By Magenta

April 9, 2008 3:43 PM | Link to this

I love the show “Semi-Homemade” with Sandra Lee. It’s a good way for a timid non-cook to ease into preparing meals. The biggest advantage to cooking from scratch is the knowledge that you’re letting in fewer processed, chemical-laden “foods.” It’s hard to escape unless you grow all your own produce and raise your own meat & dairy cattle, but the more you can shop around the edges of the grocery store, the better off you and your family will be, healthwise.

By Stan

April 9, 2008 3:59 PM | Link to this

I HATE “Semi-Homemade”!!! Sandra Lee just gets on my last nerve. That being said, I just don’t watch it.

If someone have honestly tried to cook, and given it a real go, and still hates it, then don’t cook. Life is too short to spend that much time doing something you hate to do. I do believe that one should make an attempt to learn how to do at least a couple of basic meals for emergency but other than that just try to make the best food choices you can. It’s your life.

Stan

By FCM

April 9, 2008 5:06 PM | Link to this

If someone hates to cook you taste it in their food. Same if people only view food as something to keep you fueled.

Sadly more people are eating out or doing the frozen thing. Now I admit I have frozen things as quick dinner when things run late….Zatarians is a favorite in my house (both the rice and the frozen dishes).

I think I would have pointed her toward Super Suppers. The food is still frozen, but it is better than the stuff in the Publix freezer (my Zats included!)

My ex MIL admits she hates to cook. Her family raves her cooking, but most of it is soup cans tossed in a 9x13…she won’t even slice onions b/c they make her cry. Then if anyone who likes to cook tries, it’s too spicy.

This cook is more than happy to make the meal. Now about baking…..

By FCM

April 9, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this

oh, I agree with you about the ‘feel for it’ or 6th sense. I know cooks who cannot get things to the table at the same time so half the food is cold, half is hot. I hate when holiday dinners are at their houses.

By AK

April 10, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this

I am very similiar to the other mom, I have no idea how to cook, and I truly wish I could. I am disabled when it comes to cooking, but I was never taught to as a child, and never learned as an adult. I would love to take a class too, but watching someone and doing it yourself is different. The hand’s on ones are also for more advanced people. I think that electives in high school made such basic stuff that we did not learn much but how to bake a cake. To learn I think it needs to be emphasized while younger by parents or in school. I think it’s important to know how to cook because of so many preservatives in frozen foods/boxed and canned foods. It’s not healthy, and with the rise of cancers, I think diets could change it all together!

By dmscar

April 10, 2008 11:44 AM | Link to this

More and more women are becoming microwave cooks. I am so thankful my mother taught me how to cook from scratch. My husband always jokes (although I think he was serious) that’s what made him fall in love with me. If someone truly wants to learn how to cook like AK, my advise would be start with some very basic recipes like you might find in a children’s cook book. Don’t be afraid to alter a recipe to suit your taste. And don’t be afraid to be creative. Some of the best recipes have come out of people just “throwing things together”. The most important piece of advise I can give is what ever you cook don’t forget the secret ingrediant, “love”. You would be surprised how a dash of love in every dish will change the taste and outcome of your food. How do you put love in your food? Be excited about cooking. Don’t treat it like a chore. It makes all the difference in the world.

By Dreading it

April 10, 2008 12:55 PM | Link to this

My husband and I cook only the most basic of meals, and neither of us takes even the slightest enjoyment out of preparing those. The only reason we even cook at all is to keep down the dining out expenses. I suppose we subscribe to the “food for fuel” theory. However, as we think about having kids, we realize that cooking is something we won’t be able to avoid anymore. Quite honestly, I think that may be part (a small part) of the reason we’ve waited so long to have kids in the first place. I am dreading the idea of “feeding my family.” I was hoping someone on here was going to have the magical answer as to how to actually enjoy cooking. I’ll keep checking back.

By monteal

April 10, 2008 12:56 PM | Link to this

cooking is not a hobby it is a necessity! the garbage that people put into their bodies becuase they are intimidated by the kitchen, I say don’t be intimidated find a few good recipes and buy some decent cook ware ( not the thin stuff that burns everything) invest in a timer and dive in it won’t be perfect every time ,no ones is. then build on that find another good recipe perfect it and so on. it would be a great help if husbands would not complain. then she can teach her girls then they won’t have the same problem and their whole family tree would be healthier for it. Not to mention wealthier

By mp

April 10, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this

a few hints that helped me become a good cook

get a good teaching cook book read it It should contain how to measure , how to tell meat tempt,how to stir ,how to prep a pan for baking,how to tell if baked goods are done ect. I learned from my mothers betty crocker cook book.( from the 70s )

I learned to use a meat thermometer so I wasn’t over cooking everything so it wasn’t shoe leather when it came to the table

I learned to use a timer religiously

I learned that there was more than one temperature on the stove we tend to cook everything on high

By mp

April 10, 2008 1:24 PM | Link to this

I learned what a good recipe looked like By trial and error

I learned that the simplest meals are often the healthiest a grilled center cut pork chop w/a rice pilaf and steamed broccoli is not hard or time consuming feet and its healthy and good.

I learned to experiment with spices like cumin and cocoa powder in chilli or thyme on chicken or lots of basil in my spaghetti sauce

By Noelle

April 10, 2008 2:02 PM | Link to this

As someone who loves to cook, I don’t really understand the opposite mentality. Cooking isn’t difficult if you can follow basic directions, and you don’t have to do anything fancy to produce tasty, healthful meals. While processed, premade foods are fine now and then, the thought of anyone feeding them to their family every night makes me shudder. I hate washing dishes and flossing my teeth, but I do it anyway because it needs to be done.

If you hate cooking and don’t know how, either ask someone you know who loves it for some basic lessons, or buy a “how to cook” cookbook (there’s a “Cooking for Dummies!”) and learn some basics so you can at least feed yourself and your family a good meal most of the time. Having some idea what you’re doing is likely to make you dread the task less.

And yes, shortcuts like the “semi-homemade” process can work, although it would be much better for you to reverse Sandra Lee’s plan (use 70% fresh and 30% premade, not the other way around). If nothing else, you can do things like buying precut fresh vegetables to make salads, add to prepared pasta sauce, and dress up plain frozen pizzas (or make pizza from “scratch” using a prepared crust and sauce).

By Robin

April 10, 2008 2:31 PM | Link to this

Food is a funny subject. Both my sister and I (she’s 38, I’m 41) never cared about cooking in the least. We were the first children of the microwave generation and pretty much grew up on frozen food. And because our parents had opposite work schedules, we rarely had sit-down dinners. Both my sister and I regard food as something to keep the body alive and although we have our preferences, we are not gourmets in any sense of the word. (Because food is also not a priority for us, we are both athletic and of average weight.). The irony is that both of us married men who love to cook. They both care so much more about cooking and its process than we do. Even so, our diet still consists of microwave dinners, for the most part, and our husbands joke about this. Basically, cooking for us is highly overrated and think our husbands make a big deal our of nothing. For me, there’s no real need to cook. I know that some people say that there is great joy in wonderful food, and even though I have tasted some great things, I don’t think it’s really worth the effort to do myself.

Corollary: this runs in the family. My paternal aunt was so horrifed at the idea of a “recipe shower” whereby the bride gets a favorite recipe from every attendee, that she gathered a stack of her favorite takeout menus and gave them to her instead!

By Robin

April 10, 2008 2:36 PM | Link to this

I should add that I CAN cook. I can even cook brilliantly. I just am not interested.

By ATL Cook

April 10, 2008 3:31 PM | Link to this

I love to cook for friends and family. For me, cooking is relaxing and uses a completely different part of my mind than my day job does (in legal). My partner, on the other hand, is a terrible cook and does not enjoy cooking in the least. So, the division of labor is perfect — I cook and she cleans the kitchen. In my view, the secret to being a terrific cook is the ability to recognize a good recipe. After that, it’s a matter of following simple directions. But, if you don’t want to cook or don’t like to cook, you should order in! Life’s too short to do stuff you hate.

By Stan

April 10, 2008 3:39 PM | Link to this

The more I think about this… If you want to learn to cook but know nothing about it: 1) start with breakfast, it doesn’t have to be morning. Eggs, bacon, sausage, toast/bisquits (maybe start with the frozen ones. never the canned ones)

2) Watch Food network/PBS cooking shows. I suggest Good Eats on FN, 30 Min meals would be great for a starter, America’s Test Kitchen on PBS is awesome.

3) Don’t be afraid!!! it is not rocket surgery!! Just pay attention to what you are doing and try not to burn anything. If you don’t like the way something comes out stop and think ‘what would make it better’.

4) Taste as you go! before you feed your family, taste it. Does it need salt? pepper? more time to cook? even if there is NOTHING you can do to make it better, ie it’s overcooked, at least it won’t be a surprise to you at the table.

Stan

By Becky

April 10, 2008 8:20 PM | Link to this

I would suggest using the 5:30 challenge recipes to get started. They are all quick, easy and tasty. Once you have some success, you might get more ambitious. I, myself, am a moody cook - I will be in the mood to cook for maybe a month, then not in the mood for the next month(then I rely on the crockpot or eating out). Just don’t pressure yourself too much. Cook simple, tasty things that you can enjoy and feel good about.

By zareenyn

April 11, 2008 7:36 AM | Link to this

Cooking is a necessary life skill. Like any skill, there are several levels of mastery involved, that should be taken into account. The most basic skills should be, boiling water, toasting bread, etc. The next level should entail working with sharp knives, a challenge for those who are a little butter-fingered. After that, should come various baked items as well as stir fries. The succeeding skill levels are all based on increasing difficulty (making a quiche, roast meats, etc.,).

Increasing one’s skill base should be done according to personal choice, talent, motivation, & interest.

By Julie

April 11, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this

I am a “grandma” cook. My mom and grandmothers always had me underfoot in their kitchens and that is how I learned to cook, by watching and a little osmosis. I cook old fashioned meals. Fresh vegetables, meats, etc. I am also a “dump” cook. Dump
cooks don’t measure ingredients, we just dump stuff in. Although, I do measure when baking.My daughter never stayed in the kitchen with me and has little interest in cooking although she can if she tries. I believe anyone who can read and follow directions can cook. You don’t have to love to cook to be decent at it but loving it does make the difference between a passable cook and a really good cook. I have found that people who are nurturers by nature make the best cooks.

By Mike In Woodstock

April 11, 2008 9:55 AM | Link to this

It is every woman’s duty to learn to cook. Just think of the shame you will bring to your husband when he brings the boss home for dinner and you’ve prepared a stouffers frozen lasagna! How will you expect him to get promoted if you can’t please his boss?

By Ed

April 11, 2008 10:44 AM | Link to this

Thank goodness for the microwave. I could burn Jello.

By Dominick

April 11, 2008 12:23 PM | Link to this

Mike, Give me a break… If my husban knew I couldn’t cook that well, why would he even invite the boss home for dinner? Unless he was going to prepare the meal. I thinking cooking is overrated. If you prepare a meal for your family ok but if you don’t, you shouldn’t be considered a person that is afraid or has no knowledge of it. I can cook(no way I am a chef)but I choose not too. I have a teenage son that is not home most of the time until late and he normally picks something up before coming home. My experience with that was I had a lot of wasted food. Now, on the other hand, it can be much cheaper to cook if you have a larger family. But a single person or someone with one child it can be costly.

By Mary

April 14, 2008 3:47 PM | Link to this

I LOVE to cook. There’s just two of us at my house, and I cook just about every single night.

During the winter months, I make chili & soups, and freeze them. Whenever I make lasagne, I always make two and put one in the freezer. I love the Food Network. I have numerous cookbooks, and three recipe boxes stuffed with recipes, I even had to start a notebook for the recipes I download from FoodNetwork.com. I am always looking for new things and ways to cook.

I love to cook from scratch. I chop all my veggies, garlic, etc. I love to be in the kitchen, it’s my favorite room in the house. I have a great set of knives and all kinds of kitchen utensils.

I wish I could quit my day job and be able to stay home and cook all day long……..Maybe I’ll check into becoming a personal chef……

I have many friends who hate to cook, and dine out every night. I think 1) it’s unhealthy; and 2) it’s such a waste of money. But if that’s your thing, then have at it.

By ABS

April 14, 2008 4:53 PM | Link to this

For all you folks out there who hate to cook, the solution is simple. Hire a personal chef, someone to come into your home to prepare fresh meals customized to your families dietary needs and preferences. Go to http://www.personalchefsearch.com/ and enjoy the best meals you will ever have. I was so glad when I called. I now have my life back, and I never have to decide what’s for dinner.