Jul 13 2011
10 Reasons You Hate To Cook (And What To Do About It)
Photo by liber
I don’t like the word hate and try not to use it. I especially dislike it when it is applied to any kind of food or cooking.
Do you really hate asparagus? Or are you just whining about something you haven’t bothered to learn to appreciate? Yeah, I thought so.
My theory is that most people who profess to hate cooking are actually just making excuses to avoid it. Why would anyone really hate cooking? What did cooking ever do to you?
The sad part is that cooking is a wonderful skill to have. Not only does it save you time and money on food, it can also contribute to better health, bring you closer to friends and family, and be a great creative outlet for stress.
You don’t have to love cooking, but knowing the basics and feeling competent in the kitchen can open a world of opportunity to improve your quality of life. But sure, go ahead and hate it if you want.
For the cautiously curious, here are a few of the obstacles that may be preventing you from getting past your pessimism and what to do to get over them.
10 Reasons You Hate To Cook
(And What To Do About It)
1. You suck at it
The first thing you need to do is understand the difference between not liking cooking and not liking to be bad at cooking. Big difference. I didn’t like being bad at cooking either, but there is a pretty easy solution: learn how. It’s much easier than you think.
2. You’re slow
I know you’re busy. We all have better things to do than slave away over one lousy meal. But when you aren’t experienced in the kitchen the planning, shopping, chopping, cooking and cleaning involved in making a meal can feel like it takes forever. That’s because it does.
I can always spot a kitchen rookie by how long it takes them to chop an onion (seriously it takes like 20 seconds max). The good news is with a little practice and some decent knives (see point 3) you can slash the time you spend making a meal until you barely notice.
Ditto for cleaning up. Seriously, put some muscle into it and it’s over in no time!
3. You have crappy knives
I generally don’t advise spending money to solve problems, but knives in the kitchen are an exception. Spending $50 on a half-way decent chef’s knife can do wonders for your kitchen confidence and efficiency.
And you probably already know what an inspiration a shiny new toy can be.
4. You pick complicated recipes
Some of the best meals I’ve ever eaten have less than 5 ingredients. If you’ve never cooked anything in your life, cassoulet shouldn’t be your first choice.
Rather than finding a recipe and deciding to cook it, start with an ingredient that is seasonal and you know you enjoy. It’s hard to mess up kale and garlic. Learn to fly before you jump off a cliff.
5. You choose out of season ingredients
The main reason people don’t like _(fill in the vegetable)_ is because they have only had it from industrial farms that grow foods out of season. I agree, you’d have to be a masochist to like these impostors.
Farmers markets and dedicated produce stands are your friends. In season ingredients taste worlds better than the out of season stuff shipped from the opposite hemisphere. Your food doesn’t have to be 100% local, but at least pick foods that grow in the same season you happen to be living in. This alone could completely change your cooking experience.
6. Your pantry is inadequate
It can be really annoying to flip through a recipe book or food blog and realize that you need to make one or many grocery trips in order to make any dish because you don’t have olive oil, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar or red chili flakes. If you don’t know what belongs in a basic pantry, check out my free How to get started eating healthy guide for a rundown.
7. You cook everything to death
Just because your mom cooked broccoli until it was dark gray and could be eaten by an infant doesn’t mean that’s how food is supposed to be prepared. Most vegetables cook quickly and taste better when they haven’t been incinerated. When your vegetables turn bright green in the pan, that’s your cue that the cooking is nearly done.
8. You only cook for large groups
Your first cooking forays shouldn’t be huge productions. Start simply and don’t bite off more than you can chew by promising to host a dinner or bring food to a potluck of 30 people. Start by volunteering to help in the kitchen with someone who knows what they’re doing. Make a side dish, or a simple one pot meal for yourself.
Practice makes perfect, and you want your first experiences to go smoothly to build your skills and confidence.
9. You only cook for special occasions
New cooks don’t need any extra pressure in the kitchen. If you’re just learning your way around the range, maybe you should hold off on hosting Thanksgiving dinner or Mother’s day brunch. It can be stressful to just coordinate a large meal, you don’t need the added pressure of possibly ruining a family holiday. If you want to contribute, volunteer to make the salad or biscuits. Start your real kitchen adventures in the privacy of your own home.
10. You don’t ask for help
If you are truly new to cooking, you may as well acknowledge that you will be slow and lack the basic skills and intuition of a seasoned chef. You are definitely capable of getting there, but in the mean time make your experience as pleasant as possible by letting others contribute their expertise and knife skills when you want to cook. It is also nice to have an extra pair of hands for cleanup.
Do you really hate cooking? Or are you just looking around the room and saying that you hate things?
Originally published May 31, 2010.
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Tags: Farmers Market, knives, seasonal, vegetables
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Some people do all those things, but for some reason still like to cook. I won’t name names, but I’ve been invited (several times) to dinner with someone who:
isn’t good at it,
is slow,
picks complicated recipes
and out of season ingredients,
and makes it for large groups
on special occasions.
And is always so proud of herself when it comes out looking sort-of right. Just *looking* right. Because how would she know if it tastes like the one in the book?
Good list, I like the hating asparagus part, haha.
About the knives, I had two thoughts:
If you buy a Forschner chef’s knife, you won’t need to spend $50 – you can usually get the 8-inch version for $30 or under. It is a really good knife, it usually rates very high in the Cooks Illustrated knife tests. For the price it is a pretty amazing product, I don’t see how they don’t have a complete hold on the market, but I never see Forschner’s in department stores, for instance, go figure.
Also, though, really less important than the make of your knife, is how well you maintain the edge. I’ve worked with a lot of people with fairly expensive Japanese style knives that are never sharpened, and they are as dull and any cheap knife. And conversely, I have one utility knife I got at the grocery store for $10, sharpened it, and it has a razor sharp edge that has lasted for almost a year. A little more difficult to learn the skill, but once you do, it is a nice skill to have.
Also, I recommend reading Cooks Illustrated magazine.
I agree with you that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a good knife. I think that people get hung up on knives a bit too much. You can get a very serviceable chefs knife a restaurant supply store for 20-30 dollars. It’s the white plastic handled one that you will probably see in any restaurant kitchen that you walk into. I think mine is a Gladiator, but there are some other similar knives from other makers. It holds an edge like a champ and I love it. It’s a 12 inch knife and I think it cost me all of $20. The difference is that it’s made for a commercial environment so it’s all about function, and not so much about aesthetics.
Nice post, Darya.
Drew and Daniel, I appreciate your comments as well. You both had really good points.
Going forward, my goal is to research a little more before I start cooking. I’d like to make sure the recipes I plan to try aren’t too difficult for a novice and to make sure all the ingredients are easy to find. There’s nothing worse than hunting for an ingredient that cannot be found.
One of my “hates” of cooking is cleaning afterwards. In high school, I was the dishwashing girl at McDonalds and I am SOOOOOOO OVER doing dishes!!
My boyfriend and I have an agreement: I cook, he cleans up. On the rare day when he cooks, I try my best to suck it up and clean, but usually he cleans anyway.
One of the reasons why I don’t like to cook is because of what people think about the dish… sort of like Drew’s criticism of whoever he’s talking about. You try and you *think* it’s good, but there’s always someone who thinks it sucks.
Well, if you just start by cooking for yourself there’s only one opinion that matters
Good luck!
Elva, if you start with the basics and work your way up, you solve two problems.
First, when it’s something simple people seem more willing to offer honest feedback. Just burgers? Needs a little more salt. Fried chicken? A little overcooked. But if they know you spent two hours on it, they’ll be polite and tell you they liked it, no matter what it is. It’s hard to learn that way.
Second, if you already understand how to fry, and how to poach, and how to sauté, then when those are just steps in a long recipe you’ll know you got them right.
You don’t sit down at the piano for the first time and expect to play Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. Cooking isn’t that hard, but there are still basics to master before you try the advanced diches.
Another variation: I love to cook for large groups. I grew up in an extended family, and then lived in a college co-op house where I regularly cooked with five other people for forty or more. Cooking for just myself seems much slower in terms of what I can produce; the cost savings aren’t as dramatic as for buying in true bulk; and eating out is as much a way to get more human interaction as a way to get food.
Good list, Darya. My husband doesn’t say he “hates” to cook, he just claims to have no interest in it. But I notice that whenever he masters something he seems quite proud of himself! I think it just takes a few successes in the kitchen to make a convert. And how can you not succeed when you have a good knife, good ingredients from the farmers market and a simple recipe.
Nice list, Darya. I love to cook and the best investment I ever made was purchasing a set of Wusthof knives. The difference is amazing.
I also have one of the nations top farmers market right down the street from me (post coming soon!). Great ingredients + great knives = outstanding meals.
I totally agree with #4: simpler is better! Some of my favorite meals take 15 minutes or less to make from scratch (like eggs ‘n’ greens). It’s just as easy as something from a package, better tasting, and about 10 times healthier. And cheaper. What’s not to love?
What about “it’s just too dang hot!” I actually love to cook, but my A/C doesn’t work very well and I live in the Houston area where it’s been in the mid-90′s for the past month. Makes it very hard to keep motivated to cook. I always have trouble sticking to my cooking schedule during the hot summer months because it’s just so dang hot here, and there’s only so many cold meals my family will eat.
I know, I know. I’m whining…. As soon as I win the lottery and get a new A/C system, I’ll cook every night!
Awesome list! A few years back when my younger brother moved into his first apt. (he had never cooked for himself due to our Martha Stewart like mother). I went over only a few times just to teach him basic cooking of chicken, beef, eggs, pasta and a few veggies he likes.
He has now mastered a weeks worth of dishes impressing his roommates and more importantly his Lady friend(s). I bought him a George Foreman Grill, which is amazing for cooking meat and veggies in a quickly esp. if you’re in a hurry.
Hahaha…such a great list, informative and hilarious. I don’t really hate anything about cooking, but if I had to say I hate something…I guess I dislike cooking for other people who are unappreciative of the food I make them, and have kitchens that are woefully equipped.
This must have been written by someone from California because 2 of the 10 items say to just get to your Farmers’ Market! Well, not everyone lives in an area where the Farmers’ Markets have delicious, local, fresh produce year round. In fact, where I live, they only carry a few local items because my area isn’t great for growing things. It doesn’t make me hate to cook, but I’m amazed how many Californians don’t seem to realize that not everyone lives in an area of bountiful Farmers’ Markets.
Reason # 11. I’m lazy.
Jim Purdy
A nicely written article, albeit a debatable one. I cook to sustain myself. Otherwise, I detest it. I hate dealing with the mess I have to clean up afterwards-Dirty dishes and so forth. Therefore, I keep the cooking to a minimum. You have probably surmised that I don’t watch the food channel. I am also proud to state that I do not possess a single cookbook.
I wish i knew how to cook. I have even started trying, but my kitchen is horrible, i have no counter space, very dim lighting no pantry, and very few cooking tools!! I would love to learn how to cook, especially sinse my son is starting to eat regular foods, i just do not have to means necessacery to even learn! Or the money for a new kitchen! But I AM great at grilling!!
You don’t need lots of tools or lots of space to cook. My kitchen has a about 2 square feet of counter space and a stove with two settings, off and full blast. I’ve got few tools and the ones I do have a crappy, but it’s all about making the best of them. Yea, it will take a bit longer to prepare things, but once you get in the groove of how to use your space and equipment things will go much better for you.
It’s especially not so bad when you are cooking simple recipes since you don’t need a ton of space or lots of equipment. And like Darya says, you can cook some good stuff with 5 ingredients or less.
Nice list of solutions. I love to cook. I need to learn to cook new things.. thats going to be my project for the future!
Love that attitude Doc. Looking forward to your visit
Hi MrsBumm, you don’t need a lot of cooking tools to cook. A Pan and pot, couple of spatula, a knife and cutting board will work. Also whatever counter space you have, try to keep it uncluttered and clean and you will be more motivated to cook. In-fact you can cook many healthy delicious meals if you only have a crockpot/slow cooker.
I love cooking, I just hate all the dishes it keeps making.
Seems like I no sooner get the sink cleared, then lunch and dinner have it filled up again!
i really enjoyed reading this. especially #4 with the overly complicated recipes used to really deter me from setting foot into a kitchen! and it is true that simple recipes usually taste the best.
3.b) “You don’t know how to keep your non-crappy knives sharp”
So you are telling me I can cook something in less than five minutes, including picking and preparing the food and cleaning afterwards? If not, at least during the work week, I still dislike cooking because it’s a huge time waster. I can just as easily order something over the phone, continue working, and then walk to pick it up in less amount of time.
Cooking would save a decent amount of money each week though, or better yet, not cooking, and knowing what to buy that I can eat raw. Any suggestions?
Cooking would save a decent amount of money each week though, or better yet, not cooking, and knowing what to buy that I can eat raw. Any suggestions?
Even if you eat everything raw, you still have food prep time. Now if you want eat a raw steak that is pretty simple but everything else will take at least a little prep.
I don’t know where you live but if you reside in a major metropolitan area it is pretty easy to hire a chef to come into your home for a day and cook all your meals for a week. That way when you get home each day you can just warm up dinner or depending what plan you have take lunch to work as well.
Prices are pretty reasonable, especially if you are used to paying “eating out” prices on a regular basis anyway.
For me, there are definitely some dishes I make regularly that take not much longer than 5 min. But if you’re super lazy, salad is even easier. You can get lettuce that is already cleaned and cut. It takes less than 1 min to slice a cucumber and carrot. Personally I made a batch of lentils or beans once a week (takes 20 min, but I only do it once every few days, and it just boils so it’s like calling in an order) and just throw that in my salads to give it substance. Or frying an egg to put on top takes about 2 minutes. It’s pretty damn fast once you get good at it.
NOBODY HATES COOKING THEY HATE CLEANING UP AFTER
I’m one of those who hates cooking, and I don’t like the assumption that all I need to do is X to like cooking. I was a horrible cook, botching up more than my fair share of food. I worked at learning how. I’m better, but I still hate cooking. I even have some fairly decent knives. Okay, I can chop food better, but I still hate cooking. I like having the end product, but I do not like doing all the stuff to get there. It simply is never going to be something I’m going to like.
Meh! Not really – I just hate cooking. It’s just a pain in the ass. Why would I bother doing it when I can buy healthier meals from outside or prepare quick meals like a sandwich?
Basically, anything to do with a kitchen – not for me!
I am here to tell you that I hate cooking, and for none of the reasons listed. It’s boring. It’s time consuming. The dishes everyone else mentioned. I hate grocery shopping, it’s cold, unfriendly, crowded, and anything that’s supposed to be fresh is already going bad. I forget about food I have in the fridge, so by the time I go to make that salad it’s rotten – money down the drain. I’m at class all day, so when I get home all I want to do is watch the Big Bang Theory and go to bed.
If you can combat these issues, then all the power to you, but don’t for one second think that you, as someone who enjoys the art, can tell people who don’t what they’re doing wrong (for every little thing). You can’t. Not because of anything other than you’re not in the same mind frame. You have to know the feeling before you can understand the issue.
…..sorry if this comes out as harsh, the only thing keeping me going today is an energy drink.
Jo.
The interesting part is the new protein that converts white fat to brown fat.
I hated cooking until I was about 25 and thought it was a useless skill. Then I discovered that it is actually fun when you use good ingredients and shop at the farmers market, where everything is fresh and it isn’t air conditioned. Once you practice a little you can cook quickly as well. Also, I learned all this while getting a PhD in neuroscience and launching/running this website. And yes, I think I can help people do the same.
It’s also kind of amazing that someone who is so exhausted has the energy to rant on a random blog they’re not familiar with.
I think the main point is choosing good ingredients.
When you cook out of season, industrial products you need to cook them for hours and to add tons of fat, spices, salt etc. to give taste. That’s why it becomes boring.
Love, like or hate to cook doesn’t matter. Basically you have to cook. Just like you have to pay your bills, and do the laundry. Eating out for every meal just typically isn’t in the budget for the average person. So learning basic cooking skill is just a life skill.
I don’t care for cooking and I’ve avoided learning for years. Why would I cook when my husband can, would and did cook. Mainly because he wanted a meal cooked for him as much as I did. So over time I’ve learned and will continue to get more cooking skills.
I’m finding with practice the process gets easier. I’m learning to find recipes that I can do and then repeat them with success. I’ve thrown away the idea that each time I cook I have to cook something new. I look for recipes that are simple and I’m starting to create my list of recipes that I’m known for.
Keep the hate out if the kitchen, and just start cooking. Have a list of core recipes that match your skill level and keep cooking them and keep trying.
I know so many people who fall into that trap. They’re not really comfortable in the kitchen, and every time they try to cook they look for some fabulous new recipe, as though all the previous failures were the recipes’ fault.
My wife is an excellent baker, and always cooked the same way she bakes: Follow a recipe exactly. Only in the past year has she gotten comfortable doing variations on a few basic recipes. She’s now the mistress of the Dutch oven, and we love it.