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People who say they can't cook |
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#26 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,236
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I think you have to enjoy it. If you don't, or you find it a chore then you will never be a good cook.
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#27 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10,814
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Quote:
It's not that simple. Instructions are more guidelines as not all appliances work the same or cook at the same speed etc. You have to learn what goes together, how to store different foods, thawing/defrosting things properly, measuring ingredients and using the right ones, judging how thoroughly cooked something is amongst a ton of other things. It may seem easy to you now because you know how to cook and may have learnt quickly, but not everyone is the same...
Sure, if you followed a recipe and bought the ingredients for it you might get it right first time but that doesn't mean you automatically learn how to do everything I listed. I cooked a bolognaise sauce and left it bubbling on the hob and asked OH to cook some pasta to go with it so we could eat at 7.00pm. At 7.00pm I came home and found the cooked pasta still sitting in the hot water and was a water-logged mess. He'd followed the instructions but didn't know how to keep the pasta warm so left it in the water. Now with only a small amount of experience you'd know not to do that, but by following the recipe alone it is a mistake that the beginner can make. |
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#28 |
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 10,814
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Quote:
I think you have to enjoy it. If you don't, or you find it a chore then you will never be a good cook.
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#29 |
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Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,350
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Some people are just "natural" cooks. In my house, I am the "natural" cook - in fact many moons ago I trained to be a chef so have the skills to prepare food, but also the intuition to tackle dishes I've never made before even without much of a recipe to go by - it just feels like an instinct to me. I can time things without using a timer, and can work out the best temperature to cook something at without looking it up.
My partner on the other hand, whilst still quite a good cook, tends to panic a bit when he's in the kitchen and manages to make even dishes that I can prepare in say 15 minutes, he can make them take well over an hour. He also HAS to follow instructions and recipes to the letter as he doesn't have the instinct to do it alone. Not that I mind at all. He has skills I don't have - he's a brilliant artist. I can't even draw something right in front of me! We can't all be good at everything! People who won't even try get on my nerves a bit though. |
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#30 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Scotland
Posts: 5,947
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My ex never cooked me dinner once in the 16 years we were together. I couldn't cook either when we set up home but I learned the basics. Strangely enough since we split 5 years ago I've become a better cook. I now really enjoy pottering around the kitchen trying new recipes.
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#31 |
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Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 162
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Quote:
What is the problem? It's only following a set of basic instructions. They seem to be ok following instructions for other things, like setting up their latest gadgets.
It's also true that some recipes will assume some knowledge or experience on the part of the cook. Well, that comes with practise which some will never get if they constantly say they can't cook (or be bothered). Even the best chefs and cooks started as complete beginners. Also, there are good cookbooks out there that cater - sorry! - for absolute beginners. In this day and age, the internet (through Youtube and forums) is a great resouce for learning techniques and getting advice.
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#32 |
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Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 2,142
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Lived with my fella 13 years and never once cooked him a single meal, not even a plate of toast.
Wait, tell a lie... I did the Xmas dinner once and he had that. Cue all the "you're such a bad wife" comments... |
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#33 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,236
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Quote:
Lived with my fella 13 years and never once cooked him a single meal, not even a plate of toast.
Wait, tell a lie... I did the Xmas dinner once and he had that. Cue all the "you're such a bad wife" comments... My wife hates cooking and I love it so it's natural that I prepare our meals. I on the other hand hate washing and ironing whereas she enjoys it so that's what she takes care of. About 25 years ago she wanted to cook me a meal on my birthday...don't ask. I've never let her back in my kitchen since, which suits us both!
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#34 |
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 4,713
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You have to put it into perspective
Some Drs can give you a injection and it hurts like the devil another Dr will not hurt you at all. Some surgeons can stitch you up so a scar isnt seen, another one will stitch you up and you still look like you have been hit by a train years later. Some people will have beautiful gardens and another will always have plants that die on them no matter how much they tend them. Some people have a knack and some people no matter how hard they try can never get the hang of something. You never see anyone say "these people who say they cannot make their own clothes" or "fix a car" Lets face it for everything you ever want to try there are instructions for but does not mean you will be able to follow them and do the job. |
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#35 |
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Reading
Posts: 3,604
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Whats with all the sexist cooking comments?
I'm a bloke and do half the cooking in our house! |
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#36 |
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,720
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I'm a bloke and I do all the cooking in our house, I really enjoy it. I also work full time and still cook meals from scratch every night which some people seem to think isn't possible. Quote:
The other week I considered buying a cheese-cake packet. It turned out to need butter. I don't have any butter in the house, and haven't wanted to use any for 5 years, so I didn't bother with the packet. . Do you never make mashed potato?
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#37 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,103
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Quote:
You have to put it into perspective
Some Drs can give you a injection and it hurts like the devil another Dr will not hurt you at all. Some surgeons can stitch you up so a scar isnt seen, another one will stitch you up and you still look like you have been hit by a train years later. Some people will have beautiful gardens and another will always have plants that die on them no matter how much they tend them. Some people have a knack and some people no matter how hard they try can never get the hang of something. You never see anyone say "these people who say they cannot make their own clothes" or "fix a car" Lets face it for everything you ever want to try there are instructions for but does not mean you will be able to follow them and do the job. |
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#38 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 4,713
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Quote:
That is generally how people learn to do anything though. I truly believe that if you have good instructions, can read, have the will to learn and the patience to persevere and practice, you can accomplish pretty much anything, including gardening, fixing a car and making your own clothes. People who say they 'haven't got the hang of something' mean that they gave up trying before they improved. Which is totally fine, of course. Life's too short to keep on at something that you don't really enjoy. But let's not pretend that this kind of defeatist attitude should apply to basic life skills, like feeding yourself and your family.
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#39 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 1,501
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I can make A THING not a dish. I don't like trying to time thingto be ready altogeter. Can do it. I can make a burger, a cake, a dish of macaroni or lasange. A steak. At a push I can maybe time some chips with it but to many complications and it all goes wrong
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#40 |
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 30,072
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Quote:
well I didn't mention gender in the OP. The worst cook I know is female. She's funny. I wasn't having a rant.
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#41 |
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Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,103
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Quote:
But if someone does not have a natural flair or liking for something then it becomes hard to do and a big effort everytime. Some people will never learn because they dont want to learn, others will never learn because its to hard for them.
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#42 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Scotland
Posts: 5,947
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Everyone's got to start somewhere. Once you've got the basics sorted you can apply them to whatever recipe you fancy. If you can read, you can learn to cook.
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#43 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Up North
Posts: 58,791
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Quote:
I'm talking about basic cooking here, not a three-course Michelin-starred meal. What is 'too hard' about chopping some meat and vegetables up and stir-frying them, for example?
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#44 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 871
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I think people should be able to make at least 5 meals. That can then easily be expanded as plenty of dishes are very similar to prepare.
5 good meals for a beginner to learn. Chilli con carne, spaghetti bolognaise, roast chicken with boiled potatoes and 2 veg and gravy, full english breakfast and chicken or beef cassarole, |
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#45 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Scotland
Posts: 5,947
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Aye those are good basics to start with, not too tricky. I'd add home made soups to the list. If you can make a good pot of soup you'll never be stuck. Freeze in portions, serve with some nice bread and you have a quick healthy meal on a budget.
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#46 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 4,713
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Quote:
I'm talking about basic cooking here, not a three-course Michelin-starred meal. What is 'too hard' about chopping some meat and vegetables up and stir-frying them, for example?
Nothing is to hard for me I love cooking but I do know people who just dont "get" it They follow a recipe and it always turns out wrong. Some with many other things some people "have" it some never acquire it |
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#47 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: County Durham
Posts: 78,615
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Quote:
What is the problem? It's only following a set of basic instructions. They seem to be ok following instructions for other things, like setting up their latest gadgets.
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#48 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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Quote:
Do you never make mashed potato?
I don't have butter in sandwiches, either. Or anything else. I don't see the point; it's not necessary, and it's fattening. Quote:
What is 'too hard' about chopping some meat and vegetables up and stir-frying them, for example?
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#49 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 12,236
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Quote:
Never. I'm not keen on them; mashing is what you do when boiling them went wrong.
I don't have butter in sandwiches, either. Or anything else. I don't see the point; it's not necessary, and it's fattening. I can manage that. Albeit I don't have a wok, so for me "stir-frying" isn't much different to frying. One of the difficulties is knowing what words like that actually mean. Another is knowing what the temperature should be and how to maintain it. Meat needs to be cooked well, and if you get it wrong you could poison someone; fear of failure is another reason people don't want to try. |
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#50 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Nottingham, UK
Posts: 11,878
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Quote:
Very few meats need to be cooked "well". Chicken is one that springs to mind but even pork can now be served pink.
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- for absolute beginners. In this day and age, the internet (through Youtube and forums) is a great resouce for learning techniques and getting advice.