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.

Oh I've tried, I've added extra of all sorts. It's just always a bit slimy and meh compared to oven or stove top. Fine for a quick meal but never delicious. And the idea of frying things off first kind of defeats the object of a time saver. I have a dog to be walked and 2 kids and myself to get out the door by 7.50am, I do not have time to stand there frying meat.

I have to say I've never had anything slimey, but I guess it can happen.
Yeah, it's understandable if people don't want to cook with it. Nothing suits to everyone

@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 is fine, but it's quite heavy traditional European type food.

I can well imagine some future S/DIL coming to your house and saying to their mates that 'my MIL is a good traditional British cook but by the end of the week I am desperate for some simpler sharper flavours, some spice, and more raw veg and green veg.'

But more to the point this is the menu of someone who really enjoys cooking. It's clearly a hobby for you, which is great, but many people want do do something else with their time, or simply don't have much time, so they'll serve simpler food or they'll buy in what they can. This does not mean many of those people don't appreciate food and flavour.

We all have limited time and we have to make choices. If cooking was everyone's hobby it would be a boring old world.

@Movinghouseatlast

I agree, but not with the figure of 97%.

Most of my friends can cook, and I can too! I enjoy cooking.

You have had some pretty twattish responses, but if people think its condescending to want to eat good food then that is their choice. It is just reverse snobbery.

In Italy nesrly everyone eats well because there is a food culture where people love food and it is high on their priorities. We don't have that culture here.

But using good food isn't the same as being able to cook.

I can cook rice and beans and jerk chicken. Whether the rice costs 30p/kg or £3/kg...

And yes, the more expensive chicken might taste nicer, but the quality of the ingredients isn't a reflection on cooking ability, not dies it mean the cheap ingredients don't taste nice

I can cook but I fucking hate doing so so I avoid it as much as possible. My dc still get fed but not always with meals cooked from scratch with organic ingredients. Sometimes they get ready meals.

I can cook homemade meals. From sunday dinner to currys. Nothing absolutely wow though. What i cant do is look in the fridge at not a lot and bring together an amazing meal. I think that is something only a small few can do

Today I’m having butcher bought roast pork, roast potatoes (I’ll race to you “best roast potato maker” by the way), carrots, leeks and sweetheart cabbage. Homemade apple sauce and gravy.

Can I cook or not? Because it takes me about 3 hours all told and I’ll be right pissed off if it’s a waste of time.

The leftover pork will go in a curry tomorrow. Waste not want not.

slow cookers are great for cooking casseroles, tagines & pot roasts
I use fresh & dried whole spices & herbs from scratch op - I can make a tasty meal from very limited ingredients. Many women on here have severe limits on time, money & even facilities to cook & are learning , as we all did, from experience & this wonderful resource & other networks. often people also are restricted by diet or allergy or food sensitivities & whether family like the food.
I don't often bake (but I followed a lovely gluten free recipe & made a great rich Christmas fruitcake - yae! it turned out right first time!!! - some of my baking takes a few attempts to get it right) & judging people for not doing that is - not right
I don't assume

I don’t enjoy cooking though through the week. Saturday and Sunday I’m less rushed so I do enjoy that more with a glass of wine in hand and music on.

@mumwon

slow cookers are great for cooking casseroles, tagines & pot roasts I use fresh & dried whole spices & herbs from scratch op - I can make a tasty meal from very limited ingredients. Many women on here have severe limits on time, money & even facilities to cook & are learning , as we all did, from experience & this wonderful resource & other networks. often people also are restricted by diet or allergy or food sensitivities & whether family like the food. I don't often bake (but I followed a lovely gluten free recipe & made a great rich Christmas fruitcake - yae! it turned out right first time!!! - some of my baking takes a few attempts to get it right) & judging people for not doing that is - not right I don't assume

I've never managed to make good casserole/stew in a slow cooker... Pressure cooker all the way!

I would enjoy most of the meals OP described, but not over three days. That’s more meat than DH and I would eat in a week, and we’d have 5-10 times more veg and fruit.

You are right to distinguish between 'heating up' and cooking but I can't say that it's my experience. Most people I know cook from scratch most of the time.

I wish my life was so great that all I had to worry about was whether strangers can cook.

Why don’t you list one of your ‘delicious’ recipes OP and no don’t nick one off the internet.

@ShrikeAttack

Are you a butcher by any chance? You have an interesting choice of username.

Why wouldn't I think about something that I have to three times a day? It's a bit careless not to.

We all do things several times a day, but don't spend the rest of the time thinking about it.
However I don't buy the cheapest, most basic loo roll, just like I don't buy the cheapest most basic food. Not eating shit is surely about putting decent fuel into your body (because that is all food is), rather than how you are cooking it or what herbs etc. you add.

@00100001 I've never cooked in pressure cooker😂 Ehen I was young our exploded and since then there was deeply instilled fear of pressure cookers in all my family😂

Slowcookers need much less water than most recipes say btw. I like making broth in it.

I can cook pretty well. My dad can cook well, as can my brother. My mother could not.

So on this basis, your stats are shit.

Note, that broth needs all the water though🙈

"Just saw the last post lol

Duck eggs
Pheasant

Posh ingredients don't mean you can cook."

Wasn't there veal as well?
Lots of things I just couldn't find either. Never see artichokes in the local shops.
But then if you're so rich, why bother with sausages?
And the Sunday was two very heavy meals.

[quote SchrodingersImmigrant]@00100001 I've never cooked in pressure cooker😂 Ehen I was young our exploded and since then there was deeply instilled fear of pressure cookers in all my family😂

Slowcookers need much less water than most recipes say btw. I like making broth in it.[/quote]
Oh my!

After 44 years of cooking for one husband, three children, the shine has gone off it frankly. The way I still cook from scratch is sitting on a stool in the kitchen with netflix/amazonprime on while I scrub, peel, prep. If I lived alone it would be salads, easy prep all the way not that interested in food. But because OH is still there we take it in turns to cook. He took an interest after retirement, watches all the cooking shows and is a fine chef now. Frankly I cannot be arsked any more.

Look at the ready meals in any supermarket now a vast choice of microwavable meals, takeaways, well occasionally. Yes cooking the basics is not hard, but god it is boring.

[quote SchrodingersImmigrant]@00100001 I've never cooked in pressure cooker😂 Ehen I was young our exploded and since then there was deeply instilled fear of pressure cookers in all my family😂

Slowcookers need much less water than most recipes say btw. I like making broth in it.[/quote]
I blew up two when we were first married, the third is still around somewhere. I am with you.

In order to back up your statement OP you would have to have access to the cooking and eating habits of every household in the country and have intimate knowledge of how they are preparing their meals??? I'm going out on a limb here to suggest that you don't actually have access to that information and you posted this nonsense because you are having a slow day and need something to do???? And just fyi all meals in our household are very nice thank you, cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients, and recipes perfected over time - no complaints here. We know the difference between an under cooked chicken nugget and a beautifully cooked casserole with lots of lovely veg thank you very much. But you know what, if I decided I wanted a pot noodle and a packet of pork scratchings washed down with a red bull for my dinner tonight then that would really be none of your business would it.

I can cook and so can almost all of my friends. I would be very surprised if 97% of people can't.

I did O Level Home Economics (in 1984) and I had an excellent (but very strict and scary) teacher. I still hear her voice in my head telling me to beat all the lumps out of my roux sauce.

& actually the sign of good catering (note term!) is being able to make food from what is available & op, some of your (expensive!) foodstuff will become more scarce & more expensive as dear old BREXIT comes into bite.
I am old enough to remember the more restricted seasonal food before BREXIT - some of the stuff you boast of cooking may not be available. lets see if you can turn to the more humdrum local seasonal ingredients

Cheers OP you've just reminded me I need to dig the aunt Bessie's parsnips, yorkers and roadties out of the bottom of the chest freezer.. should go nicely with the chicken dippers and pre made trifle.

I've got some of those lovely microwave burgers for dinner