Who is Primary Cook of the House

Poll: Who is the cook of the household?

  • DH is the Primary Cook

    Votes: 57 42.9%

  • DW is the Primary Cook

    Votes: 48 36.1%

  • Both split Cooking Duties

    Votes: 28 21.1%
  • Total voters
    133
Mostly me, being in California, we BBQ year-round. Along with the BBQ, I have a smoker and most recently got a griddle/grill. Of the three, I like the smoker best, but it's a lot more planning to fix something. I smoke everything from seafood to nuts and cheeses. I did a pastrami and a turkey last week. The griddle is now my favorite, because it's so fast for fixing stuff. I love smash burgers now and those take only maybe 2 or 3 minutes to fix and that's with a nice cheese skirt on 'em. My wife does the sides and plate prep while I'm outside doing the main course, so I selected BOTH.
 
Our house is probably 60/40. My DW was a pharmacist that worked until 7PM every night so I'd have dinner ready for her when she came home. She can cook, but we'd be eating the same 10 meals over and over again. I'm much more adventurous. I've got two binders full of recipes off the internet. One is just Asian meals the other a mix of everything I like.

Oh, and we usually cook together, where DW does all the prep and measures everything out, then I cook and serve.
 
skipro33 said:
Mostly me, being in California, we BBQ year-round. Along with the BBQ, I have a smoker and most recently got a griddle/grill. Of the three, I like the smoker best, but it's a lot more planning to fix something. I smoke everything from seafood to nuts and cheeses. I did a pastrami and a turkey last week. The griddle is now my favorite, because it's so fast for fixing stuff. I love smash burgers now and those take only maybe 2 or 3 minutes to fix and that's with a nice cheese skirt on 'em. My wife does the sides and plate prep while I'm outside doing the main course, so I selected BOTH.
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In a few households the wife does all the outdoor cooking including smoked foods. That would include me. :cool:
 
My DW prefers me doing all the grilling and smoking especially when it is 0F out or when I use to get up in the middle of the night to check the smoker. You know who the smart one is in the family.

DW makes most of the dinners. I make most of the lunches if we don't have leftovers.
 
We both cook….60%DH-40% me. We don’t cook breakfast. DH doesn’t eat breakfast, I eat oatmeal in the winter and cereal in the summer. Lunch is leftovers or a sandwich. We eat dinner out one night per week so that leaves six meals to be prepared. That works out to two or three meals per week that we each cook. I do most of the clean up. Now when it comes to grilling, DH loves to grill.
 
We're about 50/50 when it comes to "cooking." By cooking, we follow a recipe. We don't actually create dishes off the top of our heads.

Does anyone here have real culinary training, or self taught...meaning you're not following a recipe and making some good dishes? I'm not talking about not measuring ingredients of things you have made a lot. I'm talking from scratch, something new and you know what ingredients compliment each other.
 
ponyboy said:
Does anyone here have real culinary training, or self taught...meaning you're not following a recipe and making some good dishes? I'm not talking about not measuring ingredients of things you have made a lot. I'm talking from scratch, something new and you know what ingredients compliment each other.
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I can actually cook quite well. I would never use a recipe. I learned to cook from my mother, who was an amazing cook and baker. I also use to watch cooking shows. When I was in high school, my mother worked late, so I made the family dinners. I'm sure I just copied what I had seen her do 100's of times.

Now I create my own recipes. This winter I made stew for the first time. I couldn't believe how amazing it turned out. It was the best stew I had ever eaten. Quite a few dishes my DW makes for dinner are ones I created and taught her how to make. Every once in a while, I'll create a dud, but that is just part of the learning.

I enjoy cooking and see it as a creative outlet.
 
We made sure our kids never missed a meal, but we did mostly one-dish meals (like casseroles or salads with egg and chicken, etc.). Our food always tasted good, but it was rarely exciting. For what ever reason, our kids (to this day) are not foodies. They're all quite slim and healthy. I think we did okay by them.
 
imjustawarrior said:
I can actually cook quite well. I would never use a recipe. I learned to cook from my mother, who was an amazing cook and baker. I also use to watch cooking shows. When I was in high school, my mother worked late, so I made the family dinners. I'm sure I just copied what I had seen her do 100's of times.

Now I create my own recipes. This winter I made stew for the first time. I couldn't believe how amazing it turned out. It was the best stew I had ever eaten. Quite a few dishes my DW makes for dinner are ones I created and taught her how to make. Every once in a while, I'll create a dud, but that is just part of the learning.

I enjoy cooking and see it as a creative outlet.
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That's really impressive. We lack that talent.
Wife and I are early 40s and none of our friends cook at home. They can all read so following a recipe isn't the issue. None of them like the act of preparing food. Easier to get taken out I suppose.

When we had YouTube tv before we cancelled, the only channel we watched regularly was the food network. Sadly that channel is mostly dedicated to GGG or diners, drive-ins, dives. Even that station went down hill.
 
I'll only use a recipe if it's something I haven't cooked before. And then usually as a list of ingredients. Learned from my mom. Aroma and taste are the important factors as I'm cooking. DW? she needs a recipe and will call me over to "add the seasonings."
 
Without any discussion or plan we fell in to a pattern of DH being the main dish guy and me being the side dish gal. I use a recipe about 3/4 of the time, he wings it. He can go to the store and pick out great cuts of meat or seafood on sight while I just stare at the case overwhelmed. I can spot a tasty piece of fruit or veggie a mile away even if it's not what I had planned to get while he buys the same 3 packaged things over and over. Somehow we lucked out or adapted to a pretty harmonious combo in the kitchen.
 
Pad Thai tonight. With enough left for a second meal. Only two of us.

It will be chicken souvlaki on the bbq. tomorrow. I do both.

DW did the snow peas,water chestuts, etc. today. She will do the salad and the pita tomorrow.
 
I love to cook but DW has banned me from cooking. She believes I make too much mess, and my food does not pass her taste test.
 
Car-Guy said:
Unless is microwavable, I don't cook indoors. BUT, I do all the outside grill-in.
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Very similar. Rarely, but if DW is down and out I might cook some spaghetti or throw salmon in the air fryer. Mostly I grill. We split the dishes and setting the table etc.
 
kgtest said:
Very similar. Rarely, but if DW is down and out I might cook some spaghetti or throw salmon in the air fryer. Mostly I grill. We split the dishes and setting the table etc.
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Setting the table. Uh, oh yeah. Right. Setting the table. Now I remember.
 
Oh yeah! I know this one. It's when your DW finally uses all of the fine china and crystal she hides in "that cabinet." You know, the one we aren't allowed to go near.
 
We have no cook in our house, primary or otherwise. We live in a CCRC and most meals are included in our monthly fee and the food is delicious. We have 5 dining options--a casual 3 meals a day cafe, a nicer restaurant for dinner where reservations are required, a really fancy place for dinner where you have to dress up, a tavern with pub food and a self service take out place. Why would any one cook? The only problem I have is gaining weight.....
 
folivier said:
Oh yeah! I know this one. It's when your DW finally uses all of the fine china and crystal she hides in "that cabinet." You know, the one we aren't allowed to go near.
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I gave all that stuff away when my DW passed away two years ago. I think we only used the "nice" stuff a couple of times per year. Now the kids can use it sparingly once they finally decide to take it out of the moving boxes!
 
harllee said:
We have no cook in our house, primary or otherwise. We live in a CCRC and most meals are included in our monthly fee and the food is delicious. We have 5 dining options--a casual 3 meals a day cafe, a nicer restaurant for dinner where reservations are required, a really fancy place for dinner where you have to dress up, a tavern with pub food and a self service take out place. Why would any one cook? The only problem I have is gaining weight.....
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How much are the options if I may ask? Just curious.
 
With my ex-wife I was the primary cook for 20+ years. New partner/wife is enjoying learning to cook a lot of new things (mostly from her Asian ethnicity) since retiring and I'm learning to make a lot of new stuff from scratch since I retired in January including sausage, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, homemade bread, and more coming including cheese and yogurt! I bought myself a stand mixer which has been a game-changer!

I've realized that much of our diet relies only on farm ingredients like pork, beef, chicken, fish, eggs, flour, and fresh vegis from our garden! That's not really the goal at this point but it is a revelation about how easy it is to eat a simple and healthy diet without highly processed foods when you have a little time.

Bread in Hawaii is expensive and I can make a loaf with minimal effort with my mixer, ~$1 cost and also avoid the drive to the store! I have feral chickens for eggs and would love to have a cow for milk but that would not be compatible with my travel schedule! We also have plenty of wild pigs and cattle to slaughter if needed but we do not want the hassle!
 
I have always regretted not learning to cook, but am grateful my wife taught our kids.

The best I can manage is putting ingredients in the crockpot.

If she died I would be eating mostly oven-roasted veggies plus plain greek yogurt and almond butter sandwiches...
 
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