The Cellar - Women Can't Cook

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Women Can't Cook

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The truth is women can't really cook. All they can do is to cater, and there's a big difference... There is clearly little time or energy left after a day full of children to prepare a serious piece of gastronomy, and most women usually rustle up a supper that is quick, dull but, to their credit, relatively nutritious...

But female ineptitude in the kitchen is not just a product of the fullness of a woman's timetable. We all have busy lives these days, so there must be something else, something far deeper and intrinsic that makes women so hopeless at cooking. I have a few theories, all of which will no doubt see me pinned down and forced to eat my own sweetmeats.

The first is that women are less inclined to experiment. Good cooks are those who take risks, who wonder whether X goes well with Y, or perhaps even with Q. If it fails, it doesn't matter, you can always start again.

Women are more afraid of failure, perhaps because they are wary of all that nasty male criticism, so it does them well to stick to well-trodden recipes...

Most men are extremely greedy, and as a result they are in love with food. They want to have food at least four times a day in every way they can.

They don't want to stick with just one sort of food, but they want multiple culinary experiences.

Most women, however, see food as fuel, as a means to an end. Why cook something interesting when you can cook something dull and be ready to watch Friends at 8pm?

Before anyone gets all huffy, please notice there is a rebuttal article from his wife below it. What amuses me most about this article is it describes me to a T. I think both cooking and eating are boring and a waste of time. If I could mainline my nutrients and get on with the day I'd be happy.

The clincher is, Mr. Clodfobble is no better in the kitchen, despite thinking he is, just like the author of the article. He has made some good meals--and a lot of utter disasters that he proudly pronounced delicious.

Who is (or thinks they are) the chef in your relationship, and is it the same person who cooks?

hmmm..i say bullshit, sir. bullshit to you.( the guy in the artice...not you clobble)

jinx cooks whatever we have to hand....and it always rocks. maybe ( obviously) I'm just not all that picky....but srsly....it's like.....spiritual, man.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm
We'll forget the Mail still hasn't got over the idea that women's priorities should be Kinder Kuchen Kirche, this says it all to me:

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Go to a dinner party these days and, yes, it's true, that often the man has done the cooking and cook cook done it well (though I guarantee he will not have shopped for it, cleaned the house, or fed, bathed and put the children to bed - nor is there a chance in hell that he'll do the washing up afterwards.

Much as I adore men, there is still an awful lot that women do automatically while also in full time jobs, that men are just not expected to do. An ex boyfriend of mine made delicate and beautiful curries from scratch. But the deal was he cooked the meal and I washed up. Not so for the standard fare I served up most days of the week - we split the chores then. Also I made his sandwiches for him every night because he got up at 06.00 every morning - did I ever ask him to wash up the utensils for that? No. Perhaps they weren't gourmet enough.

Cooking can be fun.

Unless you HAVE to do it, day in and day out, 3 meals a day.

Just a note: Peg Bracken, the author of the 60s classic, "The I Hate To Cook Cookbook" recently died.

I'm not about to get into the "male vs. female" debate, but Kitsune is definitely the cook at our house. I only cook dinner about once a month -- if that.

I love food, but I haven't had enough practice cooking to just know what goes together, off the top of my head. I AM pretty good at making desserts, though - especially cookies. So we make a good team. He's the cook, and I'm the baker.

My husband use to be the cook, but since I became designated domestic wench, I took over. I have to admit I have made some good meals. Some are boring basic things like refried bean burritos, but other times I will go all out with something like feta and spinach stuffed mushrooms or something.

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Originally Posted by Chocolatl

Kitsune is definitely the cook at our house.

Wait, what? You and Kitsune? Did I miss something, or have you two been deliberately coy?

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Originally Posted by Clodfobble (Post 405052)

Wait, what? You and Kitsune? Did I miss something, or have you two been deliberately coy?

Well, I don't know about deliberately coy, I just never turned up and made an "o hai I'm Kitsune's fiancee" post.

(I am, though. For the record.)

Well, congratulations to you both! I expect he will take marvelous pictures of the honemoon destination for us.

Just picked up on that too.
Bless you both!

Thanks! We'll make sure to bombard you with tons of pictures when the big day rolls around.

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Originally Posted by Chocolatl (Post 405041)

I'm going to pass on the battle of the sexes too for the time being.

I do wish to comment on your distinction between cooking and baking though.

Bullseye.

They're completely different. Cooking rewards experimentation, baking rewards obedience. Cooking is relaxed, baking is strict. Cooking is approximate, baking is precise. I do not have the discipline or the temperament to be a successful baker. I fancy myself a talented and enthusiastic cook. I credit it to a love of food and an inability to resist improvisation.

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Originally Posted by BigV (Post 405098)

Cooking is relaxed, baking is strict. Cooking is approximate, baking is precise.

That's exactly the problem I've had with cooking. I can follow recipes to the letter, but the minute you tell me to add "some" of an ingredient, I'm a goner. How much is "some"? A teaspoon? A cup?
"Just eyeball it. Just taste it. You'll know."
:headshake I just can't do it. Yet.

I'm definitely the cook in our house, and I usually do a pretty damn good job. My husband has a couple of recipes he likes to do every now and then, but he doesn't get time to cook very often. Soon he wont even get to do the BBQ because our youngest son loves cooking, and he pretty much takes care of the bbq these days.

I think both MB and I cook really well, although he's been taking more of the initiative lately. He's been following a lot of recipes though (with some improvisation), whereas I'll mostly make it up as I go along.