The best think about knowing how to cook is _______.
For me, the best thing is that I can have whatever I want, without needing to find someone else to make it for me, whether that someone else is a restaurant, bakery, or store.
For example, last night we went out for dinner and I wanted dessert, but nothing on the menu was particularly interesting. When we got home I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. Satisfied my sweet tooth perfectly.
For another example, there are foods that were so easy to find in Chicago that either don't exist locally, or aren't s good, or require a road trip to a specialty store. Three in particular are Italian sausage, gyros, and pierogi. Okay, four. No one around here makes an Italian Beef sandwich either. Okay, five. Cuban sandwiches.
In any case, when I'm in the mood, I can make any of those foods for myself. Whenever I want. Okay, sometimes it takes a little time -- it's not like fast food and I can have it tonight. But if I didn't know how to cook, I'd be eating those things pretty much never.
I also like cooking for other people and reaping the praise, but really, the best thing is that I can scratch all of those nagging food itches.
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31 Comments:
chicks dig it.
simon at 7:09PM on 12/05/08
At my house, if I cook I don't have to do the dishes !!!
onepercent99 at 7:16PM on 12/05/08
It gives me a feeling of self-sufficiency unlike just about anything else I do.
Plus guys dig it.
therealchiffonade at 7:52PM on 12/05/08
Teaching other people about food and cooking.
izatryt at 8:01PM on 12/05/08
Not having to drive to a restaurant or rely on delivery every time I want to eat (especially during the workweek when I want to make a beeline home).
marieinla at 8:09PM on 12/05/08
Listening to my kids brag to their friends about what a great cook I am and also having them want to spend time with me learning how to cook their favorite things.
dhorst at 8:18PM on 12/05/08
Not having to choose from limited options. I can cook whatever I crave for!
5starfoodie at 9:01PM on 12/05/08
I second Simon, chicks dig it. Oh and being able to say "oh this, yeah I just whipped that up, I wish I knew you were coming so I could have made a decent meal" as they drool at some concoction that barely took 20 minutes to make.
twoojoe at 9:55PM on 12/05/08
What I make at home is usually better than I can get at a restaurant.
I dig it.
PerkyMac at 11:02PM on 12/05/08
being able to make something that tastes good out of a random selection of ingredients I dig out of the freezer and pantry at the end of a long week. I love the fact that I don't have to worry about planning and recipes because I can just wing it and it works.
KTempesta at 11:17PM on 12/05/08
I love that I can. I love when someone wonders how to do something and I know. I like saying, oh I've made that or I make that. I like finding something new that I like in a restaurant and being able to make it; sometimes better.
@dhorst~yeah, I love to hear my kids brag about food at our house and that my youngest has been cooking seriously since he was 7. He's 12 now, that's so gratifying.
@iz~yeah, the teaching is so cool. That's one of my standard school auction items; I offer to do a cooking class at someone's home.
One of my favorite moments; my daughter was in high school and had a bunch of friends over (we were the hang-out house, so I knew all these kids really well), I walked in and said what do you want for dinner and offered a few choices. Stevie chose escarole soup with tiny meatballs and 2 of her friends looked at us and said I don't even know what you guys just said or if it was english. What are you eating?
I love that my daughter's doing it now too and when her roommate comes home from work she looks around their apt and asks where the baked goods are. And I LOVE that Stevie wouldn't dream of making a cake without a cake plate. And certainly not from a box.
HAHA. I didn't know how I was going to answer this one and I can't stop now.
It makes me feel smart and creative and capable and talented and special.
Attention is ALWAYS good. Right iz? ;) Right Pav? ;)
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 11:18PM on 12/05/08
I love that I can. I love when someone wonders how to do something and I know. I like saying, oh I've made that or I make that. I like finding something new that I like in a restaurant and being able to make it; sometimes better.
@dhorst~yeah, I love to hear my kids brag about food at our house and that my youngest has been cooking seriously since he was 7. He's 12 now, that's so gratifying.
@iz~yeah, the teaching is so cool. That's one of my standard school auction items; I offer to do a cooking class at someone's home.
One of my favorite moments; my daughter was in high school and had a bunch of friends over (we were the hang-out house, so I knew all these kids really well), I walked in and said what do you want for dinner and offered a few choices. Stevie chose escarole soup with tiny meatballs and 2 of her friends looked at us and said I don't even know what you guys just said or if it was english. What are you eating?
I love that my daughter's doing it now too and when her roommate comes home from work she looks around their apt and asks where the baked goods are. And I LOVE that Stevie wouldn't dream of making a cake without a cake plate. And certainly not from a box.
HAHA. I didn't know how I was going to answer this one and I can't stop now.
It makes me feel smart and creative and capable and talented and special.
Attention is ALWAYS good. Right iz? ;) Right Pav? ;)
carolrsfMISSESTEXAS at 11:20PM on 12/05/08
Because nobody else (present company excluded) knows how. I feel like a specialist with unique knowledge. Like I have some advanced degree and I have the answers. Although, if it were not even that long ago, my skills would be commonplace. It's a shame really that most people have lost this basic ability to take a few ingredients and combine them into dinner. But then again I feel tides turning towards more home cooking and less fast food and processed meals-in-a-box. (not that the trend bodes so well for me, the professional restaurant cook!)
sailordave at 11:34PM on 12/05/08
Making something with my hands. That people actually put it into their bodies (myself included) is also remarkable.
renzata at 12:13AM on 12/06/08
I love that my husband's friends are all jealous of him, having a wife who can kick ass in the kitchen.
buffy at 12:22AM on 12/06/08
I second renzata. I was going to say that exact same thing! There's nothing more satisfying than creating beautiful, delicious meals from seemingly random ingredients. It amazes me that I can take the same basic ingredients and make so many things with them... and I wonder how we (humans) even figured it out in the first place.
pearl at 12:55AM on 12/06/08
The satisfaction of making something truly worthy. Cooking is art and science. When you make a great dish you put some of yourself in it.
People see it and it brings them joy.
Also it is a web we women weave when we snare you men.
JerzeeTomato at 1:11AM on 12/06/08
It challenges me, and satisfies me that I've found something I can do that I'm really good at.
It's a form of artistic expression that pleases and impresses other people.
It preserves a connection with my ancestors, like my mom, aunts, and grandmother who were all pretty good cooks, and keeps the tradition alive, even though they are gone.
salpico at 10:18AM on 12/06/08
I get to control what I'm eating. Make things as spicy or sweet as I want. I get to pick what ingredients I use and what is off limits.
gingercookiewithlime at 12:33PM on 12/06/08
1.) Kitchen therapy. I can take out all my day's stresses by chopping, stirring, sauteeing and kneading until my heart's content!
2.) Quality time with others. From sitting on the counter helping my mom mix cookies to dinner parties with friends to whipping up quick evening meals with DH, no matter how busy life gets, I never feel like time in the kitchen with friends and loved ones is wasted.
3.) It's all about the results. What more can I say? I love to eat!
thehostess at 1:57PM on 12/06/08
times are not easy now and you can save a heap of money not using eating out and take out as menu choices.
A beef shank roasted with carrots, celery, onion and garlic some water and a spoonful of tomato paste will give you a great pot of soup add some rice or pasta and good seasonings - voila! dinner for four with some good bread. so much is possible if you're really into watching your pennies, not to mention the good & healthy eating factor.
Most evenings, I spend a few minutes planning for the next noght's after work skirmish. A slow cooker is a "working" cooks good friend.
I'm not sure if a bag of fresh baby spinach that cooks up in less than 10 minutes is a money-saver, but the taste compared to the slimy frozen product is incomparable.
suegsf at 2:06PM on 12/06/08
in response to some earlier posts "yes, chicks do dig it!" I wish my husband knew how to cook. He can barely toast bread. Sigh.
goldie725 at 2:22PM on 12/06/08
Right TEXIE!!
izatryt at 2:25PM on 12/06/08
I sure envy you all - and all those who are "natural" cooks...like my sister, and my late Grandmother. If I'd paid more attention to how food is prepared than how it tasted when I was a kid, maybe I wouldn't just now be getting interested in cooking (at age 51)! Then again, I don't have any kids...so I didn't really have an incentive to learn. But I find myself nowadays devouring cooking shows and learning the difference between scallions and shallots, what caramelization is, how to oven-smoke a beef brisket and the joys of owning a food processor. Not that I've actually put anything into practice yet, but I'm getting there!
Now - who's gonna invite me over to dinner first? As a teaching tool, of course...LOL!
SloeWyne at 3:47PM on 12/06/08
the best thing about being able to cook is...knowing my ex won't taste the poison. ha. i kid. seriously, though? i think it's probably the inate sense of well being i feel while i'm doing it.
gastronomeg at 5:30PM on 12/06/08
I have to admit, I love the feedback I get when I'm not really trying to impress. My teenage son told me tonight to stop "cooking so good". His female friends were going home and telling their Moms that "Mrs. Dean makes blah blah blah better than you". It's not going over well with parents. It's gonna be McDonald's for his friends in the future if he can continue to date them. Ha!
On the other hand, a swarthy male would be welcome anytime for home-cooking. (In my dreams!)
Josdean at 4:38AM on 12/08/08
@SloeWyne - You can come to my house any time! It's never too late to start applying your new skills. Cook something little that you've mastered and send it over to a neighbor or friend. They'll be very appreciative. I'm also 51 and found myself with time on my hands due to a medical condition. I always had a passion for food, but my Mom's version of spaghetti sauce was a can of tomato paste and water. This site is a great place to learn and feel good about your accomplishments. Keep cooking! You sound like a natural. Make sure you keep us abreast of your accomplishments.
Josdean at 4:58AM on 12/08/08
take a cheap, plain little package of ramen and with what I have turn it into (at that time) a masterpiece.
pjracz10 at 1:16PM on 12/09/08
Stress relief, and creative outlet. I work full-time, own a business, and have 3 kids. I can't justify taking time for a lot of the other creative things I enjoy (knitting, writing poetry, other stuff I've probably forgotten I like to do after 11 years of parenthood) but I can justify feeding my family great food.
akk328 at 1:23PM on 12/09/08
Another vote for stress relief, here.
Also, I like to provide something nice for the people I love- chicken soup for my grandfather when he has a cold, lasagna dinner for BF when he gets home from work late.
BF is a chef, but is sick of cooking by the time he gets home. I love that he appreciates my mad skillz in the kitchen. Plus, since I do all of the cooking at home, he does all of the laundry. Score!!!
Kerosena at 2:39PM on 12/09/08
When I was growing up, my mom never cooked that much. And she rarely baked from scratch. Neither did her mother. Or her mother's mother. So, at least for me -- knowing how to cook and bake is something important. I truly value the ability and enjoy developing it more each time I made something. And I want to pass the love of home-cooked food onto my kids (someday -- I don't have any little ones yet).
I think cooking is a fantastic way to bond & have fun!
Plus, knowing how to bake especially means knowing how to whip-up something to calm my multiple cravings.
Ashley M.
makemethod.vox.com
makemethod at 5:28PM on 12/11/08