topic Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen in Kitchen

Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

smoochy — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:24:02 GMT

Which are you? I'm a basic cook/meal assembler. I seldom do recipes. My husband and I eat like the traditional baby boomers we are. Meat, potatoes, a veg or salad. Or a pasta dish with salad and garlic bread. Desserts from the bakery sometimes. I make mostly sheet pan meals, crockpot or skillet dinners. One pot cooking is my thing. My mom and grandmas didn't enjoy cooking three meals a day. They did it because they had to. Same here.
We don't have sophisticated palates. Most things I see on food shows like Top Chef or Food Network shows make me want to 🤮. Haha

My daughter "lies" and tells people she grew up on Kid Cuisine TV dinners. Hah! Ok fairly often when both kids were in sports at the same time. But I hasten to remind her of home cooked meals too. Simple but nourishing. Still the same even though it's just two of us now.

How about you?

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Laura14 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:49:14 GMT

Basic cook although I'm trying to spread my wings into recipes but I will only do clean food so it's been a challenge. Tried quite a few baking ones though with alternative flours to good results.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

QVCkitty1 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 19:55:21 GMT

I'm somewhere between amateur chef and basic cook. I like to try new recipes and interesting spices and ingredients. However, I appreciate basic meatloaf, and other staples. I don't do take out at all.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Meowingkitty — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 20:03:19 GMT

Basic cook/take out Queen. I like to cook and usually make things that create leftovers so I don't have to cook every day. I cook also like typical baby boomer. Meat, potato and veggie. I also like to bake but I tend to not do it to often because of the calories. On weekends we almost always go out to eat, even in the middle of the pandemic we ate in restaurants. As for cooking 3 meals a day. Not gonna happen. DH is self sufficient, he takes food to work when he's in the office and he can make food if he wants for his other meals just like I can. The recipes on the food shows require to much work and to many ingredients. I like simple stuff. I leave fancy to restaurants.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

J Town Girl — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 20:07:00 GMT

It's only me and my husband and we eat the same as you do. We do try to limit our meat intake and prefer chicken to beef. Our meals are always very simple and like you we have unsophisticated palates. Neither of us could ever eat some of the things that I see on Food Network.

As we have gotten older our meals have gotten smaller and we eat out much more often. I've never been one who loves to cook. I do like to bake but I even limit that now that we are watching our sugar intake and if the cookies or brownies are in the house I know we will eat them.

It's nice to see someone else whose food preferences are so much like ours. During my growing up my Dad worked three different shifts so our dinner times were not like others. My mother did a lot of cooking but our meals were pretty basic, nothing fancy. We were also Catholic so every Friday was a meatless meal.

I just never got excited about cooking. I often wonder why I have so many different kitchen accessories when they seldom get used. Our most used appliance is our countertop convection oven. I use that almost everyday. I'm fortunate that my husband isn't fussy about eating and doesn't require fancy meals or an extended menu.

Food just isn't our thing. We don't consider eating an adventure. We're happy eating mostly the same foods over and over each week. I always am surprised when I see people who say they don't eat the same meals within a 30 day period. That could never be me.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

manny2 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 20:11:58 GMT

Basic, and take-out queen.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Sooner — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:03:02 GMT

More-advanced-than-Amateur Chef! And I am proud of it! I have been cooking since I was 14, blessed to have been watching Julia Child, David Rosengarten, Jacques Pepin, Emeril and other real chefs since.

I have cooked my way through Julia's first 2 cookbooks in the 1970s, like Ina Garten and Martha Stewart, and from them learned how to make anything from souffles to boning a leg of lamb. Cook through Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and you can make anything!

I have a huge collection of cookbooks (don't use them just read them!) and kitchen stuff--and it is a joy to me. I wrote Julia a fan letter and have a note handwritten from her that I treasure!

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Harpa — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:26:23 GMT

Somewhere between the chef and the cook.

What's take out? (I'm kidding, of course.) It's just something I never do.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

skatting44 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:36:34 GMT

See myself as an Amateur Chef , although I could greatly benefit from some more actual culinary classes. I was taught by a family member who had owned a restaurant and a family member who had taken culinary classes . When I do take out of varied cusines, I later try to recreate a dish that I enjoyed.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Jk9 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:44:06 GMT

Since there is just the two of us now, I am somewhere between amateur chef and basic cook. We try new dishes and spices regularly and I cook daily. We live out in the country and don't get take out often. I am fortunate that my husband likes to try different things. A good thing is that we have access to lots of fresh grown locally produce in season.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

QVCkitty1 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:51:50 GMT

@Sooner , I also love to read cookbooks . You might enjoy Vivian Howard' s " Deep Run Roots." She is a great story teller and although it was long it was a great read. She has a restaurant in Kinston NC. and Charlotte. Perhaps you saw her PBS show , "A Chef's Life, " about her her restaurant Chef and the Farmer. Even if her cuisine isn't your favorite, the book is a wonderful read.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Pezzie — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 21:54:14 GMT

Amateur chef here. We only do take out when we are on a road. Lately, DH has been doing the cooking, (better than amateur chef), and I do the clean up.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Sooner — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 22:00:18 GMT

@QVCkitty1 wrote:
@Sooner , I also love to read cookbooks . You might enjoy Vivian Howard' s " Deep Run Roots." She is a great story teller and although it was long it was a great read. She has a restaurant in Kinston NC. and Charlotte. Perhaps you saw her PBS show , "A Chef's Life, " about her her restaurant Chef and the Farmer. Even if her cuisine isn't your favorite, the book is a wonderful read.

@QVCkitty1 Thanks for the suggestion! I love to read!

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

RedTop — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 22:03:05 GMT

Basic cook.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

kate2357 — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 22:12:09 GMT

Cross between amateur chef and basic cook. I only cook one meal a day ... dinner. I don't eat breakfast, spouse eats yogurt and fruit. He either takes leftovers for lunch or goes out for lunch - I eat a sandwich or salad for lunch most days.

Our dinner meal revolve around the same protiens, I just change up the spices and the sides that I use. I typically use fresh ingredients for everything, including spices/herbs. There are certain recipes I follow to the letter ... but most of the time I look at the ingredient deck and do my own thing. If I come up w/ a recipe on my own that is successful, I do write it down so I can at least remember what the heck I used.

I do like to read recipe books and watch what other people prepare who are actually trained as a chef and/or just creative. Sometimes it spurs my imagination, but more often than not they use some foods I would never, ever eat. (Eel, cow brains, tofu, beets ... etc).

We do not do takeout, except if we are on vacation.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

Mz iMac — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 22:13:00 GMT

Basic cook/take-out & restaurant queen.

Matter of fact just got home w/a take out dinner from a Jamaican restaurant - jerk chicken & fried plantain.

Tomorrow (Friday) it's TGIF for their rack of baby back ribs w/Jack Danials bbq sauce & a Caesar salad. It's enough for 2-3, so it will be my Sunday dinner too!

When paramour is here, he's an armature gourmet chef. He does all the cooking & cleans up after himself too!

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

deepwaterdotter — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 23:02:01 GMT

Basic cook.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

smoochy — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 23:14:13 GMT

@Meowingkitty wrote:
Basic cook/take out Queen. I like to cook and usually make things that create leftovers so I don't have to cook every day. I cook also like typical baby boomer. Meat, potato and veggie. I also like to bake but I tend to not do it to often because of the calories. On weekends we almost always go out to eat, even in the middle of the pandemic we ate in restaurants. As for cooking 3 meals a day. Not gonna happen. DH is self sufficient, he takes food to work when he's in the office and he can make food if he wants for his other meals just like I can. The recipes on the food shows require to much work and to many ingredients. I like simple stuff. I leave fancy to restaurants.

You and I have a LOT in common. Yes to everything you said.

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

smoochy — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 23:17:19 GMT

@Sooner wrote:
More-advanced-than-Amateur Chef! And I am proud of it! I have been cooking since I was 14, blessed to have been watching Julia Child, David Rosengarten, Jacques Pepin, Emeril and other real chefs since.

I have cooked my way through Julia's first 2 cookbooks in the 1970s, like Ina Garten and Martha Stewart, and from them learned how to make anything from souffles to boning a leg of lamb. Cook through Julia's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and you can make anything!

I have a huge collection of cookbooks (don't use them just read them!) and kitchen stuff--and it is a joy to me. I wrote Julia a fan letter and have a note handwritten from her that I treasure

I'm so impressed that you cooked through those famous cookbooks! And a note from Julia, oh my word. How many times have you watched. The movie Julie and Julia?

Re: Amateur chef, basic cook, or take-out Queen

beach-mom — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 03:33:43 GMT

I'm a little more than basic cook. I love to cook and experiment with new recipes when I have the time. I love cookbooks. Any time someone traveled to another place and asked what they could get me I would tell them a cookbook!

I'm also part of a cookbook club. We choose a new cookbook and each try a recipe from it. Then we get together and taste. We haven't met since the pandemic, and some members are still reluctant to resume. I look forward to when we do!

I also like to go out to eat!