What are your biggest "I hate to cook" gripes?

When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?

Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?

For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out?

Susan,

When you're cooking, banish him from the kitchen. I had to do that with MY DH, who can't help himself, even though he knows that I am a good cook. He wants me to do things the way he saw on Alton Brown's show, or he thinks I should do x, y, or z.

Usually I have him straighten up the dining room and set the table so that we have a place to eat, as the DR table tends to collect mail and other non-food items.

The long wait when you're hungry would be frustrating to me too. And the blob of butter in the food would be grounds for, if not murder, some sort of painful torture.

My "gripes" are probably going to make me sound like a spoiled brat, so let me first say: I know I have it good, and I know some women would give anything to have these "problems." But you should know that having a DH who loves to cook is not without its downside.

For example, there have been times when I am really, really hungry and he assures me dinner will be ready in about half an hour. More than an hour later, I'm still waiting because he is trying to arrange the food artfully on the plate or he decided at the last minute to try something new that's taking way longer than he thought. God forbid I should get cranky and yell, "This isn't the #%$*&^%@ French Laundry! I don't care how it looks, just let me eat it!"

The other problem is that he can't leave me alone when I cook. Early in our marriage, he ended up following me around the kitchen one night scrutinizing my every move when I was getting ready to heat up a can of soup. Shouldn't you add water? Is that going to be enough? The other pot would be better. Maybe the heat should be higher. I get frustrated just thinking about it.

Then there are times when I'm trying make a low-fat recipe and as soon as my back is turned, he tastes it and throws in a big blob of butter. He just can't resist telling me how to make it better.

OK, that's off my chest and I feel better. Most of the time, it's a dream come true to have DH make wonderful meals every night. And we almost never get takeout because he can cook most dishes better than almost any fast food joint. (There are exceptions, of course, since we live in an area famous for ethnic restaurants.) If we do go out, it's because it's fun, not because we don't have time to cook or there's nothing in the house.

Also... KD, I want to hear YOUR "I hate to cook gripes". You must have one or two...

My guess would be, "Cooking is my PROFESSION! It is my career! And sometimes, I just don't want to make my own dinner!"

quote:

Originally posted by SheriaVa:
After all, for a person who feels overwhelmed just trying to keep the kitchen basic-level clean, cleaning up from a major spill or accident is going to seem insurmountable right at the moment it happens.

Exactly!!! And not to mention, if you've procrastinated you may not have time and it is just overwhelming.

This isn’t exactly MY problem… but it affected me a LOT when I dislocated my knee cap.

Some of us eat fast food or get take out because we don't know how to cook. My dh can’t cook.

He is missing some VERY basic information, for cooking things like hamburgers or pasta. He is in a hurry and will put the pan on as high as it will go (thinking it will heat faster) but can’t wait and puts the burger (or pancakes or ______) in the pan while it is still cold.

He adds pasta to water before it is boiling. Instructions like “pat the meat dry” mean nothing, so nothing is browned - yet it is totally overcooked. Medium high means nothing. If med-high is good. HIGH must be better. All meat is this gross, gray color and is totally tough. He can’t tell when things are done, because they never look “done” or like they are “supposed” because they don't brown. So things are over cooked. They are just cooked to death.

He doesn’t understand WHY it is important to PRE-heat the oven or broiler. (Well, he does now because we’ve discussed it several times.) dh’s made burgers and sandwiches which are simply not eatable. He made a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich which could not be chewed and we had to throw it away.

He has a couple of “special recipes” from college which involve pasta and ketchup and onion salt. But really, he only made these when he didn’t have enough money for fast food.

But I KNOW that for some people… they go out for take out or get fast food because they do not know how to cook… and even something as simple as a burger tastes better made by the clown at Jack in the Box. If a person can’t cook a hamburger… a chicken breast or piece of fish or something more “complicated” is just going to be frustrating or scary. And because, they don’t really follow the recipe instructions like, “preheat the pan” or “pat the meat dry” … they don't cook… because recipes never worked out in the past (and won’t in the future) so why bother.

Or even more frustrating, is to ATTEMPT to cook… ruin the dinner… destroy the kitchen… and still have to go out for take out and have to clean the kitchen, too. Been there. Done that.

1. What are your biggest "I hate to cook" gripes?

I can't even count them all. I hate trying new recipes and then hearing my kids go EWWW before they've even tried a bite! I hate shopping for ingredients, spending a lot of time on shopping, planning, prep, then cleanup afterwards. I hate doing this 7 days a week, twice or three times a day on weekends. I hate it when I can't even think of anything I'd like to make. I just want to sit down to a healthy, tasty dinner that has been prepared by someone else. I will gladly do cleanup afterwards if that's the price I have to pay.

2. When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?

Everybody's hungry, the fridge is empty and nobody can agree on what to eat except something needs to happen fast. We do Chinese once a week because there's one right across the street.

3.Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?

If I want to make healthy foods with side dishes and salad, then YES. If I want to make something even slightly ambitious, then YES. See the comment about the kids' attitude.

I can put together a staple food like pasta bolognaise, baked mac and beef or sweet'n'sour chicken in no time (ya gotta love cook-in sauces), but if I feel I want to add veggies as a side it suddenly feels a lot more challenging.

4. For your family, is cooking at home faster and easier than ordering take out?

My kids prefer home-made to fast food, but Chinese takeout is often faster. I figure home cooking is tastier and sometimes faster. I just wish I didn't have to do it all the time. What I want is a live-in COOK! (and housekeeper, cleaner, babysitter, massage expert and therapist... oh, I forgot: dh does most of that. Now how can I get him to cook??)

I hate trying to think of something to cook. For me, going out isn't easier, at all, because of the wheat thing. But I get stuck in a rut, or I buy gorgeous things and then don;t cook 'em.


I get tired of cooking for me, myself and I. I hate washing pots. I've got a couple staples, and that is it.

This thread is so hilarious. Thank you friends for your honesty and humor.

With that in mind, the following is NOT a complaint, it is mostly meant to be humorous, but remember that what is usually most humorous is what hits home the most.

1.) I am NOT the chief cook and bottle washer at our house. I mostly wash the bottles. Bill does most of the cooking. I definitely do most of the clean-up. How can one person make that much of a mess in that little time? Has he never thought of putting a lid on a pan to prevent splatter? Does he not know that we own a spoon or rest or is it that he doesn't know its purpose?

2.) He originally became the main cook because he got home from work before I did, when I was still teaching. Now, he continues to do it because - he doesn't eat what I would like to cook, but I will eat what he cooks (meaning: he doesn't use veggies, fish, condiments, etc.) and I have trouble physically standing/moving that long (I'm still working on both of those).

3.) Often in mind, the eat-out (vs the take-out) is that I can get the salad, the veggies, the whatever that I would like AND he can have what he (and ds) like. Take-out becomes a time factor if a school situation or having to be out of town (i.e. nephew's memorial service was at 7 p.m. and 1-1/2 hours north of here and little time to get there with work schedule).

4.) The drawers generally get closed around here. Once in awhile, I find one, usually the silverware drawer, slightly open. I close it - it probably happened with the quick setting of the table.

5.) For when something does get spilled…the dog has learned the meanning of "OOPS!"

6.) I DO hate that we seem to get into the Routine Rations. You know what, I mean Taco Tuesday, Souper Saturday (which would be o.k. if dh liked soup). We have at least 3 days of the week that seem embossed in amber. I'd like more variety. DH is usually o.k with it. Sometimes the fat food run is because he doesn't like or doesn't want to fix what I had planned.

7.) Our town has a total of 1 restaurants which are not fast-food chains. We have one each of Ponderosa, McDonald's, Domino's, Cassano's, Burger King, Wendy's, Arby's, Taco Bell, Subway, Mr. Hero, and Big Boy. Not many good choices in the named restaurants (although I love Arby's Martha's Vineyard Salad)

Linda

We don't have "family meals" like most families.

I used to love to cook but that was before moving in with my parents in '99. I don't hate to cook but I dislike cooking in my mother's kitchen.

"When you choose carryout over home cooking what's the turning point?"

We don't order take out but dd and I do eat out (but not fast food) most of the time on weekends when she is at home although we do try to cook at home for at least one meal each weekend. Friday night is the only time we leave home with the express purpose of "going out to eat". On Sat. & Sun. we eat out because we are not at home at meal time.

During the week I do cook, but just for myself (mother and daddy fix their own meals seperately-long story). I used to fix a couple of frozen dinners a lot just for the convienence (Boston Market Meatloaf & Marie Callendars Honey Roasted Chicken Pot Pie) but have been trying to avoid them and cook something real the last few months.

"Is cooking at home ever as bad or as time consuming as you "think" it is?" yes

Dd loves to cook so when we cook, we cook from scratch which means going to the store for ingredients, and then the prep, cooking, eating, and clean up seems to take forever.

But... when I work more that 2-3 days per week, I am way too tired to cook and I end up eating stuff like (calorie ladden) cheese on toast.
I'll try and remember to post this in the products section but Lean Cuisine has a new bistro type sandwich that is basically cheese on toast (w/ veggies and ckn...) it isn't bad. had one for lunch today...

Or just throw the drawer, and everything in it, away.[/QUOTE]

I keep throwing out cookie sheets becaue I don't clean them properly. actually it isn't that often and I really don't care because I have 500 coupons for Bed Bath and Beyond and 3 new ones only cost around $15.... I guess a drawer would be more expensive

In a nutshell, I love to cook and generally clean as I go. Dh does a lot of cleaning too, so that I don't feel loads of pressure to clean everything. I tend to be a really efficient cook, so that I dirty only the minimum number of pans and use things more than once.

But... when I work more that 2-3 days per week, I am way too tired to cook and I end up eating stuff like (calorie ladden) cheese on toast. I have to remember that cooking takes time and energy. Rachel Ray's show sometimes bothers me because it really does take more than 30 minutes to shop, prep veggies, clean and so on. The idea that you can cook/shop in a snap seems off to me-it takes thought and time to get decent meals going for a family. (Can you all tell from my slightly negative time that I have been working too much and am feeling overwhelmed with cooking?)

I didn't learn "clean as you go" until I began making healthy cooking a habit and we lived in an apartment with a typical apartment kitchen. Now it's just a habit.

And even worse, I don't want other people cleaning up after me. They never load the dishwasher right! And don't dry out the sink and clean the stovetop at the end! And...yeah, I know. I'm working on it.

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
Yeah, looking at soup in the drawer made me want to cry and then take a nap or something... Or just throw the drawer, and everything in it, away.

Oh, sister, I have definitely been there and done that. There were years where, when I would have a major accident in the kitchen, I would just walk away from it to keep from crying and it wouldn't get cleaned up right away because I just couldn't face it. After all, for a person who feels overwhelmed just trying to keep the kitchen basic-level clean, cleaning up from a major spill or accident is going to seem insurmountable right at the moment it happens.

I get so frustrated with myself for doing such stupid things. And when bad things happen, I have a bad habit of saying to myself "See? You knew that was going to happen (because you were doing it half-assed, not being careful, etc.) and now it just did. You deserve that."

While I have improved tremendously on self-flagellation in regard to eating, I have barely improved at all in regard to beating myself up about cleaning or doing stupid stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by sahm:
I realized while at myy folks that I almost never close a drawer or door. Do for about 6 months I've been making a conscious effort to do so...they say it takes 21 days to make a habit. um... i think it takes longer. See- I would have left the pea soup in the drawer and found it at a later date. well- not quite- but close. It might be easier to clean after it is dried.lol

LOL! Takes me 21 months to form a good habit. Takes me 2 hours and 10 mins to form a bad habit.

Yeah, looking at soup in the drawer made me want to cry and then take a nap or something... Or just throw the drawer, and everything in it, away.

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:

quote:

Originally posted by SheriaVa:
LOL!!!!! That made me snort...and you know me well enough to know that I am not laughing AT you but laughing in sisterhood because I have done similar things...though not that one yet, thankfully!

I did step off a 2-step stepladder with a big cup of flour a couple Thanksgivings ago and ended up on the floor on my back wearing the flour. NOT pleasant. But thankfully not as bad as cleaning pea soup out of a drawer.

(still giggling)

Hope you weren't hurt, my sister!!!

But, seriously this is sort of the kind of thing that can make a person say, "Ugh! I hate the kitchen!" or makes us think… why does EVERYTHING take sooooo long?!?!?!?!! When part of the process involves soup in drawers… It DOES take a long time. Rachel Ray would be in the kitchen a lot longer than 30 mins if she poured some dinners in the drawers or all over her broiler or whatever.

And I know that some people can't even imagine pouring soup with an open drawer near by...

OH, I can imagine it. I have done too many similar things. I have had to clean up apple butter off the floor and out of the crisper drawer of the fridge. OH, I have cleaned up so many spilled drinks out of the fridge from people leaving leftovers in there.

But some of it is just doing "stupid" things... and you spend an hour cleaning out a drawer (and everything IN the drawer) and it makes me feel like, "OMG. I do NOT want to cook tonight. Or tomorrow... It is such a PAIN!"

Or sometimes it is the wrong equipment. My mil didn't have a baking sheet with a lip around it. We were broiling vegs on a FLAT cookie sheet and I took them out of the oven and the entire pan of vegs slid off the pan onto the bottom of the oven. What a mess! (Got her the proper kind of pan for Xmas...)

Just two days ago, I dumped 2 chicken egg rolls in my oven, and they were already "open" because DS and I started eating them and realized they were still cold so I put them back in. The cat is still sitting in front of the oven staring and trying to figure out how to get in there and get out what he can smell. I have cleaned up the majority of it, but it isn't totally cleaned up.
Granted, we ALL have disasters like this sometimes... but perhaps some of us have more than others.


Bee's kitchen turned out BEAUTIFUL... but I remember when she posted, "The microwave is going over the computer". I was, "Noooooo!!!!" because that would just be a recipe for disaster for me (and my family).
I remember saying the EXACT same thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Brie:
Denise - I think of you every time I take soup or something else liquidy out of the microwave. (

ROTFLOL!

quote:

Originally posted by GoingSkiing:
Bee's kitchen turned out BEAUTIFUL... but I remember when she posted, "The microwave is going over the computer". I was, "Noooooo!!!!" because that would just be a recipe for disaster for me (and my family).

Denise - I think of you every time I take soup or something else liquidy out of the microwave : )

Thankfully the computer is actually tucked underneath it so if something fell it would go all over the chair and floor.

Knock wood, it hasn't happened.

PS I've done the same thing with a whole pan of veggies sliding onto the floor because the baking sheet didn't have edges : (

quote:

Originally posted by SheriaVa:
LOL!!!!! That made me snort...and you know me well enough to know that I am not laughing AT you but laughing in sisterhood because I have done similar things...though not that one yet, thankfully!

I did step off a 2-step stepladder with a big cup of flour a couple Thanksgivings ago and ended up on the floor on my back wearing the flour. NOT pleasant. But thankfully not as bad as cleaning pea soup out of a drawer.

(still giggling)

Hope you weren't hurt, my sister!!!

But, seriously this is sort of the kind of thing that can make a person say, "Ugh! I hate the kitchen!" or makes us think… why does EVERYTHING take sooooo long?!?!?!?!! When part of the process involves soup in drawers… It DOES take a long time. Rachel Ray would be in the kitchen a lot longer than 30 mins if she poured some dinners in the drawers or all over her broiler or whatever.

And I know that some people can't even imagine pouring soup with an open drawer near by...

But some of it is just doing "stupid" things... and you spend an hour cleaning out a drawer (and everything IN the drawer) and it makes me feel like, "OMG. I do NOT want to cook tonight. Or tomorrow... It is such a PAIN!"

Or sometimes it is the wrong equipment. My mil didn't have a baking sheet with a lip around it. We were broiling vegs on a FLAT cookie sheet and I took them out of the oven and the entire pan of vegs slid off the pan onto the bottom of the oven. What a mess! (Got her the proper kind of pan for Xmas...)

Granted, we ALL have disasters like this sometimes... but perhaps some of us have more than others.


Bee's kitchen turned out BEAUTIFUL... but I remember when she posted, "The microwave is going over the computer". I was, "Noooooo!!!!" because that would just be a recipe for disaster for me (and my family).