Who can''t cook?

[Gypsy]

I mean, really can't cook. Can't make eggs, can't boil water, breaks into a sweat over minute rice. And why?

I've been watching Worst Cooks in America and I'm really surprised by the limited exposure/ experience some of these contestants have to the not-eating-side of food... if you don't cook, why didn't you learn?

 

[elrohwen]

Ooo, good thread! I've been watching that show too and I wonder how some of them have had so little experience with even things like using a knife. My mom would not have let me go to college without having at least the basics down.

 

[Lauren8211]

I can do basic cooking... but if a recipe has more than 5 ingredients, forget it.

My mom was always an 'i don't cook' mom and I kind of picked that up. I have been trying to cook more and learn to enjoy it! Once DH and I have kids, i can't feed them cereal like I do with myself whenever he's not home to cook!

 

[yssie]

Haha I couldn't do much more than boil pasta 'til I moved out west to live with FI

First I lived at home, and my mum didn't like me in the kitchen. Things tended to burn, boil over, char, or become otherwise inedible when she assigned me tasks

Then I went to college, and the supermarkets were a good hike - and with my meal plan the first couple of years it was just easier to eat from what they served.


In our apt in later college one of my friends loved to cook, and she could make the most exotic, amazingly delicious things from almost nothing.. the rest of us just chopped and peeled.


Then I moved in with FI, and I had to start feeding myself since he can eat pasta and cereal every day for weeks on end... I managed to give myself food poisoning a couple of times, but I'm finally comfy in the kitchen - and I don't feel the need to run to the store and buy everything readymade when we have people over. I experimented with baking and canning for the holidays, which was actually lots of fun, though it cost us a crock pot.. FI and I have completely different tastes in food so it's easier to just feed ourselves

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 2:56:40 PM
Author: yssie
I managed to give myself food poisoning a couple of times

Oh no!

 

[Laila619]

Gypsy, what channel is Worst Cooks in America on? Sounds like it''s right up my alley. I can barely make toast, lol.

 

[jet2ks]

Date: 1/20/2010 3:05:03 PM
Author: Laila619
Gypsy, what channel is Worst Cooks in America on? Sounds like it's right up my alley. I can barely make toast, lol.

Food Network. Airs on Sunday nights 10:00 Eastern with repeats a few times during the week.

I have gotten a kick out of the show, too, and just can't imagine going through life without knowing some basic cooking skills. What amazes me is that so many of the people on the show talk about how much they want to learn how to cook. Really? So their communities never offer basic cooking classes somewhere?

 

[whitby_2773]

both my mother and my sister was/is a terrible cook. and i mean horrible. think 'finding the kitchen cloth in with the spinach' kind of bad (mom). think 'we were out of vanilla for the egg nog, so i used vinegar. that's about the same, right?' (sister) kind of bad. think BAD kind of bad!

by the time i was 12, i was making Christmas dinner for the family and our guests, and i made a point of becoming a good cook because i ate some awful food in my time. the worst was always whenever my mother decided to 'break out of the rut and do something *different* tonight, girls...' believe me, that was time to fake a stomach ache!

 

[Laila619]

Thanks jet!

 

[Maisie]

My meals used to be very basic. Pasta or meat with veggies. I have started trying to make more different types of food. I got some great recipes from LaurenThePartier:

http://www.laurens-kitchen.com/

I can make her food because the instructions are easy to follow

 

[ArtistJess]

I can cook!.. anything in a box, bag, or can

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 3:27:54 PM
Author: Maisie
My meals used to be very basic. Pasta or meat with veggies. I have started trying to make more different types of food. I got some great recipes from LaurenThePartier:

http://www.laurens-kitchen.com/

I can make her food because the instructions are easy to follow

Oh, I''ll have to check out Lauren''s website.

I''m pretty sure I started watching an episode of that show but turned it off because I had to cook dinner!

Overall, I''m an okay cook. Basically stick to stuff that I can alter a bit so everyone in the family is happy - like angel hair pasta that can be plain for my kids and then spices added for my DH.

My son is 9 1/2 and I''m starting to wonder at what age I should teach him to cook. When I was his age, I was making all my own after-school snacks. . .with my son, though, he only uses the toaster! Is he too young to boil water?

 

[Maisie]

My son is 11 and I don''t let him near boiling water. I just know there would be an accident. He also uses the toaster safely but thats it. Oh and no microwave. He would probably put a can in there

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 3:59:56 PM
Author: MC
My son is 9 1/2 and I'm starting to wonder at what age I should teach him to cook. When I was his age, I was making all my own after-school snacks. . .with my son, though, he only uses the toaster! Is he too young to boil water?

At that age I was helping my mom with all sorts of stuff in the kitchen! I think he's definitely old enough to help out. Plus he's at the age where he probably thinks it's cool to help mom in the kitchen

I wouldn't let him do things unsupervised, but if you're there I'm sure he'll be perfectly fine.

By 12 I was making bread by myself - so I think you're never too young to learn how to cook.

 

[Kaleigh]

Mom was a terrible cook, we had a housekeeper that did all the cooking. She taught me a lot.

 

[radiantquest]

Hehe. I am pretty bad. Sometimes DH would get stuff that comes from a box so that I will feel useful. He bought tuna helper and I was in the kitchen feeling all wife-like and served it and he then informed me that I forgot the tuna and all I had served was creamy noodles. I was very embarrased.

The next time I was "cooking" I was making a frozen pizza. I forgot to take the cardboard off the bottom. They should make it a little bit bigger so that you know that it is there.

There have also been many close calls when it comes to starting fires. I remember I was making those hash brown things. Of course from a bag that was frozen. The first time I made they were all mushy so this time I turned the fire up higher and the oil I guess was too hot so when I poured the hash brown chunks and I guess some ice dust there was a huge grease splatter with a loud frying noise, I squealed, he came running and yelled at me for a long time. I think I even cried.

I no longer cook. Ever.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:06:21 PM
Author: Maisie
My son is 11 and I don''t let him near boiling water. I just know there would be an accident. He also uses the toaster safely but thats it. Oh and no microwave. He would probably put a can in there

Maisie - yeah, the water makes me nervous. It''s also because he has a younger brother and the two of them could equal chaos. The only food he cooks in the microwave is micro popcorn. The worst he can do is burn it and thus far, the only person who ever does that is my DH! lol I did catch him putting individual blueberries in there. Luckily none of them blew up. lol

 

[Maisie]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:24:47 PM
Author: radiantquest

Hehe. I am pretty bad. Sometimes DH would get stuff that comes from a box so that I will feel useful. He bought tuna helper and I was in the kitchen feeling all wife-like and served it and he then informed me that I forgot the tuna and all I had served was creamy noodles. I was very embarrased.

The next time I was ''cooking'' I was making a frozen pizza. I forgot to take the cardboard off the bottom. They should make it a little bit bigger so that you know that it is there.

There have also been many close calls when it comes to starting fires. I remember I was making those hash brown things. Of course from a bag that was frozen. The first time I made they were all mushy so this time I turned the fire up higher and the oil I guess was too hot so when I poured the hash brown chunks and I guess some ice dust there was a huge grease splatter with a loud frying noise, I squealed, he came running and yelled at me for a long time. I think I even cried.

I no longer cook. Ever.

I am truly sorry but this post had me cracking up! It was so funny!!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:10:01 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 1/20/2010 3:59:56 PM
Author: MC
My son is 9 1/2 and I''m starting to wonder at what age I should teach him to cook. When I was his age, I was making all my own after-school snacks. . .with my son, though, he only uses the toaster! Is he too young to boil water?

At that age I was helping my mom with all sorts of stuff in the kitchen! I think he''s definitely old enough to help out. Plus he''s at the age where he probably thinks it''s cool to help mom in the kitchen

I wouldn''t let him do things unsupervised, but if you''re there I''m sure he''ll be perfectly fine.

By 12 I was making bread by myself - so I think you''re never too young to learn how to cook.

He does like to mix up dough for cookies and then eats it! Remember the good ''ole days when that was acceptable before we all realized that eating raw eggs could result in food poisoning? hahaha

 

[packrat]

We weren''t allowed to touch *anything* in the kitchen. Once we got older and mom went back to work, she did show us how to use the microwave. I remember (and this is my brother''s favorite story to tell about me..but pbbbtt on him-it''s the only one he has, I have like a million about him)..one day mom was sick. Very sick. I was hungry. She wasn''t going to make anything, and *I* hadn''t been taught how to make anything, other than cereal, so I begged her to tell me how to make a box of macaroni and cheese. She says to me "Get the big pan out and fill it a few inches below the top with water and put it on the stove" So I did. That''s all she said. Put it on the stove. Later, I''m like, jeez I''m starving how long does this take, and mom was ticked, so she got up to look and she yells "You have to turn the stove ON!" Well, duh? How was I supposed to know? All I had was a pot of water on the stove. She''s like, you think this cooks itself? I had no clue how to follow a recipe (like the one on the Kraft box) or anything.

I make lots of stuff now, tho not anything hard or massively involved. I can''t imagine being an adult and not knowing *anything*.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:31:23 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/20/2010 4:10:01 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 1/20/2010 3:59:56 PM
Author: MC
My son is 9 1/2 and I''m starting to wonder at what age I should teach him to cook. When I was his age, I was making all my own after-school snacks. . .with my son, though, he only uses the toaster! Is he too young to boil water?

At that age I was helping my mom with all sorts of stuff in the kitchen! I think he''s definitely old enough to help out. Plus he''s at the age where he probably thinks it''s cool to help mom in the kitchen

I wouldn''t let him do things unsupervised, but if you''re there I''m sure he''ll be perfectly fine.

By 12 I was making bread by myself - so I think you''re never too young to learn how to cook.

He does like to mix up dough for cookies and then eats it! Remember the good ''ole days when that was acceptable before we all realized that eating raw eggs could result in food poisoning? hahaha

I''m 27, and that has yet to ever stop me from eating it.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

When I was little my mom used to let me "cook" and "bake" in the kitchen. This would consist of me opening the flour and spice cabinet and make crazy concoctions with water which we''d then bake. These days when I think back I cringe because I know how much spices cost and how much I must have wasted, but it''s a fond childhood memory for me. We were never expected to cook at home, but we were always welcome to hang out in the kitchen and cook when we wanted to. My grandfather was probably the inspiration for my love of cooking. That and his love of PBS cooking shows. I remember watching Burt Wolfe, Julia Child and Yan Can Cook with him all the time. I really admired him because it was so foreign at the time for a guy to be into baking and cooking. But he was and that was awesome. My dad bought me a pasta machine when I was in middle school and I had a blast making pastas at home. Then I just watched a lot of cooking shows and looked at a lot of cookbooks. Like your palate, your cooking skills are honed by exposure to new techniques and practice. As you cook anything, you refine your skills a little more. Toss some creativity and confidence into the mix and you''ve got dinner!

I''m totally in awe of those contestants on worst cooks....just in awe...

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:36:16 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
When I was little my mom used to let me ''cook'' and ''bake'' in the kitchen. This would consist of me opening the flour and spice cabinet and make crazy concoctions with water which we''d then bake. These days when I think back I cringe because I know how much spices cost and how much I must have wasted, but it''s a fond childhood memory for me. We were never expected to cook at home, but we were always welcome to hang out in the kitchen and cook when we wanted to. My grandfather was probably the inspiration for my love of cooking. That and his love of PBS cooking shows. I remember watching Burt Wolfe, Julia Child and Yan Can Cook with him all the time. I really admired him because it was so foreign at the time for a guy to be into baking and cooking. But he was and that was awesome. My dad bought me a pasta machine when I was in middle school and I had a blast making pastas at home. Then I just watched a lot of cooking shows and looked at a lot of cookbooks. Like your palate, your cooking skills are honed by exposure to new techniques and practice. As you cook anything, you refine your skills a little more. Toss some creativity and confidence into the mix and you''ve got dinner!

I''m totally in awe of those contestants on worst cooks....just in awe...

My kids love to make concoctions too. They put various stuff in water bottles and mix it up. Luckily the grocery store I shop at sells spices in bulk so I''m not stuck paying $7 for a little jar of thyme. Surprisingly, my younger son made a "potion" and added nutmeg and cinnamon and it was almost drinkable. It smelled really good!

I''ll let them do the same with flour and baking powder. Hopefully nothing explodes in the oven!

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:31:23 PM
Author: MC
He does like to mix up dough for cookies and then eats it! Remember the good 'ole days when that was acceptable before we all realized that eating raw eggs could result in food poisoning? hahaha

What?! We can't do that anymore?

Sometimes I make cookie dough just to eat it in its dough form. I don't even bother with the cookie part.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I'm watching Worst Cooks in America, and a mere 5-6 years ago, I could have totally been on that show. I was absolutely clueless about proper knife handling, boiling eggs eluded me, I would pat myself on the back for making a meal of pasta with sauce from a jar. . .

I find the show intriguing because of the reasons so many of these contestants want to learn how to cook. And my god, I didn't start messing with duck until about 3 years into my adventures in the kitchen, and there they were, cooking it on the first episode. Or was it the second? Either way - bravo on the prgress they've made!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:34:11 PM
Author: elledizzy5

Date: 1/20/2010 4:31:23 PM
Author: MC

He does like to mix up dough for cookies and then eats it! Remember the good ''ole days when that was acceptable before we all realized that eating raw eggs could result in food poisoning? hahaha

I''m 27, and that has yet to ever stop me from eating it.

Me either. lol Some dough tastes better raw. Gingerbread cookie dough! yum.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I could eat oatmeal cookie dough plain with my hands. I don''t even need a spoon!

 

[packrat]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:42:31 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 1/20/2010 4:31:23 PM

Author: MC

He does like to mix up dough for cookies and then eats it! Remember the good ''ole days when that was acceptable before we all realized that eating raw eggs could result in food poisoning? hahaha

What?! We can''t do that anymore?

Sometimes I make cookie dough just to eat it in its dough form. I don''t even bother with the cookie part.

I dig cake batter. Yellow cake especially. MMMMM.

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:49:33 PM
Author: packrat

Date: 1/20/2010 4:42:31 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 1/20/2010 4:31:23 PM

Author: MC

He does like to mix up dough for cookies and then eats it! Remember the good ''ole days when that was acceptable before we all realized that eating raw eggs could result in food poisoning? hahaha

What?! We can''t do that anymore?

Sometimes I make cookie dough just to eat it in its dough form. I don''t even bother with the cookie part.

I dig cake batter. Yellow cake especially. MMMMM.

Good Lord. I''m getting the urge to go make some batter . . . any batter . . . just to lick the spoons!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:57:46 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 1/20/2010 4:49:33 PM
Author: packrat



I dig cake batter. Yellow cake especially. MMMMM.

Good Lord. I''m getting the urge to go make some batter . . . any batter . . . just to lick the spoons!

Me too! My kids have friends coming over this afternoon and I love to bake when they''re all playing.