Does your man cook?

[phaelon56]

I happily jump right in unsolicited and do dishes for anyone who cooks for me but I've usually been a better cook (not to mention more motivated) than most of the women I've dated. They've customarily been content to let me do the cooking when we spend time together unless we're going out for a meal. My current GF(who is the final one - of that I am sure because she's the bomb) cooks a few very specific thigns really well but prefers to let me cook everything else. She'd rather use a frozen pre-made item or go to Olive Garden than go to much trouble to fix an elaborate meal at home. Then again.... she worked long hours for many years (still does) and did the bulk of the domestic chores for a household of four when she was married. It's understandable that cookign takes a back seat to more presisng matters.

I cook because I enjoy it - it's that simple. I enjoy preparing food for other people even more so than for myself. If it's a woman I'm cooking for it's just that much better. I tolerate doing laundry but absolutely hate cleaning the house.

That's what happened in my house growing up too. Mom did most of the cooking until Dad hit his 50th birthday.

When my dad turned 50 my mother took him down in the basement, pointed to the laundry equipment and said: "This is the washer and dryer. I do all the cooking and cleaning in this house. Now you're going to learn how to do your own laundry." That was thirty years ago and he's still doing his own laundry

My father cooks: grilled hotdogs and burgers, canned soup and peas cooked in milk (don't ask). His idea of cookign is "let's go visit the Colonel" (KFC).

[JPW]

I do almost all of the cooking in our house because my wife does almost all of the earning money to purchase food with, so it seems only just. Plus, I really enjoy it. I do not, however, readily admit to how much I enjoy it, because then I would have almost no "hand," in the Seinfeldian sense. I also do laundry and clean -- within reason -- but do not broadcast this as it seems to make other guys want to kick me in the fork for setting a bad example. And yes, I do check occasionally to make sure they're still hanging there, and they are.

No kick coming here.

I'd love to play Mr. Mom - drinking, smoking cigars and playing poker with coupons with all the hotties in my neighborhood. Michael keaton never knew how good he had it!

Unfortunately, my mother in law has a different take on this idea!

[MomOfLittleFoodies]

My husband can cook. He makes better scrambled eggs and fried rice than I do. He can't bake to save his life though, unless he gets help from the refrigerated baking aisle.

[Basilgirl]

No, thank God.

Edited to add his motto: "Heat plus food = good food"

Edited August 5, 2004 by Basilgirl (log)

[SeaGal]

SeaGuy has little interest in cooking, but the deal is if I cook, he'll wash dishes, and that seems almost unfair to me, because I love to cook and I hate washing up! It's worked well for 24 years so I guess we'll stick with it.

Jan

[Susan G]

Not only does he not cook, he prefers not to microwave.

What are some of his signature dishes?

It's usually warm whine.

Everybody, altogether:

"But it's *too spicy*!"

[Varmint]

Mrs. Varmint can't cook a lick. Nor does she want to learn. And neither of us like it one bit when she's absolutely forced to cook. Ask folks who came to the pig pickin' or any of our dinner parties: she's never been involved in one single aspect of food preparation.

How the heck do you think a schlep like me could have landed such an awesome woman like her in the first place? She NEEDED me!

[tanabutler]

SeaGuy has little interest in cooking, but the deal is if I cook, he'll wash dishes, and that seems almost unfair to me, because I love to cook and I hate washing up! It's worked well for 24 years so I guess we'll stick with it.

Jan

Oh yeah, and have I mentioned that I cook seven nights a week and no one else ever volunteers to clean up?

Did you know that asking children to clean the kitchen after they've been served a delicious dinner constitutes child abuse? Ask ours.

[Pan]

Do they get an allowance?

[fimbul]

My girlfriend's man cooks.

When GF and I started dating (6 years ago), she cooked, and I baked bread, or the occasional cookie. Then, I began to cook the odd fancypants meal on weekends.

Over time, as the cooking bug has taken hold and I've gotten better and faster, the deal has evolved so that now I cook most weeknights and she cooks the (often more elaborate) weekend meals. I think I enjoy the thrill of buying ingredients and producing something decent from them in the two hours I have after work before I go *FLOOMP* and cease to be a human being. I am, if I say so, pretty good.

If we're cooking for company, we cook together, which is fun. In such cases she more often ends up practising The Black Arts (baking), while I stick to the savory foods. Some crossover does occur there, though, because she claims that pastry cooks get no glory.

[hathor]

Husband can eat. Husband cannot and should not cook. Husband can load the dishwasher...but, then I go right behind him and take out the cast iron pan (!!), my knives (!!!), the cat (only kidding)...but anything that can fit into the dishwasher is fair game.

When our son was small, and I would be away on business, I would call home, and my husband would brag all about what a wonderful dinner he made. When I spoke to our son, he would say, "Dad made prison food."

Now our son is away at college and is seriously learning to cook. I do 'tech support' over the phone. One of my favorites was talking him through the herb garden so he could get what he needed to make Tuscan steak. OK, you are at the parsley...walk 3 steps left to the thyme..... I get phone calls when we are out where I'm suddenly talking him thru a beurre blanc.... That's my boy!!

[FunJohnny]

Did you know that asking children to clean the kitchen after they've been served a delicious dinner constitutes child abuse? Ask ours.

Roger that -- After I cook on wkdays (most often the case in our household) I don't have the energy to prod my daughter to lend a helping hand and supervise her in doing so. I experience a mixture of guilt -- for not preparing her for adulthood -- and grim satisfaction because she will be totally unprepared for adulthood and will have to learn the old fashioned way from trial and error. Getting her to eat healthily is enough of a struggle.

[Monica Bhide]

Husband can eat. Husband cannot and should not cook. Husband can load the dishwasher...but, then I go right behind him and take out the cast iron pan (!!), my knives (!!!), the cat (only kidding)...but anything that can fit into the dishwasher is fair game.

When our son was small, and I would be away on business, I would call home, and my husband would brag all about what a wonderful dinner he made. When I spoke to our son, he would say, "Dad made prison food."

Now our son is away at college and is seriously learning to cook. I do 'tech support' over the phone. One of my favorites was talking him through the herb garden so he could get what he needed to make Tuscan steak. OK, you are at the parsley...walk 3 steps left to the thyme..... I get phone calls when we are out where I'm suddenly talking him thru a beurre blanc.... That's my boy!!

[Al_Dente]

Where is the [good natured] outrage from men on this thread?

[theakston]

I can honestly say that I taught the missus how to cook. Not a Renaissance guy, I just cooked professionally for a few years.

After 12 years of marriage I have finally learnt not to ask if I can help then take over the operation - leaving her to curse about me to the dog.

[KateW]

My fiance used to cook for a living (the usual fast food gigs at first and then a slightly better place called The Cooker) but he never cooks at home. Sure, he can fend for himself if I'm not home but nothing creative at all (frozen fish sticks, maybe a steak if he's really bored)...he even has a hard time coming up with snack ideas...thinks I'm a genius when I suggest crackers and cheese. He's certainly not an adventurous eater either so I guess it's okay. It's not like he's thinking, man I'd really like some Coquille St. Jacques, but I just don't know how to make it!

[phaelon56]

Where is the [good natured] outrage from men on this thread?

I think it's all on the "Can Your Woman Grill?" thread but you, Al Dente, of all people, already knew that. So much for rhetorical answers to rhetorical questions.

hey Bond Girl

He first have to grind the coffee, then warm the mugs with hot water, then make sure the water for the coffee is at the optimal temperature....(you get the idea.)

Your problem with this is what?

I'll even contend that some men are just too caught up in a notion that is on the flip side. My former GF is the best home cook I've ever met in my life. She could try a dish in a high end or ethnic restaurant and a few weeks later replicate it but usually better - all of that in a poorly equipped kitchen that was about the size of my bedroom closet. Dhe is now engaged to a very nice man who never lets her cook - either he cooks, the housekeeper does or they go out. Go figure. This guy just doesn't know what he's missing.

[lesfen]

This is how he excuses not cooking:

"But sweetie... if I lived with Steve Perry ( ), I wouldn't sing out loud either."

I used to try to get him to cook by handing him a plate of meat and sending him to the grill, but that always ended up with him shouting things like...

"Sweetie?! How do these look? Should I turn them? Help!"

It's not worth it.

My boyfriend made me eggs once... 3 years ago. He used Pam and didn't put any S&P on them. I knew something was wrong with him at that point.

[JumpinJude]

Yes, he does, although I cook 98% of the time since I am home and I also love it, whereas he simply likes it.

He doesn't make all the ethnic foods I do, but that's not a goal for him. He makes great breakfasts of all kinds (although when we have French toast, that's my arena), including the best pancakes ever. He also makes good general meals. He is not afraid to experiment, which I admire. Lately he has gotten an interest in baking, mainly because he adores soft pretzels... so he has been working out various recipes and techniques, etc. Oh, and he even does dishes...

He makes a mean margarita, too, but I guess that's not quite cooking

[formerly grueldelux]

Where is the [good natured] outrage from men on this thread?

I don't know if I'd call it outrage, but I'm definitly perplexed by this thread, the sentiment is just not from my world. Most of my men friends are great cooks, usually significantly better than their GFs or wives. Perhaps there's a generational divide? Most of the daughter's of 70s feminism that I've been blessed to know are thoroughly conflicted about domestic issues, and many of them ended up without any skills whatsoever. Meanwhile, the men have been happy to step up to the stove.

And women doing a man's laundry? Weird.

[Pan]

My brother and I had the job of doing the laundry (with my mother folding stuff because she was never satisfied with how we did it, and sometimes helping take stuff out of the dryer) from the time I was 7 or so.

Now, I often pay the laundromat to wash my stuff for me, but if I have the time and inclination, I do it myself.

[cakewench]

My lovely husband handles the important task of making the coffee in the morning. He always gets up before I do. He'll even make breakfast for me if I look/sound as if I'm going to be there soon enough.

(due to our new country situation, I'm currently not working)

I cook dinner most of the time. He has guilt about this, and tries to contribute when he can (his contributions mainly come in the shape of... waffles. ), or clean up afterwards. I do happen to be a much better cook than he is. It's okay. He happens to be much better at re-wiring electronics than I am.

*edited* because I just read one of the previous posts, and thought that I should add that we are both children of the 70's here... It's an interesting point, though. He does laundry and all that. Honestly, I think cooking is the only 'edge' I have in this household!

Edited August 5, 2004 by cakewench (log)

[Malawry]

My spouse cooks, but for most of our relationship he didn't because I did so much. Now that I work until 6:30pm most weeknights during the school year, and am kinda cooked-out when I get home, he's started fending for himself. He makes a good roasted chicken thigh (he brines the pieces, that's my boy) and has tried his hand at fish a couple of times. He also packs his own lunches, and makes himself omelets and whatnot for breakfast.

He does not generally cook for me. Occasionally he will, but I'm much more likely to cook for him than he for me.

He was in a relationship where he did all of the cooking before he ended up with me, so I know he can do it...but he seems to think it's not worth putting himself out when I'm a trained chef with the palate to match it. I can understand this. I do all the dishes when I cook for us, but he does them if he's cooking for himself. I do almost all the food shopping 'cause I control the food budget and I'm persnickety about quality.

[Varmint]

But I'm always happy when Malawry cooks for me!

[Mooshmouse]

My husband certainly can cook and is pretty darn artistic when it comes to plating and presentation... it impressed the heck out of me when we were dating and it still does! However, unless I'm exhausted after an active day with our three-year-old son, I do most of the cooking because I enjoy it more. Nonetheless, he is an incredible sous-chef and takes care of all the mise en place as well as the cleaning up... who needs a Veg-O-Matic when I have my husband!

These days, dinner in our household usually waits until he gets home from work because we try to make meal preparation a family affair and include our son Noah who absolutely loves to help in the kitchen. Noah takes care of things like washing veggies, ripping up lettuce for salad, prepping veggies like green beans by slicing the tips off, measuring and stirring. One day, he made his own scrambled eggs from start to finish... with a little help from Mom, of course.