a pan, you can read and you have a recipe book/internet access. Some people don't want to...not hard to understand is it?

@Hatstrategicallydipped

Dinner; slow-cooked brisket. Rice. Soured cream. Hm guacamole. Pico de gallo. Hm tacos.

So you've your own much maligned slow-cooking method here with your slow-cooked brisket. Rice? A bit random. Soured cream? WTAF? Guacamole? Emmm..... I'll say nothing. Pico de Gallo? Chicken? And Tacos? How many fucking cuisines can you fuck into one meal?

I think this sounds nice, how many cuisines are you seeing here as I'm just seeing Mexican?! And where's the chicken? pico de gallo is salsa!