Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Food and Drink
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 03-07-2015, 12:16 AM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
32,790 posts, read 36,046,145 times
Reputation: 43518

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801 View Post
But then there are dishes to wash. And cleanup to do. It's not that I'm lazy. It's just that I'm too damned tired. I love to cook but now that it's just me, there's no point and it's time and effort I can save.
I've always cooked for others. Why would I drag out all of those pots and pans for a meal for one? I've done it, but it's not a lot of fun or very rewarding. I hate to wash dishes.

A year and a half ago, my nephew moved into my house for a few months while looking for work in Philly. Let the cooking begin! I made soup, chili, casseroles, pies and cookies. He looked a little thin to me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-07-2015, 08:45 AM
 
1,638 posts, read 3,819,625 times
Reputation: 3502
I prefer to eat at home. Restaurant food is ok, but makes me sick after awhile.

I make a lot of crockpot meals....soups, roasts, etc. I bet I don't spend more than 20 min a day on food prep. Cooking doesn't have to be a time consuming chore.

I don't know how people can subsist on restaurant food, unless it's gourmet quality. Most of the stuff found at chain restaurants and fast food is gross.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 09:36 AM
 
1,115 posts, read 2,488,152 times
Reputation: 2134
I enjoy eating out. If we had the money, one meal out a week is more than plenty. Currently we eat out maybe 1-2 times a month. My wife and I do love cooking though. We usually cook 3 home cooked meals per week and eat the leftovers on the off days.

I don't think a ton of people are just eating out all the time, but I am seeing a ton of people who just live off frozen microwave meals, canned goods, just heat and eat type meals. I'm happy I'm not one of those people, home cooking is so much better and worth the time!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 10:34 AM
 
13,395 posts, read 13,422,791 times
Reputation: 35711
Quote:
Originally Posted by randomparent View Post
Yeah, this is a problem for us during busy times of the year, too. Menu planning is a tremendous challenge when everybody is going a separate direction. Spring into summer is the worst! I never know who will show up for dinner.
Schedules shouldn't effect meal planning. Plan the meals, cook and refrigerate/freeze them, and pull them out at the beginning of the week. Allow the family to pull out their own portions from the pot/container based on their schedule.

That's what families do (or did) all the time. The big point is the cooked food being present and available in the fridge.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 10:44 AM
 
Location: Middle of the valley
48,360 posts, read 34,494,212 times
Reputation: 73406
90% of our meals are home cooked, and whole food, not pre-frozen stuff. I work PT so I have the opportunity to do this. It does save money, but I also can make sure it is healthy.
__________________
____________________________________________
My posts as a Mod will always be in red.
Be sure to review Terms of Service: TOS
And check this out: FAQ
Moderator: Relationships Forum / Hawaii Forum / Dogs / Pets / Current Events
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 10:49 AM
 
172 posts, read 180,044 times
Reputation: 491
I don't mind the actual cooking but planning, buying and actually making it before it goes bad is the problem. My DH is a very specific mood eater and I'm just mentally DONE with cooking before it ever begins. The deciding what to eat is demoralizing. Even when we plan the week out, he will change his mind and I never know what he wants until 30 minutes before dinner and we usually don't have the ingredients for the very specific entree/side dishes combos he has to have. My personal favorite is when he is annoyed that we don't have something that we literally haven't eaten in a couple of years.

Whoever said it is really defeating to spend so much time and effort to cook when it isn't appreciated hit the nail on the head for this family. I want to cook more, I used to love to cook and try out new things but seriously the nightly, "What is for dinner?" is enough to make me break down in tears some days.

So no, I don't really cook a lot these days. I'm not lazy or don't know how to cook, I'm just broken.

A lot of my friends don't really cook either, they tend to assemble a lot of meals as well because of both partners working and/or kids after school activities. Quite a few of my mom friends would be satisfied with a bowl of cereal most days. I have one who has trays of assembled meals delivered to her house, she just throws it in the oven and a steam bag of veggies and calls it done. These are not lazy people, they work hard for their employers and their families, they do what they have to do to get through the day. Period.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 10:51 AM
 
172 posts, read 180,044 times
Reputation: 491
Quote:
Originally Posted by charlygal View Post
Schedules shouldn't effect meal planning. Plan the meals, cook and refrigerate/freeze them, and pull them out at the beginning of the week. Allow the family to pull out their own portions from the pot/container based on their schedule.

That's what families do (or did) all the time. The big point is the cooked food being present and available in the fridge.
This is assuming your family will eat leftovers or stuff they have to heat up. I could have a fridge full of cooked food and still "nothing to eat" according to my family. We throw out a ton of food.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 10:52 AM
MJ7
 
6,221 posts, read 10,690,124 times
Reputation: 6606
I like cooking, but there are a lot of negatives with it. Mostly, time it takes and energy costs associated. If I can buy some already cooked dehydrated sweet potatoes that I can throw into a shaker and take with me, instead of baking for 1 and 1/2 hrs and getting yam juice all over my leather seats I will do it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 11:13 AM
 
Location: Upstate NY 🇺🇸
36,754 posts, read 14,731,201 times
Reputation: 35584
Many of the ones who simply must have a state-of-the-art kitchen will be the first to tell you that they "don't cook," and proceed to wear it as some sort of badge of honor.

Not only does it reflect the demise of an important aspect of family time, but it's also pathetic to see people running to the drive-thru for meals.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-07-2015, 11:16 AM
MJ7
 
6,221 posts, read 10,690,124 times
Reputation: 6606
Quote:
Originally Posted by Delahanty View Post
Many of the ones who simply must have a state-of-the-art kitchen will be the first to tell you that they "don't cook," and proceed to wear it as some sort of badge of honor.

Not only does it reflect the demise of an important aspect of family time, but it's also pathetic to see people running to the drive-thru for meals.
A few myths in here:

1) Meal preparation doesn't do itself, the time it takes could be spent with the family enjoying other activities, not so whilst cooking.

2) Just because you do not traditionally cook a meal every night does it mean you go to the drive-thru.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Food and Drink

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top