AIBU to give up cooking next Monday?

[NeverFlyCoach]

I don’t have it in me to cook anymore.

I used to love cooking and did a cooking adjacent profession for a few years, but after almost 2 decades of being a short order cook for my family, I’ve had enough.

I’m sick of meal planning and navigating what people want to eat and cleaning up and going shopping and I think I’m just going to quit when my DD goes to uni.

I’ve located a local meal prep service for dinners and will fill the rest of the space with soup, salad and porridge. Maybe toast. Or a pita bread with hummus.

I’ve been told this is an extreme reaction, but it sounds absolutely fucking blissful.

I hate cooking; DH works away all week so I alternate between omelettes ( I add pre-boiled new potatoes to bulk them out), M&S mini ready meals with veg added, ( I'm 61 and my appetite is reduced), a frozen jacket potato with full fat cottage cheese, salad, and beans on toast. I also buy M&S tinned steak and have it with veg, or a ready cooked chicken breast. I can make a nice roast dinner when I feel like it, and we always cook Christmas dinner together. I eat fruit every day, and sometimes make a smoothie for breakfast.

If DH is home in the week we'll cook something more substantial for him, but if it's just me I wouldn't bother. Hate clearing up after cooking as well.

Cooking and the food planning every single day is my worst thing about being an adult so totally get what you mean. I don’t even hate cooking but it’s the every single day for ever and ever that’s so painful.

I am a single parent of teens and they now have to cook one evening a week each (I still do have to do the shopping but baby steps). When they are at their Dad’s I eat soup/cheese/leftovers too. I’d be happy to never have to cook again

Sounds like you just need a break from it. Maybe plan for a 6 week meal delivery and then see how you feel. It does get tedious especially when you have to deal with other people's tastes or cook a full dinner when you just feel like some cheese on toast.

My youngest has just started university and I have announced today that freezers and fridge will be filled but dinners will be few and far between.
I have no more interest when they are out so much.
I'm 80% done.

My DPs spend all day talking about meals/shopping and stressing over it. I never really understand it, I think they're just locked into the idea of having 3 proper meals a day. I just eat random easy stuff like eggs and tinned fish, can't be arsed with all this full on cooking every day.

Same here. My DS and DD are 16 years old now but unfortunately their difficulties mean that they’re not able to plan or cook a meal, or even part of it. Probably won’t ever be able to as their disabilities are pretty significant.

I love cooking. I love seeing everyone properly fed with decent home-cooked food….but fuck me, it’s relentless.

And because I have a lot to fit into my day, I often don’t have the headspace to properly plan ahead. It’s a vicious circle.

DP is great in many ways but cooking is just not his thing. He’s capable of chucking some beige food in the oven and he can boil basic veg, but that’s it. The main issue is that he doesn’t think about dinner so if I’m busy, he’ll come and find me and ask what he should cook. That’s the bit that drives me potty - it’s the relentless planning. Making sure I can cook something that can be adjusted to suit the different sensory issues - or more often, doing two different versions for the DC and often something completely different later in the evening for me and DP. Every bastard night. Again and again and again, and forever amen.

I don’t really help myself though - I’ve recently had some health issues and found that cutting out sugar/carbs dramatically reduced inflammation in my body, easing pain and reducing the swelling in my feet and legs. The difference has been really shocking. So in view of this, I’m very keen to reduce/minimise UPFs for the DC as much as I can as I’ve seen firsthand what a difference good quality food makes. So that rules out DP’s shitty beige cooking!

I think my DC are probably going to be with me for the rest of their lives - I can’t see them ever being able to move out and sheltered accommodation wouldn’t be for them. So I imagine I’ll still be doing bloody meal planning when I’m 90!!

Get u 100% 4 years since youngest went to uni. 20 yrs of cooking with no help from exDH has scarred me. Just can't be bothered. They are both back now. We have a rota. 2 nights each. If they don't do their share I simply won't cook for them and am happy to have crackers. 20 years is a loooong time. Therr are better ways now to spend your time

I guess for a lot of people it's related to cost, health and logistics. I could just tell my teens and DH (although he works away most of the time) to cook for themselves but it would end up way way more expensive both in terms of what is consumed and food waste, plus the teens would likely eat a lot more crap. I could also do a rota but that's going to end up with arguing over what x is cooking that y doesn't like but x wants to cook that so y should just shut up or do it themselves, so then y says they'll do it but they're cooking x which y doesn't like, and at this stage I retreat to a dark room with a glass of wine and a muesli bar.

I think what it comes down to is that I dont want anyone to cook for me. I just want to eat exactly what I fancy (like a shop bought prawn cocktail on sourdough toast) and not cook for anyone else, which I know is unreasonable and not really do-able but I just like a little vent.

My DC are in their 20’s and I started to cut down after they returned from university. It’s definitely a lot more expensive and more mess and activity in the kitchen. This is the trade of for no meal planning headspace other than what I fancy to eat. I’m pleased I did it and I’m pleased I waited until the right time (my DH’s retirement).

No one person should be doing all the food shopping, cooking, and clean up. Kids should be helping with the prep and clean up. They're usually capable of helping from about age five.