Do you like your own cooking?

[NeroW]

Man, hell no.

[jschyun]

How dare he claim such a thing when he doesn't like anything worth writing home about in the first place. augh!

Oh geez, this is exactly what I was thinking. But then, I ate at his parents house and realized exactly why that was happening. When someone makes something bad, they all say it's bad, no punches pulled. In a way, I like this better than having to ask probing questions to a person too polite to say they couldn't stand it.

I was reading a book by Lora Brody, not "The Chocolate Diet" (great reading) but some other, non-chocolate one. Anyhow, she describe how her kids wouldn't eat anything but pasta shells in butter, roast beef with absolutely no blood, sandwiches with the crusts cut off... you get the picture.

So she sighed and gave into all their desires. However, she kept making the good stuff for her own meals. Irish oatmeal wth butter, rare duck, linguine with some good sauce... Eventually, the kids got curious and tried a little of her stuff and now one loves sushi, another loves Tex-Mex, etc. and so on.

That's my plan. And then he will spread the word to his friends about how great this stuff is (it's already happening) and in the real estate business i think they call that "the endless chain"

[RosieAgrimony]

My husband had a massive list of things he wouldn't eat and a taste for the bland. Wonder Bread, smooth peanut butter, no spices, etc. I thought, B___S___. I made what I wanted to make, and, told him, eat it or make a PBJ or something. And when we went out, I encouraged adventure.Maybe it finally hit him he was only screwing himself, maybe the it was the sight or smell, but, he began tasting. And, liking. After I had my MIL's cooking I understood why. The woman had 10 recipes when he was growing up. 2 for each night of the week that had a theme (chicken night, beef, etc. Her casseroles were horrible. He was always telling me she made something once every two weeks called Johnny Mazetti. I collect old cookbooks,found several recipes (it was a ground beef casserole with tomato soup and such from the 50's. ) I made it following the directions for the hell of it and it was not too bad, definitely comfort type food from the past. I think she cut corners and didn't add seasonings or used American Cheese in everything or something. Anyway, he was astounded. I make it now once in a while taking a lot of liberties. But, all in all he is quite the foodie now and enjoys food.

Do I enjoy my own food? Yes, most of the time, although sometimes I think I am like others in that cooking it can ruin my taste for it. Mostly I like it. I like good restaurant meals. I like eating at friend's who can cook. We have a few who are really exceptional and you always know you will get a great and often unuasual meal. I hate eating at some relatives that don't cook well. Most people like mine, so, I always try to like theirs. Even when I really want nothing more than to give them cooking lessons!

[Episure]

I am so engrossed in my Cooking and Tasting- stage by stage, that by the time I finish I've lost appetite and become innured to the transformation. The satisfied smiles on my friends' faces is food enough for me unless I can see them faking it.

The few times that I feel elated is when I've created a new dish that works especially if it is outrageously different.

I'm very critical about Restaurant food and will come forth with an opinion if asked for, only the next day and not spoil the evening. A good opinion knows no manners and spews forth in between mouthfuls.

I am quite happy with other peoples' cooking just knowing the joy and love that's gone in it.

[oraklet]

my attitude is like, i want there to be something of interest in what i cook and eat, something that will make myself, my family or guests say "ah!". as i'm not a very experienced cook, sometimes i succeed in that, sometimes not. the family or guests will not always notice if i succeeded or not - only in the rare case of burning or overcooking something, or if a combination of flavours is completely off, or of course, if it's actually like i hoped for (sometimes the idea may be so good that minor faults in preparation will not be felt by them). an sometimes the idea does not come through, though the course is quite edible.

me, i know what i was after, and i like discussing the result, as well as the process. so, wife and kids will say either "stop complaining" (mostly) or "stop bragging" (the rare occasion). except for the oldest kid, who's really developing an awareness of food and will therefore enter in a discussion of it, knowing that it's not a question of complaining-to-make-others-tell-me "no, no, it's wonderful" etc. my own family knows that, too, as their awareness of food is quite developed.

and i have no problems enjoying a good result of my cooking, as i don't so much taste as smell the food while cooking.

i know very few people who can cook well, alas. quite a few think they can, but once i enter in a discussion with them on cooking, most of them will soon involuntarily reveal that they're too recipe-dependant and that they haven't got the foggiest idea of what they're doing. and it shows.

i've given up eating in cheap restaurants. that, and fast food, is waste of money - except for the occasional md's when we're on the road, to keep the kids calm!

Edited November 27, 2003 by oraklet (log)

[catiii]

To avoid desensitizing, I go outside just prior to serving with a glass of wine.

When I come back inside, it's all fresh again and smells like heaven. I also

enjoy my own cooking because I know the cleanliness in my own kitchen and I serve it hot!

Two of my pet peeves: filthy restaurants and luke warm food being served.

It should be hot so the guest doesn't have to rush to eat it before it's ice cold.

[Pere Hugo]

Other peoples' cooking keeps me grounded. It more than not makes free use of the grocery aisles--you could even make a six course "gourmet" dinner with various exotic frozen entrees. If left to my own desires, rather then my captive family audience, I would probably end up cooking some obscure mollusc with a rare distilled product. I would also probably be 50 pounds lighter.

But I do appreciate others' cooking. I love the holiday and am not at all disappointed. I haven't had to be in intimate contact with the thing for minutes and hours previous.

My father-in-law, on the other side, used to complain "Why can't we just have something ordinary?" after I had spent hours on basic roast chicken or beef stew.

Still Hungry,

Pere

[Kerry Beal]

I much prefer my own cooking. It's funny how sometimes I fantasize that my husband might learn how to cook (after all he watches some programs on the food network) - and I'd come home to dinner already prepared. Then I realize that I'd probably be quite the critic because he wouldn't do it the way I do. I think it's just the thought that I might not have to figure out what to make on a daily basis that I'm really fantasizing about.

However - gotta say when Anna and I were up north recently - it was very nice to come home to prepared food. Of course Anna's an amazing cook.

[scubadoo97]

I have to say that I really like my own cooking. I find I'm more critical of restaurant food because they are the professionals and yet I find I usually prefer my food over most restaurant food. As a result we don't go out to eat very often.

[plum tart]

I have to say that I really like my own cooking. I find I'm more critical of restaurant food because they are the professionals and yet I find I usually prefer my food over most restaurant food. As a result we don't go out to eat very often.

I agree absolutely with every word you have written. I cook what I like and generally I enjoy it unless I screw up. I love to eat and will generally cook what I crave on a seasonal basis. I am very critical of restaurants, and I eat in some excellent ones in Toronto and elsewhere because as you say, they are the professionals and as well, I am usually paying a lot of money to eat what they have prepared.

I am more tolerant of friends because I know I am intimidating in the food department. I don't want to be that way but people think "She knows so much, she must be an incredible cook". It is mostly perception and really what I want is for everyone to enjoy cooking and food the way I do. What I am, is a good home cook and I am willing to try anything and I love learning new techniques and trying new recipes and ingredients.

[nakji]

I hesitate to take a lot of credit for my own cooking, because I'm still in the stage of my cooking life where I follow a lot of recipes, instead of creating my own dishes. That being said, I do have enough experience now to assess whether a recipe is trustworthy, or is going to result in something I want to eat. None of my friends cook at all, so when we do eat somewhere else, it's inevitably at a restaurant.

Like you all, I am very fussy where I eat out, because I'll only choose places that I know can make something better than I can, or can source superior ingredients. Fortunately, there's no shortage of places like that in Suzhou.

[Darienne]

YES!

This cooking thing is still fairly new for me, but I do love it and I love the things I am increasingly able to make.

Edited October 31, 2010 by Darienne (log)

[Mjx]

I'm very picky about my food, but I actually like my cooking. I allow myself this, because I attribute my successes to good recipes and good ingredients, rather than any brilliance on my part. Normally, I won't make something unless I have a good sense of what is involved, and have the right ingredients/equipment.

My fiascos are almost inevitably due to my bad judgement: improvisations I don't really believe in (e.g. substituting bran for breadcrumbs), selection of an iffy recipe, settling for poor ingredients because that is all that is available, and so on.

I spend a lot of time in a place where food tends to be bolted, and caring about food is considered a bit snobbish, so meals outside the home can be a little... startling, since I grew in a place where caring about food is a given. When I do the cooking, I know pretty accurately what I'm going to get, and tend to enjoy it. I usually give my cooking a lot of attention, though because my boyfriend is remarkably appreciative, and I'd hate to fall below the standard.

[Special K]

I do like my own cooking, and I very much prefer to eat what I have cooked over what anybody else (friends, restaurants, Mom - especially Mom ) cooks, because a) I know what goes into what I cook, and 2) ( ) I care what goes into what I cook. I'm very careful about checking where ingredients come from, how they are handled, how they are prepared, and I'm just not sure everyone else knows or cares so much. I guess I'm just not a very trusting person.

[andiesenji]

I like my own cooking and often when I visit friends I am "invited" to cook because they all know how much I enjoy it. Sometimes it is a challenge because they have purchased things that I ordinarily would not use but I have learned to work around such obstacles and it is fun to discover what I can do with these "mystery" ingredients.

As I always know in advance when this is going to be happening, I take my knives and other "necessaries" with me as well as some ingredients that I know they will not have on hand.

[Will]

I really enjoy cooking for others, and while I don't always take compliments gracefully, I do really enjoy them. That said, I think food tastes better to me when I didn't have a hand in making it. I think I tend to be less hyper-critical of something that I didn't make, but also, participating in making something takes a little of the "magic" away for me.

[JAZ]

I love to cook, and I like my own cooking. That being said, when I'm cooking for a class or an event, the last thing I want to do is eat what I've made. Not that it's not good. But I remember seeing Mario Batali on some talk show when the host asked him what his favorite food was. He said (paraphrasing): "When I've been the kitchen all day, my favorite food is whatever someone else makes." I second that.

[annachan]

Most of the time....once in a while, I make something that doesn't quite workout as well as I like. I still eat it, but may not like it much.