Cooking is Hard

WendyTerry420

I think when people say cooking is too hard they are just lazy or making excuses for eating healthy IMO.

Anyone can make some chicken and veggies, they just choose not to. I mean, you can just buy microwave steam veggies, just vent the bag and nuke it. Can't get any easier than that to make some fresh veggies.

I cook every night. Nope. Not lazy at all.

Some people are good at cooking different things. My boyfriend can grill a steak and it be absolutely delicious, but he can not cook anything that requires the use of a stove.

Cooking requires attention and knowledge of different spices and seasonings.

I cook because my family has to eat, and we can't afford to pay a professional to do it for us. :laugh:


I can make spaghetti, tacos, hamburgers, hamburger macaroni, and a few others such things that aren't too difficult, but that hardly makes me a good cook. *Most* of the time when I am following a recipe it is hard to do. It's not something that just any grade schooler can easily do, contrary to what some people seem to think.




I am wondering how many of you that think cooking is so easy can swish a jump shot from the 3 point line with 60-70% accuracy? How many of you can correctly fill out a 1040 form for someone else, asking them all the right questions to ensure they get all the appropriate tax credits? How many of you can do a cartwheel at 200 pounds? How many of you can juggle a soccer ball for longer than 3 minutes - hell for longer than 10 seconds?

:smokin:

ijavagypsy

Yes, when you work all week, it's a good thing to spend a day preparing the week's meals. The quality is superior, you know what goes into each recipe, and you know that food safety standards are followed. We're retired now, and spend time home canning and dehydrating during the summer and fall, and those dinners in a jar are a welcome break to cooking.

My1985Freckles

I am wondering how many of you that think cooking is so easy can swish a jump shot from the 3 point line with 60-70% accuracy? How many of you can correctly fill out a 1040 form for someone else, asking them all the right questions to ensure they get all the appropriate tax credits? How many of you can do a cartwheel at 200 pounds? How many of you can juggle a soccer ball for longer than 3 minutes - hell for longer than 10 seconds?

How about 2 out of 4? LOL I can totally do the tax return and the cartwheel eithout even blinking and I sure would be willing to try the other two and with enough practice I probably wouldn't do too bad..

I still hold to the cooking is easy belief. If you don't recognize and ingredient or a "method" the recipe is talking about, Google it! We live in a great society with all this information just seconds away. I have yet to find a recipe that I went "Man, this is too hard!" And another thing, you don't always have to follow the recipe verbatim *GASP*!!!! Sometimes I cheat and do multiple steps at once because I know it will turn out by stirring in all three of these ingredients at once instead of cooking 5 minutes in between each. And if every once in a while, it doesn't turn out. Whoop-de-do! Learn from you mistake, suck it up and move on. The only way you can fail is if you don't even try which is exactly what "it's too hard" people are doing.

CEHayes73

It takes a bit of effort, but can be really enjoyable. I make a real effort to get my four kids involved in the kitchen, and when they leave this house, they WILL know how to feed themselves. I appreciate the OP's point about financial constraints, but in my experience, cooking from scratch is always cheaper. I can feed my family of 6 for a week on nutritious home prepared meals and snacks for the cost of one dinner out for all of us at a medium priced restaurant, or for the price of about 2-3 meals at a fast food place. That's a total of 126 meals plus snacks, much healthier, and much more affordable.

WendyTerry420

I am wondering how many of you that think cooking is so easy can swish a jump shot from the 3 point line with 60-70% accuracy? How many of you can correctly fill out a 1040 form for someone else, asking them all the right questions to ensure they get all the appropriate tax credits? How many of you can do a cartwheel at 200 pounds? How many of you can juggle a soccer ball for longer than 3 minutes - hell for longer than 10 seconds?

How about 2 out of 4? LOL I can totally do the tax return and the cartwheel eithout even blinking and I sure would be willing to try the other two and with enough practice I probably wouldn't do too bad..

I still hold to the cooking is easy belief. If you don't recognize and ingredient or a "method" the recipe is talking about, Google it! We live in a great society with all this information just seconds away. I have yet to find a recipe that I went "Man, this is too hard!" And another thing, you don't always have to follow the recipe verbatim *GASP*!!!! Sometimes I cheat and do multiple steps at once because I know it will turn out by stirring in all three of these ingredients at once instead of cooking 5 minutes in between each. And if every once in a while, it doesn't turn out. Whoop-de-do! Learn from you mistake, suck it up and move on. The only way you can fail is if you don't even try which is exactly what "it's too hard" people are doing.

I say "this is too hard" to anything with more than about 10 or so ingredients. I will EFF IT UP every time! :laugh:

My husband and kids love me anyway. Sometime I make a big score on a 7-10 ingredient dish with only 3 main step. For example, I made a honey-baked chicken dish that my daughter and I absolutely love. My son requested no glaze on his because he doesn't like honey, and my husband ended with leftovers both nights. So now I figured out how to get my husband to eat leftovers. :laugh:

But dinner is something that if you mess it up, then your family goes hungry, or malnurished, if only for an evening. That is a huge amount of stress. For me, it's can be more stressful than income taxes. And I have a couple of decades of experience. My husband was eating out of canned goods when I met him. It was either cook, or eat something nasty, or starve. (And really, starving is never a real option. lol)

So it can be said that I know how to cook nutritious food. I have been there, done that. But it's still hard to do. It's stressful.




Honestly, with the title of this thread, I originally thought this was going to be a thread of some tips on how to take the stress out of it. :ohwell:

monicalosesweight

Cook LARGE quantities...one giant pork loin can keep you going for multiple days....a roast chicken can also go that route...basically, cook...freeze....eat....

Cooking doesn't have to be a torturous journey - you just have to learn to cook and spread it out over days.

VelociMama

Honestly, with the title of this thread, I originally thought this was going to be a thread of some tips on how to take the stress out of it. :ohwell:

There are a lot of ways to reduce the stress.

First is to stop thinking it's stressful when it's just a matter of following some directions. 90% of the meals I make are 5 ingredients or less, and they usually end up being quite flavorful and well-received by my family. It really is NOT that hard unless you're trying to make 5-star restaurant quality meals every night as a beginner cook.

Second is to prep meals before dinner. This is something we do a lot now. We setup our meals via crock pot or cook in advance and freeze. It takes a LOT of stress off.

Thirdly, you will screw up sometimes. Have a backup plan in place (noodles and canned pasta sauce or something really quick). It happens. The more you cook, the less often it happens and the less catastrophic it is, so my suggestion is to get in the kitchen a whole lot more.

april_mesk

I usually try a new recipe or two every week. I love to cook. I can' t stand eating the same old thing.

WendyTerry420

Honestly, with the title of this thread, I originally thought this was going to be a thread of some tips on how to take the stress out of it. :ohwell:

There are a lot of ways to reduce the stress.

First is to stop thinking it's stressful when it's just a matter of following some directions. 90% of the meals I make are 5 ingredients or less, and they usually end up being quite flavorful and well-received by my family. It really is NOT that hard unless you're trying to make 5-star restaurant quality meals every night as a beginner cook.

Second is to prep meals before dinner. This is something we do a lot now. We setup our meals via crock pot or cook in advance and freeze. It takes a LOT of stress off.

Thirdly, you will screw up sometimes. Have a backup plan in place (noodles and canned pasta sauce or something really quick). It happens. The more you cook, the less often it happens and the less catastrophic it is, so my suggestion is to get in the kitchen a whole lot more.

I *do* have a back-up plan. I have lots of canned goods for heat-and-eat. :laugh:

Thanks for the tips.

WendyTerry420

Cook LARGE quantities...one giant pork loin can keep you going for multiple days....a roast chicken can also go that route...basically, cook...freeze....eat....

Cooking doesn't have to be a torturous journey - you just have to learn to cook and spread it out over days.

I have been trying to do this. A friend of mine gave us a NuWave oven, so sometimes I will roast a check or side of beef on the weekends. Those go for a few meals.

appelsiinipuu

About 18 months ago, I decided it was finally time to learn to cook! I had lots of cookbooks, but hardly ever cooked. I didn't have any confidence in myself in the kitchen. I decided to pick one cookbook and cook every recipe in it. I picked a low fat recipe book with both cooking and baking recipes. I knew that the ingredients in that book could always be found at the supermarket. And I did it! I cooked/baked all the recipes! I ended up doing the same with the second book in that same series.. and I have cooked half of the recipes in the third book. Our freezer has been full of food all the time. Now I look for fun recipes online all the time and just love trying them out!

gauchogirl

Disagree. "Access to..." and "ability to..." do NOT equal LIKE to...If someone doesn't LIKE to cook and chooses to use that as an excuse to NOT eat healthy, then they are making a decision. There are lots of things I don't LIKE to do, but I do them anyway, for my benefit.

mhcoss

I'm with you...

If you really want to make life changes then youw ill learn how to cook. I used to hate cooking and now I love it! Its one of my favorite passtimes. My girlfriend doesn't complain either!

rburgess7

Give me cast iron skillet or dutch oven and i can cook anything, and cleanup is just a wipe with a paper towel. Not only healthy but you get iron in all that you cook and if your pans are seasoned correctly there is no sticking. Try it with a smaller pan at first and then move on to bigger pans. There is nothing you can cook in your conventional pans that I can't cook in cast iron. You should try homemade bisquits in a 12 inch fry pan.

ktdidit78

I agree with you. I personally love to cook, but I have always thought that the saying "if you can read, you can cook" was a very true one. I get compliments on things that I make all the time, and people fequently ask me "where did you learn to cook?" I just tell them that I taught myself, that I am constantly teaching myself and trying different things, which suprises some people for some reason.

I *hate* that expression. It's not true at all. Cooking requires more than the ability to read.

EDIT: Cooking YUMMY food requires more than the ability to read.

Perhaps. I cook and bake at least 95% of the food that we eat. No take out and we tend to go out for dinner once per month.

Quite some time ago my husband asked me how all the food turned out so tasty and I jokingly said 'it's made with love' :-) Over time we've both come to believe this and we see it when we visit family for holiday meals. My MIL is a fantastic cook but in the last several years it's turned into a chore for her and so it's no longer 'made with love' (now it's made out of obligation) and you can tell. Heck when I'm 79 I doubt I'll feel much like feeding a crowd either! My mom is the same (she hasn't made a decent meal in a long time but then she's 90 and tired of standing in a kitchen.

When I was in my 20's I could bake and manage appetizers and basic meals. It wasn't until my 40's that I felt confident after many good and bad meals ;-). These days I make our bread, soups, casseroles, pizza and last weekend I made greek yogurt. Rome wasn't built in a day. And sometimes I still make things that are lousy but the good food outweighs the bad by about 25 to 1.

My advice would be pick something that you want to learn to make (soup for example or stir-fries) and master it by practicing once per week. Little by little as your confidence grows you may find that you're enjoying yourself.

I wholeheartedly agree with you!! The confidence comes with the practice. And, my tastiest meals have been for those that I love. I also threw out many a meal when I was first married. I only recently learned to cook with fresh veggies and, at first, they were overcooked and ick. But now... I LOVE using and experimenting with fresh veggies, quinoa, and other healthful foods. I also love sharing recipes and getting new ones.

Just like with learning to do anything, it just takes time and practice to learn. IF you want to learn.

willow_rb

heat oil, add garlic and onion, soften, add whole unpeeled san marzanos and crush by hand. easy rustic sauce

If you want to get "fancy", toss in 1/2 cup of white wine, simmer for 5 minutes, then toss the tomatoes in. If you don't have the fancy ones, Romas will work just fine. Takes about 15 min, start to finish.

Thanks for the recipe for a fancy sauce-making this tomorrow!

Debbe2

Love to cook, but hate to clean up afterwards. The way I see it is that's what the people I cook for do :laugh:

lolo641

Agreed.... I love to make my own things. I guess I'm to cheap to buy prepackaged.
Also I know what I put in my food, I just have to eat less...

carolina822

Cooking *is* hard. I've been doing it for nearly 20 years. There are some things that I have perfected in that time, but there are still some things (like meatloaf or Alfredo sauce) that I can't get to taste as good as it should.

Some things can be hard to get right, this is true. Cooking in general is not 'hard' though. People think it is hard to toss a chicken breast in the oven with some spices. In this age of fast and convenient we seem to have lost the desire to even try and cook. It is no wonder at all that obesity is a problem (yes, in me too. I am not pointing fingers). We have been trained to not cook for ourselves. Then the food companies do everything they can to make their foods addictive so we keep buying and eating more. Corporations do NOT have your best interest at heart, they only care that you buy more of their products.

If we have more people cooking their own food we would see a change in the direction of obesity.

Throwing a chicken breast in the oven is hardly good cooking, imo.

Beats McDonald's for dinner though. IMO.

xiofett

I'm a pretty damned good cook if I do say so myself, but I've come to learn a few things by watching (and eating food cooked by) people who "can't cook". Disclaimer: My ex-wife and her family are the main inspiration for these tidbits.

1) They are afraid to improvise or even eyeball ingredients.

One of the things I make that her family liked the most was a simple meatloaf. There is nothing magical about meatloaf and there are no hard set rules. Type of meat? Your choice. Hell, mix 2 or 3 for all I care. Seasonings? Whatever you have on hand. My ex's sister asked me for my recipe once, I told her that I couldn't give it to her. At first she was a little huffy and made a crack about it being a "family secret" or something. I told her no, it wasn't a secret, it just didn't exist. She couldn't grasp the idea that it is possible to cook without following a recipe to the letter.

2) They are afraid to try anything new.

As pointed out here already, cooking takes practice. You fell off that bicycle a few times before you learned how to ride, you're going to burn a few dishes or have recipes that simply don't work for you. It happens, it's no big deal. Well, unless the fire department shows up. *Then* it's a big deal. My example here is salmon. Again, my ex's family loved the way I made salmon and despite the fact that I showed everyone involved several times how to cook it, I always ended up being the one to prepare dinner. My "recipe"? Lightly dust with flour (and I do mean lightly), pan over medium heat with 1T real butter and 1T olive oil, salmon goes in skin side up for 2 minutes, flip, and into a 350-ish oven for 4-5 more minutes. Again, no magic.

3) They tend to eat their food without actually tasting it, and/or have an aversion to the idea that some spices need to be added *during* the cooking process.

Especially salt. I understand that you don't want to go overboard on salt if you have certain medical conditions, but salt is absolutely crucial in most recipes. I'm not Alton Brown, so I won't go into the in's and out's of why, but that bland chicken that seems to be on the table at every potluck/holiday dinner/family reunion? I can almost guarantee you that the person responsible for it either doesn't eat their own cooking or has gotten used to cooking for someone on a restricted diet and went way overboard.

But it's not just that. The first time you cook a new recipe, take some extra time eating it. You and you alone know what you like. If it needs more or less of something already listed, make a note. If you're eating it and suddenly think "I bet some cheddar cheese would make this even better" by all means, add it the next time! As you add new spices to your collection and get to know what they do, go back and revisit some old standbys and see about jazzing them up a little.

Cooking is an art. Approaching it as a cold, sterile scientific process will get you edible food, but nothing else. Color outside of the lines, sing off key, make up your own rules. But for goodness sake, just have fun with it. In the immortal words of Nadia G., "It ain't rocket surgery."

WendyTerry420

Disagree. "Access to..." and "ability to..." do NOT equal LIKE to...If someone doesn't LIKE to cook and chooses to use that as an excuse to NOT eat healthy, then they are making a decision. There are lots of things I don't LIKE to do, but I do them anyway, for my benefit.

This is true. I *hate* cooking, but I do it anyway because I love my family.

rebecca_florida

I understand how it's hard for some people to cook, even if they are following a recipe. It's hard to just follow steps without any context. Sometimes understanding a technique can help you cook more intuitively. If you understand the principals behind some basic cooking methods (broiling, braising, frying), a few base recipes (i.e. how to make a roux), and basic knowledge of which flavors tend to pair well together (pork with apples, fish with lemon, cilantro with everything (haha! j/k)) you'll have some fundamentals to build on. I learned all these things mostly by reading cookbooks. Julia Child, Thomas Keller, and Nigella Lawson all have wonderfully narrative cookbooks that can help build this knowledge base. Then just try something! You may fail, but if you do, try to figure out where it went wrong and learn from it. Cooking can be a really fun, creative process and will improve your life AND your health.

WendyTerry420

I understand how it's hard for some people to cook, even if they are following a recipe. It's hard to just follow steps without any context. Sometimes understanding a technique can help you cook more intuitively. If you understand the principals behind some basic cooking methods (broiling, braising, frying), a few base recipes (i.e. how to make a roux), and basic knowledge of which flavors tend to pair well together (pork with apples, fish with lemon, cilantro with everything (haha! j/k)) you'll have some fundamentals to build on. I learned all these things mostly by reading cookbooks. Julia Child, Thomas Keller, and Nigella Lawson all have wonderfully narrative cookbooks that can help build this knowledge base. Then just try something! You may fail, but if you do, try to figure out where it went wrong and learn from it. Cooking can be a really fun, creative process and will improve your life AND your health.

I bought a Better Homes and Gardens technique book many years ago. I learned a lot from it. I still use it for some things. Mostly I use Google now though. I will type in the cut of meat and the word recipe. I have had the most luck with recipes from Southern Food and All Recipes.

Gidzmo

I love cooking. I just hate the cleanup. I've learned to clean as I go and it makes cooking so much more enjoyable.

And Alton Brown is a must for someone wanting to know how to cook. He really gives the science on behind the 'why' certain things get done a certain way in cooking, and what the different ingredients do for a food. Like the different types of proteins and fats in chocolate chip cookies..... Plus he's just fun to watch.

I also like Alton--how to make something, plus the science behind it, given with a BIG spoonful of humor. If you can, get the Good Eats videos (through the Food Network store).

Cleaning as you go does make things easier because you don't have this monumental cleanup at the end.

I can make simple things. However, crockpots can make meals so much easier. All you really need to do is the prep (browning the meat, cutting the veggies, etc).

bombedpop

I'm a pretty damned good cook if I do say so myself, but I've come to learn a few things by watching (and eating food cooked by) people who "can't cook". Disclaimer: My ex-wife and her family are the main inspiration for these tidbits.

1) They are afraid to improvise or even eyeball ingredients.

One of the things I make that her family liked the most was a simple meatloaf. There is nothing magical about meatloaf and there are no hard set rules. Type of meat? Your choice. Hell, mix 2 or 3 for all I care. Seasonings? Whatever you have on hand. My ex's sister asked me for my recipe once, I told her that I couldn't give it to her. At first she was a little huffy and made a crack about it being a "family secret" or something. I told her no, it wasn't a secret, it just didn't exist. She couldn't grasp the idea that it is possible to cook without following a recipe to the letter.

2) They are afraid to try anything new.

As pointed out here already, cooking takes practice. You fell off that bicycle a few times before you learned how to ride, you're going to burn a few dishes or have recipes that simply don't work for you. It happens, it's no big deal. Well, unless the fire department shows up. *Then* it's a big deal. My example here is salmon. Again, my ex's family loved the way I made salmon and despite the fact that I showed everyone involved several times how to cook it, I always ended up being the one to prepare dinner. My "recipe"? Lightly dust with flour (and I do mean lightly), pan over medium heat with 1T real butter and 1T olive oil, salmon goes in skin side up for 2 minutes, flip, and into a 350-ish oven for 4-5 more minutes. Again, no magic.

3) They tend to eat their food without actually tasting it, and/or have an aversion to the idea that some spices need to be added *during* the cooking process.

Especially salt. I understand that you don't want to go overboard on salt if you have certain medical conditions, but salt is absolutely crucial in most recipes. I'm not Alton Brown, so I won't go into the in's and out's of why, but that bland chicken that seems to be on the table at every potluck/holiday dinner/family reunion? I can almost guarantee you that the person responsible for it either doesn't eat their own cooking or has gotten used to cooking for someone on a restricted diet and went way overboard.

But it's not just that. The first time you cook a new recipe, take some extra time eating it. You and you alone know what you like. If it needs more or less of something already listed, make a note. If you're eating it and suddenly think "I bet some cheddar cheese would make this even better" by all means, add it the next time! As you add new spices to your collection and get to know what they do, go back and revisit some old standbys and see about jazzing them up a little.

Cooking is an art. Approaching it as a cold, sterile scientific process will get you edible food, but nothing else. Color outside of the lines, sing off key, make up your own rules. But for goodness sake, just have fun with it. In the immortal words of Nadia G., "It ain't rocket surgery."

This - just thinking about what you are eating, whether it be at a restaurant or at home, will make you a better cook. Think and Taste - what are things you like about what you are eating? What would make it better? Just these two simple things are key to cooking well and easily.

I appreciate this thread, so much more reasonable than all the troll-f*&@kery about fast food over the past couple days.

Cooking at home is faster, cheaper, gives you more quality control, and, for the most part, simply tastes better. I made a really great copy of baked eggs in mushrooms that I had at a restaurant on vacation in Buenos Aires tonight: http://frshforce.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/mushroom-eggs-florentine/#more-603 (and successfully kept my yolks soft this time)

I think mine was better - I added a bit of truffle salt to finish. The truffle salt wasn`t on the menu, but I thought it would add a nice element, and sure enough my thought paid off in spades.

My1985Freckles

About 18 months ago, I decided it was finally time to learn to cook! I had lots of cookbooks, but hardly ever cooked. I didn't have any confidence in myself in the kitchen. I decided to pick one cookbook and cook every recipe in it. I picked a low fat recipe book with both cooking and baking recipes. I knew that the ingredients in that book could always be found at the supermarket. And I did it! I cooked/baked all the recipes! I ended up doing the same with the second book in that same series.. and I have cooked half of the recipes in the third book. Our freezer has been full of food all the time. Now I look for fun recipes online all the time and just love trying them out!

I applaud you on taking the initiative to learn!

NudlBea

I agree 100%. Also, if the peeve is chopping or dicing, most of veggies or fruits can be diced, sliced or whatever before hand and be kept in tupperwares. Do it when u have nothing else to do (like a sunday afternoon) and u're set for the week

My1985Freckles

I'm a pretty damned good cook if I do say so myself, but I've come to learn a few things by watching (and eating food cooked by) people who "can't cook". Disclaimer: My ex-wife and her family are the main inspiration for these tidbits.

1) They are afraid to improvise or even eyeball ingredients.

2) They are afraid to try anything new.

3) They tend to eat their food without actually tasting it, and/or have an aversion to the idea that some spices need to be added *during* the cooking process.

I was raised in a "follow the recipe" family. Everything exactly measured, etc. When I got married, I watched my hubby cook a few times (just throwing this and that in the pot). Well, now I don't even follow recipes. I sometimes use them as a guideline for what spices should be in it, but I never measure them and usually taste it and go "It need X." I learned this method VERY quickly. I have only been married two and half years. Anyone can learn to do this if they try.

TrailRunner61

Cooking isn't hard, it's just like anything else, it takes planning and effort. We (well, a lot of us) are lazy. What annoys me more than planning, shopping and cooking is the darned mess that I make.

crchillogalli

That's why they created crockpots. Chop a few things up, add seasonings, throw it all in, put the cover on and it cooks all day, or night and VOILA Magic happens! You don't need the crap in a box!