Is cooking a new trend?

[Cooking Goddess]

Have you ever been to a potluck, where everyone surrounds this 1 person because that person brought a homemade dish?
"Did you make this? Wowww.... Hey, check this out ... she can cook!"...

Great question, aberfold! Look at all the conversation it started. Maybe not all on topic, but...

I guess, personally, I've been lucky. Any work setting where we would do a pot-luck, it seems like everyone brought good food. All claiming to have "home-made", but we know how that phrase can be, ahem, adjusted in meaning.

I learned at my Mom and Great Aunt's sides. I've cooked, many things from scratch, for a lot of my life. And I still get compliments on meals shared with others. No matter how old you are, it's always nice to know someone likes your food as much as you do.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

An associate (who himself cooks well) lives in a new, upscale urban development. You know the kind. $250,000....

Or, as we call that in eastern Massachusetts, a 1950s fixer-upper, 3-bedroom/1 bath ranch.

 

[aberfold]

My daughter among the top 5 in her class of 250 cant boil an egg. Has the smarts, but cooking is just not her thing nor her interest ( except pancakes, she enjoys making them from scratch).

My son, on the other hand, not great at it, but puts a lot of effort .

Any time I get a phone call at work from my son, its always about cooking. ( how long to I keep it in the oven for? What temperature? whats the name of that spice ..?) I think its hysterical, cause Im not talking most the time he calls, Im talking %100 they tell me he is on the phone, its a cooking question, and I love it

I admire your patient listening and guiding your son on how to cook. Your story reminds me of my conversation with my colleague yesterday at work. She said: "My son would try to reheat pasta sauce for his little brother to eat after school. Its all very nice, but my whole white stove after that is covered with red splashes everywhere. But I don't say anything, because he tried."
I am sure your daughter will start liking to cook too. She is already on the right track... making pancakes from scratch!

 

[aberfold]

Great question, aberfold! Look at all the conversation it started. Maybe not all on topic, but...

I guess, personally, I've been lucky. Any work setting where we would do a pot-luck, it seems like everyone brought good food. All claiming to have "home-made", but we know how that phrase can be, ahem, adjusted in meaning.

I learned at my Mom and Great Aunt's sides. I've cooked, many things from scratch, for a lot of my life. And I still get compliments on meals shared with others. No matter how old you are, it's always nice to know someone likes your food as much as you do.

Thanks, Cooking Goddess! Fortunately to me (and to my husband), I enjoy cooking. We watch our budget and only allow to go out once a month, therefore it is especially important to enjoy cooking more.

 

[Addie]

My phone rang at work. It was my DIL. The one who never learned to cook. "How do you make Pea Soup?" I patiently gave her the direction. She was in my house at the time and I also had to tell where everything is. We hung up. About ten minutes later my phone rang again.

'WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE?" My boss had heard the previous conversation and knew that she was a newlywed. When he heard me yell about the fire, he started to laugh so hard, he threw himself back into his chair and fell backwards. I was a nervous wreck everyday that I had to leave her at home, while I went to work. Oh how I wish her mother had let her in the kitchen and taught her how to cook.

 

[CarolPa]

I agree that it is more important that the family sits down together for a meal than whether the meal is cooked from scratch or prepared foods. Our breakfast and lunch was always separate because of different schedules, but we always had the evening meal together.

 

[Addie]

I agree that it is more important that the family sits down together for a meal than whether the meal is cooked from scratch or prepared foods. Our breakfast and lunch was always separate because of different schedules, but we always had the evening meal together.

Same here. All though on school mornings the kids sat down together for their breakfast. But Sunday mornings the whole family sat down for a Sunday breakfast. Each one could have their eggs anyway they wanted them. During the week, scrambled. I used to arrange their food on the plate as if the photographer from a food magazine was coming. One kid would want English muffins, another wheat toast, another white, etc. I wanted them to have a really good breakfast because the big meal of the day was not going to happen until after 2 p.m. And after breakfast, they had to head for church and Sunday School. With four kids and two adults, I went through a pound of bacon and a dozen eggs every Sunday. Not to mention the bread products and juices.

 

[CWS4322]

My brother's kids are good cooks. He has a son and a daughter in their 20's and they can both cook. They share a house and due to a tight budget they cook almost everything that they eat, they even make most of their own bread. Their dad, my brother never showed any interest in cooking, but after his first divorce, I helped him learn. They learned most of the basics from their mom who is a great scratch cook.

My brother and I both cook almost everything we eat from scratch, although he will take shortcuts that I don't take (use a boxed cake mix, for example). Our father's only interest in cooking was always to get in the way in the kitchen (hovering--I hate people who hover in the kitchen--either help or get out of the way). The DH has a habit of pacing and sampling everything. That's when I put him to work helping. A friend call's it my kitchen dance because I have everything coordinated and orchestrate everything on schedule. To me it comes as naturally as breathing. I don't have to think about it.

I cook from scratch for a number of reasons--I enjoy it, it makes financial sense, I know what is (and what isn't) in each dish, and I have almost always worked from home, so stopping on the way home from work for take-out wasn't an option. Having a well-stocked pantry/fridge/freezer means I don't have to go grocery shopping except to restock items I've used up. I rarely go out to eat. If I do, it is to hook up with a friend.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I once worked in a plant as the shift electrician. 12 hour shift. Night and day both. We took breaks as appropriate to our working hours.
I always brought in homemade food. Lots of food. Enough for me and my two associates.
To this day, anyone I talk to from that plant recalls the breaks and the food. They call it "groceries" here. Always said "John" would really bring the "groceries".
I don't miss that job, but the people were pretty darn nice.

 

[CharlieD]

When we first became part of our community, all we used to hear was "Ah, just wait till you try Such and Such person's food, it is amazing". I am sorry to say the food is mediocre at best (not cheese cake, cheese cake is really amazing). Nowadays everybody saying, "when are you inviting us over for some of your food?" Honestly I do not consider myself any kind of fancy or special cook. I can simply make food to feed a family. I think the only secret to my food I use seasoning, something that some people completely do not know how to do or have no idea how to. Ones I was asked how you make your food so good. My answer was I taste before I serve, and if it doesn't taste good I will literally not serve, not bring to the table.

 

[aberfold]

Nowadays everybody saying, "when are you inviting us over for some of your food?"

Omg, you are so right, CharlieD! You can easily become center of any crowd by just cooking something basic.
I remember last year we were invited to a friend's Christmas potluck. I brought a baked sweet potato casserole dish (everyone raved like no tomorrow!) Thats because the rest of the food brought by other people (including the host!) were take out pizza, pre-made grocery salad, frozen nuggets from M&M and bars of chocolate.

My question is.... if Food Network is so popular and A LOT of people watch it. Why so few actually cook?

 

[bakechef]

My brother and I both cook almost everything we eat from scratch, although he will take shortcuts that I don't take (use a boxed cake mix, for example). Our father's only interest in cooking was always to get in the way in the kitchen (hovering--I hate people who hover in the kitchen--either help or get out of the way). The DH has a habit of pacing and sampling everything. That's when I put him to work helping. A friend call's it my kitchen dance because I have everything coordinated and orchestrate everything on schedule. To me it comes as naturally as breathing. I don't have to think about it.

I cook from scratch for a number of reasons--I enjoy it, it makes financial sense, I know what is (and what isn't) in each dish, and I have almost always worked from home, so stopping on the way home from work for take-out wasn't an option. Having a well-stocked pantry/fridge/freezer means I don't have to go grocery shopping except to restock items I've used up. I rarely go out to eat. If I do, it is to hook up with a friend.

My dad would cook, he wasn't a big creative cook, but cooked certain things quite well. He was known for his baked beans (learned from his dad), turkey and dumpling soup made after holidays, breakfast of all kinds, etc..

 

[Andy M.]

...My question is.... if Food Network is so popular and A LOT of people watch it. Why so few actually cook?

Food Network isn't about food anymore. It's about food based reality competitions.

 

[Cheryl J]

Agree with those who have mentioned the importance of eating at least one meal a day as a family, if at all possible.

I wasn't really 'taught' or actively encouraged to cook, but I was never kicked out the kitchen, either. I hung around from an early age and watched my grandmas and my parents cooking, and helped if I was asked to. Around 10 years old or so I was following recipes for choc chip cookies and banana bread by myself, then when I was around 14 my mom went back to work and I started fiddling around with spaghetti sauces and meatloaves and such, since I got home from school about 2 hours before they got home from work. They were always appreciative of whatever I made, and I don't remember them ever saying I should have done this or that differently. I'm sure that was an encouragement in itself.

My own daughters didn't really show much interest in cooking until they were married, but now they are very creative and love trying out new ways of cooking. They both have preschoolers so they don't have a lot of time, but they consider home cooked meals a big part of their family life when they can make it happen. I hope my grandchildren take up an interest in it, too.

 

[larry_stewart]

Food Network isn't about food anymore. It's about food based reality competitions.

When food network first started , i tuned in religiously, but as Andy said, it has deviated away from producing actual cooking shows, and has focussed more on reality. I still catch Jacques Pepin and Julia on PBS.

Many of the people I know, who sill watch the Food Network and like to cook too, almost seem brainwashed to me. Continuously reciting catch phrases, telling me what dishes and ingredients are trendy, referring to the Food Network chefs as ' the greatest chefs'....

I think the Food Network has /had its place in making cooking enjoyable and making many things available to people who maybe either never had cooking experiences when growing up, or enhancing people who have had such experiences but want to expand.

With all the cookbooks, live cooking demo's and ' In your face' celebrity promotions, I think that it has definitely made cooking a 'trendy' thing to do over the past decade. But n my opinion, in addition to making it trendy, it has created many " Food Snobs" , people who think they know everything just cause they tune in once a week, and also take these cooking celebs word as gospel.

 

[larry_stewart]

Whats kind of funny to me is, although I am far from a professional cook, and its clearly not its not my profession ( just a hobby), I take more pride and enjoyment when people compliment my cooking or ask me my advice on cooking than if they ask me professional advise from my occupation.

 

[bakechef]

When food network first started , i tuned in religiously, but as Andy said, it has deviated away from producing actual cooking shows, and has focussed more on reality. I still catch Jacques Pepin and Julia on PBS.

Many of the people I know, who sill watch the Food Network and like to cook too, almost seem brainwashed to me. Continuously reciting catch phrases, telling me what dishes and ingredients are trendy, referring to the Food Network chefs as ' the greatest chefs'....

I think the Food Network has /had its place in making cooking enjoyable and making many things available to people who maybe either never had cooking experiences when growing up, or enhancing people who have had such experiences but want to expand.

With all the cookbooks, live cooking demo's and ' In your face' celebrity promotions, I think that it has definitely made cooking a 'trendy' thing to do over the past decade. But n my opinion, in addition to making it trendy, it has created many " Food Snobs" , people who think they know everything just cause they tune in once a week, and also take these cooking celebs word as gospel.

Yeah, I definitely see them as the main reason that there is this influx of "foodies". I also think that they are largely responsible for grocery stores carrying more interesting and exotic ingredients, which is a good thing.

I too used to watch FN religiously but I don't care for what has devolved into, to the point that I had no problem getting rid of cable almost 4 years ago.

 

[CharlieD]

...Continuously reciting catch phrases...

Funny you mention this. I am one of those people. Though I gave on FN long time ago, I love repeating Emril: " I don't know where you get your chicken, but where I get mine it don't come seasoned...."
But that is mostly because majority of people I deal with are so health conscience that not only they do not use nearly enough salt, but they don't even use seasonings.
As far as I understand FN moved away from real cooking because it was not as popular.


Sent from my iPad using Discuss Cooking

 

[larry_stewart]

The Food Network has a very bright marketing team. They do a great jog acquiring and audience, which in turn as CharlieD mentioned, creates the need for stores to carry a wide range of products that were unheard of by many ( including me) many years ago. So for that, I am thankful. The internet helps quite a bit too. In general, as long as you have a computer, internet connection and a mailing address, you can get just about anything you want within a few days. For someone like me, who doesnt travel abroad much ( or at all), this is very helpful. Now when I see a recipe , there are very few limits since all the ingredients are a push of a button away.

 

[aberfold]

Now when I see a recipe , there are very few limits since all the ingredients are a push of a button away.

Well said, Larry. Especially with Amazon Fresh is starting to launch (in Canada). I'm quite excited for that!