Why does no one cook at home anymore?

[GEM]

Originally posted by missypie
Years ago someone did a study of a group of National Merit Scholars to see what they all had in common. The only common thread the researchers could find was that their families ate together almost every night. (Pretty scary, huh?)

Just gotta jump in here! I was a NMS and my family never ate dinner together when I was growning up! I mean MAYBE once a week and on special occasions. We were always going in a million different ways - play rehearsals, choir practice, basketball practice, etc. There was pretty much no way we could all eat at once. Usually, mom made something that could be kept warm and we all helped ourselves as we got the chance!

 

[GlennandAnn]

I work part time. Two days a week I work from 1-9 PM. On those nights, I cook something during the day that DH can heat up for himself and our 2 sons. One day a week I work 9-5, and on that day, maybe I'll throw something in the Crock Pot or have something planned that can be made quickly when I get home, or something simple for DH to make. The rest of the week, I cook something and serve it. It does take organization, but I feel like it's my responsibility to feed my family well. It also helps that I love to cook, read recipes, and grocery shop (yes, I know, it's unbelievable). We hardly ever eat out, but when we do it's usually pizza or Mexican take out. Also what helps is DH is the most non-fussy person about what he eats. He likes everything, so basically, I can't go wrong.

Ann

 

[Crankyshank]

I work full time- usually about 45hrs a week with a 35min commute and I cook dinner 5-6 nights a week. The rest of the week, DH cooks. That doesn't change even when we are also in school in addition to our f/t jobs.

I'm sure if we had more $$ to spend, we'd be eating out more.

 

[Cindy B]

Originally posted by missypie
Years ago someone did a study of a group of National Merit Scholars to see what they all had in common. The only common thread the researchers could find was that their families ate together almost every night. (Pretty scary, huh?)

The only time we don't eat together is when I have classes... but everyother time we eat together all the time, with the TV off.

No one ever eats a meal in front of the TV in our house.. usually including desert as well.

 

[mcnuss]

I work f/t, including 2-3 days/week of travel. DD dances 2 nights per week, takes clarinet lessons 1x per week, plays basketball and does GS. So we're as busy as anyone - only of course we are privleged to just have 1 child. We eat out as a family about once a week. We do not eat fast food anymore. The rest of the time, one or the other of us cooks. I do all the shopping, but it's pretty much the same every week. Salmon, chicken breasts, pork chops. I cook a stew, chili or soup every Sunday. DH is the king of stir fry. Not one single meal I make, except Sunday's, takes more than 15 minutes to put together. It takes longer to go get take-out.

 

[zulaya]

As I am fond of telling everyone at my shows, "I view cooking as an evil necessity...whether you like it or not, sooner or later, everyone has to eat!"

I think people are afraid to make recipes. They look at the recipes and if they are more than one paragraph, they don't bother even reading it, thinking that it's too hard or takes too long.

Like everything in life, you have to educate yourself. Cooking can be easy, simple and healthy as well as full of variety. But you have to make yourself read the instructions. Even those recipes that don't tout themselves as 30 minutes or less, most really are possible in 30 minutes or less from prep to eating. And a lot of those recipes you put in the pot or oven and let it go. Sit for 30 minutes and enjoy some time with your kids after getting home while dinner is cooking. It doesn't always have to be babysat.

If you are totally lost on cooking take these tips with you:
~ Invest in a crockpot and use the cookbook that comes with it. I don't use mine often but I have a few favorites that I use from time to time. It truly is throw the ingredients in there and let it cook all day.
~ Get some stoneware (preferably Pampered Chef stoneware ) Stoneware allows meats to roast in their own juices, making even the cheapest meats moist and tender. Throw in a roaster chicken or a roast cut of beef or pork, with some baby red potatoes and baby carrots...let it roast for 1.5hrs (admittedly this is a longer meal) and you pull out the best meal you probably have had in a while with no babysitting it. If you have one of those ovens that is programmable, program it to start 1.5 hours before you want to eat and place the pan in there and go.
~ Get out your cookbooks and make a menu for a week. You'd be surprised at how easy and quick it is once you know what you are making.
~ Look into freezer cooking. This is where you spend 2 hours making anywhere from 10-20 dishes that go in freezer bags or aluminum disposable pans. You keep them in the freezer and then you can take them out and just throw them in the oven and add vegies.

 

[pjlla]

To begin with, my biggest problem with the Lunchables is A. the large amount of trash that they contribute to the world and B. The high price for what it is.

That being said, in a pinch, I suppose they would be somewhat acceptable.

I am a SAHM who hates to cook. I would rather chop wood! I just really don't liked to cook. But I do manage to cook about 5-6 nights a week. But it is a bit confusing/complicated to be the cook in our house..... DS has food allergies, DH is on the Atkins diet and I am on WW.... DD is the only one who eats "normal" meals. So I am usually doing the short-order cook thing..... four people, four meals!

When I DON'T cook, it is usually due to poor planning on my part (not defrosting something in time). Back before all the special diets, my "oops" night meal was usually tuna casserole, as there was nothing to defrost. LEt me just add, we live 30 minutes round trip from the nearest pizza place and 1 hour round trip from any other type of restaurant, so take-out most nights is not really an option, unless DH stopped on the way home from work and since he doesn't get home until after 8 or 9 pm most nights, well..... you get the point!

But back to the original poster.... maybe it's not that your husband "can't cook" but that he just plain doesn't like to. That said, if I expected my DH to cook dinner after he had just worked all day, we would have landed in divorce court a long time ago. My DH is a bit old-fashioned in the belief that the "breadwinner" works his job and the SAH person does "everything else" and this includes weekends/holidays/vacations. My DH does stop for groceries whenever I need, which is very helpful, as we live 30 minutes from the nearest store. He will very occasionally empty the dishwasher in the morning and he does iron his own shirt every day (I went on strike regarding that job after my daughter was born). But other than that I pretty much do it all. Not even sure if my DH knows where we store the mop or vacume cleaner. And if I ever suggested that he help with anything like that, even in the middle of a Saturday afternoon, I would never hear the end of it.

He truly believes that I sit home all day, twiddling my thumbs and eating bon-bons. He is rather resentful of the fact that I am home and "doing nothing" and he has to get up and work every day. He has no clue what is involved in keeping the household running. But I try VERY hard not to get angry about all that. Of course he doesn't know because he has never been in my shoes! And I am grateful that he has a good job and I CAN stay home with my children, because I know that there are people out there who would like to be able to stay home and feel that they can't.

I'm climbing off my soapbox now..............P

 

[WilmaBud]

You know, I think it's really admirable to be an excellent housekeeper and family cook. I'm actually quite an accomplished cook, and I used to cook A LOT more when it was just DH and me (and I worked full-time). But my kids hate my cooking, and I get bored easily with the pedestrian stuff they like, so we go out or take out 2-3 times a week. I just objected to the judgemental tone in some of the posts about how cooking at home is so important. We eat together pretty much every night, and I think that's the most important thing. I could be a better planner and a more organized housekeeper, but I guess I just don't have that drive.

I truly wasn't directing anything at anyone directly, esp. not the OP. I gotta say, though, it's easy to judge what someone else "should" be able to do, but we're all coming from different places and mindsets. I can't judge the husband of the OP because I don't have the whole story, and I'm not personally involved. I'm just saying cooking at home isn't the "be all and end all" - it doesn't make someone a better parent or spouse IMHO.

 

[02bBarbie]

add me to the list of those who cook at home. We only eat out on the weekends.

I do a lot of preparation and pre-cooking on Sunday afternoons and that makes things easier during the week