Can you cook?

Caporegime
Joined
30 Jun 2007
Posts
68,784
Location
Wales
OK so by this I mean if I gave you access to a well equipped kitchen, you've got all the little things you may need, flour, butter oil seasonings etc no gotchas or anything.


The fridge is stocked with fresh meat, poultry, fish and vegetables.

How do you rate your ability to make a meal?

0-10?

0-unless it's delivered or ready made and simply needs to go in the oven/microwave with clear timings you can't make it

5- you could make a reasonably tastey meal but it would be largely just the ingredients cooked no fancy processing or anything. (Think stir fry veg and meat or steak and veg)


10- you could make a full varied meal with a variety of techniques plus a decent dessert side dishes/sauces. (Restaurant quality)



Latley it's come to my attention just how many grown adults I'm friends with (30+ years old) who literally have no idea or desire to cook anything but chicken nuggets and chips.

Literally out of the 10 people in the conversation not one knew how to make gravey.


How did this happen!?
 
Man of Honour
Joined
13 Oct 2006
Posts
91,163
Depends - without anything to refer to probably around 4-5, especially after so many years of working nights or other odd hours/shifts resorting far too much to ready meals. With the internet or a good cook book to hand not much I couldn't tackle though.
 
Soldato
Joined
7 Nov 2009
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19,799
Location
Glasgow
8 I reckon. I’m pretty good, we cook pretty much every dinner from scratch. We very rarely ever repeat dinners. I’d be confident I could do a good 3 course, good looking, dinner.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
29 Nov 2008
Posts
12,855
Location
London
7.5

I can make quite a large range of 'restaurant quality' mains, a few decent sides, but I'd struggle without a recipe to follow when it comes to desserts and more complex sides (can't plate for **** either).

I have quite a few friends who work in restaurants or come from cultures where cooking is more popular so I guess we might be outliers when it comes to cooking ability.

The few who aren't great cooks tend to have lived with parents longer/had a significant other that did most of the cooking for whatever reason. The only person I know who'd struggle to make a simple pasta dish works crazy hours and eats nothing but takeout, ready meals, and cereal.
 
Soldato
Joined
26 Feb 2007
Posts
8,519
I'd say around 5 on a good day, I did go through a phase of working in ym cooking and probably got to 7ish maybe. I run my own business and have two young children so really the time isn't there, or if it is I'd rather be doing something else.
 
Permabanned
Joined
28 Nov 2003
Posts
10,695
Location
Shropshire
I'd say 8 or 9, given no distractions I enjoy cooking and find it rather therapeutic. If the wife's away I don't eat out of tins and can prepare either good basics or something pretty on a plate. I'm amazed by how many parents and newly married fellas claim their daughters or wives can't cook anything more than beans on toast, don't they teach these bints how to cook for at least six people using domestic equipment and fresh produce?

I know one newly married lad who found his wife expected them to live on takeaways and ready meals. Being a country boy he soon made it clear such carrying ons were not going to last and gave her a potato peeler, a knife and fresh veg, with instructions to learn how to prepare them properly, quickly and with minimal waste. Not sure if they're still a couple...
 
Caporegime
Joined
23 Apr 2014
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29,475
Location
Dominating rooms with symmetry
Around a 7 I'd say, can cook a few courses at the same time and manage without burning or undercooking dishes.

When people say they can't cook, what I think they mean is they can't be arsed. Time management and reading instructions are pretty basic adult skills.

Choosing not to cook because you don't have the time due to work/family balance or you can afford to pay someone else for food every evening, is entirely different.
 
Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2010
Posts
22,239
I worked at Asda for three days once. My first customer query was a lady asking for powdered mash. Now call me sheltered but I vommed in mouth and suggested she go to the fresh veg aisle.

#justboomerinnovations
 
Soldato
Joined
25 Aug 2006
Posts
6,376
0

I can boil an egg, put sausages/burgers under the grill, follow instructions on a packet ie cook for 20mins @180.

That really is it - no excuse.
 
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