Do you get annoyed by people while cooking?

[In the Kitchen]

JoeV

Can't help but keep coming to look at your kitchen. Only third time, i came back to look. Gosh, don't you think the kitchen should always be the biggest room in the house? do you have pantries too? My sister, who hates to cook, has big kitchen plus pantries she can walk into. I am NOT jealous but wonder how this happens? or why?

JoeV, you have a kitchen like my sister but you enjoy working in yours, don't you?

 

[elaine l]

I love working in the kitchen and I love having my guests keep me company while I do. A long long time ago, I had a dinner party and everyone went outside while I was cooking. I was hurt and felt like I was somehow catering a dinner party and not the host.

 

[Michelemarie]

I'm rarely annoyed by people while I am cooking in the kitchen - I like cooking and talking --- I do get annoyed when I am cleaning up and there is not even an offer to help - annoying!

 

[Domestic Goddess]

I can't say I get annoyed, but I do however have a tendency to screw up a recipe more often when someone is in the kitchen; especially when they are trying to have a conversation with me. The other day I was making Ol-blue's Surprise Lemon Cake, while my husband and one of our daughter's were in the kitchen, and wouldn't ya know it, after I took the cake out of the oven, I noticed that the cake didn't rise as much as it should of. I then looked up on the kitchen counter and saw what I forgot to add to the mix...the eggs. Needless to say we still ate the cake, as it was good, but I now know and see what can happen to a cake when one forgets to add the eggs; especially after you cut into it. My hubby and I still enjoyed the cake, it was good, and I ate mine with some Cool Whip.

 

[Sparkly77]

Normally I don't mind company in the kitchen, I love to chat as I prepare and cook. However, when my 21 month old son comes in and starts pulling plastic containers out and putting them at my feet (then usually he walks away, leaving the containers there for me to trip over ), I start to get a little bit irritated.

I'm constantly saying "Out, out!" and picking the containers up, it drives me crazy. But he's a little sweetie normally, bless his cotton socks, so it's impossible to get angry with him for doing it, he's just a little fella

 

[LPBeier]

I have a very tiny galley kitchen and there is little room for people to stand around in it, but I don't mind anyone coming in whether it is to chat or help. In fact, I love it when DH or our border sit at the table (just outside the kitchen) and chat with me while I work. Lately I have been doing a lot of sitting at the table doing prep because of my leg and it is great to have the company.

I grew up in a home where the kitchen was the centre of most activity. The living room was where you went if you wanted to watch TV or for a huge crowd, but the kitchen was where most casual visiting went on while my Mom would be creating meals or baking. I love that way of life!

 

[buckytom]

I put my grandson in the high chair near the stove so he can watch. It's as effective as Sesame Street at keeping his attention.

from now on, when i read andy m's post, i'll hear it in my head in grover's voice.

to-day boys and girls, we are going to make osso bucco. can you say that, os-so bu-co? very good. laa laaaa la laaaaaa.

 

[DramaQueen]

I'm rarely annoyed by people while I am cooking in the kitchen - I like cooking and talking --- I do get annoyed when I am cleaning up and there is not even an offer to help - annoying!

I love cooking and talking too. Cooking is second nature to me so I don't really have to concentrate. I just want people to sit at my table and talk, not stand behind, next to and over me while I'm trying to cook.

As for clean up, as long they clear the table that's it for me. No one seems to know the proper way to load a dishwasher and I have to rearrange everything they've loaded. It makes more work for me and a biggie for me here- I put garbage in my garbage disposer NOT in the trash bin. That's for trash, the disposer is for food. I have a hard time getting that point across.

 

[Barbara L]

from now on, when i read andy m's post, i'll hear it in my head in grover's voice....

I do too! Of course, I've met him, so it's only natural.

Barbara

 

[expatgirl]

my stepmother hated anyone in the kitchen when she "cooked"----we made her nervous----this meant flinging grease everywhere and using 5 thousand dishes and then we had to clean up afterwards when I had tons of homework (I worked hard to get good grades and didn't have time to be cleaning 2 hours up after her horrible messes) I begged her to let me help while she cooked so that there wasn't such a huge mess to clean up afterwards..........but no, we made her "nervous".......one night after fried chicken, mashed potatos, 3 thousand dishes, grease slung everywhere and I had several tests the next day........I just went ballistic.........I was slamming drawers, cabinets, and the hills came alive with the sound of my "MUSICAL Voice of loud complaints".........she came in there and said I didn't have to do it anymore.....my two sisters could clean up from now on.....fine with me........I took over the cleaning of the bathrooms...and general cleanup on the weekends....my offer not hers......I'm a bit anal......... in huge contrast my mother-in-law on the other hand absolutely appreciated help in the kitchen esp. with dishes as she went along.......she's also the one who taught me to cook........nothing made her happier than to have a grandchild perched on a chair and have them "help" her make a pie or a cake.......nothing made her nervous............

 

[jpmcgrew]

I cook a great deal and I'm good at it. My family and friends seldom cook and they AREN'T good at it so watching me cook is a source of fascination for them. I can understand that, but they ask a jillion questions and they all stand over my shoulder and next to me at the stove. I work fairly fast and when I need to reach for something I have to step on at least 3 people to get at what I want.

I don't need or want their help, it only hinders me because it takes time to tell or show them what to do. I'm flattered but please don't stand over me when I cook. Sit in the kitchen with me if you want to , have a glass of wine and chat. I love that part, BUT STAY THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!!!

DITTO!

 

[jpmcgrew]

It's amazing how many people will not help with the clean up and actually just sit there and watch you. I'm not talking four guests or even six but when you have eight or even more people it's nice to have a bit of help. Once in a while a couple people will offer to help and so clean up is around twenty minutes. What kills me is people who have grown kids that don't help with anything. Helping with clean up is the easiest thing in the world it says a lot about the ones who consistently never lift a finger ever.

 

[Robo410]

My kitchen is open and folks hang around (and never sit in the living room!!) Anyway, in my kitchen I'm the chef and we do it my way. In your kitchen we do it your way. Following this simple courtesy, it is never a problem.

 

[RobsanX]

Especially MIL when she visits, and all the other inlaws for that matter... We have a perfectly good living room with plenty of light and couches and chairs to sit in. But no, where do they all want to be? In my kitchen, in my way!

I finally had to lay down the law and tell them to go into another room. There's too many sharp objects and hot liquids to have people milling about in there. They aren't completely banned from the kitchen. If I'm not cooking they can go nuts in there for all I care. And even if I'm cooking, I always give them a 5 or 10 minute window now and then to get ice or drinks. At those times I just stand there and glare at them until they're done. They get the message!

Oh, and good luck finding anything when MIL does the dishes! I banned her from doing that too!

 

[Maverick2272]

Most times I don't mind, and will actually encourage it if they are wanting to learn something, or it is the kids. However, I hate it when someone is just leaning over my shoulder watching every little thing I am doing, or just putzing around the kitchen aimlessly and getting under foot.

 

[lbb87]

I don't like people in the kitchen while I'm cooking. I especially don't like it when they just stand at the kitchen counter reading a newspaper or something. Or worse yet is when they talk to me because it makes me forget what I'm doing. Of course, most times the things they say to me are things I don't want to hear such as negative stuff. I like to be alone to think while cooking. The presence of other people completely disrupts my thoughts.

Also, during my holiday cooking, it's almost like I'm doing a dance. If someone gets in the way, the whole routine gets thrown off and I end up spending more time cooking than necessary. Like when I'm baking cookies, one batch comes out of the oven, a second goes in. The first batch rests for a minute, then gets moved to a cooling rack, then frosted. Then I remove any remaining crumbs from the cookie sheet, put it aside to cool, then work on getting the next batch ready. Then I repeat the whole process several more times. Everything is timed so that I'm always doing something - there's no time to rest, which reduces the amount of time I spend slaving away. If one person gets in my way, it's enough to throw off everything so I'm running behind. That happened a couple years ago when my father kept walking through the kitchen looking for his misplaced tools.

I was just asking about this because I'm tired of people in the kitchen while I'm cooking. I'm considering saying something to the offending people but I figure they'll get mad. But when they're doing something that requires concentration or when they just want to be alone, I don't bother them so they shouldn't bother me. My mother told me that I'm being silly for feeling this way, which is why I wanted to see how others felt. But then I'm one of those people who prefer to be by myself anyway. If I want your company I'll tell you, otherwise, bug off.

 

[mikki]

Most of my family asks if I need any help, if I say no they stand out of the way and chat. As for clean up, I have taught my girls since they were little to always help clean up, and one christmas at my moms, my 2 girls told everyone to go sit down and they put stuff away and did the dishes. I was very impressed.
When I was first married I had MIL,FIL,SIL,BIL plus 3 kids. No one helped clean up, I was furious. They didn't get invited back for dinner for quit awhile.

 

[JoeV]

Can't help but keep coming to look at your kitchen. Only third time, i came back to look. Gosh, don't you think the kitchen should always be the biggest room in the house? do you have pantries too? My sister, who hates to cook, has big kitchen plus pantries she can walk into. I am NOT jealous but wonder how this happens? or why?

JoeV, you have a kitchen like my sister but you enjoy working in yours, don't you?

Me and DW designed the house and gave the builder the working drawings to build it for us (I have a design background). We actually reduced the size of the dining room (to the left of the kitchen in the picture) and gave that space to the kitchen so we could put in the island. We have a 2' x 4' x 8' food pantry in the kitchen, and one the same size in the adjacent laundry room that was recently expanded. That pantry mainly holds a plethora of cooking and baking vessels and gadgets of any sort that I have accumulated over the years.

We enjoy entertaining and I enjoy cooking for crowds. When we get company I try to have 90% of the food ready and in warmers so there's no reason for others to be in the kitchen at the same time with me. The two most welcomed people in my kitchen are my DW and my twin brother, who also shares a passion for food. The rest are handed a drink and told to sit back and relax.

JoeV

 

[In the Kitchen]

Joe V

What your post tells me is what you give you receive! You do make others happy and you do so with your special gift. Hearing someone designed their own kitchen is so awesome, words I cannot seem to express. How many people may have wanted to do this? It was sure worth all the time and effort and of course patience. You can be so proud. My MIL has three different kitchens with the three homes she has. She cannot say that she designed them herself. One Thanksgiving when she visited us, she could not find places to put all the things so she could clear the table. When we finished eating, I found she had put lot of things in the oven. That really worried me as I have oft en turned the oven on without looking in it. Taught me to check things before I use them especially when you have company.

Are you working in your kitchen on Thanksgiving? My family looked at your kitchen and asked if I couldn't serve drinks this Thanksgiving as you do? I didn't laugh but could only wonder. Thank you very much for your thoughts and be thankful to be so blessed. I am happy for you. You and your family deserve it.

 

[JoeV]

What your post tells me is what you give you receive! You do make others happy and you do so with your special gift. Hearing someone designed their own kitchen is so awesome, words I cannot seem to express. How many people may have wanted to do this? It was sure worth all the time and effort and of course patience. You can be so proud. My MIL has three different kitchens with the three homes she has. She cannot say that she designed them herself. One Thanksgiving when she visited us, she could not find places to put all the things so she could clear the table. When we finished eating, I found she had put lot of things in the oven. That really worried me as I have oft en turned the oven on without looking in it. Taught me to check things before I use them especially when you have company.

Are you working in your kitchen on Thanksgiving? My family looked at your kitchen and asked if I couldn't serve drinks this Thanksgiving as you do? I didn't laugh but could only wonder. Thank you very much for your thoughts and be thankful to be so blessed. I am happy for you. You and your family deserve it.

Most of the "drinks" served in our home are soft drinks. We have the occasional bottle of wine and the youngsters (25-40) are beer drinkers. Us old geezers are past the heavy drinking years and get our enjoyment from each other's company and watching the kids have a good time.

Thanksgiving will be at my twin brother's home as it is every year, with about 23-25 people for dinner. I do the Christmas dinner each year and will have about the same size crowd for that. It's my favorite meal of teh year to cook because of all the variety, and for the first time this year I will be able to have all the bread and rolls come from my oven as well.

JoeV