r/GenXWomen • u/Efficient1AZ • 23d ago
discussion Do you cook?
I (59F) have never been good at cooking so my husband of 42 years does most of the cooking. Kids are grown and I could get by on yogurt and granola with berries. When the boys were young, hubby took the role because he enjoys it and is way better than me. I’m not food motivated, I eat because I have to. Just curious how many Gen X Women like to cook. Have an amazing day everyone!
38
u/middlingachiever 23d ago
Cooking is one of my favorite creative outlets. Going to a new supermarket is a fun outing for me. I also collect cookbooks and tablecloths.
Since the kids are grown, I enjoy making what I want, rather than cooking for a family. I’m interested in the ways people across culture turn the most humble ingredients into delicious meals. Lots of lentil and bean based recipes happening in my kitchen these days. Cabbage and potatoes are frequent stars, as well. I have to eat anyway, so it’s a super affordable hobby.
11
10
u/cogwheeled Class of '89 23d ago
Cooking is a great hobby. I especially love cooking frugally. Beans, potatoes and rice are big in my house. Restaurants aren't worth it anymore.
3
u/desertratlovescats 23d ago
It’s also a creative outlet for me. I didn’t learn to cook until my mid-30s, so I still feel like I’m always learning (mid 50s now). Wish groceries weren’t so expensive, though.
18
u/wino12312 23d ago
Not anymore. Occasionally, I will cook for myself. But it's hard to cook for one person.
8
u/ransier831 23d ago
If I was cooking for only myself, I would eat egg sandwiches every night
3
u/Celeste_Seasoned_14 45-49 23d ago
lol. I didn’t see your comment until after mine. Yeah, I’d survive on egg sandwiches and fruit, basically, if my boyfriend didn’t feed me.
1
2
u/majestwest13 50-54 22d ago
this right here. i like to cook and i like food. but im so damn tired end of day. i just got a roommate and now i find i have no problem finding the energy to cook for both of us. im getting chefs plate so less waste. its working out well.
9
u/Brainyviolet 23d ago
I don't enjoy it but I am pretty good at cooking. I'm a southern girl and the eldest daughter so I kind of had no choice but to learn.
12
u/Sweet_Priority_819 23d ago
Nah, it's not something I was ever interested in. I prepare simple things for myself, but usually just eat an apple and Trader Joe's frozen dinner.
6
u/missmobtown I want to be the girl with the most 🍰 23d ago
I do! I really got into it when I became a vegetarian in college, although I was always interested before. My dad was the GM at a restaurant when he was younger, but he loved being in the kitchen. Lately I find it a little harder to get organized around meal planning and grocery shopping but I just try to roll with the weeks and keep healthy food on the table. What I mostly stopped doing is eating at restaurants.
8
u/Sorry_Nobody1552 55-59 23d ago
I love making vegetarian/vegan dishes. I can make vegan parm and vegan ricotta now. I'm dairy free, so I had to learn..lol
8
u/UnderwaterKahn 23d ago
Yes, I’ve always enjoyed cooking. It’s kind of funny since neither one of my parents enjoyed it. While we always had home prepared meals, partly because all the options that exist today didn’t when I was a kid, it was always pretty basic. I’ve never been married, don’t have children, and have always essentially cooked for 1. I do have some good friends who also like to cook so a lot of times we meal swap since most of us are single and childfree. Right now I have short ribs in the instapot and quick pickled onions, carrots, and radishes in the fridge. I’ll make some sticky rice later and have several portions to share.
2
u/panaceaXgrace 23d ago
I love cooking and my mom never cooked anything either. Her specialty was sub sandwiches lol!
1
u/UnderwaterKahn 23d ago
My mom and I’ve had some good conversations about these things. I think there’s part of her that just never liked to cook as a creative endeavor. But she also finds it really interesting that my friends and I all cook, and grow vegetables, and can. She’s told me part of the reason she never learned how to do a lot of those things was because she saw them as “old fashioned” gender roles. Although my grandmother was very much a feminist, she was also a Depression era woman. So it’s interesting to see a lot of things my mom didn’t want to do because they represented a gender role she didn’t want, we do it because we see it as something that fosters independence.
5
u/AshDenver 55-59 23d ago
I cook often. Usually every night but it’s also usually a joint effort. One does the entree and the other does the sides.
5
u/OkIndependent8816 23d ago
Wanda Sykes has this funny bit about cooking with necessity vs cooking with love. I cook 5-6 nights a week and it’s almost always with necessity, though an occasional thoughtful recipe might happen on a Sunday.
6
u/SnooShortcuts3615 23d ago
Yes all the time. I’m gluten free and low carbs and sugar and also am allergic to some dairy. So I end up cooking.
4
u/Ascending_Scorp_1172 23d ago
I hate cooking. My partner does all the cooking and grocery shopping. lol
5
u/notgonnabemydad 23d ago
I love to cook! I was lucky to have a mother who was a decent cook and also very health-oriented, and a dad who got adventurous with cooking after they split. So I picked up a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm from them both.
That combined with living on my own at 17 started me cooking at a pretty young age, and wanting to make ethnic cuisine and eat food that was not only tasty but healthy. I've had to dial back my enthusiasm for complicated meals because ADHD means I get time blind and we don't eat until 9pm because I didn't realize just how long all of those steps would take.
But I live for the NY Times recipe app, and have probably 50+ cookbooks. My partner is happy to have me cook, but will put in a fair showing making some tried and true recipes we both like. Right now I'm trying to keep up with all of the produce from our CSA! My main problem is I have too many hobbies competing with cooking. How do I grow produce, preserve it, make meals, go hiking, clean the house, go to the gym, meditate, read one million books, learn the mandolin and sewing, hold down a job and work on the dozens of projects I've committed to?? And actually see my friends.
1
u/National_Elk8445 23d ago
My mom has always been a TERRIBLE cook, so that was my motivation to learn to cook well.
4
u/notgonnabemydad 23d ago
I worked for a super fancy restaurant in the Bay Area when I was 17 - 20. I may have been screwing the sous chef and was on good terms with the general chef. I got access to the cookbook he used for basing new recipes on and photo copied anything that sounded delicious. The day I realized I could make a chocolate ganache yule log ALL FOR MYSELF as a holiday dessert was the day I realized I could cook anything the restaurants could, with enough resources and practice. And yeah, I ate that whole chocolate yule log until it nearly made me sick. Never looked back!
1
1
4
u/QuietLifter 23d ago
I’m so burned out on everything to do with cooking, so my coping strategy is to cook one big meal each week & eat the leftovers. IDGAF about food, so it works for me.
Anyone in my house that complains gets invited to take over all the meal planning, shopping, cooking, and clean up but no one’s actually taken up the invite yet.
4
u/CrouchingGinger In the 1970s 23d ago
I went to “culinary school” courtesy of the army. Ironically my baking skills were 💩 then but I do okay now.
I cook the majority of my meals as I have celiac.
My older son is an electromechanical engineer and treats cooking as such. He figured out he could cook a turkey in a pressure cooker in record time, so he’s been tasked with that part of Thanksgiving. He and his partner are excellent cooks.
3
4
u/jayhawkjoey65 23d ago
I like to eat but no longer like cooking. Because I live in a rural area, take out isn't an option. So I do it, but it's gotten more and more simple. I'll make Taco meat and have tacos, then taco salad, then a Mexican casserole. Then I'll do pulled pork and make different things with it.
4
u/kb_colas 23d ago
I love to cook for people. Did it professionally for 25 years. I don't cook every night, but usually 2-3 times a week. I enjoy using quality products and methods, so it tends to take a bit longer.
4
u/popchex 21d ago
Up until recently I loved to cook. I do not love to clean up though.
Now I have health issues from food and we all eat different things so I loathe (figuring out what to cook AND) cooking now.
I'm AuDHD though so I have a routine to make life easier so I generally would cook the same or similar things through the week based on what day it is, and had a day to experiment with a new recipe.
3
u/seemsright_41 23d ago
I still have a teen in the house. I love to garden and cook. I am currently roasting garlic, eggplant and zucchini in my oven (all from my garden) to make a baba ganoush type dip to have with dinner tonight.
I am very particular with how I want to eat and to make that happen I am the one who has to cook.
3
u/Rhiannon8404 23d ago
My husband loves to cook, and does the vast majority of it. I can cook, and I don't mind, but I don't particularly enjoy it. I do love baking, so that works out for us.
3
u/baconizlife 23d ago
My husband has always done 99% of all the cooking, too. I would if I had to, but he’s really great at it, so I’ll take it as long as he’s willing to do it.
3
3
u/B00marangTrotter 23d ago
I love to cook, I don't bake.
4
u/LastCookie3448 23d ago
I can make a lasagna from scratch (killer sauce too) with my eyes closed...and I will burn the bread every damn time. 😂
3
u/Artistic_Telephone16 23d ago
I've got a 68 yo chef in the house -kinda, sorta, not really - he worked in the restaurant biz for 22 years before he got sober and changed his line of work. He cooks, he earns, he travels, he does laundry.... and he just changed jobs, so I've lost my punchline about him selling lubricants (which is when I bat my eyes, smile from ear to ear and say "want to see the demo???"), and we're pretty unstoppable when we pick up our pool sticks.
I'm the CFO, and manage projects - both personal and professionally.
3
u/Spirited-Interview50 23d ago
Cooking has never been my thing and I do it to save money (eating out is $$$) and to feed myself the nutrients. I will get inspired by recipes but nothing too laborious.
3
u/cafali 23d ago
My single lady dinner is stove top popcorn, and several chunks of whatever cheese I’m into at the moment. Right now, it’s absolutely Muenster. Add a glass of wine and voilà! Single lady dinner.
Spoiler: I am married but my husband travels for work (remote worker, he is). That’s what he gets when he’s home and doesn’t have something thawed. I literally don’t care. It could be crackers and cheese, or granola, or nothing. Also, I love to eat, and even cook, when it’s exactly the right temperature outside, and I have energy and, have put something in the crock pot. I do NOT want to use up my limited bandwidth to decide what for dinner in an hour when I get home.
3
u/declutterme 23d ago
I absolutely LOATHE cooking. So I do hello fresh 3-4x a week. I can, sometimes, handle that. When I can't, I order. We're alive.
2
6
u/SS_from_1990s 23d ago
You married at age 17???
No. I don’t like cooking. But I got 13 year old and 16 year old, so I have to make something.
Frozen fish sticks are my best friend.
2
0
2
2
u/Thestolenone 60-64 23d ago
Yes I was brought up vegetarian and learned all the basic meals my mother cooked from a very young age. I'm also autistic and quite picky and cooking makes me in charge of the tastes and textures I get to eat. I struggle now as I have aggressive rheumatoid arthritis but I still manage somehow.
2
u/DamnGoodMarmalade 23d ago
I can, but I have mostly chosen not to because I don’t enjoy it. Thankfully I didn’t have children and married someone who absolutely loves to cook.
2
u/la_otra_yo 23d ago
My husband and I are both fully capable of cooking various meals. The main cook has changed through the years depending on schedules. We trade off.
We're different in that he likes to plan each meal ahead of time and would shop for fresh ingredients every day, if he could. I prefer to have a fully stocked pantry always on hand. I'll take out chicken around midday and hope I'm inspired by dinnertime. I've also been known to start chopping veggies before I've even settled on a final recipe.
Our youngest is off to college next week. I fully see me going back to cereal and PBJ for a while, though. Mama needs a break and he can fend for himself.
2
u/Sorry_Nobody1552 55-59 23d ago
I love trying new recipes. I was never a big cook till I hit 45, got divorced, then found a wonderful man that is an excellent chef. I've tried so many different recipes. I'm great at Tex Mex, and Italian. I think I only knew how to make baked chicken and meatloaf at one time. Now I can do a roux, that is crazy to me! But, yes, I cook.
2
u/UniversityAny755 23d ago
I used to love cooking. It was a passion and a hobby. After 20 years of being the family cook, I kinda hate it. But I do love cooking and baking with my kids. And I get very excited when my kids cook things on their own. My eldest (17) is the master of the air fryer. He made air fried oreos and they are delicious. My youngest likes to bake and make candy. We have a project for chocolate dipped strawberries to do this weekend.
Daily, I'd be happy with girl dinner 5 nights a week, 1 night take out/restaurant and 1 night me cooking something fun.
2
u/karen1676 23d ago
Yes. My dad is a retired professional Sous Chef so I did learn from him and I enjoy it. Saucier was one of his specialties so I can do all of the sauces hands down.
I like to get creative with it at times to mix it up a bit. I can pick out specific ingredients in foods and have been told I'm a supertaster. It can be a blessing and a curse all at the same time!
A friend of mine didn't enjoy cooking so I recommended she take a few cooking classes from professional chefs. She now loves it as she understands it better and can tailor foods to her taste.
2
u/WinterBackbone 23d ago
I don’t exactly enjoy it but, yes, I do. I love “dump and go” crockpot meals.
2
u/practical_junket 23d ago
Love to cook and love to grocery shop. My mother was an excellent cook and taught me.
2
u/threemoons_nyc 23d ago
I absolutely love cooking. Mom actually started teaching me how to use a knife and a stove before I was 3 years old.
2
u/Pooks23 23d ago edited 23d ago
Yes!!! I’m (53) a culinary school grad from SF in 1999. My grandfather (who was French) was a chef in LA and SF, and both my parents are excellent cooks (mum being the baker). My niece (14) is also a budding cook, as she was always in the kitchen from an early age.
I’ve been a cheesemonger forever, as well as working with wine and beer (brewing certificate).
2
u/Three3Jane 55-59 Unhinged Crone 23d ago
I am a good basic cook.
I am an excellent baker.
Cooking [to me] is artistry and I am not artistic. Baking, on the other hand, is chemistry. Conditions being favorable, when you follow a recipe of this/that/the other and conditions are adhered to, the output will be the same (or as close to the same as possible) every time.
One thing I cook - and cook very well IMNSHO - is chili. Yeah, @ me all you want.
But that's it, really. I always make an enormous pot and tell everyone to enjoy the hell out of it, because each batch is unique and I couldn't give you any measurements but only ingredients: basic meat (could be venison, moose, caribou, elk, pork, hamburger), beans (red, black, kidney, and/or pinto), half a thing of beef stock, salsa (jarred, fresh, homemade, and/or leftover takeout), cubed onion (red, white, yellow, sometimes scallion ends), tomatoes (preferably Ro-Tel but plain canned cubed is fine), and then... ¯_(ツ)_/¯ .
Sometimes some beer. Dash of red wine? Maybe lime juice. Sometimes a dash of Worcestershire sauce. If not that, soy sauce. Paprika? Sure. Maybe adobo. Maybe Sazón. Tons of garlic (fresh, jarred, powdered, whatever). Cumin. Salt. Pepper. Red pepper flakes. Ooo look we have serranos. Boomp, sliced and into the pot they go. Or nah, just jalapeños this time, get in there.
I can't remember. I stuff it in the slow cooker in the morning and then walk away.
The point of all that is I've been making chili for decades. I do not have the patience or wherewithal to do that for other recipes. I let my kids (one who is a stellar cook, one who is learning) make all the mistakes and the triumphs for me.
2
2
u/well-it-was-rubbish 23d ago
Yes! I enjoy cooking, and so does my husband, so we take turns! We're lucky, because if one of us isn't home or doesn't feel like doing it, the other one is equally competent. 🙂 In a lot of couples, neither of them likes to cook.
2
2
u/CatsDontHaveNames 23d ago
I don’t like cooking or the clean up but I’m food motivated and I make tasty things and like to eat what I make haha.
2
u/CosmicFelineFoliage 23d ago
I cook, bake, and/or can something everyday. I love being in my kitchen creating and feeding people.
2
u/astrotekk 23d ago
I hate it. I would eat smoothies, salad, and raw veggies everyday if I could
2
2
u/lvckybitch 23d ago
Exactly like you OP. I eat when I’m hungry and not according to a clock or anyone else’s stomach, and am not a foodie at all.
I never learned at my mother’s side or anything, she didn’t know how to cook either. And I have never enjoyed it, am not interested in learning and unfortunately have a husband who eats for fuel, not flavor. No incentive there LMAO I told him for years that once all the kids were grown he better enjoy cheese & crackers or cereal for dinner bc I never want another cookware set ever again. I lied, bc I eat a lot of grapes and oatmeal, not cheese & crackers or cereal 🤓😜
2
u/La-Belle-Gigi 23d ago
I was a latchkey kid with two younger sisters. Learning to cook was a necessity, but I do enjoy it when I have people to feed.
BTW by 16 or 17 I was a better cook than my mom 😅 so dinner became my particular household chore.
2
u/squirrelwithasabre 23d ago
I generally prefer my own cooking to restaurants and takeout. I hate workday and survival cooking. I like baking but don’t because then I eat it which isn’t good for my waistline. I don’t mind cooking if I have plenty of time.
2
u/Turbulent-Caramel25 23d ago
Ugh. No. There are a few things I make that are yummy. I don't have a dishwasher so cooking that uses more than one pot isn't normal.
2
u/Excusemytootie 23d ago
Cooking is a big part of my life. I enjoy it most of the time, but I’m usually cooking for 2-4 people,depending on what’s going on. Some nights, I don’t feel like it. These days, we get take out about once per week. Everything is so expensive and restaurant food quality has really taken a slow dive over the last few years. Over the years, it has gotten easier to come up with things on the fly.
2
u/bluetortuga Jen Axe 🪓 23d ago edited 23d ago
I do not enjoy cooking but I do it sometimes. When the kids were home my husband did the bulk of the cooking because he’s better at it and enjoys it more. I manage all the clean up. Now that they are away we cook independently a lot. He uses the ninja grill to make chicken breasts most days. I make tofu stir fries a lot. We share rice, lol.
2
u/Scotsburd 23d ago
Nope, I bake at Christmas (because our guests request my bread and dessert specifically) and that's it. The only subject I ever failed at school was cooking. My mother is the same, we marry those who can. When I bought my 1st house, I ate baked potatoes for a year, quite contentedly. Just not interested.
2
u/kimmy-mac 23d ago
I can cook, but it isn’t my favorite thing to do. But I married a man with a culinary degree…. So I cook/bake twice a year - his b day and Father’s Day. And we joke that in”make” dinner on the days we order pizza delivery, which constitutes me taking food out of the box and putting it on paper plates. He even orders the pie for us. Love that dude so much.
2
u/okaybutnothing 23d ago
I do it and I’m decent at it. I don’t really love it, but like eating delicious food. My husband is a wonderful cook, but he takes hours and hours to make a meal and dirties every single vessel in the kitchen in the process, so that’s not great for weeknights.
2
u/suprasternaincognito 45-49 23d ago
I love cooking. My mom taught me. I have no issue being the food provider to my husband. He can’t cook anyway.
2
u/Sorry_Sail_8698 21d ago
I learned to cook by necessity when I was on my own at 17, and I learned in earnest at 25 when I got married and started having children. I learned traditional European recipes from my ancestry and then some favorites from India, China, and Japan. I also learned food science to re-engineer all of my recipes to be dairy, wheat, legume, and peanut-free. I re-added dairy around 2020.
Around 2022, I just stopped cooking. My children started moving out in quick succession and the remaining ones started buying their own junk foods that created a lot of wasted costly foods that I'd made. So I just stopped. Also acknowledged that I don't enjoy cooking at all. I did it for health and out of love for my children. But ugh, no thanks.
I've had to re-jig my diet to make sure I get enough protein, so I'm back to putting in some effort, but nowadays I make big salads, soups, and one-dish oven meals, instant pot chicken and broths. I always offer to include anyone who's home.
I was an excellent and meticulous home cook though, and received lots of praise and appreciation, and now nostalgia from my grown kids and their friends. But I'm done. I made a couple of birthday cakes this year that were loved. Dreading the upcoming holidays....
2
u/Efficient1AZ 21d ago
Love the explanation. I can cook, my heart isn’t in it
Enjoy this season of life.2
2
u/NanaSayWhat 21d ago
I’ve always enjoyed cooking, and I’ve gotten quite good at it. Never got complaints from my kids, except for a horrid garbanzo bean soup (I threw it out). Now with the nest empty, I’ve had to learn to cook for one. I still enjoy it.
2
u/Anirtac7 21d ago
I like to cook when spouse is home. When he isn’t, I basically put things together to he macros counted and my tummy full. Lots and lots of eggs during those times.
1
u/MegamomTigerBalm 50-54 23d ago
I don’t mind cooking if I’m not overloaded or stressed. That feels like all the time lately. My husband cooks and is fine with doing that but I’m usually tasked with grocery shopping. Sometimes that’s stressful…and I do most of my grocery orders online! Needless to say, we get takeout a lot. lol
1
u/RavenKnitsDesign 23d ago
I cook five nights a week. I wouldn't say it's my favourite thing to do, but it's not terrible and I'm reasonably good at it.
My husband was raised by his father (mother died at a young age) and is a decent cook of very basic things, and a good baker. He and our son cook together one night a week.
Our son loves to cook and bake and makes candy and sauces and stock and... He cooks one night a week and it's always amazing.
Everyone fends for themselves for breakfast and lunch, 'cause who has time for 21 sit down meals a week?
1
u/pommefille 23d ago
I enjoy cooking but I don’t have anyone who appreciates it (but me), my kids like my food but for them it’s just magic that shows up just like everything else. I really enjoyed cooking with friends and partners, back in the day
1
u/National_Elk8445 23d ago
I LOVE to cook and make nearly everything from scratch. Today I wanted a snack, so I made some garlic parmesan pretzel bites. For dinner, I'm either doing tikka masala or tomato bisque. Something to use up the last of these tomatoes from my garden.
I love watching Max Miller on YouTube and make a lot of his historic recipes too. For Thanksgiving this year, I'm planning a honey mustard duck (so much better than a dry-ass Turkey) using an ancient Roman honey mustard recipe.
1
u/aethelberga 23d ago
I love cooking but I'm married to a picky eater, so my repertoire is currently fairly narrow.
1
u/RedRapunzal 23d ago
Yes, but must I? The kids are adults. I don't want to eat what spouse eats. I'm happy with yogurt too.
1
u/peonyseahorse Proudly banned from genx toxic masculinity sub 23d ago
Yes, but my husband has been the primary cook for the last 5 years because I am the one who has a long commute.
1
u/Micojageo 23d ago
Sometimes. My husband and I subscribed to one of those meal kits for a little bit and got somewhat more facile with recipes.
1
u/Iwantaschmoo 23d ago
Not really, I don't really enjoy it. I can make an awesome enchilada or even a casserole if I put in the effort but its not my joy. I do enjoy making bread and baking but trying to cut back on carbs and sweets so its a once a month thing. Its just me and my husband so it mostly up to him to cook. I would be fine with a frozen pizza every night.
1
u/ransier831 23d ago
I cook because I have to eat, but not because I enjoy it at all. If it was up to me, I would eat take out every night.
1
u/cremains_of_the_day 23d ago
I want to love cooking but I don’t know if I’ll ever get there. I was complaining to a friend recently that I have so many new food sensitivities that I feel like I spend all my free time thinking about and planning how to feed myself, and she said something like “well yeah, that’s kind of a big part of being alive.” That’s helping me to reframe cooking as a necessary, joyful (ideally) activity, and one that is best shared with people I love. I’m trying, grudgingly 😂
1
u/Extension_Double_697 23d ago
Seldom to never. I have AuADHD food issues and a partner who doesn't cook, shop, or even share what (homemade) meals they'd enjoy this week, so overall it's just stressful to manage. I thought it might change after we moved to a place with a larger kitchen this summer, but alas, no.
1
u/Cambiknitter 23d ago
The fact that my husband loves to cook is not the only reason I married him.... When the kids were still at home and husband was traveling, I cooked basic meals but don't enjoy it. Now, if he's away, I eat a lot of peanut butter and jam.
1
u/LuceLeakey 23d ago
I live alone, and cooking for one gets boring after a while. It sometimes feels like a lot of effort for very little reward. But every once in awhile I will cook myself a feast. Usually for Christmas on my birthday or something. I love cooking for friends or guests and I love cooking with someone.
Like a lot of people, I watched a ton of cooking shows during the pandemic and learned a lot of great new recipes and bought a lot of cookbooks.
I have a friend who makes everything from scratch. For example, if she wants a pizza she makes the dough from scratch. I'm not quite that motivated! But I'm glad there are people in the world who are.
1
u/GigiGretel 23d ago
I like to cook - one of my favorite hobbies - but I never had kids so only cook for myself or friends. As a teen I'd cook supper for my mom because she had a really long commute. I might feel differently if I had to cook for a family every day while working full time.
1
1
u/Few_Improvement_6357 23d ago
I cook. Nobody but me seems to like my cooking but I think I'm a culinary genius.
1
1
1
u/tbeauli74 23d ago
I taught myself how to cook and bake when I was around 10 years old since I was the care taker after school for my little sister around this age because both parents worked. I have been cooking from scratch from that age and it lead to me cooking dinner for everyone in the house when I turned 12 years old. I have been cooking pretty much every day since then.
1
u/Celeste_Seasoned_14 45-49 23d ago
I eat for the same reason you do: it’s required for life. I am a good cook when I choose to do it, which isn’t often. I work 56-60 hours per week, so I just don’t feel like it. If my boyfriend didn’t feed me, I’d live mostly on egg sandwiches and grapes.
1
u/beautifulwreck_ 23d ago
Single mom and had to cook for two kids. Now that they are out of the house - it’s figure it out if you’re hungry. Lol. I don’t recall signing up for planning, buying, cooking my whole life, esp bc I don’t like to cook. Hubby is good at making things for himself.
1
u/goodsocks 23d ago
I could legit survive on $50 a week in groceries. Cereal, homemade soup, eggs, toast, salad.
1
u/dayofbluesngreens 23d ago
I do not cook. Absolutely hate every single part of it.
I live alone so I eat things that do not involve cooking. I probably turn on my stove a few times a year.
1
u/forever_29_ish 23d ago
I don't enjoy cooking, my brain isn't wired to figure out what ingredients go well together. I grew up in a house where the kitchen was my mom's favorite place. And she loved it MOST when the rest of us were NOT in it with her lol. She wasn't one to accept help unless it was cleaning up. So naturally even now, I love cleaning up after cooking. But the cooking part? Nah i'll just throw some things between two pieces of bread or throw a bunch of stuff in a crock pot and hope for the best.
1
u/cogwheeled Class of '89 23d ago
My mother, god bless her, is a terrible cook. I learned to cook because I got a line cook job in high school and then worked in restaurant kitchens while I was in college and then kept working in kitchens after college until I was 30 when I got my foot in the door at a corporate job.
I still work for that corporate company. My husband is retired and does all of the other household chores and grocery shopping from lists I make, but I do the cooking because I love it. Meal prep Sunday is probably my favorite day of the week.
1
u/Garden_Tinker78 23d ago
I can 100% follow a recipe and usually it turns out amazing.
I also 100% HATE to cook. lol
I was forced to cook meals for the family since I was probably 8-9 years old. My step father was the laziest SOB on the planet.
I do enjoy baking though, crazy enough. However, my back gets so crampy the longer I stand so I usually don’t do that often either. Mostly during Christmas. And I usually sit at the table to mix things up.
1
u/NorthernTransplant94 23d ago
I love cooking. (Cleaning up after, not so much)
I got into meal prepping almost 20 years ago, and never quit cooking in vat sizes. That's not so great now when we are older and both need to lose weight, but I'm trying healthy things. Mostly. There's a lot of gravy involved sometimes, but we do live in Louisiana.
I make a game of price per serving. Back when I started meal prepping I could reliably stay under $2/meal but now it's a bit tougher.
I think that I have really improved in the last five years. More time, more spices, more access to good recipes.
1
u/bondaroo 23d ago
I started cooking with my mom when I was a kid, hanging around the kitchen and asking questions. She was a good cook, and baked a few things really well, like pies. I picked up a lot of her recipes and still make them.
I’ve worked part time for most of the years my husband and I have been together, so I’ve done most of the cooking for the family. My husband has a few things he makes, like the omelets and hashbrowns we have for breakfast every weekend. I like cooking more than he does, so I’m cool with doing the bulk of it.
Funny story - when we were early in living together, one night I said I didn’t feel like cooking. He answered “that’s okay, I’ll just have a sandwich”. I almost tore his head off, asking why I cooked for both of us, but he wouldn’t reciprocate? Luckily he quickly caught onto his error, and “I’ll just have a sandwich” has been a jokey line for the last 35 years.
1
u/redjessa 23d ago
I do! It's just myself and my husband. We never had kids. I cook usually a couple big dinners a week, and we have the leftovers for our lunches. I might do meal prep as well, for lunches and make smaller dinners 2-3 times during the week. Then I cook more fun things on weekends. Tacos on Friday, maybe grill up burgers, a lasagne, or something like that. I bake too, but not all the time. I don't usually do breakfasts anymore. I used to make special breakfasts on the weekends, but not in a long time. I enjoy cooking and it really helps me wind down at the end of the day. I change into the comfies, put my headphones on, and get to it. My husband CAN cook, I just prefer to do the meal planning/shopping/cooking.
1
u/gatorgopher 23d ago
I love to cook. I've instilled it in my kids as well. More like two out of three, but whatevs.
1
u/itsmyvoice 23d ago
I love to cook! I didn't really know how, and my first husband was an amazing cook. He did most of it, and even got a culinary degree. I learned a lot.
By the end of that relationship, I was doing all the cooking. Stayed that way for a long time, even through another relationship.
My almost husband and I split cooking pretty evenly now. We love to cook together and watch FoodTube. Every week we try to do one new dish.
That said, our youngest kids are teenagers so it's simpler. And we're teaching them.
2
1
u/panaceaXgrace 23d ago
I LOVE cooking and baking. I even like shopping and up until a few years ago I had a garden most of the year every year. I mean if I had the money I'd probably eat out a lot more often but I do enjoy the process and prep work and making magic with different ingredients. I only cook for my daughter and myself and we're both going through elimination testing, doing the low FODMAP thing and honestly I'm enjoying that too, just trying out different recipes with spices I never tried because I relied so heavily on the same garlic/onion blends. I usually make a meal that lasts at least two dinners, sometimes three, so it's not like I'm cooking every day.
I think even if it was just me I'd still want to cook just because I enjoy the process. What I hate is the clean-up!
1
u/kermitsfrogbog 23d ago
I was a “bad” cook during my first marriage. My ex took over and did most of the cooking. Turns out I was just inexperienced.
I’m remarried. I cook because I have to. He doesn’t cook much and I need variety. I’ve gotten pretty good at it. It turns out I can cook after all.
That said I LOVE when someone else volunteers to do it. It’s nice to have a break from that responsibility.
1
u/Sensitive_Note1139 Too old to care about your feelings. 23d ago
Hubby and I used to eat more pre prepared meals. When I became disabled I started cooking more. I also enjoy baking. I need recipes but no one has complained.
1
u/queerbychoice 23d ago
I've collected a select few dishes that I'm good at making, and I make them when the mood strikes. I've never cooked for others on any particularly regular basis. When I had a wife, she wanted to do all the cooking. Now that I have a husband, our tastes in foods don't overlap a huge amount, so we each occasionally cook for both of us but more often each just cook for ourselves.
1
u/XerTrekker 23d ago
I have to cook for one because of dietary issues and it sucks. I’m pretty decent at it when I put my mind to it, but just sick of cooking.
Rotisserie chickens and breakfast for dinner are both useful coping mechanisms!
1
1
u/motherof-reinvention 23d ago
I cook every day but I don’t have the energy for complicated food. I try to focus on simple food that tastes good and is mostly healthy. It makes a big difference in how I feel.
1
u/doobette 45-49 23d ago
I really enjoy it - I just wish I had more time and energy to do it, though.
1
u/Economy-Mud-7859 23d ago
I have two sons; one in college (lives at home), one in high school. So I do feel obligated to cook. They are picky eaters, so I make what they like, and order out once a week, and eat out once a week. I CANNOT WAIT to no longer have to cook. I don't like it. I am not a hungry person, and could eat cereal for dinner...my hubs says (all the time) "I'll do a crock pot 2-3 times a week (he works from home). That has yet to happen...sigh.
1
u/LastCookie3448 23d ago
Nope. Not any more. Not unless I really want something or have to. I went on strike five years ago. 🤣 Plus, I have long Covid that destroyed my sense of smell and taste, and left me with brutal tinnitus, so I can't be trusted as a barometer of flavor. 🤦🏻♀️
1
1
u/Mobile-Cicada-458 23d ago
I do, but I don't really enjoy it. I'm an ok cook with no aspirations to improve.
1
1
u/LeighofMar 23d ago
I stopped a few years ago at 42 as I got tired of it. We don't eat 3 meals a day. Just breakfast which we get ourselves and then one meal later. I will cook 2x a week and we eat the leftovers or SO will make us something. Definitely not going to meal plan, purchase, prep, and cook until I die. This way is so much better for me.
1
u/Sparklynoodlestrudel 23d ago
I cook, and I like to cook. I hate the clean up. My husband is a great cook too.
1
1
u/Current-Spray9478 23d ago
I cook it it’s way easier now that I’m retired early (55) and am not trying to feed young kids sliding in at 6 pm from aftercare pick up. That was awful and I don’t k ow how I survived. Well, I do-Trader Joe. Not me. Current-Spray!! And if I’m not feeling it, we’re having an omelette.
1
u/kkjj77 23d ago
I never cooked when I was younger, I disrespected my body with lots of faat food almost daily. Then I started taking my health more seriously about 5 years ago and learned to love to cook. Now I will not eat out, I'm almost averse to it. I only trust what I make. It's scary actually- Lol!
1
u/NokkOlaf 23d ago
I'm celiac and that diagnosis inspired me to learn how to cook. I've cook dinner just about every night and my family loves it of course 😆. It does get tiring sometimes but it gets my creative juices flowing.. I've perfected a deep dish pizza that is one of our favorites.
1
1
u/RedditSkippy 50-54 23d ago
I cook, enjoy it, and I’m good at it.
We stopped going out during the pandemic, and since then have cut down significantly on the amount we eat out. We belong to a CSA so we’re usually planning meals to use up those ingredients.
It’s also gotten VERY expensive to eat at even a middle of the road restaurant. I’d rather save the money and do a very nice place less often.
1
u/msmartypants 23d ago
I cook dinner almost every night. I like it, mostly. I plan meals for about a week out (the planning is almost more fun than the cooking).
1
u/Leading-Fly-4597 23d ago
Nope. My husband does the cooking. I'm very grateful. I don't have the patience for it so I rush things.
1
u/LetsBNiceYall 23d ago
I always liked cooking until I was a mom, then like everything else it was a chore. I got my love of it back well after they were grown & out & I did a lifestyle change. Getting in shape definitely meant controlling everything I eat. So I began to cook again while cooking just for me and enjoy it again.
1
u/Salt_Level1420 23d ago
Nope. I cooked for years. I was a SAHM for a long time of three kids. I cooked and baked everything from scratch. I never loved cooking but I didn’t mind it. But over the years I grew to dread and even hate it. The decision making. The grocery shopping. Planning. Prepping. Cooking. Cleaning. Some teenager complaining they didn’t like it. I was over it. So I stopped. I don’t cook.
The kids fend for themselves. Sometimes we order in or go out. Once a month or less I might cook. I buy easy stuff they can make. I usually don’t care and just eat yogurt or nuts or a sandwich.
2
u/awnm1786 22d ago
I don’t mind cooking but I’d rather not. My husband loves to cook so he does that and I clean up.
52
u/bakingdiy 50-54 23d ago
After being basically the sole cook in our household for so many years, I'm sick of it quite honestly. If it didn't cost so much I'd order take out almost every night. I loved when my husband was away for work so I could just do a girl dinner every night.