The Fear of food ....

BlazinEmerald

ok , so I have a very difficult time preparing food. Breakfast and lunch no biggie but dinner... I could stress all day on what to make and how to make it. My husband is a trained Chef and cooks beautifully, problem is working in the food industry obviously he doesnt want to come home and cook after cooking all day. I however do not have his cullinary skills, and meal preparation down right scares me most of the time. I have a few things I make really well! And I search and look at recipes all day and just lack the immagination to see how a food like a pork loin and apricots might combine together , and actually taste good lol. So , I am a simple cook. If any of the ingredients listed are out of my realm of the norm , I pass it by. I'm terrified of cooking a new meal and my family hating it. My kids love veggies and in truth will east just about anything I put in front of them. Lastnight I made turkey meatballs and boy did I stress , I have NEVER made meatballs in my life. They did turn out okay though. Anyone else stress as much as I do ? lol I need SIMPLE recipes with everyday foods!

BlazinEmerald

ok , so I have a very difficult time preparing food. Breakfast and lunch no biggie but dinner... I could stress all day on what to make and how to make it. My husband is a trained Chef and cooks beautifully, problem is working in the food industry obviously he doesnt want to come home and cook after cooking all day. I however do not have his cullinary skills, and meal preparation down right scares me most of the time. I have a few things I make really well! And I search and look at recipes all day and just lack the immagination to see how a food like a pork loin and apricots might combine together , and actually taste good lol. So , I am a simple cook. If any of the ingredients listed are out of my realm of the norm , I pass it by. I'm terrified of cooking a new meal and my family hating it. My kids love veggies and in truth will east just about anything I put in front of them. Lastnight I made turkey meatballs and boy did I stress , I have NEVER made meatballs in my life. They did turn out okay though. Anyone else stress as much as I do ? lol I need SIMPLE recipes with everyday foods!

sgtinvincible

Hmm, I am happy if I get a bologna sandwich and tater tots. I know where you are coming from though, I took a few culinary classes a few years back and there is some AMAZING food out there. Some chefs truly are artists. About as close as I get to art with my food is when I make a smiley face out of my pancakes, or I build a fort with my mashed potatoes (Oh no, the peas are attacking, shut the gate!!!).

twin2

I hear ya! I have the same problem, I pretty much finished breakfast wondering what I am going to make for dinner. As far as my kids, one likes salads and veggies the other (older & more opinionated) could eat PB & J or chicken nuggets all the time. Like tonight I fixed them fried chicken (with the crust they like), green beans, whole kernal corn, & biscuits, I also fixed BBQ chicken and long grain and wild rice for me. The youngest loved the rice and ate his veggies, the 13 year old said the rice was poision and ate some of the crust and corn plus 2 biscuits, he is as skinny as a bean pole and there is no wonder. If you come up with any good ones let me know!

twin2

Hmm, I am happy if I get a bologna sandwich and tater tots. I know where you are coming from though, I took a few culinary classes a few years back and there is some AMAZING food out there. Some chefs truly are artists. About as close as I get to art with my food is when I make a smiley face out of my pancakes, or I build a fort with my mashed potatoes (Oh no, the peas are attacking, shut the gate!!!).

I think you are my son in a few years! :laugh:

TamTastic

Hmm, I am happy if I get a bologna sandwich and tater tots. I know where you are coming from though, I took a few culinary classes a few years back and there is some AMAZING food out there. Some chefs truly are artists. About as close as I get to art with my food is when I make a smiley face out of my pancakes, or I build a fort with my mashed potatoes (Oh no, the peas are attacking, shut the gate!!!).

I think you are my son in a few years! :laugh:

I was just thinking that!! I suddenly have a vision of my boy making a fort out of his mashed potatoes in the not so distant future.

sgtinvincible

Hmm, I am happy if I get a bologna sandwich and tater tots. I know where you are coming from though, I took a few culinary classes a few years back and there is some AMAZING food out there. Some chefs truly are artists. About as close as I get to art with my food is when I make a smiley face out of my pancakes, or I build a fort with my mashed potatoes (Oh no, the peas are attacking, shut the gate!!!).

I think you are my son in a few years! :laugh:

I was just thinking that!! I suddenly have a vision of my boy making a fort out of his mashed potatoes in the not so distant future.

:laugh:

fit_amy

BlazinEmerald I love this post! I was a child of microwaved everything. My mom didn't make many things 'from scratch' so when I flew the coop I made lots of pbj, grilled cheese, canned spaghetti.

It took many years to figure out how to cook. I actually had to ask my mom how to boil eggs at one point. I think I was scared of the kitchen, like you. My mindset was, if it takes longer to make it than to eat it, why bother!?

I've worked in the food industry for 4 years and now I'm over my kitchen fear. It was a gradual change though! I'd suggest starting small. Like you could make whole wheat pasta (basic), heat up a jar of pasta sauce (basic), and and sautee some mushrooms (intermediate) to add to it. Baby steps! I'm usually a recipe follower than free spirit in the kitchen (read: sometimes I prefer to bake than cook). You can get detailed instructions on any cooking step from the internets! Try not to be intimidated by your DH cooking expertise. I'm sure he'll appreciate your effort! :happy:

one more thing--if it doesn't end up perfect, or not as good as you expected, chalk it up as experience and make a note of it. Try not to beat yourself up! I know I've been surprised (in both good and bad ways) a few times by some things I've cooked!

hmmmm

I think most people aren't born experts as cooking. When I moved out of my moms she bought me "the joy of cooking" cookbook and I went to that book for everything. I still use it to look up boiling eggs lol, and I like to find recipes and if I don't know how to cook something the internet is my best friend and I still refer to my beaten up cookbook a lot too.
Sometimes I am inventive, tonight was meatloaf made with ground turkey, turkey bacon (trying to use it up before it went bad), red beans, onion soup mix, banana nut crunch cereal,(had no breadcrumbs) and bbq sauce. Just ground it all up and mixed it and it came out good (surprise!). It really is a learning experience for me each time I cook.
I am sure your hubby understands that you didn't have culinary training. Tell him so he is forewarned that you want to try new things and have fun with it. Start with a recipe and know that you can substitute ingredients, or add or omit to your liking. I do not do well with baking though. So those recipes I usually follow pretty closely or look up which substitutions will work. The internet really is the best tool though. Good luck. Heather