Are you a good cook?

[SereneHome]

I don't think I am bc I don't do anything fancy and if the recipe has more than x number of steps, I won't do it.

 

Everyone else thinks that I am a very good cook bc they like what I make.  But I make really easy stuff, so it doesn't count.

 

ETA:  Another reason I don't think I am a good cook is bc I don't know what spices etc would go well together and can't just "predict" it.

Edited January 31, 2016 by SereneHome

[Amira]

I'm a good cook for our family. I can deal with lots of different ingredients and food situations and make healthy food. It took a lot of practice to get to that point.

 

But the way it's usually defined? Not really.

[Junie]

LOL. My kids tell me I make the best boxed macaroni and cheese.  I don't follow the measurements, I usually make it with more butter and milk so it's slightly saucier than usual.

 

I skip the butter and cheese and use half of a can of evaporated milk.  This was an emergency fix because we were out of milk.  I liked it and the dc didn't complain*.

 

*They didn't complain more than usual, anyway.

[HeWillSoar]

I don't always enjoy it because it gets old making meals all the time but yes, I'm a good cook.  I started cooking when I was little, helping my mom make cakes and such.  Then I started making meals for the family around age 10.  I was married at 22 and the cooking has always fallen on me.  Over the years, I have gotten better and better just by trial and error and a Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. 

 

What makes me a good cook?  I can make almost anything and it tastes good.
 

How did I get there? It's just been learned over time by trial and error and lots and lots of cooking.  I guess it's because I like to eat yummy food and I'm the one who cooks around here. 

 

 

 

 

[Joker]

My dh and dds think I'm awesome but I don't share that sentiment. I cannot just come up with something based on ingredients. I always have to start with a recipe. I may tweak it and quit needing it but it still started with a recipe. Even old family recipes I can make without needing instructions started somewhere other than me. I usually just say that I am able to follow instructions extremely well. 

[The Girls' Mom]

I think I am.  I can usually tell what herbs and spices go with dishes.  I know how to cook different meats and seafood without over doing it. I rarely use recipes.  Even when I do, I end up just using it for a general idea.  (Except when baking) Not afraid to try new things...

 

I am, however, very TIRED of cooking.  I have cooked most of our meals for 24 years and I'm feeling very blah about cooking now.  I'd love to have someone come in and do it for me.

Edited January 31, 2016 by The Girls' Mom

[fairfarmhand]

Yes.

 

My mouth doesn't lie. My kids and my dh and almost everyone who eats my food says that.

 

It takes practice.

 

I started with one or two things, mastered them and then moved on. Pie and biscuits are things that took a little longer but I did master them.

 

I also LOVE the Joy of Cooking cookbook, It's helped tremendously. i've never made a bad recipe from it.

[Seasider]

People tell me I am a good cook. I usually reply that I've mostly managed to collect some really great recipes. I always thought that was pretty much the truth, but in the past couple of years - since the internet has become a source for new recipes - it has occurred to me that I can look at a new recipe and sort of instinctively know whether it not it will turn out yummy, or can tell by looking at the list of ingredients what's missing to bring out a full flavor.

 

As far as methods, three+ decades of near daily experience have paid off. I forget what it was like to not know how to cook, then one of my kids will call me with questions and I remember to back when I was their ages!

[KrissiK]

Yes, that's why I am having so much trouble losing weight. I would say practice will make you a better cook. I am a recipe follower, though. I don't ad lib or throw things together and create a feast. Some people are like that. I follow the recipe. Exactly. My mom thinks I'm weird that way. And maybe so. But, my food always tastes yummy!

[heartlikealion]

No because I don't know what I'm doing and I get frustrated easily. I also have huge hang ups with touching raw food. I know how to make a couple of things well, but they hardly count as cooking (deviled eggs, for example. I mean does that even count? lol) I tried to cook chicken the other night and it took all night because the thermometer kept saying it was underdone. Dh thinks it was because I used the toaster oven.

 

My thoughts on cooking:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/f8/bd/8c/f8bd8c5d92380bfeed4fd9c1a3c0efd7.jpg

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I started with one or two things, mastered them and then moved on. Pie and biscuits are things that took a little longer but I did master them.

 

Now, see, what is your definition of mastering it? Can you make them from scratch without double checking amounts, ratios, whether you need baking soda or baking powder, etc? Or do you need to glance at your recipe, but you've mastered the technique (freeze the butter first, it should look like crumble topping when it's done, make a well and add the liquids, "Hey, why don't I add some shredded cheddar? Oh, then I'll need to increase the liquids..." etc.)? I still need the recipe, but I know all the ins and outs of the method. I can also turn out great pastry dough, but again, I need the recipe for the amounts. 

 

I made a ham and potato soup the other night, but it was a small batch, so two days later I made more and I doubled it. I decided that it had too much milk the first time, so I increased the amount of reserved potato water, decreased the amount of milk, and added more cheese. It was even better the second time. And next time I'll add the milk at the end, because I know it wont hurt the recipe to do that (and boiled milk really upsets my stomach, yeesh). I feel like it makes me a good cook to be able to do all of that and know I'll turn out a great soup, but I still need the recipe! 

 

After reading this thread, I think my problem is that I can't/wont experiment, I'm too cheap to waste good ingredients on a dud of a meal, and I don't want to waste my time on it either. I'd rather go with the guaranteed win :lol: 

[Tap]

Average.  I used to like to cook, until I had a house full of people who won't/can't eat a wide variety of foods and it gets disappointing to cook for people and have only one or two people eat it.  Only my husband really likes left overs, so if no one eats dinner, it is often tossed in the trash in a day or two.

[bibiche]

Yes. It is what I used to do for a living. IMO, if you like to cook you will probably be a good cook. I know very few people who are passionate about food who are not good cooks.

[rebcoola]

Nope in general people like my food but I only follow recipes, I dont like cooking.

[fraidycat]

I'm a decent cook. I don't like doing it, but 98% of the time it tastes pretty darn good. I rarely use recipes for everyday cooking.

 

As for the other 2%, I'm also a little adventurous - sometimes I toss a little too much spice in or something.

 

What makes me a good cook? My Mom, my aunts, my grandfather and both grandmothers are/were all phenomenal cooks. I've observed, assisted, practiced, and have a wonderful DH who will eat ANYTHING I concoct. My kids, not so much, but there's always other available options if they don't like what I make.

 

Baking, I dislike even more than cooking, so baking is a rare event. Birthdays (sometimes) and Christmas Eve monster cookies for Santa is the extent of it.

Edited January 31, 2016 by fraidycat

[marbel]

I am a pretty good cook.  I tend to follow recipes for anything more complex than simple things like roasted meat, though, so I'm not sure if most people would consider me one.  It seems like "good cook" and "doesn't use recipes" go hand in hand in people's minds.  I do have a few recipes committed to memory LOL.  I also enjoy cooking, and I like to see people enjoying my food.  I make great mostly-whole-wheat bread.  :-)

 

What I don't like is planning meals. I don't like having to figure out what to eat.  My family does not like a lot of repetition and I get bored making the same things over and over.  I do spend a fair bit of time looking for recipes and then the time looking for ingredients. 

 

 

ETA: I had not read "I Live In Flip Flops" post #64 above, where she says:

 

 

Now, see, what is your definition of mastering it? Can you make them from scratch without double checking amounts, ratios, whether you need baking soda or baking powder, etc? Or do you need to glance at your recipe, but you've mastered the technique (freeze the butter first, it should look like crumble topping when it's done, make a well and add the liquids, "Hey, why don't I add some shredded cheddar? Oh, then I'll need to increase the liquids..." etc.)? I still need the recipe, but I know all the ins and outs of the method. I can also turn out great pastry dough, but again, I need the recipe for the amounts. 

 

I made a ham and potato soup the other night, but it was a small batch, so two days later I made more and I doubled it. I decided that it had too much milk the first time, so I increased the amount of reserved potato water, decreased the amount of milk, and added more cheese. It was even better the second time. And next time I'll add the milk at the end, because I know it wont hurt the recipe to do that (and boiled milk really upsets my stomach, yeesh). I feel like it makes me a good cook to be able to do all of that and know I'll turn out a great soup, but I still need the recipe!

 

I can tweak recipes, mostly by changing seasonings.  But I still need one to start with!  That's good enough for me. I guess if we still turn out tasty food that people will be happy to eat, we're good.  :-)

 

 

 

Edited January 31, 2016 by marbel

[LisaKinVA]

Yes. I routinely cook for hundreds of people who are happy to part with their money to eat what I serve. Some things I cook are fine dining...most are more family favorites.

 

Practice, knowing what flavors work well. Learning proportions. Working with good recipes and then breaking them down, or building new ones based upon flavors we prefer.

 

I'm still learning and growing as a cook, taking some classes to learn even more. Other than staple items, I don't have a bunch of stuff I can just whip together. I have to be intentional. We buy produce, bread, and meats as needed, because they will go bad quickly otherwise.

 

We prepped several meals today. So I have most of what will be lunches and dinners ready to go. The only things left are tonight's dinner (steak and a black truffle risotto), and a split pea with ham soup with cheddar garlic biscuits later in the week.

 

ETA: I think knowing how to cook everything without a recipe is highly overrated as the definition of a "good/great" cook. Especially when I finally get something just the way I want it...I write it down. I can adjust baking recipes for humidity on the fly. I can adjust sauces if I deglaze too much, or if I add too much liquid. But let's face it, growing up with a dad who thought he could cook, because he never used a recipe didn't make eating the food more enjoyable. You never knew what it was going to be like...and that surprise was not always fun.

 

Even great chefs started with recipes (which are nothing more than measured out ratios). It's the ability to recognize what is wrong with a recipe and fix it, or knowing how to substitute one thing for another, that takes them to the next level...not to mention, being willing to try new things. And, when in a restaurant, it's important that they have recipes to follow, because they need to turn out equally great dishes, repeatedly...and have the ingredients properly portioned for costing.

Edited January 31, 2016 by LisaK in VA is in IT

[Closeacademy]

My family says that I am a good cook.  I also work in a bakery.

 

What did I do to get here?

 

1.  Read cookbooks (most libraries have huge collections)

2.  Find out what kinds of food my family likes to eat, learn how to make them so my family just shovels it in their mouths and doesn't talk because it's so good.

3.  Watch shows about cooking.

4.  Talk to other people whose food you love and learn from them, ask questions.

 

I never took home-ec, my mom is an average cook (I loved school lunches) and I basically taught myself through trial and error.

 

Good luck.

[whitestavern]

I will add another thing that I think makes me a good cook, at least in other people's eyes, is that I love eating and enjoy almost every food out there. My dh and kids will eat almost anything as well. I do get bored easily so I constantly try new ingredients and new combinations. I have maybe 20 recipes that get repeated over a year. Well, dinner ones. I tend to repeat breakfast and lunch recipes more often.

[YaelAldrich]

I am a good cook - I say it and others come over again and again to eat with us and ask for recipes (for Jewish Sabbaths and holidays).  How did I get to be a great cook?  I love to read cookbooks, recipe sites, and the like, but I feel myself to be a "crack" cook, one who can figure out the tastes and looks in my head before I even make a dish (as long as I have seen the cuisine type/style before).  I often make up recipes (not as much baking ones as cooking ones) as I intuitively (with some help from my reading) know what will taste good together.

 

I am tired of cooking almost every meal though and now with our current family schedule, I don't have time to make nice family meals (not the we can eat together most meals anyways - too many nights out for marital arts!).  I try to make up for it on the Sabbaths/holidays, but the family likes certain foods as mainstays.

 

Being kosher means that I cannot see or taste lots of kinds of foods outside my home (kosher restaurants tends to stick to several (tired) themes), so I don't know what Laotian or African or whatever foods are like and I don't want to waste time, money, and my efforts on trying something really outside our norms.  We do eat healthily and varied foods, just within Middle Eastern, American, Indian, Tex-Mex styles.

[Carrie12345]

I am a good, not great, cook.

I learned the basics as a child, but my first few years out of the house I was short on time, money, and decent equipment, so no real "cooking" was happening.  Stuff like boxed pasta, canned sauce, and Brown and Serve sausages were the norm for quite a while.  Dh was recently reminding me of how Ds#1 lived on microwavable Gerber meals for a long time.  :ohmy:

 

I've spent the past 15 years playing with recipes, experimenting with methods, and learning about nutrition, which has been my main motivation for learning how to cook seriously.  I've had plenty of dishes bomb before, but they're fewer and farther between now.  Practice, practice, practice.

 

My downfall is timing.  I'm still pretty crummy with getting all the components ready to serve at the same time.

[Luckymama]

I am a really good cook :D I love trying new recipes, I love experimenting, and I love feeding people :)

 

I made my first full family dinner when I was eight. I cooked Thanksgiving dinner when I was 12 (Dad was my assistant--Mom broke her wrist), 13 (she had pleurisy), and 14 (hysterectomy that year).

 

I was forced to become creative nine years ago when my older daughter was diagnosed with a soy allergy. Soy is in everything! Now she cannot eat rice, is allergic to almonds, and she needs to limit gluten. Her younger sister cannot eat anything dairy and is sensitive to coconut.

 

About twice a year I break down and need to take a break from cooking with those dietary restrictions. It helps that dd is away at school most of the year.

[happypamama]

I'm a pretty decent cook.  Not gourmet, but decent.  Someday, I would love to take fancy cooking classes, but right now, I settle for making reasonably decent mostly-from-scratch meals for my family that are nutritious, reasonably delicious, and budget-friendly.  I generally like trying new recipes, and my children and husband will generally try most things.  I don't love a lot of meats, especially out of the ordinary, so I'm not very into cooking those, but I'm game for most types of cuisines, otherwise.

Edited January 31, 2016 by happypamama

[Annie G]

I think I'm a pretty good cook, probably because I've been doing it forever. Married and out on my own since 1980. Not a gourmet cook, but I do make bread, noodles, and most things from scratch. 

 

What makes me think I'm a good cook:

1. When family members ask what's for dinner, they almost always are happy to hear the answer.

2.When we go to a potluck I almost always bring home an empty container. 

3. We like to eat well enough that we use our gym membership to work off that intake. 

[Katy]

Yes, I'm good.  I started watching cooking shows as a child (maybe age 9?).  At the time my mom would only let me cook pasta, but my cooking expanded.  Probably because my mother is a terrible cook.  By the time I was in high school I was making dinner for my whole family about half of the time.

 

Cooking is a skill, not a talent.  Almost anyone could be good at it, it just takes practice and experimentation.  When I started going off recipe and just making things up, probably 1/3 of recipes didn't turn out.  These days I have a good feel for which flavors are good together and I can only think of one made-up recipe in the past year that we didn't like.  Or I didn't like.  DH still loved it.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I can tweak recipes, mostly by changing seasonings.  But I still need one to start with!  That's good enough for me. I guess if we still turn out tasty food that people will be happy to eat, we're good.  :-)

 

Yeah, I guess it is what it is! I really think a big part of it is my memory. I've made roasted chicken and big hams so often over the years, and yet I still need to look up the temp and time per pound every single time! I'll never be the creative cook who can just throw amazing dishes together based on intuition. I guess I'll have to be OK with that. My family sure is :lol: 

[madteaparty]

I'm an efficient cook. I make lunch, dinner and drink from scratch most days. It is not very creative, and I'm bored with it, and the only fun involved is sneaking in the nutrients, and the garlic, and the ginger and the turmeric and so on. It's kind of a waste of a life, really, but if not me, who? I constantly feel like I am in a battle with chaos and disease. I am not a gourmet cook, no. I do it far too much for it to be that much fun. When the kids are older I plan to go take some adult classes at CIA or some place, but until then, I am mired in my own little trench.