How Different Is Your Kitchen Philosophy from Your Mother's? (ingredients, restaurant, health)

[jtur88]

Just about everybody was highly influenced by Mom's cooking. How much have you deviated from that and change how you do things?

[Huckleberry3911948]

better cook. its not the elaborate that does it. its doing small things very very well.

[LaceyEx]

Totally different. My mother was a terrible cook and not innovative at all. Her thing was if a recipe called for parsley and she didn't have it-well anything green would do. I started cooking at 13 for the family and saved them-LOL.

[movingtohouston]

Ha, my mother claims that I am not her child as I can now actually cook (with recipes) whereas her idea of cooking is well done with no flavor.

I think I am more influenced by my Grandmothers. One is a terrific baker (I know for sure I get that from her) and my other grandmother used to own a restaurant when I was little. Unfortunately she took all her recipes with her when she passed. I truly think though, that I discovered my love of food from her. She was always in the kitchen.

[HighlandsGal]

My mom is a great cook and baker, but our styles are different. She hates help in the kitchen, I often like to cook with my BF. I clean as I go, she makes quite a mess. I like to experiment with new ingredients and recipes, and she often makes the same things. However, she is the queen of entertaining and I want to be just like her "when I grow up."

[Nomadicus]

She boils the goody out, I stir fry. She looks for a recipe, I look to see what is in the kitchen and start throwing it together. That about sums it up.

[BlueWillowPlate]

I've gone through several stages in my cooking evolution. I'm not the same cook now, as an emptynester, that I was when I was a busy young mom.
I think my mom evolved too (she's been dead for 15 years.)
We both share a sense of adventure and a love of trying new things.
We both love(d) leftovers. Both love fresh herbs.
When younger, we both made every single thing from scratch, nothing ever came out of a box. We both taught our kids where food really comes from.
I am probably a bit more health conscious, and more acutely aware of the quality of my ingredients, but my mom was a product of her generation.

[skbs]

Oh, my mother is a gourmet... I like to the five ingredients or less school of cooking
My mother is a baker and I think if Pillsbury can do it better then I should LET the little fat Doughman!
My mother would love to cook for a party of fifty people and create a wonderful menu.... I would like to pull together the TAKE OUT menues and PUT together a party for Fifty!
My mother wants to cook for you.... I want my mom to cook for me too

[regarese]

We were nourished-that's about all we got out of my mother's kitchen. I used to be so upset to see a nice piece of meat thawing for that night's dinner because I knew what a wonderful jerky she was going to make of it. LOL. My mom cooked because she had to. I cook because I like too. I think I was influenced more by my father and his mother than my own mother. They both enjoy cooking for others and using actual ingredients.

[hollygolightly]

My mom does everything super well-done; I like my steak juicy, tender and medium rare!

Also, I am not afraid to try new and different recipes, or throw something interesting together without a proper recipe.

To her credit, several of her "tried and trues" are some of the most amazing meals I've ever had- especially her lasagna and chicken pot pie, both from scratch!! Delicious...