Cooking or not? What's your ideal world like?

[creekland]

I'm bored and waiting for home made squash soup to cook... and got wondering what others think their ideal world would be like with preparing meals?

 

I love many of my recipes, but not cooking - at all.  I'd be content never cooking again ever, so my vote is for a personal chef who would do my recipes or theirs at my whim for my ideal world.  I'd probably still eat out or get take out when they had their days off.

 

This is just a "fun" question, of course - created from a bored mind that was mowing a field today, then preparing home grown veggies for the soup.   :tongue_smilie:

 

Your ideal world doesn't have to have any resemblance to the real world (finances or whatever).  All votes are anonymous.

Edited August 25, 2016 by creekland

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I'm waiting for a once a day nutrient pill. Wake up, pop daily needs, done.

 

ETA: until that happens, I'll take a chef.

Edited August 24, 2016 by amo_mea_filiis.

[HRAAB]

I'm ready for the personal chef.  I wouldn't care what recipes he/she used as long as I didn't have to think about a meal nor cook it.  Coming up with what to cook is worse than the actual cooking.  Which I used to love.  

 

If it were up to me, I would have a few staples on hand, and that would be it.  If someone is bored with yogurt and blueberries for breakfast, too bad.

[Catalytic]

I like/enjoy cooking (I don't love it, don't love experimenting) but I HATE/DESPISE/DETEST meal planning and figuring out what to cook.  If I had a menu (of course, of things my picky family will eat!) and a grocery list, I'd be happy as a clam.  I hate cleaning up, but usually that isn't an issue because my anal-retentive husband can't stay out of the kitchen while I cook anyway, and cleans up while I cook.

[creekland]

I chose 'other'. I'm ready for a non-cooking, non-meal eating life. Meals are boring. 

 

I would subsist, I guess, on toast, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, bread, chocolate and tea. 

 

I can add that as an option.  ;)

[Arcadia]

I like watching the sushi chef prepare the sushi or sashimi or other chefs cooking. It would be costly, time and money wise, to go to a sushi bar everyday so ideally having a personal chef cook what each family member like would be nice.

[barnwife]

I would enjoy cooking 2 or 3 meals a week, with no help from others. I only enjoy it when I can be in my own little world. I'll take the personal chef for the rest of the time. I would bake more often (if we aren't considering nutrition), again with no help from others.

 

[maize]

Personal chef all the way!!!

 

Now where is that spare million $ when I need it?

[Kassia]

I hate cooking and I hate planning meals and I hate the clean up.  If I lived alone, I'd just snack throughout the day.  

 

 

[Rachel]

I really enjoy cooking, but it does get tiring cooking three meals a day every day. When I still worked full time whoever got home first prepared supper. Now I'm home all day, have three kids, and a husband who travels a lot. 95% of meal prep falls on me. In a perfect world I'd have a chef on duty who would cook breakfast for the husband and kids (brought in because I'm weird about smells in the morning). Then would do lunch for the kids and be on call for supper. The meals would be healthy and like what I would cook but not necesarily my receipes, I would like more variety. Someone else would clean all the mess.

[Annie G]

I prefer to eat food I cooked rather than restaurant food. But I'd LOVE to have someone clean up after I cook. Now that's a fantasy I can get behind. 

[MelAR05]

I wouldn't mind cooking one meal a day. It's the clean-up I can't stand.

[Sherry in OH]

I like cooking if I can make what I want to eat.  I am tired of trying to balance what I’d like with what the rest of my family will eat.  If I lived alone I’d cook two or three interesting meals per week. The remaining meals would be leftovers or quick and easy dishes.   

[Ottakee]

I enjoy cooking but we eat mostly simple comfort foods using the crock pot and now instant pot.

 

I started cooking as a young teen as I hated cleaning the kitchen so my mom said that if I cooked she would clean. O latched on to that idea.

 

By 17 I was cooking at a nursing home for 130 people with many specialized diets. I did that for 8 years.

[PixieLittle]

I thought personal chef for a nanosecond before imagining an actual person in the house who'd require small talk...I totally couldn't handle that even in imaginary land. :blush:

[The Girls' Mom]

I just want to stop having to THINK about food so much.  I don't even care how it gets here anymore.  Just food that tastes good, won't kill us, and that everyone in my house will eat.  

 

ETA:  I chose personal chef that cooks both their recipes and my own.

Edited August 25, 2016 by The Girls' Mom

[Tanaqui]

Cooking's not the problem, it's the clean-up. In an ideal world, I can cook, but I never, ever have to clean the stove, clear the counter, wash the dishes, take out the compost and garbage....

[Annie G]

I thought personal chef for a nanosecond before imagining an actual person in the house who'd require small talk...I totally couldn't handle that even in imaginary land. :blush:

 

I used to go to people's homes and cook their recipes for parties they wanted to have. I hated the small talk. So maybe you need to just hire me...I promise not to subject you to small talk! 

[Loowit]

I enjoy cooking, but I love baking.  I really dislike cleaning up afterward.  My joy of cooking has been less of late due to children and a hubby who have a limited number of foods they will/can eat.  So if I could have what I wanted I would make food that I like for myself, someone else to clean up, and the rest of the family could fend for themselves.

[regentrude]

I prefer to make 95% of my own meals. But I don't *cook* three meals a day - I cook one. The rest are cold meals.

5% of meals eating out, that is about one meal a week - plenty to me.

[Stacia]

I chose 'other'. I'm ready for a non-cooking, non-meal eating life. Meals are boring. 

 

I would subsist, I guess, on toast, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, bread, chocolate and tea. 

 

I hate cooking & originally thought of a personal chef.

 

But, I like this answer too. To your list, I'd have to add Totino's pizza (yes, my dc mock me for eating them & liking them :lol: ), peanut butter, & coffee. And regular amounts of take-out from my local Mexican restaurant.

[goldberry]

I have actually given much thought to this.  If I had the funds, I would ADORE a personal chef who would cook healthy and fresh food for us.  I always want to eat better and never seem to have the time or the talent to make anything healthy taste decent.  

 

I even toyed with the idea about buying a house where I could rent out part of it in exchange for someone cooking.  That's how serious I am.

[Stacia]

I'm waiting for a once a day nutrient pill. Wake up, pop daily needs, done.

 

ETA: until that happens, I'll take a chef.

 

It sounds like you need Willy Wonka as your chef. Lol.

 

[Rebel Yell]

Other.

 

I would like to cook one or two meals each day, most days of the week. For the meals I do not cook I would like either a heathy prepared or easy for others to out together meal, or takeout/restaurant meal.

 

More than any limits on my cooking, I would like to never ever have to clean up after.

 

Other for the added clean up question, also. I would want someone to clean up both after I cooked AND after a takeout meal, snack, or whatever. Basically, I never want to wash another dang dish. EVER!!! And I most especially cannot stand washing silverware. I could probably have bought solid sterling silverware with all the money I've spent on disposable utensils.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Rebel Yell

[heartlikealion]

I thought personal chef for a nanosecond before imagining an actual person in the house who'd require small talk...I totally couldn't handle that even in imaginary land. :blush:

 

I imagine my chef as someone thinking that I'm so boring to work for because I don't like enough ingredients. Does the chef handle clean up as well? I could maybe get past their impression of me :laugh:

[Spryte]

I chose 'other'. I'm ready for a non-cooking, non-meal eating life. Meals are boring.

 

I would subsist, I guess, on toast, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, bread, chocolate and tea.

Add coffee and salad, and that was how I got through school. Most of my 20s. I could do it again in a heartbeat.

[AnnE-girl]

I would love to have time to cook and do everything else I want to do in a day. I would also love for my kids to be slightly more adventurous. I hate cooking something new and a little interesting only to have my kids turn up their noses at it. So more time in the day and more appreciative dinner companions would make cooking 95% of the time much more enjoyable.

[medawyn]

I love cooking!

 

I don't love cooking with my toddlers underfoot.  In my fantasy world, I get to create lovely, homemade meals three times a day for all the inhabitants of this house to enjoy.  In the real world, I manage one actual meal and two assembled meals most days, and the experience isn't relaxing or enjoyable.  I keep persevering, though, and I hope I get to enjoy cooking again when I have older children.

[creekland]

I added the clean up question.  Anyone who has already voted needs to delete their vote to be able to vote in both questions.  It's easy to do.

 

I thought the clean up question would be close to universal with one of the "yes" answers, but time will tell... ;)

[nd293]

Meals are seldom boring in our home. Knowing I have 4 types of vinegar, 5 types of oil and 20 or so spices in my kitchen cupboard is a source of pleasure to me before I even start using them. A lot of what we eat needs to be served freshly prepared, and that's the biggest cooking hassle for me - food often needs to be prepared at the time of day I have the least time. So yes, lots of time and no rush would solve all my cooking headaches. Oh, and someone to clean the kitchen once I'm finished, or better yet, to clean around me as I cook! ETA: ... silently! They are most definitely to clean around me silently. And to not get in my way. This is my ideal world and they are my employee, so that's sort of a given!

Edited August 25, 2016 by nd293

[PinkTulip]

This is actually on my list for when I win the hundred million dollar lottery: a personal chef who just delivers ready meals to my house 3 times a day, with the accompanying requisite fresh fruits and veggies all peeled and cut up for snacks. The chef can make my recipes or theirs, but of course they are healthy, balanced, super nutritious, and delicious. No cooking at all in my house, but I guess I can bring myself to clean up our own plates and dishes!

[Guest]

I would love to have a personal chef who would either make my recipes or make his or her own recipes in the style of food I like to eat. This mythical person would also clean the kitchen afterward. (It is true that I don't think anyone else cleans my kitchen "right," but if I was rarely the one cooking I suppose I wouldn't look at it enough to care.)

 

I did like cooking more before it became a chore everyone in the household assumed I will manage. I still enjoy some aspects of cooking when the pressure is off; in fact, I am in a cooking club, lol, so I must like it some. :D

[Ailaena]

I love, love cooking, but I rarely eat what I cook. I mostly graze throughout the day, which is awful, I know.

As for cleaning, I'm just grateful I have a dishwasher :p

[Janeway]

I cannot stand cooking.

[Rebel Yell]

I added the clean up question. Anyone who has already voted needs to delete their vote to be able to vote in both questions. It's easy to do.

 

I thought the clean up question would be close to universal with one of the "yes" answers, but time will tell... ;)

I don't mind cooking. It's the prep work and cleaning up I despise. Especially for baking where there are endless bowls, mixers, measuring cups, spoons, spatulas, cookie sheets... 😡 We do not have a dishwasher.

 

Regular cooking I can get by without exact measurements, and if I plan well I can minimize prep bowls and utensil use.

 

For example, my family LOVES lasagna. It is not difficult to make, and the recipe is very forgiving. But OH MY GOSH THE PANS! AND BOWLS AND UTENSILS!!! Frying pan to brown meat, plate and grater to shred cheese, pot to cook sauce, bowl for cheese mixture, small bowl to crack egg in to avoid shells, bowl for Parmesan, all the utensils, pot to cook noodles... And that doesn't even touch everything needed to make the salad or Veggie side dish, plus garlic bread! 🙄

 

I would also add to me previous response that I wish some convenience foods were less expensive ame/or healthier. I shred my own mozzarella because I don't like the additives used to keep the strands from sticking together or getting moldy, for example.

Edited August 25, 2016 by Rebel Yell

[Seasider]

in similar discussions here, I have said that what I really want is a prep cook. I don't mind cooking - the actual combining and action parts - but the planning and shopping and chopping - exhaust me.

 

In your poll I checked that I would like to cook only on special occasions and that I'd love to always have someone else clean my kitchen. I'd honestly like a personal chef.

[SKL]

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one.  :P

 

I do not love cooking.  And I do not consider cooking important enough to put it ahead of other uses of my time.

 

I like the idea of being able to have a "good meal" without having to cook it.  I chose a combination of take-out and eating out.

 

As for cleaning the kitchen, I actually enjoy cleaning.  Normally I would much rather clean it myself (if I'm eating at home).  However, there are times when I am so busy that I don't mind someone else cleaning up the food mess.

 

My reality is that I don't generally cook, but I don't always come up with a really "good meal" from outside.  I used to be better about this, but I've been slacking off lately.

[mamiof5]

Personal chef. Don't care if they cook their recipes or mine. Would also pay them for meal planning, grocery shopping, cleaning afterwards. I can always dream :)

[SKL]

I don't think I'd want a "personal chef," because I'd rather not be locked into what's for dinner.  Especially with kids who never want what I want.  :/

[Amira]

These are real options for me- it's common to hire a cook in the neighborhoods I live in, and almost universal to hire someone to clean. But I love to cook, especially overseas, and I would feel like I was missing out on an important part of living somewhere by not shopping for and cooking my own food. So I picked the first option, but my children mostly make their own breakfasts and lunches now that they're older.

 

I hate cleaning and love the idea of having the kitchen cleaned for me, but the reality for me is that I'm not hiring a house cleaner, I'm hiring a human being. I'm about as introverted as they come, so having someone else in the house with me all the time, especially overseas when going outside is always an adventure, isn't possible. I also cannot ask another person who isn't making the messes to clean the toilets on a regular basis, or do the dishes, etc. So our family cleans the house instead of hiring someone.

[Audrey]

I'm bored and waiting for home made squash soup to cook... and got wondering what others think their ideal world would be like with preparing meals?

 

I love many of my recipes, but not cooking - at all.  I'd be content never cooking again ever, so my vote is for a personal chef who would do my recipes or theirs at my whim for my ideal world.  I'd probably still eat out or get take out when they had their days off.

 

This is just a "fun" question, of course - created from a bored mind that was mowing a field today, then preparing home grown veggies for the soup.   :tongue_smilie:

 

Your ideal world doesn't have to have any resemblance to the real world (finances or whatever).  All votes are anonymous.

I enjoy cooking, but...

I hate being rushed.

I hate meal planning.

I hate cooking for picky eaters. (my 2 guys aren't, but I end up having to cook for people who are a lot of the time)

I hate it when someone is cleaning up as I'm cooking. This is sooooo annoying!!

 

Otherwise, I really enjoy the process of cooking. I like all the prep work. Chopping things into perfectly symmetrical pieces relaxes me. I enjoy the rhythm of cooking when no one is rushing me. I enjoy creating dishes on the fly as well as trying new recipes.

 

Cleaning up is okay, but if I could get someone else to do it, that would be perfectly fine with me.

[Tap]

I am so. over, cooking.  I used to enjoy it.  I don't anymore.  Between everyone's preferences and allergies and my avoidance of nightshades, there are very few meals that everyone enjoys.

 

I would love to get take out most nights, so everyone could get their own custom meal.  I don't mind cooking a few days a week, but unfortunately that means that I wouldn't be eating.  The few family meals that everyone will eat, I cant have but that would be worth it for not cooking most nights. 

Edited August 25, 2016 by Tap

[happypamama]

In my ideal world, I'd only cook when I actually wanted to, and only the fun stuff I like making. Maybe I'd want to make my own breakfasts too, so the eggs can get done just how I like them. Otherwise, I'm just so bored with cooking and meal prep and the same things all the time, and I'd be quite content to have someone else do the majority of the cooking.

 

As for cleaning, I'd be MORE than thrilled if someone else wanted to do it for me. It takes too much time and energy. I'd outsource it in a hurry if we could.

 

(I have zero desire to outsource parenting or schooling, though.)

[purplejackmama]

I love cooking. It's my thing.

[madteaparty]

I chose 'other'. I'm ready for a non-cooking, non-meal eating life. Meals are boring.

 

I would subsist, I guess, on toast, eggs, yoghurt, fruit, bread, chocolate and tea.

Add coffee (for me), eggs and Greek salads and this is basically our diet when DH travels.

I want to cook like once a month when I prepare some fancy recipe. This substinance cooking has gotten old. I'm trademarking that term ;)

Edited August 25, 2016 by madteaparty

[RoughCollie]

When my kids were younger, I timed how long I spend doing food-related activities. Cooking, baking, cleaning, planning, and grocery lists/shopping - everything I do that is associated with the kitchen -- took an average of 21 hours a week.  That is a part-time job! I cook and bake nearly everything from scratch, and back then I made three meals a day for my family.

 

After decades of doing this, it has become a chore. I still like to read cookbooks and I'm still interested in all aspects of food. I'd rather have someone else do the actual work involved, to my standards in everything involved.

 

If I were wealthy enough, I'd hire someone to do all kitchen-related work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alice]

I like cooking for the most part. I voted #1.

 

In reality, I don't cook as much as most people here. Breakfasts everyone is on their own for the most part or my husband is usually the one who cooks. He's more of the baker so in colder weather he often bakes something. I'm usually out in the mornings and get home after breakfast so the rare mornings when we are all here I like cooking for everyone. I end up cooking about 3-4 dinners a week. I'm out one night at work and my family goes to dinner with dh's extended family. I usually cook three meals during the week and then we have at least one that is leftovers or sandwiches or something quick. On the weekend dh often cooks or sometimes I do. He's a better, more intuitive cook than me and he really enjoys it so it just depends on what we are doing and who feels like it. 

 

The one meal I get tired of is lunch because it feels more like a chore. But now that the kids are older they often make their own lunch or we all work together to do something. 

 

I don't mind clean up that much, it's pretty quick. 

 

I realize thought that I might answer very differently if I was seen as being the person responsible for three meals a day every day for years and years. 

[DawnM]

Cooking is ok

Clean up is I HATE!

 

I am back to work full time.  The kids and DH have been doing more of the cooking and clean up.

 

Last night he grilled chicken, heated up green beans, and made rice.  I would prefer roasted green beans but you better believe I didn't mention it!

 

Any meal I don't have to cook is fantastic!

[SproutMamaK]

In my ideal world, are all other variables equal? ie, am I homeschooling? If I had unlimited time I'd love to make most of my own meals. But if I'm still homeschooling I's prefer someone else making most of them so I can grab a nap while they cook for me. ;)

[Zinnia]

I love to cook, but I still think 2 meals a day would be enough to scratch that itch.

 

And someone else cleaning for me?  All day, any day, any way, any how.  That would be like the most wonderful piece of magical gift anyone could give me.  Cleaner, I am not.