Who can''t cook?

[Kaleigh]

Batter is the best, but haven''t had any in ages. But do slice up the Pillsbury Cookie dough... One slice is enough to fill my cravings!!!!

Yummmm.

Lauren,
Love your recipes!!!! Great job!!!

 

[elrohwen]

Ok, now DH can kind of cook - he can make pasta, cook up some chicken breasts with veggies and rice, that type of thing. Left on his own he wouldn''t be eating cereal every night.

However, the other day he wanted to make tea (I always make it) and asked how I did it. So I said to fill the kettle, put it on the stove, and I''d show him how much milk and sugar I add once it was boiling. He literally takes a couple minutes setting the kettle up - putting on the lid, making sure the whistling thingy is down. He''s so helpless sometimes! He kept wanting me to get up and help, but I was doing something else and said he''d never learn if he didn''t figure it out for himself

He kept claiming it was making funny noises?

It''s just boiling water in a kettle, how difficult can that be for a microelectronics engineer to figure out?

Oh goodness, I thought he was semi-competent in the kitchen, but that incident made me realize that he''s totally not.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 2:44:11 PM
Author: 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.

My son''s kindergarten teacher decided to have the kids cook a meal in class and gave each of them a small knife and it was left to us parents to show them how to hold the knives. No joke - a few of the kids *almost* cut part of their little chubby fingers.

Both of my kids use only butter knives. The other day I tried to get my older son to use a real knife but he refused to. lol

 

[packrat]

Ooo you guys come over and we''ll make a box of batter! JD''s pretty stingy when he makes cake-I always have to go behind him and spoon it right out of the pan before he puts it in the oven. When I make it we have a small cake b/c I can''t resist the batter.

What are the chances of getting sick from the raw eggs..seriously? Could I put it in the fridge and eat off it for a couple days? Dang..if we hadn''t had an ice storm this am, I''d pile the kids in the truck and go get a box of mix.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:14:03 PM
Author: packrat
What are the chances of getting sick from the raw eggs..seriously? Could I put it in the fridge and eat off it for a couple days? Dang..if we hadn''t had an ice storm this am, I''d pile the kids in the truck and go get a box of mix.

The chances are really really small. It''s really only an issue when you have raw eggs all mixed together in large quantities - like you would if you were working in a factory or big bakery making cookies and needed large quantities of eggs. When you just have individual eggs that you''re cracking into your dough, the chances are pretty small (washing the shell off first makes it even smaller).

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:12:52 PM
Author: MC

Date: 1/20/2010 2:44:11 PM
Author: 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.

My son''s kindergarten teacher decided to have the kids cook a meal in class and gave each of them a small knife and it was left to us parents to show them how to hold the knives. No joke - a few of the kids *almost* cut part of their little chubby fingers.

Both of my kids use only butter knives. The other day I tried to get my older son to use a real knife but he refused to. lol

5 is probably a bit young to be using knives I think

Heck, I knew a kid in 7th grade who almost cut his finger off in home ec

Little kids should definitely stick to things like mixing. That teacher is crazy!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:25:13 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 1/20/2010 5:12:52 PM
Author: MC

My son''s kindergarten teacher decided to have the kids cook a meal in class and gave each of them a small knife and it was left to us parents to show them how to hold the knives. No joke - a few of the kids *almost* cut part of their little chubby fingers.

Both of my kids use only butter knives. The other day I tried to get my older son to use a real knife but he refused to. lol

5 is probably a bit young to be using knives I think

Heck, I knew a kid in 7th grade who almost cut his finger off in home ec

Little kids should definitely stick to things like mixing. That teacher is crazy!

Yeah, it was really odd especially since they were cutting potatoes! That was the only project with sharp objects. Actually, aside from that, the teacher was careful with what the kids did. However. . .one kid did take his class-required scissors and cut part of his sweatpants into little pieces. lol

 

[Laila619]

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.

Ah, we are kindred spirits radiantquest!

I've cooked frozen pizza with the cardboard too.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:33:34 PM
Author: MC
Yeah, it was really odd especially since they were cutting potatoes! That was the only project with sharp objects. Actually, aside from that, the teacher was careful with what the kids did. However. . .one kid did take his class-required scissors and cut part of his sweatpants into little pieces. lol

Lol. The *real* purpose of safety scissors is so that kids can''t cut up their own clothing as easily

If that was my kid, I wouldn''t know whether to make him stop or just burst out laughing.

 

[Laila619]

Batter...raw brownie batter is the BEST!!

I also love yellow cake batter like Packrat. Good stuff!

 

[yssie]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:03:29 PM
Author: elrohwen
Ok, now DH can kind of cook - he can make pasta, cook up some chicken breasts with veggies and rice, that type of thing. Left on his own he wouldn''t be eating cereal every night.

However, the other day he wanted to make tea (I always make it) and asked how I did it. So I said to fill the kettle, put it on the stove, and I''d show him how much milk and sugar I add once it was boiling. He literally takes a couple minutes setting the kettle up - putting on the lid, making sure the whistling thingy is down. He''s so helpless sometimes! He kept wanting me to get up and help, but I was doing something else and said he''d never learn if he didn''t figure it out for himself

He kept claiming it was making funny noises?

It''s just boiling water in a kettle, how difficult can that be for a microelectronics engineer to figure out?

Oh goodness, I thought he was semi-competent in the kitchen, but that incident made me realize that he''s totally not.

Haha that''s so cute

FI tried to mix cookie batter with the hand blender once, but he forgot the guard - oh my!

 

[poshpepper]

I have been watching that show and was also surprised at how bad the contestants were at cooking!

I can cook and have been helping my mom in the kitchen since I was small... I actually enjoy cooking and coming up with new flavor combinations and ideas. (Lauren''s site is amazing, I am going to have to try some of those).

The other reason why I like cooking is because I can be in control of exactly what goes into my body, and when you are trying to lose weight (or even maintain your weight) this is a big advantage over having to eat every meal out.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:37:03 PM
Author: elrohwen

Date: 1/20/2010 5:33:34 PM
Author: MC
Yeah, it was really odd especially since they were cutting potatoes! That was the only project with sharp objects. Actually, aside from that, the teacher was careful with what the kids did. However. . .one kid did take his class-required scissors and cut part of his sweatpants into little pieces. lol

Lol. The *real* purpose of safety scissors is so that kids can''t cut up their own clothing as easily

If that was my kid, I wouldn''t know whether to make him stop or just burst out laughing.

My son would have been up the creek.

The sweat pant child was sitting right next to me when he snipped snipped and it was the beginning of the year so I was new to the routine. When the teacher explains what''s involved wth being a volunteer, she left out the part where it''s okay to yank stuff out of students hands. lol I just sat there thinking what a little monster. hahaha

 

[ChloeTheGreat]

I''m an ok cook, not great. My cooking skills are NO comparison to my amazing baking skills. I''m the resident baker in the family...whenever it''s a family member''s birthday, I take requests as to what dessert they would like.

 

[rainwood]

Date: 1/20/2010 4:46:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I could eat oatmeal cookie dough plain with my hands. I don''t even need a spoon!

I''m with you completely on this, HH! Add some chocolate chips and a few nuts, and you have a meal!

 

[LaurenThePartier]

Date: 1/20/2010 5:00:38 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Batter is the best, but haven''t had any in ages. But do slice up the Pillsbury Cookie dough... One slice is enough to fill my cravings!!!!

Yummmm.

Lauren,
Love your recipes!!!! Great job!!!

Thank you, Kaleigh!

I''m making cookie dough (but, not the cookies) in honour of this thread tonight.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 1/20/2010 9:55:28 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier

Date: 1/20/2010 5:00:38 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Batter is the best, but haven''t had any in ages. But do slice up the Pillsbury Cookie dough... One slice is enough to fill my cravings!!!!

Yummmm.

Lauren,
Love your recipes!!!! Great job!!!

Thank you, Kaleigh!

I''m making cookie dough (but, not the cookies) in honour of this thread tonight.

Awww that''s soooo cute!!!
btw, I signed up but the link isn''t clickable, and you know me. Cutting and pasting is way above my skill level.

 

[Gypsy]

Radiantquest and Laila, you guys are cracking me up. I have done a heinous thing to pizza. But it was homemade, including the crust, and the definition of 'just brick it' was not explained to me (or rather the length of time that step lasts wasn't) before I went ahead and did that step. It was charred.

I was "cooking" at 10, with supervision. I used to look up the recipes and pick one out. Go grocery shopping with my grandpa. Then I'd wash all the veggies and granpa would chop, and I would measure. Then I would read the recipe and be in charge of following it while grandpa did the actual cooking. I was allowed to stir and to taste things at every safe step.

You don't have to leave your kids alone with boiling water. There is a lot of the cooking process that is safe for them-- finding recipes and shopping and washing ingredients and 'managing' the recipe progress is all completely safe. As they get older and as you teach them kitchen safety they can add tasks until they are cooking on their own. Plus there are some recipes that never need a knife or boiling water. So they can start cooking those even sooner.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 1/20/2010 10:13:18 PM
Author: Gypsy
Radiantquest and Laila, you guys are cracking me up. I have done a heinous thing to pizza. But it was homemade, including the crust, and the definition of ''just brick it'' was not explained to me (or rather the length of time that step lasts wasn''t) before I went ahead and did that step. It was charred.

I was ''cooking'' at 10, with supervision. I used to look up the recipes and pick one out. Go grocery shopping with my grandpa. Then I''d wash all the veggies and granpa would chop, and I would measure. Then I would read the recipe and be in charge of following it while grandpa did the actual cooking. I was allowed to stir and to taste things at every safe step.

You don''t have to leave your kids alone with boiling water. There is a lot of the cooking process that is safe for them-- finding recipes and shopping and washing ingredients and ''managing'' the recipe progress is all completely safe. As they get older and as you teach them kitchen safety they can add tasks until they are cooking on their own. Plus there are some recipes that never need a knife or boiling water. So they can start cooking those even sooner.

Cutest story ever. Love that you and your Grandpa cooked together, what fond memories you must have!!! You should post those recipes!!!

 

[Mara]

OMG I totally have been watching that show too, and was totally shocked as well. Greg and I actually had a discussion around that and how easy it is to find information online to learn stuff like cooking. Or to take a class. There are so many classes around here locally, both inexpensive and expensive if you have the desire to learn to cook. Or pull up a UTube video. Or find a blog you like and follow instructions. Websites and shows nowadays are so prevalent with this stuff that you can learn by even just watching The Food Network or a video if you really want to.

I've replicated crazy complicated recipes from excellent blog instructions with photos before. It's totally doable.

My Mom was never a very good cook whereas my Grandma is great. My Mom has learned more over time, but she never was that interested in learning things when you could just buy them. My Grandma is an amazing cook so I wanted to learn some of that skill.

Since meeting my hub I have honed my skills big time and he is always complimenting me on dishes I make. It's wonderful praise, but the best is when Grandma eats something I made and says it's good as well.

Oh and when people leave that show it's so irritating because they are like 'oh well guess I won't be able to learn how to cook to feed my family' or whatever. HELLO! There are other ways to do this than on national TV.

You just have to want to.

But I still watch the show.

 

[Gypsy]

Thanks Kaleigh, yes I have a ton of great memories of cooking with grandpa. He was my sidekick as I learned to cook. Which is funny because he was in charge, but so indulgent with me I felt like I was the one in charge. I always credit him for my love of cooking. I come from a long line of excellent cooks, but he fostered the love in me by just letting me be as creative as I wanted to be. The only recipe I remember is tarragon chicken. And my mom's spagetti. And brownies-- although the recipe we used for brownies has since been replaced with a better one.

Mara, I agree about the show. The one guy (left week before last) that I nicknamed Beetle Bailey was the only truly wretchedly hopeless one. The rest COULD learn if they wanted to. But he truly was one of the worst cooks I've ever seen. He just couldn't figure out (even after repeated instruction) that he needed to peel garlic, onions and shallots. Mind boggling.

 

[caribqueen]

I keep forgetting to watch that show. Shoot!

Anyway, despite the fact that I grew up in a Caribbean household, I am so disappointed that I can''t cook a lot of the foods. But I''ve been on a fast learning track lately (with a little more time on my hands). The tv cooking shows helped me with the basics and now I just have to learn my culture''s foods. It can be complicated just because of the amount of ingredients and lack of availability of some items in traditional food stores.

Growing up, my dad would always say, "concentrate on your school work" and I was busy with after school activities, so it wasn''t made a priority as my mom would''ve preferred. But afterall, she didn''t have to cook even though she can, because my dad became THE cook of the house. He spoiled all of us.

What has also helped me be more excited about cooking is having someone to cook for who thinks everything I make tastes great.

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 1/20/2010 9:55:28 PM
Author: LaurenThePartier
I''m making cookie dough (but, not the cookies) in honour of this thread tonight.

Haha, I did the same thing! Now I''m eating it for breakfast

 

[AdiS]

I can make eggs and salads and that''s basically it. I don''t really know why, I just never got into cooking. My mom is a great cook and she did her best to get me interested but it never happened.

I tried to make cookies for DH once though. He ate one (my hero!) and when I offered him another, he said apologetically "Thanks babe, but I''m full." lol Who would''ve guessed that ingredients so innocent and harmless like sugar, cocoa and flour could result in such a staggering monstrosity. The cookies were harder than rocks, in fact, you could easily break a rock in pieces with one of those darned things.

I haven''t baked since then.

DH is a wonderful cook though. And thank God, otherwise we''d starve to death.

 

[Rachel9]

Similar to CloeTG, I''m an OK cook with a big shadow, my oldest sister

for some odd reason, I just started baking again and it''s actually fun

 

[Gypsy]

Oooh Caribean food. YUM. Post recipes as you figure things out. Starving for really awesome seafood all the sudden. And unaccountably. For brownies.

Adis, that''s funny. You could try cooking. I''m a pretty good cook, I mess up occassionally, but generally good but I don''t have the patience to bake. Following a recipe to the letter is excruciating for me unless I''m REALLY motivated. Brownies are good motivation. Though larger hips aren''t.