Were you a good cook?

[Night Elf]

When you got your own place, whether you were married or not, were you a good cook? My mom didn't teach me how to cook. I didn't even know how to boil an egg. I had to learn by trial and error. I think that's why I hate cooking even now.

[Lady Florida.]

Yes, but I'd been cooking since I was nine years old. My mother always had me helping in the kitchen and as I got older she taught me more and more about actually cooking (not just peeling carrots and other kid stuff). 

 

I love to cook, and I rarely use a recipe, even though I have quite a few recipes. What I do with recipes is tweak them to fit our tastes, or sometimes I combine the things I like best about several different recipes.

 

Lately I haven't enjoyed cooking, but that's because both dh and ds have schedules that rarely have us eating together anymore. To me the reason for cooking is to enjoy food with the people you cooked for. 

[Emba]

WHen I first got my own place, I could cook, but I was a pretty mediocre cook.  I'm much better now. I could cook more than most of my friends, though.

[cjzimmer1]

Yes but my mom hated to cook and wasn't very good at it.  Also my parents were self employed and that kept them outside till late at night.  I taught myself to cook in middle school because I couldn't stand another meal of hamburger helper or some other goulash my mom had concocted or waiting till 9:00 at night for supper.  By the time I was in high school, I did all the cooking and once I got a driver's license I did all the grocery shopping too.  So by the time I moved out,I had years of experience.  My dad stills apppreciates when I bring food over because my mom hasn't gotten any better with time.

[bettyandbob]

Latchkey kid here. My siblings and were expected to have dinner on the table when the car arrived home at 7 pm. We all cooked pretty well.

[DawnM]

I could cook but I hated it.  Hated it.  Really.  Still do.  What a lot of effort for very little return!  

 

I am now happily trying to find how to do 90% of my cooking in the Instant Pot.  I love this thing!  I love my toaster oven too, but that didn't take effort to learn.

[Spryte]

No.

 

I survived on salad, fruit salad, bread and chocolate. And cheese. :D

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yes

 

I think it's a big reason my husband married me and why he continues to keep me around.  :laugh:

 

 

[HeWillSoar]

I could cook because I've cooked since I was little but my skills have definitely gotten better over time.  Even now, I'm still learning and getting better. 

[mommyoffive]

I never had my own place.

 

I am still not a good cook.  I don't like it actually.

[happi duck]

My mom taught me how to follow a recipe. Through following recipes I now have a good idea about what works and what doesn't and can cook tasty things without a recipe.

 

DD can also follow a recipe but doesn't need to. She has a natural gift for knowing what will work.

[Ali in OR]

I was better than most recent grads. I was a good baker for sure--one brother, my sister, and I all enjoyed baking cookies or brownies or cakes growing up. I could do my favorites from mom's repertoire--spaghetti and tacos. And I had no problems following recipes. I remember that I got Bon Appetit as a young adult and would try things from there. I had friends who liked to cook too and we would practice new recipes on each other for Sunday Night Dinners.

[alisoncooks]

Not at all.

I could bake brownies from a box, but nothing else.  Boil noodles, probably.   I could follow recipes, if needed, but I was never taught (nor required) to cook.

[EmseB]

When you got your own place, whether you were married or not, were you a good cook? My mom didn't teach me how to cook. I didn't even know how to boil an egg. I had to learn by trial and error. I think that's why I hate cooking even now.

I was in the same boat, but ended up learning to like cooking. I don't know what the difference would be, except before we had kids hubby and I learned to cook different recipes together. I do 99% of the cooking now, but hubby did become the pie crust guru in the house during that time. I do use a meal planning service which helps some too I think.

[regentrude]

I was not a particularly good cook when I moved out. My grandma had lived with us when I was growing up,  and she was an amazing cook, so there was little occasion for me to cook. But I had helped and observed, so I had the basics down.

 

I started cooking when I moved out of my parent's home and into an apartment with my now DH. I learned by doing. Cooking is really not that difficult and rather fun.

I now love cooking and consider myself a pretty good cook. My DD who is entirely self taught is an outstanding cook.

Edited June 27, 2016 by regentrude

[Guest]

I didn't move out until three days before I got married when I moved into our new to us house- that was my first occasion to cook regularly. But I was a good cook, more because I collected recipes from other fabulous cooks I knew (including my Grandmother) and I could follow a recipe. As several of my other posts have illustrated however, I detest it. It is an act of service I do because it's a requirement to keep my family healthy and functioning. I would rather scrub toilets. But that doesn't mean I'm not good at it!

[prairiewindmomma]

I had a limited repertoire of recipes that I was very, very good at.  My overall skill set was pretty weak though.  

[The Girls' Mom]

Nope.  I knew how to cook...things like hamburger helper! lol.  My skills evolved over the past 25 years.  I'm a pretty darn good cook now, but it took some experimenting and elbow grease.

[AnnE-girl]

I could cook some basic things, but watching a lot of Food Network shows when we first got married helped quite a bit. My aunt gave me the Betty Crocker bridal cookbook that I still use. I use recipes, but I can make some things up as I go and have them turn out decently.

[Pawz4me]

I think so.  But I was in a job where working 18 hours a day six and often seven days a week was considered the norm. So I didn't have time to do much cooking.

[Desert Strawberry]

Yes. I was a proficient cook by age 13.

[TravelingChris]

Yes, I was a good cook.  I never lived alone though.

[Sherry in OH]

Yes.  I did most of the family cooking by the time I was in high school.  My dad expected dinner on the table when he got home from work no matter what shift my mom was working.

 

[Night Elf]

See, I never learned to cook because my mom rarely cooked. We had Campbells soup on rice and scrambled eggs and cheese toast alot. She was a single mom who often didn't get home until after 6:00pm so she made easy things. It never occurred to either of us for me to cook in her place.

 

I still remember the first meal I cooked for my boyfriend the first night in my new apartment. I'm embarrassed to say just what I did but it was awful! I sat there and cried like a baby and he was stumped as to what to do to make me feel better. When he moved in, he cooked and I made the easy boxed meals and soup. That was my first husband. He remarried and she's supposedly a fantastic cook. haha

 

Now, we make very simplified meals. I cook a meat, potatoes or rice, and a canned veggie most nights. We bring in food three times a week and DH cooks on the weekends. Both of my dd's know the basics and my Aspie son can make boxed pasta. If he ever lives alone, he'll probably eat out every night. He has no interest in learning to cook because he doesn't eat much of what we cook. He prefers food out to anything I make at home.

[Guest]

I think I got through college on ramen noodles and frozen peas.  And ice cream.

I never really learned to cook until I faced increased dietary restrictions...and then I became a good cook.

 

My mom is not a good cook, has two stove temperatures (high and off) and thinks she has lost her sense of taste.  I think it is because she is sick of the boring food she eats.  When *I* cook, she goes bananas on how good it all tastes.  LOL

[knoxinsox]

I thought I was, and everyone seemed to enjoy what I made.  Very limited compared to how I cook now though, and I am much more comfortable in the kitchen and cook without recipes.  

[Zinnia]

I could cook, and my friends thought I was a pretty good cook at the time.  

Now, I cook very little of the things that I used to cook.  I rarely have spaghetti sauce in a jar, can't remember the last time I ate hamburger helper, and I don't think my kids have ever had a casserole with a can of soup or a thing of crescent rolls.   :)

 

edited to add: NightElf, I grew up eating a meat (fried in my early childhood, pan sauteed in my later childhood), rice, a canned vegetable, and brown and serve rolls about 4 times a week.  When I'm stressed or sick or low on time, what do I make?  Sauteed chicken or hamburger steaks, rice, rolls, and a vegetable (mostly not canned, though).  Nothing wrong with that.  

Edited June 27, 2016 by Zinnia

[stephanier.1765]

Same here. I wasn't taught to cook so a lot of my beginning cooking came from boxes such as Hamburger Helper. I'm much, much better now and rarely use anything processed but I hate cooking and I'm sure it's from having to learn the hard way.

[theelfqueen]

No. Definitely not.

 

I grew up on hamburger helper, bisquick and canned veggies. And my family ate eggs only ever Over Easy, and steak only ever Well Done.

 

I had a few decent things in my limited repertoire but I was NOT a good cook.

 

Betty Crocker helped me with basics. My Hippie XMIL taught me a lot about fresh produce, My XFIL taught me about grilling. Food network taught me everything else :D

 

Edited June 27, 2016 by theelfqueen

[Arcadia]

Good enough not to starve but not good enough to want to bring a dish to a potluck :)  I come from a long line of picky eaters so everyone in my extended family knew how to cook to feed themselves whether at home or at a campfire or barbecue pit.

[mamiof5]

I couldn't do a thing. Boil an egg, MC and cheese (from a box)... nothing!! My oldest knows very little, missed the boat in teaching her how to cook. I'm a young mom (for her, had her at 19), so, when she was 8-10 I was barely figuring out how to cook. Trying something totally different with the younger ones, I want them to learn

[JFSinIL]

My Dad taught me to cook. And to bake. :-)

[dirty ethel rackham]

I avoided learning much about cooking when I was growing up. My parents were the type who would tell you to do something, but not tell you how, and then make you feel like garbage when you did it wrong. So I stuck to making salads and baking. At least baking had recipes. When I was out on my own, I began to teach myself. I bought a basic cookbook and taught myself when I had time. I would try to master a dish whenever I would have people over. I made my share of mistakes, but my friends were a lot.more forgiving (and willing to go in on pizza) when I screwed up. When dh and I got married, we used to binge out on PBS on Saturday afternoons ... home improvement and cooking. I was forced to learn to cook everything from scratch when I had my oldest. I became quite proficient. Along came super picky sensory kid, which ruined any joy in cooking. Now, it is a chore.

 

Sent from my SM-G900T using Tapatalk

[lllll]

nm

Edited July 4, 2016 by ~ d9n

[SemiSweet]

I could not cook, my ex was a pretty good cook though so he taught me a lot. I watched food network and used recipes. I'm a good cook now but still a recipe user for 80% of our dinners.

[Paige]

No. I could mostly follow a recipe if it was simple, but I did a lot of learning as I went. I cooked a little at home before I married but I was surprised by how little I knew when I was on my own. I used to call my mom regularly mid-recipe for clarification and help and more than a couple dinners were tossed in the trash because I found them disgusting. I'm a pretty good cook now and don't hate it. I like cooking but hate meal planning!

[Farrar]

"Good" is probably too strong a word. I was decent. I was in charge of shopping and cooking for the household from about age 12-14 and then in charge of cooking for myself on a daily basis until I went to college as well as during the summers, so I had practice. But I was also a picky eater so my repertoire was pretty small. 

[Shellydon]

No.  I like good food though, so I learned.

[ItoLina]

Nope. I couldn't cook anything that didn't come in a box with very specific directions. I had a roommate in collage who was a great baker. She taught me a ton the year we lived together and everyone on our floor loved us because we were constantly baking and passing around our treats. So since then I have been great at baking but I still can't really cook well. I keep us fed, but that's about all I can say for it. I figure if I am going to spend 2 hours in the kitchen I would rather end up with cookies than dinner when I am done. [emoji23][emoji23]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[J-rap]

No, I wasn't.  My mother was a very good cook and she loved doing it, so I think she just never felt she needed our help!  

 

My husband taught me.  He's a great cook.  It was a sad day when I had to take over cooking!  But I did learn to be an okay cook over time.  However, this is what I finally realized about myself.  I never really enjoyed food/eating very much!  It was just something I had to do.  Until a few years ago...  I don't know what happened, but suddenly I love eating good food.  I love to try new things and savor different flavors.  I love to eat!  I'll wake up in the middle of the night and think of a recipe I want to try.  So here I am, in my 50's, and I really enjoy cooking like I never had before, now that I finally actually enjoy eating.

[Laurel]

Yes, I was a good cook, though I didn't know how to boil an egg either, because, ew.

I grew up cooking (and my mother owned a restaurant when I was young, and ran cooking classes out of the house in my teens, which I often helped with), and I cooked/catered for a bit in college.

[ThursdayNext]

No.

I moved out when I got married. And we ate some burned dinners, bad meals, and really unhealthy processed stuff.

 

It's not that I'd never cooked. All kids in our family, no matter the gender, learned how to make eggs, grilled cheese, salad, spaghetti, etc.

Also, and this is awesome, when we reached our teens each of us had a meal night. I was in charge of cooking supper every Thursday night. And I did learn to always have a veggie at lunch and supper.

 

But everything came from a box or sauce packet or jar. I had a lot to learn about cooking from scratch, with fresh ingredients. And a lot to learn about what healthy eating choices are.

 

I've learned so much about cooking technique and the science of baking that I see my past self as completely ignorant. Maybe one of these days I will take a knife skills class, and look back at this slow self and laugh.

[MaryMak07]

My poor hubby got a lousy cool. I made DiGiorno pizzas and hot pockets and thought I was making dinner 😳. I was 20 and that's how I grew up.

 

I've learned a lot and am a pretty good cook now!

[foxbridgeacademy]

The only thing I could make was a from scratch chocolate cake, the best chocolate iced smoothie, and grilled cheese.  Mom didn't allow us in the kitchen, still doesn't.  I definitely try to teach mine, to the point that we have days where they're expected to cook for themselves.... I taught DS how to make a few simple meals and I think since he's been helping me in the kitchen for years he'd be capable of doing a pretty good job.  I expect to get more intensive with the instruction as he gets closer to needing it.  DD has cooked some of her own meals for the last year (vegetarian) and that has increased significantly since she's GF.  I would cook for her more but she particular about to many things. 

[umsami]

No, not really.  My Mom couldn't cook at all.

 

Thanks to the Food Network and the red plaid cookbook, I learned, though. :)

[LucyStoner]

I was cooking eggs and breakfast by 8 and pies and chicken dinners by age 12. Cooking has never been a mystery to me, regardless of how good the output was or not. I've learned more about cooking the 18 or so years I've maintained my own home kitchen but I was lucky enough to have a strong foundation. I didn't learn via lessons. Just watching and doing and asking questions as needed. My dad was the cook, my mother was not.

[Guest]

No. I barely knew how to make anything when I first moved out. My mother was a LaChoy/Swanson/Old El Paso type of "cook." I bought a cookbook called Down Home Cooking the Leaner, Healthier Way, which I used extensively to learn how to make "normal" meals from scratch.

[Arctic Bunny]

I have no idea what we ate for the first couple of years. We had no money. We didn't know how to cook. Now that you mention it, it's a bit of a mystery. I'm very grateful for Food Network. And my mom bought me Looney Spoons cookbook and Joy of Cooking, which are very useful when you don't know how to make anything from scratch.

[Ottakee]

I could cook. I was cooking 2-3 meals a day for 130 people at the nursing home for years before I got married.

[marbel]

I was a pretty good cook, but my husband also liked to cook - and he likes to eat well - so we had a lot of fun expanding our horizons together.   I do all the cooking now, except grilling which I never learned to do.  One thing I can't do is make food look pretty.  I don't attempt to decorate cakes at all, or even do garnishes.  But, most of my food tastes pretty good, I think.  Or so people say.