When Making is Better Than Eating

[Peter the eater]

There's a bad 1990 Jeff Goldblum movie called Mister Frost in which he plays the evil title character who has the strange habit of preparing complex gourmet food, takes a Polaroid, then scrapes the plate into the trash without a taste.

While replying to Rover's popcorn popper thread it occurred to me that I prefer making popcorn on the stove with the handcrank aluminum pot than I do actually eating it.

What are some dishes you'd rather make than eat?

[Chris Hennes]

I'm one of those people who probably enjoys cooking most anything more than eating it, though I do love to eat. Most things that I cook I do generally want to eat myself, but as for things where I don't: nearly anything sweet, but dipped confections in particular. They are generally quite complex, requiring very large numbers of steps, many of which require you to be very meticulous: truly a joy for someone who enjoys the mechanics of cooking. It helps that they tend to be beautiful when you do them right, and people love them. I just don't have that kind of sweet tooth., so I give 99% of them away, usually sending them into the office with my wife.

Pastries, on the other hand, I do not share.

[Lilija]

Just off the top of my head, any huge holiday dinner. I LOVE to tackle Thanksgiving for 12, but when it comes down to eating it...eh. Big roasts, too. I'm no vegetarian, but I really limit my meat consumption, so a huge slab of rich meat taking up a third of my plate is often waaaay too much. A little sliver is enough, but I really love the act of preparing, and turning out a perfect roast, be it prime rib, fresh ham, ham, pork shoulder, lamb, anything.

[CaliPoutine]

For me, I'd have to say its canning. I love canning jams, salsa's, sauces etc because I'm thrifty like that and I love giving them for gifts. But, I hate raw tomatoes and I dont really eat that much jam.

[Peter the eater]

For me, I'd have to say its canning.  I love canning jams, salsa's, sauces etc because I'm thrifty like that and I love giving them for gifts.  But, I hate raw tomatoes and I dont really eat that much jam.

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I hear you. I think I like seeing my handsome pickled eggs in the fridge more than I like eating them.

You don't really hate raw tomatoes, do you? BTW your strawberry jam lasted three days in my house.

[CaliPoutine]

You don't really hate raw tomatoes, do you?

Yes, I really really do( it might be a texture thing). I love cooked tomato sauce though and I dont mind the odd piece of tomato in a stew. I also love tomato soup.

[feedmec00kies]

Just off the top of my head, any huge holiday dinner. ....I really love the act of preparing, and turning out a perfect roast, be it prime rib, fresh ham, ham, pork shoulder, lamb, anything.

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I'm definitely with you, Lilija. I've never had to prepare anything that big, but when I make something a little more involved that my usual dinner efforts, I tend to not be hungry when I've finished. I'm not sure if it's smelling and nibbling the ingredients during prep and cooking that does it, but sometimes I'm almost a little queasy thinking about eating, like I just stuffed myself. Never understood it.

[annecros]

Just off the top of my head, any huge holiday dinner. ....I really love the act of preparing, and turning out a perfect roast, be it prime rib, fresh ham, ham, pork shoulder, lamb, anything.

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I'm definitely with you, Lilija. I've never had to prepare anything that big, but when I make something a little more involved that my usual dinner efforts, I tend to not be hungry when I've finished. I'm not sure if it's smelling and nibbling the ingredients during prep and cooking that does it, but sometimes I'm almost a little queasy thinking about eating, like I just stuffed myself. Never understood it.

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I'm with you. Sometimes, and it is almost disappointing, after I have stood over it, smelled it, coddled it until perfect - I just walk away for a bit and have trouble sitting down to eat it. I have to walk away and distract myself for a bit. My mother did this as well. She never sat down to eat immediately. I always thought she was deferring for other reasons, but maybe she was just sick of looking at it.

I wonder if there is already sensory overload that ruins the appetite. I go with the smelling.

[dockhl]

I thought I was alone.

I love the act of cooking, find it theraputic---end of busy hectic day with people talking at me? Low music, glass of wine and a complicated recipe---it all fades away. Do I want to eat it? Not so much, a nibble, a taste........better to have someone to eat it and say how good it is !

Almost all food falls into this category............

[Syrah]

Anything I cook all day tends to have this effect on me. Also desserts, I love the idea of them but when it comes down to it, I only want a tiny piece.

[prasantrin]

Whenever I cook for other people, I love the process, but don't really care about partaking in the result. Just sharing is enough for me.

But when I cook for myself, I eat every last bite!

[Timh]

I really enjoy cooking eggs, all classic technical preps, poaching, coddled, shirred, soft-no brown omelettes(japanese style), overeasy, southern fried, and the dishes they go in, like: ouefs meurette, all of the New Orleans repetoir, etc. But I cant eat eggsother than an omelette. Can't stand the smell of them.

Edited September 28, 2008 by Timh (log)

[faine]

Hem.

Christmas cookies are fun for me to make, but I actually don't particularly enjoy eating them - sugar cookies never held much appeal for me, even when covered in enough sprinkles to kill a horse. It's the warm-fuzzy togetherness that appeals to me. On the other hand, tiger butter is both fun to make, easy, and tastes like unicorn giggles, so there you go.

I generally am a lot more jazzed up about eating food if I've cooked it. I just learned to cook this year and I find it very liberating that I can pretty much turn out whatever I want how I want it. Maybe this will go away as cooking loses its novelty?

[amapola]

(...) Also desserts, I love the idea of them but when it comes down to it, I only want a tiny piece.

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Same here. And cakes, I love creating elaborate sweet things, trying out new techniques or perfecting known ones. But I am always very happy when, for example after a dinner with friends, I can send most (or better: all) of the sweet leftovers off in doggy bags. Not that I dislike them, but I just find it daunting to be left with more cake than the two of us can eat in an entire week...

[LB Howes]

You don't really hate raw tomatoes, do you?

Yes, I really really do( it might be a texture thing). I love cooked tomato sauce though and I dont mind the odd piece of tomato in a stew. I also love tomato soup.

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I can't stand raw tomatoes either - it's the texture. My oldest son is the same way.

[Shalmanese]

I'm like that with a lot of things. I'll spend several hours making it and then eat it while sitting in front of the computer and realise I barely tasted my food.

Chocolate work is like that as well. I could take or leave chocolate as a flavour but working with it is incredible amounts of fun.

[Peter the eater]

You don't really hate raw tomatoes, do you?

Yes, I really really do( it might be a texture thing). I love cooked tomato sauce though and I dont mind the odd piece of tomato in a stew. I also love tomato soup.

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I can't stand raw tomatoes either - it's the texture. My oldest son is the same way.

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You guys should try a hydroponic Tiny Tim tomato from my inlaws' farm -- they have the sweet flavor and texture that might convert a non-believer.

[Peter the eater]

I could take or leave chocolate as a flavour but working with it is incredible amounts of fun.

Really? I've never really worked with chocolate -- if the making is better than the eating then I think I'm missing out.

I'd really enjoy doing one of those enormous, colorful but fragile sugar sculptures. Those ones where you channel your inner structural engineer and Venetian glass blower. Not to keen on the eating part, though.

[Smithy]

On the other hand, tiger butter is both fun to make, easy, and tastes like unicorn giggles, so there you go.

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OK, I'll bite. What is tiger butter, and how do you make it? Anything as good as you describe, I've got to try.

[Special K]

It's cookies and cakes for me. I make them all the time for other people, but I almost never eat even one. Don't really like sweet things that much. Apple pie I'll eat, but not if it's overly sweetened.

Another movie like that, where the actor cooks elaborate food and then eats a Lean Cuisine, is "Last Holiday," with Queen Latifah. It's cute.

[Jenni]

I love making traditional Indian pickles, but, even though I like how they taste, I hardly ever eat them.

[Peter the eater]

On the other hand, tiger butter is both fun to make, easy, and tastes like unicorn giggles, so there you go.

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OK, I'll bite. What is tiger butter, and how do you make it? Anything as good as you describe, I've got to try.

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Milking the tiger must be the rate determining step.

[Sharon Skelton]

That's only happened a few times for me. Most recently it was a beautiful lamb ragu - first time I'd ever made it. I followed all the directions, even though I was skeptical of the milk in the sauce. By the time the ragu was done I wanted nothing to do with it. We grilled steaks and and I saved the ragu for the next night. I guess the smell and the thought of the milk in it curdled my stomach.

The next night we had the lamb ragu with bucatini and it was amazing! We fell in love with it!

[Lilija]

That's only happened a few times for me.  Most recently it was a beautiful lamb ragu - first time I'd ever made it.  I followed all the directions, even though I was skeptical of the milk in the sauce.  By the time the ragu was done I wanted nothing to do with it.  We grilled steaks and and I saved the ragu for the next night.  I guess the smell and the thought of the milk in it curdled my stomach.

The next night we had the lamb ragu with bucatini and it was amazing!  We fell in love with it!

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I do that sometimes too, for various reasons. Most recently, I spent all of Sunday making choucroute garni, and smelling it cooking all day became fully overpowering. We wound up icing it down, sticking the whole thing in the fridge and going out. We had it yesterday, and it was AWESOME. I guess it's the same with holiday meals, for me, generally I like the leftovers better.

[CaliPoutine]

That's only happened a few times for me.  Most recently it was a beautiful lamb ragu - first time I'd ever made it.  I followed all the directions, even though I was skeptical of the milk in the sauce.  By the time the ragu was done I wanted nothing to do with it.  We grilled steaks and and I saved the ragu for the next night.  I guess the smell and the thought of the milk in it curdled my stomach.

The next night we had the lamb ragu with bucatini and it was amazing!  We fell in love with it!

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I'm sure it was better on the second night anyway!!