To think my home cooking is better than a lot of restaurants?

[penpotdot]

I'm a fairly decent cook and do make an effort to make something nice from scratch most days and will experiment with new recipes and techniques weekly. I am not masterchef level or professional but I obviously cook to my own taste and I mostly really enjoy what I make.

I do like eating out as well but as my own cooking improves eating out is less satisfying and I often find the food bland or too salty, one thing is over cooked another under or it is just generally underwhelming.

We ate out at an Italian place well regarded locally and it was just meh, the pasta with roast veg and tomato sauce I make at home is much nicer. The focaccia I make is better. There is a very cool Korean place in my town, run by brits not Koreans and everyone raves about it but the food was just so so, the Korean food I make at home is better. There is an actual Korean place in town run by Koreans and the food their is amazing. I tend to find Asian places do have really nice food and while I make decent stuff at home which is better than Wagamama's it isn't as good as proper Asian restaurant food.

Do other keen home cooks feel like this about eating out now, does good food at home spoil some of the pleasure of eating out or am I being unreasonable?

I suppose I least I don't have to wash up and it can provide the odd bit of inspiration!

You won't be wrong, especially when you see a lot of restaurant and take away owners stocking up in Costco. When I was younger I thought dining out was special and they must get there food from somewhere better than where we shop! Also when it's microwaved.

We don't go out that often and I've become quite picky where we go.

I'm vegetarian and also type 2 diabetic so have to go easy on starchy carbs. Eating out is an utter nightmare most of the time - and I hate to pay to eat something I could have cooked better myself. So as a result, we tend to have breakfast/brunch out as there is so little to go wrong with it.

We went to a local cafe today with our DD as she's home and I had a salad with goats cheese and roasted veg. To be fair, it tasted OK at the time but several hours later I can still taste what it was seasoned with and I've had 4 big glasses of water...

I sometimes feel the same. I'm vegan so choice is often limited and I begrudge paying 20 quid for a branded burger I can buy in the supermarket and do a better job of cooking myself, followed by an afterthought of a dessert (if there even is one!).

If they have a decent menu of well thought out, well cooked vegan options though... take my money!

My husband's food is often better than in a restaurant.

It doesn't mean the restaurant cooks aren't better - they obviously are - make many more dishes at the same time and work to our timeline rather than the other way around at home - and so on - but it does mean that I struggle to see the benefits of eating out!

I feel this way but in my case it's mostly due to declining standards in food when eating out rather than increasing standards in my own cooking. The air fryer has helped though, I'm prone to overcooking things like chicken or prawns on the hob and the air fryer takes my human error away.

I agree OP. I enjoy cooking and have taught myself different techniques and cuisines over the years. I like going out for a brunch as they're reasonably priced and it's a nice start to the day.
I have an incredible Italian nearby that I don't mind paying for as the pasta is fresh, the bread made on site, the veg from their garden etc and it is absolutely delicious, and I don't mind street food / food hall type places as they're reasonable and we can all try something different.
I went to Carluccio's recently purely because I had a voucher and it was extremely average at best, I'm sure it used to be much better. It was fine as a quick dinner out shopping but if I'd paid full price I wouldn't have been happy.

I feel much the same, OP. But mostly driven by the sheer cost of eating out, particularly since brexit, Covid etc.

I used enjoy Zizzi’s or Wagamama’s, even though the food wasn’t brilliant, because it gave me a break from cooking and was an affordable treat with the kids, and DH and I quite often went to really good restaurants.

Now I’d never eat in a chain because the price of the stuff they’re dishing out overrides any value or enjoyment I’d get from eating it. And you need a second bloody mortgage to eat in high end places these days, so no matter how good the food was I always feel ripped off and pissed off at how much we’ve spent, which kind of undermines the whole experience.

So yeah, with some rare exceptions, I’d almost always choose to eat at home rather than go out, because I’m not a bad cook and the food is always cheaper and often much nicer.

I have really focused on improving my cooking since the first lockdown and I also find this. I'd mostly rather eat my own cooking. Also veggie and that doesn't help as so much has become vegan that if you don't like vegan cheese, there may not be much choice.

Exceptions:
Burgers and sides (I can't do a decent burger and can't get the chips right)
Chips from the chippy
10 course tasting menus.

Excellent!

Totally agree and if i eat out then I try as far as possible to order something that is not something I could or would make at home, whether in terms of obscure ingredients, cooking methods or amount of dishes and equipment involved.
I can't fathom going out and ordering something like a penne arrabiatta or a baked potato, for example, id be ordering veggie tempura, thali and dosa or a proper Naples style stone baked pizza etc. Although being vegan can mean i have limited menu options so sometimes just have to suck it up!

How nice for you and I'm sure your family love your cooking. However I'm a capable but not enthusiastic or adventurous cook so I would love to eat out much more (no budget 😭). DD and I were just saying if we lived in a bigger place with a choice of restaurants, we'd eat out loads, just work our way along the high street. We are quite rural so Deliveroo isn't an option at all.

I’ve given up ordering simple pasta dishes like carbonara or any pasta dish. I’m always very disappointed.

It is how myself and my family feel - eating out and takeaways are often very disappointing

Yes me too. Last time I ordered pasta it was over cooked and had way too much sauce. Very few places seem to do it well

I couldn't agree more my husband and friends often say you cook better than this or I'd rather eat yours but honestly I like to eat out. It doesn't help that we have an annoying range of allergies so I have learnt to be creative and we are a bit restricted when out. My garlic allergy is super unfuckinghelpful as is dh's dairy.

Same my go to is Japanese for eating out

I’ve tried everywhere. Almost. Very expensive restaurants, Italian ones, basic ones..but no luck yet.

@ThisOchreScroller I have to say I would never ever order a salad. I can chop and arrange my own on a plate.

One of those random trivial things that sticks in your mind - some years ago I was eating dinner with a colleague at a conference. The hotel desserts were sticky toffee pudding or fruit salad. We both ordered the sticky toffee pudding, and I often think of my colleague's comment, "Any fool can make a fruit salad!" 😄

It's not cheap!!

It's subjective isn't it im.not the world's best cook but I can cook reasonable meals for my family 're
I don't really enjoy cooking though whereas my sister and nephew do and I always enjoy the food my sister cooks
I my mum.always enjoyed cooking and she was very experimental with varying degrees of success ,we used to go abroad on holiday when I was a child in the 80,s and my mum,would always try to.cook the local dish when we got home

Yes me too... lots of teeny little complicated tasty dishes- heaven!!!!!
I cook the more simple Japanese stuff at home but you really can't beat a high quality Japanese restaurant.

I agree. While it’s quite nice to get a night off from cooking, I find eating out in restaurants can be hit and miss.

Standards have plummeted so much since Covid, with no sign of improvement and honestly my desire to support our local businesses has worn a bit thin now,

I know some good home cooks and I’d much rather eat in their homes than in a restaurant too.

I absolutely agree with you. The only places I’ve been recently which have been better than my own cooking is generally £120+ for two people. I won’t eat in a chain restaurant like Zizzi or Cote, I’d honestly rather go to McDonalds! At least at a fast food place I’m not paying £80 for a very, very sad meal for two.

@penpotdot I hear you. It's frustrating as it's so expensive too. I need to know more about the roast veg pasta though. I just surprised myself by making a lovely tomato sauce earlier. I've been seeking a good one but all tips welcome there !

I agree, OP. I hate eating out these days.

I'll only go out for pizza, cake or properly fancy Michelin starred stuff because I can't replicate thiwe at home.

Similarly, I'll only have Indian food for a takeaway because all other takeaways are bland shit that's easily replicated but better.