Why are British women such shit cooks??

[moondog]

I mix with a lot of different people.
Over the years, the women I know who can cook could be counted on one hand (and my mother and sister are two of those.)

Seriously, people haven't got a fucking clue about even the most basic stuff.On the rare occasion I am even invited to eat in someone else's house it is usually inedible slop.

And yet,the tv has nothing but cookery programmes on it,Gordon Ramsey is a househole name and the bookshops burst with glossy tomes that make the best seller list.

Seriously, any ideas???

Iota, ha ha. We too had oven chips. Only oven chips. That was it. Ha ha ha.

oblomov

I can't be perfect for 365 days of the year

God no Iota, and if you are going to do it, do it big time - fish and chips - yum, yum, yum.

I like cooking. I enjoy cooking. My friends and family enjoy my cooking - or say they do - apart from DS's curious aversion to green beans and russian cabbage. There are lots of people who enjoy cooking.

Oh
fascinating reading.
Thank you for your illminating comments.
I have really enjoyed reading them (and chortled at the Bill Bailey Welsh rarebit link.)

Maggot,I know what you mean. My values are not the ones shared by people who think Dolmio ragu sauce worth eating and yet I have lots and lots of lovely friends and acquaintances who eat this stuff.
When they come to my house,they seem to really enjoy and appreciate my food so why don't they extend the same love and care to their families?

Victoria,I like MN for precisely the same reasons as you,becaouse people on here get fired up about the stuff that i care about too, like breastfeeding and cooking properly (and other less domestic stuff)

Suzy,actually that zucchini loaf could be ok y'know.I wouldn't make it but still.I grew up with fantastic Woman's Weekly cookery book and mags (when dear old Ita Buttrose was Ed.) and have learnt so much from them.

Like a lot of you,I am not talking fancy stuff,rather the ability to make roaSTIES OR GRAVY OR A CRUMBLE OR A GOOD CURRY. Most of my cooking is what could be described as 'ethnic' (Thai/Indian/Japanese) as growing up in the Far East,this is what we ate. Stuff like potatoes and apples were unbelievably exotic to us.

Last summer,I met my kids form school and we trooped off to the playground with all the other kids and mums (all good mates). I had brought slices of tortilla for my kids, wrapped in silver foil.
The other parents were amazed that I was giving them this and were pointing and nudging, as they unwrapped Cheezeee Stringzzzz, crisp packets and Fruit Shhots.

I love good food, but dont think its worth the time to prepare it - so I eat out well once a week, and eat s* the rest of the time, unless I'm lucky enough for someone to cook for me. Just like ironed clothes, clean sheets, a nice garden etc, all lovely, but not worth the time to achieve them

But Moondog my MIL can make lovely crumbles but seems rather smitten with Sara Lee.

It is a fallacy that it takes so much time to make a meal. If it's not worth 20 mins to prepare is it really worth £20-£30 in a restaurant

God sara lee cakes ar just so disgusting aren't they?

I have never yet tasted a nice one

Me and DH take bets on the way over whether it will be homemade rhubarb crumble or Sara Lee strawberry cheesecake.

Pointy,I agree.
Bozza,how utterly bizarre.
Minum,yes those things are lovely and I consider them so valuable that I am more than happy to devote time to achieving them.
I would never wear something unironed. Ever

What do people do with all this time they are supposedly saving then? Watch more crap on t'box I suspect....

I would quite like to dine at these crap cooks' houses on occasions just to make me feel incredibly superior and Nigella-ish myself - I find it most terrifying to ask brilliant cooks to dinner in case they go home and say 'hell, that Oenophile, did she give us inedible slop or what!!' And I am quite a good cook who has won prizes at the local show for my Victoria sponge and an actual CUP for my jam beams boastfully.

Anyway I think the OP is wrong, in my village everyone is a better cook than I am (except for sponges and jam, obviously) and I live three doors from a lady whose canapes are so divine I spend all year dreaming of her Walnut Sables and planning to sit nearer the plate at her next Christmas do.

I agree with Moondog, what are people actually doing with all this spare time, that they save by not cooking.
Now last night, we had oven chips. On their own.
But the night before we had lamb chops from our butcher, new potatoes and stemed veg - carrots , brocolli and green beans.
It was on the dinner table 1/2 an hour after walking in the door.
How hard is that ?And most microwave meals are so vile, aren't they.
So glad I saved 10 minutes to .........sit down and watch ..... Corrie ?
Time well spent ?

Othersideofthechannel - completely agree that in France the standard of home cooking is in steep decline . Lots of women of my generation, or just under, can't cook and even more sadly won't cook, for so-called feminist reasons.

I do like cooking. I sometimes find it a bit trying that I have to remove a 3yo and a chair every time I want to get out a pan or a casserole dish or some potatoes/onions, but do try and get them all out at once before she is ensconced. (sp?)

For me the main problem is time from getting in to gettting meal on table because I like to eat as a family where possible. But I plan and prioritise and bulk cook for this.

Message withdrawn

You know what this thread has really annoyed me today.

Moondog, I have a lot of time for what you say generally and I do agree that cooking is something that people should do more of. My mother was a fantastic cook and taught me a lot of basics. I could have made home-made ravioli and gnocchi among many other things on my own at 12 years old had I been so inclined.

HOWEVER, this annoying assmption you make that everyone should love cooking and be as passionate about it as you is frankly irritating. There are many things in life that make me passionate and that I enjoy doing, cooking is just not one of them. I am what I would describe as an adequate cook.

When I want to I can make some really very good meals, I however find the whole process incredibly dull, tiring and I find very little creative pleasure from it.

This is true for me so I do cut corners when I just cannot be bothered to do the whole thing. Frankly I refuse to be made to feel guilty about it.

I don't understand why some people think that cooking is time consuming? I work part-time and on my days at home, I cook and freeze. I also have a repositry of quick recipes that only take 20-30 minutes, things like stir fries, pasta bakes with home-made tomato sauce or home-made cheese sauce. It really is not that difficult and I suspect the reasons why many people prefer ready meals etc is because they cannot be bothered to cook as oppose to being unable to cook.

Sarah Lee used to make a pecan pie that you put in the oven and it was TASTY

I've not seen it for years although I have looked

or perhaps it was the folly of youth that I enjoyed it

I agree spokette

What is quicker than something like a stir-fry and salmon, or rice?

I love cooking and eating even more so.

But more than once, I have asked myself whether the effort dh and I invest in cooking almost every meal from scratching (bulk and freezing) is worth the time and effort we invest in it. Sure, the food is great (erhem!). But it takes up around 3+ hours on a weekend and 30+ mins a day - which could be time better spent in playing with our children, who BTW refuse to eat most of what we cook anyway, in favour of frankfurters, ham and ricecakes

Yes I tend not to actually 'play' with my children

They can have a knife and some carrots and watch the joy of mummy cooking

Or they can have some playdough and piss around with that

Or they can watch Mr Maker on CBeebies

The rest of the day they have the option of watching mummy hoover and clean, read the paper, drink a cup of tea, etc.

Exactly Blueshoes

Some days/weeks I choose to take this time but tbh I'd rather be out riding a bike, playing with ds, talking to dh or whatever.

I personally don't enjoy cooking (as I've said) and often find myself muttering and moaning in the kitchen as I do my bulk cooking for the week. I'd rather be outside or visiting friends.

Maybe this is because we live in a small flat and my time spent cooking makes me feel as if I'm isolated from my family & friends instead of in a nice kitchen with the family nearby/in the garden etc.

In any case I just don't enjoy it but I know good quality food is important and I also like eating so I do more cooking than I would ideally like to. I do also however use packets and jars if I feel like it and tbh I am thankful we live in a time where I am able to do this and where you can buy quite good processed foods for occasional use.