Can you cook? Do you feel you should be able to?

Trinity

Ok for shame i am being misleading starting this thread as i need advice

I can cook the basics but i am not gordon ramsey (thank fcuk)

Ok heres my question. I am trying a chow mein and i bought frozen chicken pieces. After I cooked them i noticed on the pack that it says fully cooked, defrost thoroughly the night before. Can i use them to cook with even though i cooked from frozen?

Ok to the question at hand. I know a lot of women who cant cook, I also know a lot of men that can't.

My OH cant cook. Not even scrambled egg so its my repsonsibility to cook.

SOmeone i lived with before could only cook meals for one. By this I mean he could cook pototoes, veg and chops, but only enough for one person :eek:

Never offered myself or my son any. So do you feel its your responsibility to know how to cook being a woman?

Men would it put you off a woman if she couldnt cook and do you share the cooking chores or leave her to it cos its her job?

Stheno

Were they fully cooked and then frozen? And now you've cooked them straight from the freezer?

I'd be a bit wary of eating them if it says to defrost first to be honest.

I can cook, I used enjoy cooking dinner for my mates before I moved away from Dublin.

Trinity

nouggatti wrote: »

Were they fully cooked and then frozen? And now you've cooked them straight from the freezer?

I'd be a bit wary of eating them if it says to defrost first to be honest.

I can cook, I used enjoy cooking dinner for my mates before I moved away from Dublin.

It says fully cooked on the packet but i bought them from a a freezer and put them in my freezer when i got home. I assumed they were for stir frys and you could cook from frozen in a wok

Shouldnt have read the damn pack

hunter164

I can cook don't bother me if the missus can't.

Madame Razz

can cook but am lazy.

Its a lot of work when you live alone and a lot of the time I cant be arsed with all the hassle.

I'd cook for somebody no bother though, and will admit to owning, and using a few cookbooks!!!

Actually find it quite satisfying cooking for a man and seeing them clear the plate..... it must be my old fashioned man serving gene kicking in!!

Stheno

Trinity1 wrote: »

It says fully cooked on the packet but i bought them from a a freezer and put them in my freezer when i got home. I assumed they were for stir frys and you could cook from frozen in a wok

Shouldnt have read the damn pack

That's an easy mistake to make given that they were cooked in fairness.

I never get why you can some stuff from frozen and have to defrost other stuff for hours.

If you have more still frozen, you could defrost it in the microwave and use it??

Being lazy I am having a takeaway this evening

Trinity

nouggatti wrote: »

That's an easy mistake to make given that they were cooked in fairness.

I never get why you can some stuff from frozen and have to defrost other stuff for hours.

If you have more still frozen, you could defrost it in the microwave and use it??

Being lazy I am having a takeaway this evening

I didnt even notice it said fully cooked until after i cooked them. See this is why i dont bother. Its microwave all the way for me.

A few weeks ago my mother commented that my partner is very good handing up the money he does and i dont even make him a stew or a bit of cabbage

He doesnt like cabbage :P

I am not a fan of veg or pasta anything like that so its very difficult to actaully find something to cook that i like.

Fried egg on toast with tomato ketchup hmmmm I would live on that

I think everyone should be able to cook.

snickerpuss

I can cook pretty well but I adore baking! Breads, cakes, biscuits, pies, tarts....

I also do a mean Sunday roast.

Yum. Considering going into a business in that direction (baking not roasts!)

brianthebard

I can cook,but i'm better at baking.Never had a girl cook for me *sad*

Trinity

Myth wrote: »

I think everyone should be able to cook.

Agreed for survival purposes when you move out of the parents but do youi mean the basics or fancy stuff

Madame Razz

brianthebard wrote: »

I can cook,but i'm better at baking.Never had a girl cook for me *sad*

Last guy i cooked for asked me to cook for him, but then arrived an hour late, had already eaten and wasn't hungry so only ate about a quarter of it.


Mong.

Chinafoot

I don't feel like I should be able to, but I'd like to be able to.

brianthebard

manukahoney wrote: »

Last guy i cooked for asked me to cook for him, but then arrived an hour late, had already eaten and wasn't hungry so only ate about a quarter of it.


Mong.

lolz how many times have you mentioned him on boards now-are you still angry?!Altho asking someone to cook for you seems wrong imo.I wouldnt turn up to a free meal late,but then i'm a poor student so...

Trinity1

Trinity1 wrote: »

Agreed for survival purposes when you move out of the parents but do youi mean the basics or fancy stuff

Enough to survive at first, but really everyone should be able to make proper meals. I dunno, apparently I get 'very into' my cooking.

Madame Razz

brianthebard wrote: »

lolz how many times have you mentioned him on boards now-are you still angry?!Altho asking someone to cook for you seems wrong imo.I wouldnt turn up to a free meal late,but then i'm a poor student so...

I know, i really need to let it go dont i!!!

I was just highly insulted by it, but then i was a bigger eejit to cook for him in the first place.


It'll be a while before i cook for a guy again i can tell you!!

Zaph

Myth wrote: »

I think everyone should be able to cook.

True, but there are some things that people just can't get the hang of no matter how hard they try.

LolaLuv

Yep, I can cook. I cook a lot of Indian food because I dated an Indian for four years and picked it up that way, plus it's healthy and cheap. I agree that everyone should be able to cook. A guy who can't cook a damn thing and isn't willing to learn would be a dealbreaker for me as far as a serious relationship is concerned.

brianthebard

manukahoney wrote: »

I know, i really need to let it go dont i!!!

I was just highly insulted by it, but then i was a bigger eejit to cook for him in the first place.


It'll be a while before i cook for a guy again i can tell you!!

well maybe that anger will help prevent it happening again.I'd also be insulted if the same thing happened me,altho i wonder why you thought he was worth cooking for in the first place?That might derail the thread tho...

Madame Razz

well i think he asked because he thought i wouldn't, and i did it to prove a point!!!


A lovely Jamie Oliver recipe and everything.....


Ok, I'll let it go!!

Back on topic: i love cooking a roast and i love baking too, tho i rarely have time to do either.......:(

Crumble Froo

i can handle pasta, eggs, scrambled or boiled, falafal, oven chips,and toast.

also fresh fruit and cereal. and um... that's kinda it.

GirlInterrupted

I can cook well, but its probably because my Mum stayed at home and had the time to cook from scratch and I had that example to follow as normal.

I love cooking and baking generally and often cook for friends .

nomorebadtown

i don't think women should be able to cook, i'm not that backward, but i'm telling you ladies now, 99% of men would secretly love if their woman could cook, just like 99% of women want a man who can do DIY and protect them from wild animals. we like to think we're in a modern and liberated society but the fact remains that you'll find it way easier to settle down with a nice man if you can do the magic in the kitchen, over the magic in the bedroom.

personally i can cook pretty well so i'm not too bothered.

rainbow kirby

I can cook, and I quite enjoy it. I don't feel that it's my responsibility as a woman to know how to cook, but I do feel that it is my responsibility as an independent adult to be able to cook good, healthy food for myself (and others if needed).

I'm good at cooking savoury dishes, I do a very good chili con carne and a really nice Thai green curry.

ntlbell

Zaph wrote: »

True, but there are some things that people just can't get the hang of no matter how hard they try.

It's 3 minutes for soft and 5 for hard boiled...

Zaph

Zaph wrote: »

True, but there are some things that people just can't get the hang of no matter how hard they try.

I've started thinking that most of the time it would be people who don't bother rather than don't get the hang of it (from anecdotal evidence around some of my friends before anyone pounces on me).

Even simple meals that come with a jar of sauce with some rice, meat, and mixed veg some people I know wouldn't cook, rather than couldn't cook.

twinkle77

I love to cook and bake always have. Had a dinner party for friends last night. Cook for them all the time. Always get compliments......so I take that to mean I am an OK cook.

I cooked for my ex every weekend (we took turns durning the week) and loved every minute, he always appreciated it so much especially the deserts. Thats why I enjoyed it so much. He was a terrible cook to start with but picked up things from me and ended up being an ok cook (with supervision) after a while!

I dont feel I have to cook but enjoy it instead think it came from my mother who was a stay a home Mam and made me help her every day.

LolaLuv

twinkle77 wrote: »

I cooked for my ex every weekend (we took turns durning the week) and loved every minute, he always appreciated it so much especially the deserts. Thats why I enjoyed it so much.

I think that makes a huge difference. I cooked for my ex every day, and the biggest compliment I ever got was "It's nice." Mind you, I learned to cook a foreign cuisine for him. His friends always raved about my cooking, so I know it wasn't that my food sucked or anything. Maybe if I were to have an appreciative man I'd be more inclined to cook for him.

North&South

Well, to start with - WHY frozen cooked chicken?
A fresh chicken fillet takes minutes to cook if it's cut into chunks... and then at least you know HOW it's been cooked & what it's been cooked in.

I had a spare few minutes one night last year & was trawling thru some sites....
I found a site that showed graphs from the 70's & 80's of obesity increase in the US.... the graph rose & almost perfectly matched the graph that showed the increase in popularity of processed foods.... coincidence?

I don't think so.

I cook - sometimes simple meats & veggies, sometimes chinese, indian, I make a mean spag bog..... and I bake too - I make bread, we grow some of our own veg, and if you ask my 4 yr old granddaughter what makes yorkshire puddings, she'll tell you - amounts & all (it's her regular sunday job!)

It's not because I'm a woman - it's because I'm at home & have the time... although I also have to say that even when I worked full time, I still took charge of the kitchen, because I cared about what my kids ate & I cared about their inner health.

To those of you that eat nothing but zapped meals, or processed gunk - good luck to you - but I know who has the tastiest plate contents each night!

As an experiment, why don't you try & replicate one of those processed dinners.... just make a list of the ingredients & head off to the plastic shop to buy them first! :eek:

Just saying....

Skittles!

I can microwave food and have it turn out okayish. But that's not really cooking is it? I absolutely can not cook anything using an oven. I either undercook it or burn everything. No matter how hard I've tried I've never had anything turn out the slightest bit edible. I accidently gave a friend food poisoning once. It happened a few years ago but I still feel really guilty about it.

Red Hand

Everybody should be able to cook basic dinners for themselves-meat, two veg, potatos etc. Like, how do people who don't cook/can't cook fend for themselves?

Black Swan

I'm COOKING! Oh, I thought you were talking about something else...;)

Yes, I love to cook thanks to Gran. She started me young and I acquired a taste for it (excuse the pun... it's one of those days!).

Red Hand

You've always got a pot simmering, Blue Lagoon.:)

Trinity

North&South wrote: »

Well, to start with - WHY frozen cooked chicken?
A fresh chicken fillet takes minutes to cook if it's cut into chunks... and then at least you know HOW it's been cooked & what it's been cooked in.

I had a spare few minutes one night last year & was trawling thru some sites....
I found a site that showed graphs from the 70's & 80's of obesity increase in the US.... the graph rose & almost perfectly matched the graph that showed the increase in popularity of processed foods.... coincidence?

I don't think so.

I cook - sometimes simple meats & veggies, sometimes chinese, indian, I make a mean spag bog..... and I bake too - I make bread, we grow some of our own veg, and if you ask my 4 yr old granddaughter what makes yorkshire puddings, she'll tell you - amounts & all (it's her regular sunday job!)

It's not because I'm a woman - it's because I'm at home & have the time... although I also have to say that even when I worked full time, I still took charge of the kitchen, because I cared about what my kids ate & I cared about their inner health.

To those of you that eat nothing but zapped meals, or processed gunk - good luck to you - but I know who has the tastiest plate contents each night!

As an experiment, why don't you try & replicate one of those processed dinners.... just make a list of the ingredients & head off to the plastic shop to buy them first! :eek:

Just saying....

Well I'm pretty scared of leaving fresh meat lying in a fridge for a day or 2 and i dont always get to the supermarket everyday. They just looked handy so i picked them up!

Although i did end up chucking the frozen stuff and getting himself to pick up chicken fillets on the way home.

My lack of cooking skills is not for the want of trying. It just alway tastes yuck. I over cook everything as i am terrified of food poisoning and i dont trust my oven one bit!! It takes 15 mins to make toast in the grill and its one of those integrated things. I have cooked whole chickens and stuffed them and wouldnt let anyon eat them i threw them in the bin out of paranoia

BTW the chow mein went down ok but i thought it was horrible, am starving now

I'm 33 and i reckon my father has cooked approx 5 times in my lifetime. Hes a good cook too. Never done any housework and hes not ancient or old fashioned in fact he even has a bebo page the bollixt its there purely to embarrass myself and my cousins with photos of us as kids and picking our noses and the likes

LivingDeadGirl

Yeah I can cook pretty good, make my own pasta sauces, curries, soups, chilli etc from scratch. Anyone who's tried them hasn't complained so I must be doing alright! My OH however literally can't boil an egg!

Cooking/eating is the most important part of my day. It makes me happy.

I don't get "lazy" people who really on processed food and eating out.
When you take into account the trek and the waiting time, it is quicker and less hassle to do it yourself. ~shrug~

I wouldn't be impressed by anyone who didn't bother to learn. The same way I wouldn't be impressed by someone, who didn't go to the effort to learn to brush their teeth. It is basic maintance.

My ex couldn't cook, because men that can feed themselves have less incentive to stay with Mamie.

Morgase

I made this last night with himself: http://tast.ie/2008/07/18/easy-week-night-chicken/

OP, what you could do in future is buy a whole heap of chicken fillets from the butchers / supermarket and freeze them in portions of 1 or 2 fillets. Then just take them out the night before and defrost them in the fridge. They will be perfectly safe! (I've been doing this for years and am still alive!)

When you are frying them up for a stirfry / whatever, just make sure to chop them up into very small chunks. This will help them to be cooked all the way through.

I heartily agree with rainbow kirby:

I don't feel that it's my responsibility as a woman to know how to cook, but I do feel that it is my responsibility as an independent adult to be able to cook good, healthy food for myself (and others if needed).

Crumble Froo

Jeremiah 16:1 wrote: »

Everybody should be able to cook basic dinners for themselves-meat, two veg, potatos etc. Like, how do people who don't cook/can't cook fend for themselves?

toasters and microwaves. also the kettle. after that, sandwiches, yogurts and fresh fruit. :cool:

Aisling(",)

i can do the basics thank to home ec in school.so if left to my own devices i wouldnt starve but it wouldnt be the best like.

at home my dad would mainly be the one who cooks.hes much better and more adventurous then my mam

pretty*monster

I can cook a mean chilli con carne. Other than that I'm not the best at remembering recipies so I tend to be overly reliant on sauces out of a jar.

minidazzler

I would consider myself at 19 to be an above average cook for a male. I have done Turkey Dinners, Chicken, All manner of Mexican food, Pork, Stuffed Pork.

However, I can't Fry an egg!!!! I am just terrible at it!!!

And I do think women should be able to cook a proper meal from scratch, but then again I think the same of men. It's not that difficult people were doing it for thousands of years before processed food came along and made everyone a fat-body.

Toto Wolfcastle

I think everyone should be able to cook simple things from scratch. There are people who live on frozen processed food and I think that's weird.

Cooking and baking are pretty much my only talents. I love cooking and baking for men, I'm all old-fashioned like that! Although I like when people cook for me too!

My parents are brilliant cooks and I've been cooking and baking since I was really young so I suppose it's to be expected. I've been asked to cater parties before so I guess I'm pretty good. My sister can make stir fries and my brother is useless and couldn't even make toast.

Nightwish

I was so bad in Home Economics I was asked to leave. I could never be depended upon to start the dinner at home. I once set fish on fire...thats how bad I am. When I moved out to go to Dublin my mother froze 4 dinners for me to have during the week. I did start learning to cook for myself in 4th year of college though. Now I'm getting better year on year. I still dont have a notion of how to cook vegetables but the rest I'm doing ok at. An aside however, I dont see how my sex has anything to do with my ability to feed myself. An adult should be able to prepare meals for themselves without having to rely on their partner/parents. I know I was slow to get started on the whole cooking thing, but I am putting a lot of effort into it now!

Twee.

I adore cooking and baking. My mam used to be a chef and my dad's a great cook so it's in the family! I prefer baking and I do a lot of it.
I agree that everyone should be able to cook. A lot of my mates wouldn't have a clue what to do in a kitchen or how to make a basic meal. I'm very grateful that I can look after myself!

paperclip2

I cook all the time. Its my favorite thing to do. I love baking and making jams and chutneys.

I can be a bit of an obsessive though. At Christmas I make my own mincemeat but I also make the candied peel to go into it, much to the derision of the rest of my family.

mollybird

i can cook and my OH is def a gordan rampsey. i never feel that i should be able to cook it just comes naturally. i can only cook homey dinners never anything fancy. but it's always really nice. while my OH can always cook fancy stuff. and make boring things like chops yummy. i guess it helps that he has italian blood in him.

Dragan

Trinity1 wrote: »

Men would it put you off a woman if she couldnt cook and do you share the cooking chores or leave her to it cos its her job?

Personally i love cooking. My Mum was a chef so i learned the basics at a very young age and then continued to learn from my own interest. It wouldn't put me off if a lass couldn't cook at all, once there was some sort of compromise.

I hate cleaning for example.

john_aero

i find we both share the cooking, i am bit more used to it as do a lot fo cooking but we share it, if i cook my partner usualy cleans up after or washing and vice versa.

stovelid

I'm afraid I don't do much of the cooking in our house. Usually welch out on it and treat us to take-out. I usually just clean up and do dishes. I've never really had the interest in being one of those people who spends all day thinking about the nice meals they'll cook when they get home. So I really can't 'cook', but am quite happy to cobble very simple stuff together to eat.

Monkey61

I presume I can cook, but I never really have reason to. I could probably count the amount of hot meals I've had in the last seven years on two hands (not including baked beans heated in the microwave).

My girlfriend cooks for herself but we don't like the same foods. As long as I have yoghurt, bananas, peanut butter, tuna and a selection of vegetables, I'm happy enough.

Yes. I am horrendously lazy. I'll start cooking when I have kids to feed.

I am quite the baker though. But I can never be bothered except for Christmas and birthdays.

Malari

stovelid wrote: »

I'm afraid I don't do much of the cooking in our house. Usually welch out on it and treat us to take-out. I usually just clean up and do dishes. I've never really had the interest in being one of those people who spends all day thinking about the nice meals they'll cook when they get home. So I really can't 'cook', but am quite happy to cobble very simple stuff together to eat.

I think I'm the opposite of this! I love cooking and baking and get a real kick out of making dinner when I go home. My boy can cook - the basics...like meat and veg and spuds. He just doesn't have a lot of imagination! I'll cook loads of different things from scratch, new recipes, etc. but I'm useless when it comes to the traditional roast!