Can you cook

[Easy Mac]

I ask because I just got done cooking spaghetti, eating and washing dishes. I'm slowly coming to the realization that my skill as a cook is not really worth the trouble of actually having to clean things up afterwards. I mean, if I could cook, I wouldn't really mind doing the dishes, but since I'm just good enough to not burn food, it makes the task of cleaning all the more arduous.

So, how well do you cook?

[JeeberD]

I'm decent, but the wife usually does most of the cooking.

[Maple Leafs]

If I have a recipe and ingredients, yes. But if even one little thing is off, I'm done. I once drove to the grocery store because the recipe said I needed garlic powder, and I didn't have any. My wife told me to just use actual garlic, of which we had lots, but that was a no-go. It had to be powder.

Mrs. Leafs on the other hand will start cooking without even knowing what she's making. She just starts pitching in stuff from the fridge/cupboard and at the end she's made something great.

[TredWel]

I'm the cook of the family, my wife doesn't cook too much. I have a stable of around a dozen dishes that I can make very well, plus I'm always willing to try new recipes.

[cuervo72]

These days it's not so hard. Microwave a can or frozen bag of veggies, make some packaged rice or potatoes, make a fish/chicken/pork/beef main dish, and sometimes throw in some salad or bread. Or go with a pasta dish (woo boy, boiling!). It's not gormet, but it can be tasty enough. I *can* make things that are more involved/use real ingredients, but for weekday dinners there usually isn't a time or a need.

[Icy]

It doesn't sound good saying it myself, but i'm pretty good :)

I'm who cooks at home as i work from home wile my wife works outside, so when she is back home, the meal is on the table.

I'm specially good cooking fast and improvising, when we got visitors at home that we didn't expect, i just take a look at the fridge, and then my brain focus on cooking and i'm able to surprise everybody with a good meal, that not only tastes good but that also looks good (i enjoy as much serving the dishes than cooking them).

Probably i would have studied to be a pro cooker if i were not working on my actual job, also the cooking work sucks mainly because the working schedulle, on weekends etc.

[FBPro]

I do 95% of the cooking in my home.

[MizzouRah]

I'd challenge Bobby Flay to a throwdown!

[Mr. Wednesday]

I've cooked a number of things that have turned out well. I'll admit to seldom varying off of whatever recipe I'm using, though.

[Lorena]

I have burned Top Ramen.

'nuf said

[JediKooter]

Damn fine cook here if I don't mind saying so myself.

[cartman]

I don't like to cook so much as I like to eat well. So learning to be a great cook helped scratch that itch.

[sterlingice]

I'd challenge Bobby Flay to a throwdown!

You're no Morimoto ;)

SI

[Lathum]

I like to think I am a very good cook. Molly is terrible so our deal is pretty much she does the dishes and I do the cooking. That arangment works fine for me.

[SFL Cat]

I am the Grill Master.

[JW]

I do the majority of the cooking at home, but when we want something cooked really well my wife does it. I cook simple things. Crockpot chili, meatloafs, roasts, stuff like that. Pasta dishes. Salads. And grilling.

[Coffee Warlord]

Love to cook, and pretty fair at it if I do say so myself.

There's a definate pride involved in whipping something up out of the blue and it turning into a tasty meal.

[Logan]

Can I cook? Yes.

Can I cook well? Ehh.

[Anthony]

I am the Grill Master.

you are a Grill Master's urinal cake.

i am the Grill Master. there can only be one per coast. I am the Grill Master of the East.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah, I do pretty well with whatever I like and other stuff, too.

[Terps]

It's my profession.

[sabotai]

I can make scrambled eggs....that's about it.

[RendeR]

you are a Grill Master's urinal cake.

i am the Grill Master. there can only be one per coast. I am the Grill Master of the East.


All yer good for is soiled subs.


*I* am the grillmaster of the east.

[bbor]

My love for cooking is only surpassed by my love for eating.

[Suburban Rhythm]

I do probably about 75% of the cooking. And my wife agrees I am probably the better cook. But I can't bake...any cookies etc is her area.

I cook by sort of throwing things together and hoping for decent results. She only cooks when following word for word a recipe in front of her.

[Dr. Sak]

I cook by sort of throwing things together and hoping for decent results.

That's exactly what I do. Hasn't failed me yet.

[Passacaglia]

I do 95% of the cooking in my home.

Where do you do the other 5% of the cooking?

[Izulde]

I can't cook. The only thing I can do is heat a can of ravioli and oddly enough, make any frozen pizza come out better tasting than anybody I know.

So needless to say, most nights I eat out, usually chicken lo mein at this cheap, tasty Chinese place downtown.

[Ksyrup]

I'm decent, but the wife usually does most of the cooking.

Same here.

I don't have the time to cook on weekdays, but I have a few special dishes that I regularly cook on the weekends.

[MizzouRah]

You're no Morimoto ;)

SI

and you're no Cat Cora. :D

[DanGarion]

I do most the cooking, my wife says I'm a great cook. I just kind of do stuff on the fly, improvising a lot. Even with recipes I tend to improvise on some ingredients. It normally turns out pretty good. I hate cleaning dishes though. My wife is a pretty decent cook herself.

[Qwikshot]

I do most the cooking, my wife says I'm a great cook. I just kind of do stuff on the fly, improvising a lot. Even with recipes I tend to improvise on some ingredients. It normally turns out pretty good. I hate cleaning dishes though. My wife is a pretty decent cook herself.

This is like me, start out with a chicken breast and spice it up...little olive oil, heat on the range nice...and a nice clean meal.

I used to be so intimidated by cooking, but after my breakup with my ex and having to feed my daughter when I had her, I was disappointed that I couldn't cook an egg let alone a good meal...now years later, my daughter helps prep and everything...and I keep it simple so I can clean up while the food is hot...which means dishes after ward (which my daughter loves to clean) makes it a relatively painless and rewarding exercise.

Still can't make an omelette to save my life, but I can do over-easy eggs, pasta, grilling, saute, breakfast, lunch and dinner...it's nice.

[Ryche]

75% of the cooking in our house is me grilling a piece of meat while my wife steams some vegetables. But once in a while, usually because it's raining or too cold to grill, we come up with something halfway decent.

[Butter]

Better title for this thread:

Can you properly punctuate questions

[rkmsuf]

I can make spagetti.

[Aardvark]

I can cook really well. Not as good as Paula Dean, but much better than Rachael Ray. My wife is into cooking Asian food (she makes a mean Tandoori Cauliflower), and I'm into classic French cooking (when I have time), and goofing off in the kitchen when I don't. My cooking pantheon is:
1. Julia Child -- I've gone through two copies of "The Way to Cook", and love "The Art of French Cooking". Oddly enough, my favorite recipie from her is turnip soup, which is incredible if you use good chicken stock and can actually get turnip greens.
2. Mark Bitman -- his "How to Cook Everything" is an even better general cookbook than "The Joy of Cooking", albeit a little less comprehensive. His minimalist series of cookbooks have really influenced my personal approach, and we use a lot of his recipies.
3. Jamie Oliver -- I've never made any of his recipies, nor have I bought any of his cookbooks, but I've learned from "The Nakend Chef" that it's OK to wander into a grocery store with a vague idea and start tossing things into my cart, making things up as I go along. I tend to make a lot of salads and pasta dishes with this approach.

Darn, now I'm hungry.

[BYU 14]

We split cooking about 50/50, my Wife is good, but I have to give myself the edge as I can handle more exotic dishes. I like to cook a lot of authentic English food as well as experiment with different seasonings and marinades for Steaks...........also make a mean garlic infused Pork loin.....

As I am just starting a diet today to drop some spare fat and get down into the 205-210 range again, I just realized how stupid it was to post in this thread as I sit here starving and munching on raw Broccoli :(

[Schmidty]

I cook every meal at home, and I love to experiment. I've been told by many people that I should market my food, particularly my soups. Someday, I really want to open a soup and sandwich shop.

[MJ4H]

I have a good friend that is an excellent chef. If I want a real meal, I just have him cook for me. So, no. I can't. I did play Cooking Mama though.

[korme]

I can make horrible eggs, decent if I scramble them... also I can make a hell of a burger on a georgio foreman.

[Galaxy]

Here is a Paula Dean recipe that will make you feel like a great chef:

English Peas Recipe : Paula Deen : Recipes : Food Network (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/english-peas-recipe/index.html)

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

If that one looks too hard:

Rachel Ray's Late Night Bacon (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/late-night-bacon-recipe/index.html)

[korme]

Five years later and I completely disagree with my self-assessment. I'm pretty good nowadays.

[stevew]

I won't say that I'm the best here or anything, but I think I could hang with anyone who isn't a professional chef

[Blackadar]

Can I cook? Yeah.
Can I cook well? Yeah.

It's actually kind of fun, but I rarely have the time. Plus, my wife has become a damn good cook over the years, so I leave it up to her.

I've already told my 12 year old son that there's 3 things he will learn before he leaves the house:

1. How to clean.
2. How to do laundry.
3. How to cook.

That's three things everyone needs to know.

[Grover]

I make a mean Eggo waffle.

[DaddyTorgo]

These days it's not so hard. Microwave a can or frozen bag of veggies, make some packaged rice or potatoes, make a fish/chicken/pork/beef main dish, and sometimes throw in some salad or bread. Or go with a pasta dish (woo boy, boiling!). It's not gormet, but it can be tasty enough. I *can* make things that are more involved/use real ingredients, but for weekday dinners there usually isn't a time or a need.

This.

No time during the week, and don't have the inclination on weekends, but if I had the time or reason I can cook well.

[EagleFan]

Five years later and I completely disagree with my self-assessment. I'm pretty good nowadays.

Five years ago you were 12...

[EagleFan]

Probably depends on who you ask. I cook to my tastes and my family seems to like that. For my own tastes I feel I cook well but I wouldn't stack up against anything close to a chef as I only cook to my tastes which tend to be quite simple.

Basically:
Chilli (sometimes with meat and sometimes without).

Ham (always with rice, love the combination of ham gravy with the rice, with ham cut up and put over top and a dash of salt and plenty of pepper) with whatever vegetable we decide on.

Chicken (mostly with mashed potatoes, though sometimes with rice) with whatever vegetable we decide on.

Steak (same as the chicken and always mashed potatoes).

Pork Chops (same as with the Chicken but always mashed potatoes).

Pork Loin (Similar to chicken and pork chops, though this has a second life after the original dinner when the left overs will be used later to be sliced, grilled and serrved with cheese on a small ciabatta (sp?) roll).

Chicken Noodle Casserole (usually later after having chicken so the leftover chicken can be sliced into it).

Pasta (we rotate between pasta types) with sauce.

Lasagna (If I have the time I will roll up mini meatballs to put into it; picked that up from my brother's inlaws).

Pancakes (usually with something added into or on them, depending on the mood of the day).

I like doing an occasional turkey dinner (turkey cooking all morning making the house smell great, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, lima beans slow cooked in butter, stuffing, some other vegetable to go with it) though these dinners are a pain to get everything timed just right.

Sometimes a ham dinner, similar to the turkey dinner with a full ham instead of just a slice.


Now that I have a house with a yard of my own that will mean I get to go back to grilling this summer once I find a good grill. That means the normal grilled items of steak, burgers, hotdogs, corn on the cob and trying to find other good ideas.

[MacroGuru]

I love to cook, I love to try new recipes and I love to whip things up...I have a pretty decent following of friends and family on my recipes...speaking of, I have to update the blog...

[Dutch]

I can grill...and that alone will get me through the zombie apocalypse.

[stevew]

I like to buy larger roasts of Pork or beef and use those to plan out sequential meals. Like you can do a roast beef and potatoes one day, then maybe a goulash or Texas chili. It saves time, and is cheaper.

[terpkristin]

Speaking of cooking, I made some hella awesome stuffed bell peppers last night. Yay for grocery store inspiration (they had a bag of 6 peppers on special).

/tk

[Vince, Pt. II]

Made lamb chops braised in red wine and figs tonight, with mashed potatoes and asparagus sauteed in garlic and butter. Finished it off with some creme brulee. I even borrowed my brother (culinary academy graduate)'s torch to carmelize the top.

Really impressed my date :)

[Marc Vaughan]

Believe it or not I was employed as a chef when I was younger (well kinda - it wasn't a particularly posh restaurant, more a fancy pizza style place) ....

These days I can knock up a decent curry, shepards pie, whatever given the chance - but my wife tends to take offense at the thought of me cooking* so its fairly rare that I do.

*Well more at the thought of having to clean up after me cooking, I'm notorious for using every pan available. The rule in our house is whoever cooks doesn't have to do the clean-up.

[Easy Mac]

Five years on, I've been married now for 4.75 of them!

This means I do far less cooking than I did 5 years ago. I still am not overly good at cooking (or punctuation). Spaghetti is my go to meal when the wife wants to make something crazy out there or something that sounds absolutely disgusting.

That being said, if something needs to be grilled, I'm quite adept at that, be it gas or charcoal. I can pretty much make a burger/steak to within +/- 1 degree of your desired doneness by just eyeballing it. Chicken and vegetables also turn out near perfect.

But ask me to cook something in an oven or on a stove, and you may as well ask me what my wife's favorite color is.

Except bacon, I can cook everyone's bacon exactly to their specification.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I can't even cook hot water.

[INDalltheway]

I tried to go vote and realized I already had. I am proud to announce that my cooking skills have increased from 5 years ago.

[johnnyshaka]

Made lamb chops braised in red wine and figs tonight, with mashed potatoes and asparagus sauteed in garlic and butter. Finished it off with some creme brulee. I even borrowed my brother (culinary academy graduate)'s torch to carmelize the top.

Really impressed my date :)

So was the creme brulee the precursor to the "real" dessert? ;)

I think I'm decent in the kitchen when I have the time and motivation. I really do enjoy it and usually produce some quality product, especially on the grill.

I would really like to get some kind of "formal" training at some point. While I can make gravy for turkey and chicken I would really like to know how to make other sauces as well. Learning some of the science behind that stuff interests me and knowing how it all works would make improvising a lot easier.

[revrew]

I cook well, and I cook for an army.

A few years ago, for my wife's birthday, I think it was, I made a 7-course meal for her and her whole family. Was my crowning achievement, but I know how to make stuff taste goood.