Why do you cook?

[Addie]

I used to cook to make everyone who was going to eat my cooking happy, then everyone moved away and I just cooked make my bank account happy because eating meals out is expensive and most of the restaurant meals I could make better my own damn self.

Now I am a culinary consultant for a food, beverage and pastry ingredient manufacturing company, writing product descriptions and creating and testing recipes using those ingredients, so I do it to make my clients AND my bank account happy! Oh, and my test cooking makes the company's employees pretty happy, too. Most of them haven't had to buy a meal in years!

Can I get a job at your company? I will gladly try your cooking each and every day.

 

[chiklitmanfan]

I've definitely enjoyed reading all of your varied opinions here.

I'm a foodie: I love to eat, loved to cook and love to talk about and write about food. I was turned onto the possibilities of good home-cooked food by my late WWII Marine father who was insulted whenever anyone called that "woman's work."

I have never considered restaurant food as a good or healthy value. Being a control freak, I like to manipulate the process myself at home. I find it more sanitary, less salty, less greasy, and less sugary.

Cooking has always been therapy for me and a release for my primarily creative personality type. What else can I say? Nothing profound or mystical here.

Throughout history, sharing the celebration of food and drink among family, friends and acquaintances has been vital and primal for us.

 

[Mad Cook]

I've definitely enjoyed reading all of your varied opinions here.

I'm a foodie: I love to eat, loved to cook and love to talk about and write about food. I was turned onto the possibilities of good home-cooked food by my late WWII Marine father who was insulted whenever anyone called that "woman's work."

I have never considered restaurant food as a good or healthy value. Being a control freak, I like to manipulate the process myself at home. I find it more sanitary, less salty, less greasy, and less sugary.

Cooking has always been therapy for me and a release for my primarily creative personality type. What else can I say? Nothing profound or mystical here.

Throughout history, sharing the celebration of food and drink among family, friends and acquaintances has been vital and primal for us.

I judge a restaurant by whether the food is as good or better than I can do at home. That sounds a bit arrogant but isn't intended to be. I just don't see the point of paying someone to make a pig's ear of what I could do at home and not make a pig's ear of. For example. I'm going out for breakfast tomorrow to the cafe attached to the local deli and I'll have eggs benedict which I don't think Claridges or the Savoy (very posh hotels) in London could do better and I certainly couldn't because I couldn't poach an egg if my life depended on it!

Where I lived before I used to throw dinner parties for up to 10 friends 4 or 5 times a year. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms because there's so much to do on the house before I can start doing it again.

 

[TaraWildes]

Cooking is good therapy. Whenever I'm mad, I can go chop something up. Lose a lot of aggression that way.

While I grew up cooking what my mother and grandmothers did, I've experimented and learned a lot about cultures outside of the southern US by using recipes, talking with people from other places about their culinary heritage and really diving into the science of cooking. I love to read cookbooks and Cooks Illustrated to add to my knowledge base of what to do when I don't have a recipe - and that's the most fun to me, making it up and seeing if it works as well as I thought it would. Sometimes it does, other times...the dogs eat well!

Plus I'm frugal. I like getting the most out of what I have on hand.

Last, what Mad Cook said about keeping the memories of those who came before alive. Nothing carries on a culture, I believe, like cooking those traditional dishes.

 

[Kathleen]

Many already listed my reasons, but keeping memories alive is one of the biggest ones for me. I also love knowing exactly what is in my food, the taste of my own cooking, and enjoy the fun/creative aspects. However, I had to admit that I have gotten out of my car and smelled something that I had to have: It was a fund-raising spaghetti dinner for a local Catholic school. I make mighty good pasta and sauce, but the ladies at that church redefined Italian spaghetti sauce for me. I may volunteer for the next one just to see if I could glean the recipe!

 

[JanetMlr]

Why do I cook?

Besides the obvious (I love to cook), I think cooking is a form of expression. My mom was a wonderful cook and entertained a lot. I got the passion from her. And I've passed that passion for cooking along to both of my kids. My son is married and does the cooking. My daughter is an amazing cook. She has taught cooking classes in a unique restaurant, and even took over at the request of the executive chef who had taken ill, of a nearby French restaurant when the chef couldn't prepare the meal for a special event. I think loving to cook and being good at it is often an extension of who we are. I'm a creative type (design and make jewelry, paint, write). My daughter sings and is a graphic designer. Most of the time, I just cook for myself, but love preparing meals for friends and family. But getting to be the guinea pig for new things I'm trying... can't be beat.

 

[fairygirl69]

I cook to stick it to the Man and all his manufactured food by-products.

Love that response. Wise words. Also, my friends and family have told me it's my art. Hubby says poets write love poems, singers write love songs, I make meals that are an expression of my love for those around me. He says I make meals to him.


Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors - it's how you combine them that sets you apart.

Wolfgang Puck

 

[manilak1d]

I wanted to lose weight and have a better eating lifestyle.

I got fat during college because I was eating a diet that consisted of
McDonalds and the chinese restaurant right next to my place, both cheap.

I didn't have time to cook or have the equipment to cook so i just ate out a lot.

So when I finally got a place that had a kitchen I started to cook at home and I found out that it was way cheaper to cook at home than to eat out every day.

But I've always had a fascination with cooking. I always watched my dad cook when I was younger.

Now I'm much healthier and have lost tons of weight. But I'm also a gym freak now so that has helped also

 

[Addie]

Congratulations on the weight loss! That is not an easy feat. Would you mind telling us how much you lost all together? It would be encouraging for others who are trying to lose. It shows that it can be done.

Cooking is fun. And the food at home always tastes so much better. Seasoned to your own liking. Late last night I got a hankering for a frittata. So I went out into the kitchen and prepped all the veggies. A giant onion, (I love onions) three potatoes, peeled and sliced thin, mushrooms, and sausages cut into pieces. Then whipped some eggs together, and I had myself a frittata. It took me about an hour all total, but I was one happy person. I got my veggies and some protein with them. Being diabetic, I have to balance my meals out.

Nothing like having your own kitchen to cook in. College days are fun, but the meals a college kid can afford leaves little choice.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

The sense that evokes memory for me the best is smell. If I make something my Mom made, I think of family. If I make something that resembles a dining experience out that was special, it reminds me of that night or vacation. Besides, it usually smells darned good no matter what the food du jour is!

Mad Cook said she thinks her cooking is better than most restaurants. I feel the same way about mine. When on vacation, I've been know to sniff the air enthusiastically while skimming the menu posted. I'm more than willing to let Himself know I think what we're smelling isn't worth the price they're asking!

Financially, home cooking is a better value far and away over dining out. And if I am nothing else, I am cheap frugal. Plus, the control over the quality of ingredients and amount of seasonings is a big plus to me.

Also, it's a creative outlet for me too. I can sniff and stir and melt and add to my heart's content, hoping that something I'm making up on the fly gets an appreciative "mmmm" from Himself. I especially like putting "strange" ingredients together to get a winner. Never in my life my hubby would enjoy a chicken dish that included fresh cherries and cinnamon. My, have his taste buds come a long way in all these years!

 

[taxlady]

Oh yes, the memories that cooking smells bring back. That is a part of my enthusiasm for Danish recipes. Some of the smells bring me right back to Copenhagen.

 

[CharlieD]

I think, there for I am. I cook, there for I eat. That is my main reason, or so I tell my wife. I grew up in the kitchen watching my mom cook, she was an artist. The things that she could make out of nothing, growing in Soviet Union there were not many choices. Now she is gotten to be old and frail, and she says that I can cook better than she can, I do not believe her. My father always said that only mother can teach a child. I think he was right. And so I cook. I do like it, I do like to put food on the table that little, picky kids will eat. Parents come to me and tell me he/she never ate this or doesn't like that. How did you do it? What is the recipe? That is the biggest compliment to me.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I think, there for I am. I cook, there for I eat. That is my main reason, or so I tell my wife. I grew up in the kitchen watching my mom cook, she was an artist. The things that she could make out of nothing, growing in Soviet Union there were not many choices. Now she is gotten to be old and frail, and she says that I can cook better than she can, I do not believe her. My father always said that only mother can teach a child. I think he was right. And so I cook. I do like it, I do like to put food on the table that little, picky kids will eat. Parents come to me and tell me he/she never ate this or doesn't like that. How did you do it? What is the recipe? That is the biggest compliment to me.

I cook so that I can compete with CharlieD for the best ever pancake recipe.

Just kidding. I cook because I enjoy good food, with herbs and spices that can't be had in restaurants. I enjoy big, bold flavors, and quality food. Plus, it's cheaper that eating out, and I enjoy the process of creating new foods, and flavor pairings. It's an art form, and I'm no good at sculpting, or working with clay. So to satisfy one of my creative sides, I cook.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Addie]

I think, there for I am. I cook, there for I eat. That is my main reason, or so I tell my wife. I grew up in the kitchen watching my mom cook, she was an artist. The things that she could make out of nothing, growing in Soviet Union there were not many choices. Now she is gotten to be old and frail, and she says that I can cook better than she can, I do not believe her. My father always said that only mother can teach a child. I think he was right. And so I cook. I do like it, I do like to put food on the table that little, picky kids will eat. Parents come to me and tell me he/she never ate this or doesn't like that. How did you do it? What is the recipe? That is the biggest compliment to me.

I will never understand folks who fail to share thier recipes with other folks. Don't they know what a compliment they have been given? "Oh I can't, it is a family recipe and I promised I would never give it out." More likely than not, it was taken out of a magazine or other publised article.

I once made some pumpkin cookies. They were a big hit at the party. One of the guests (who worked with my daughter) asked for the recipe. I emailed it to her the next day. The following year she made them for the office. Someone asked her for the recipe. "Oh no, it is a secret family recipe." My daughter heard her. She called me and asked me to email it to her. She ran off copies and told everyone there they could have the recipe. Her co-worker didn't speak to her for a long time. No big loss!

 

[manilak1d]

Congratulations on the weight loss! That is not an easy feat. Would you mind telling us how much you lost all together? It would be encouraging for others who are trying to lose. It shows that it can be done.

When I was dieting I lost about 50 lbs.

Putting your time in the gym is as important as what you consume. I did have my cheat meals, but overall I was good at what I ate.

 

[CharlieD]

I cook so that I can compete with CharlieD for the best ever pancake recipe.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Ah, I'd loose in no time.

 

[CharlieD]

I will never understand folks who fail to share their recipes with other folks. Don't they know what a compliment they have been given? "Oh I can't, it is a family recipe and I promised I would never give it out." More likely than not, it was taken out of a magazine or other published article.

Oh, don't even go there. My blood boils when I hear that. My friend had this secretary working for him. She made the best cookies I ever tasted. When I asked her for recipe she told me it was given to her under condition that she would never share the recipe, and "...Being person of integrity I could not betray the trust... " blah, blah, blah, all while stealing from money from my friend, and in the end ran away with his stolen car. some integrity she had.

 

[CharlieD]

When I was dieting I lost about 50 lbs.

Putting your time in the gym is as important as what you consume. I did have my cheat meals, but overall I was good at what I ate.

Wow, good for you.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Ah, I'd loose in no time.

Too bad we don't live near each other. I bow to you my friend and say right here, right now, your pancakes and mine may be on opposite ends of the spectrum, but are equal in every way.

Come on over to my neck of the woods. The Atlantic Salmon are running right now, and I need a fishing partner.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Mad Cook]

I will never understand folks who fail to share thier recipes with other folks. Don't they know what a compliment they have been given? "Oh I can't, it is a family recipe and I promised I would never give it out." More likely than not, it was taken out of a magazine or other publised article.

I once made some pumpkin cookies. They were a big hit at the party. One of the guests (who worked with my daughter) asked for the recipe. I emailed it to her the next day. The following year she made them for the office. Someone asked her for the recipe. "Oh no, it is a secret family recipe." My daughter heard her. She called me and asked me to email it to her. She ran off copies and told everyone there they could have the recipe. Her co-worker didn't speak to her for a long time. No big loss!

Good for your daughter.

I usually give recipes but have one recipe that I can't pass on. The reason is that it is never the same twice and I can't always remember what went into it. I do give an overall view though.