So is it true? Food taste better when it is cooked for you by someone else rather than you cook for yourself? (ingredient, healthy)

[PeteyC]

I could possibly be in the small minority of folk who had a mother who did not cook. She didn't know how, didn't want to learn and had no interest in regularly cooking meals. My mother could, however, make fantastic sandwiches! Oh my! Her from scratch pimento cheese on white bread that she cut into triangles or rolled and cut into spirals bring back so many happy memories. Oh and BLTs, if someone cooked the bacon-Yum! Maybe it's the made with love thing. I enjoy cooking and am pretty good at it. It is nice, however, to have someone else prepare a meal when it is done with care and desire to please.

[Threestep2]

I enjoy the process from putting a menu together, tweeking a recipe, making sure all allergies and I do not eats are covered to the fundamental decision round or square plates. The kitchen will be organized chaos. SO is great when it comes to setting tables and cleaning up after guests are gone. My thing - 30 minutes to get me ready, a glass of wine while I put on war paint. Show time!

Yes, every dish has room for improvement, napkins could have been starched more, ... at the end it is all about people and getting together, having a pleasant evening, sharing what we have with others who enjoy it.

Coming from a family of professional chefs and home cooks embracing fresh cooking as well as traditional regional cuisines I am simply spoiled when it comes to food. Of course I enjoy it when someone cooks for me. SO does so on a regular basis. The grill is his realm and he has gotten pretty good over time. Of course I love to be a guest. Does the food taste better? Generally not. But that is not the only reason to get together.

[ABQConvict]

I seem to recall that there is an actual psychological phenomenon that explains this. Something about the brain's knowledge of the deconstructed ingredients as opposed to encountering a complete, unified dish changes your actual sensory perception of the flavors and textures.

I have found that a dish that needs to sit, marinate, or otherwise spend time with flavors maturing, thus creating a delay in eating the food, is far more peasurable than one that is immediately assembled and eaten like a sandwich.

Also, anecdotally, it seems that people who are served food tend to not like leftovers while the cook often prefers them.

[CSD610]

Not always, I am a very good cook but if someone else is not the meal they prepared is not going to taste better than the same meal prepared by me.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

you make a good point here,,,as did another poster..
the act of prepping and cooking ... is also not only a contribution to family... (gatherings) but a gift...

Ive had grandmothers that wouldn't think about going out to eat,,,it was a labor of love, as it was for generations

My grandmothers were decent to outstanding cooks, but both loved to dine at others homes or go out once n awhile. On the other hand, spoiled brat's favorite aunt, who was one of the few relatives to ever leave the farm in WV to move to So. Ca. didn't even like to eat at others homes certainly she rarely ate at a restaurant. I think she did get a hamburger out a few times.

[froglipz]

Some things I do better some not, so I appreciate a dish for how good it is no matter if I or someone else prepares it. I certainly appreciate it when someone else makes the effort to cook for me!

[Just Zola]

I do a lot of cooking (proper cooking, and not the "ping!" kind), for myself and guests.

I will say when someone else is cooking it does taste better; and yet I love cooking & preparing, and always gives me a buzz when my guests compliment me for my efforts.

[weezycom]

For me, it's a toss-up. I'm a good cook and I like to work with good quality ingredients, plus I have some health issues that I need to care for in terms of what I eat, and as such, I don't enjoy any longer food that is inundated with fat, sugar or covered in cheese. So, if I go to a restaurant that serves thoughtful, seasonal dishes, or the home of another good cook, I thoroughly enjoy it. When my sister shows up with a bag of pre-frozen deep-fried jalapeno poppers or her special dip (cream cheese covered with taco burger meat served with doritos), she can't understand why I say "thanks but no thanks."

[TheShadow]

I rarely enjoy someone else's cooking better than my own. Even in restaurants, I'm always critiquing the food like Gordon Ramsey. Most people whose food I've eaten under season things, or they make them with ingredients I don't care for, or they overcook the pasta, or overcook the meat until it's dry. I was always a picky eater, and now I'm spoiled to my own or my brothers' cooking. All 3 of my brothers are good cooks, and we cook nothing like our mother. She taught us to cook, and then we learned how to cook better than she ever did.

[AngID]

We only go out to eat 2 to 3 times a years. Anniversary and birthdays. We usually end up at our favorite Mexican place (and both have been ordering the same dish from the menu for the 25 years they have been open!) Husband gets a beef King burrito and I get chicken and cheese enchilada and chile rellano.
Every couple of years we'll go to the Japanese Steak House. Again, I always order the exact same thing, steak and lobster (with all the other stuff they cook on the grill in front of you.) I absolutely love the Carrot/Ginger dressing on their green salad that starts the meal. I've got several recipes trying to recreate that dressing, but even if I nail it perfectly, I doubt it is going to taste as good as that "Birthday" dinner salad every couple of years.