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u/kratom_day Apr 06 '19
Cooking gives me anxiety and I hate it with every fiber of my being. But my wife literally refuses to cook so I'm always stuck doing it. There was a time when I enjoyed it but now I can't even eat my own food because I'm sick of looking at it.
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u/osornema Apr 06 '19
Yea I love it, not great at it but I improve with each meal I make because I do research and I ask questions..I'm keen to learn about the chemistry, why this makes that happen.... techniques you know.
It took me a year to surpass my parents in cooking because they are so terrible, they just winged it entirely.
Every year my mom overcooks the turkey and undercooks the roast potatoes, watched A video on youtube and took command one year of the potatoes, et voila perfect roasted potatoes.......
It's like that thing truly successfull people say, if you really want to be good at a thing, you are already doing it, it's something you cant stop thinking about, so you obsess over details and watch videos and blogs about it, you waste time reading about it when others are going about their lives.
I plan on being really solid chef in a few years, I need some more challenges right now because I am hitting home runs inside my comfort zone but the area outside is scary.. haven't touched baking or deserts yet.. those feel intimidating
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u/Stalest_Mememes Apr 06 '19
Cooking is the only thing that makes me just so consistently happy and satisfied.. I love spending time in the kitchen watching a dish come together perfectly. Good luck to you in all your cooking adventures✌
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Apr 07 '19
Yup, I’ve always found it therapeutic, I love winging it and creating my own dishes. I find baking incredibly calming. I stopped for a while because I was suffering from an eating disorder but now I’m in recovery it feels so good getting back in the kitchen!
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u/thomasp449 Apr 07 '19
I cooked professionally from the time I was 13(!) years old until I was in my early 30s.
Then I decided I "couldn't stand the heat" and started working in the front-of-house in restaurants. That was easier, but totally unsatisfying.
As it turned out, for me, the answer was to quit the restaurant business altogether and find another way to make a living.
Now, cooking is my favorite thing to do, like it was when I was young. I can express my creativity, which is TOTALLY therapeutic, and I can feed my creations to my family, who seem to appreciate it.
There is no greater satisfaction!
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u/hotfoffeemomma Apr 07 '19
Same here! I love being in the kitchen. Today, I made coleslaw and tried a new chocolate cake recipe. I'm going to make a broccoli salad and prep a pork roast after the kids go to bed. Sometimes it's hard to find time to bake, between taking care of the kids and the dog, plus housework, but I always look forward to the next culinary project!
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u/Fenrir Apr 07 '19
I love cooking. But I'm also somewhat forced into it, because it's one of the things my family does and talks about. Or, at least, it's one of the conversations topics I relate most to.
I'm currently single, though. So, that puts a damper on things. I'll make something and then eat it all week. If I had someone else to cook for I'd cook more. Like, my kitchen is super well-equipped, I don't even use half the stuff I have. I could!
For some reason, "my kitchen is super well-equipped" never gets me a second date. Even when followed up with "Just think how much cheaper rent would be." People are weird.
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u/Afin12 Apr 07 '19
My wife can not understand why I love to come home after a long day at the office, put on a record of some 70’a funk, and jam out while cooking from scratch.
It mellows me out. She doesn’t mind though, she gets to eat whatever I cook.
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u/causalcorrelation Apr 07 '19
I used to host weekly dinner parties and I'd spent my entire Friday (and sometimes Thursday night) prepping and getting the meal ready to have it all come out at the same time. I love it.
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u/2ndChanceAtLife Apr 07 '19
I love to cook to make my family happy. I'm not a rich woman. But I've learned a few things in the kitchen, and when I make something that has people going back for seconds... I'm a happy camper.
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u/bw918 Apr 07 '19
I feel this so strongly. I’m a recent college grad and throughout my time there struggled with depression. I always lived in communal spaces on a pre-paid meal plan until my last semester when I moved into a house with a full kitchen. It was like something in my brain flipped. Not to say I’m totally cured of my depression or anything, but having that creative outlet and looking forward to making something new was the only thing getting me out of bed on many occasions.
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u/ravioliass Apr 07 '19
I find cooking is like a form of meditation for me. I never find it stressful it’s just very methodical and process based but allows for change based on your mood. My job recently started paying for my lunches every day and now I don’t cook as much and it’s seriously affected my mood. Now I make sure to take time each day to put something together and mediate on how it goes together.
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u/PuddleOfSunshine Apr 07 '19
I have a weird relationship with cooking. I love making food and sharing it with others. I like learning new techniques and the cool elementary science project type stuff. But I really dread spending a bunch of time in the kitchen at the end of the work day. I also often don’t plan meals ahead, so I’m stuck with whatever I can throw together from my fridge and pantry. I get really excited when my husband tells me he likes a dish, but his mom is also a really good home cook, so it feels like a lot of pressure. That and, if I’m not working an evening shift or something, I’m expected to provide every meal.
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u/AsianMustache Apr 07 '19
Learning to cook is such a lifestyle upgrade. You save money, become self sufficient, create convenience (mealprep) and contribute to a healther life(if you want).
That alone is immensely satisfying
The deliciosness of food itself is just a bonus.
That said cooking while listening to hardcore history or joe rogan has been quite a meditative treat
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u/FreckleFaceYOW Apr 07 '19
Baking and cooking are therapeutic for me. I’m a type-A sort of person who often feels like she can’t organize/gain control of aspects of life that I’d like to. Being motivated to tackle a recipe or meal that requires preciseness and that can be achieved, without leaving parts unresolved, provides the satisfaction I need to get back to life’s problems/issues. Plus, being an introvert, it’s my ideal way to show my loved ones and friends how I feel about them. Sharing homemade food is a feeling like no other.
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u/100011_10101_ Apr 07 '19
Agreed! I talk to people all the time about it. I honestly enjoy turning on a podcast and hanging out in the kitchen for a while and eat something that tastes good. Even after a long day of work. It gives me something to look forward to. And then a lot of times they go “I wish I felt that way.” I really like food. I can’t afford to eat out all the time so I taught myself how to cook/bake well. My mom gave me a great foundation but I took that and ran.
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u/dovakiinjewel Apr 07 '19
Cooking and baking are a good way for me to decompress and clear my head. It’s like making yummy things releases a pressure valve in my head or something. I got a pineapple cupcake recipe from another reddit user that I’m going to make for my sister’a birthday this month.
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u/jmaca90 Apr 07 '19
It makes me happy too, OP! I love to cook. I love learning how to cook new things! I even love it when I fuck something up and I have to roll with it (no pun intended).
I think there’s a mindfulness to cooking that helps keep me centered.
No matter what happens during the day, I know that I can focus on making this delicious meal for me (and my partner) and the food will make me feel better because I made it.
Also, being Filipino-American, there’s a whole part that ties me to my culture and heritage that brings me back home whenever I cook Filipino food.
It’s also an extremely valuable life skill that I truthfully think ANYONE can learn. I don’t care if you think you are a terrible cook descended from terrible cooks. You can learn, and I promise you that anyone can learn to cook delicious meals.
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u/SrPhillipOliverHoles Apr 07 '19
I cook for a living. For the past 9 years. It hasn't lost its satisfaction and enjoyment one bit. In fact cooking gets exponentially more rewarding and fun as you learn and take on new skills.
Not to say there aren't and aspects of the job that are negative - there are several. But the cooking food from scratch part *never *gets old.
My current chef has been in the industry for 40+ years. He still cooks on line every night he works (5-6 days a week). He is also a master delegator.
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Apr 07 '19
I am also baking sourdough bread and preparing for tomorrow nights dinner. I am there with you! I also get so much joy from cooking.
Last week I had to spend a week with my aging mother who never lets me use her kitchen in a town where fast food is the norm. I could not imaging living there. I was forever realizing that most people eat bad food and sad for that kind of life.
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u/CaptainLollygag Apr 07 '19
Totally agree. Kitchen days are among my favorite days, tied with art days.
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u/Jewelsmom Apr 06 '19
The kitchen is my go-to place and centers me. My creativity comes out. I spend much of my Sunday’s prepping food/meals for the week, for my husband and I. Brings me happiness and less stress during the week because I know I don’t have to cook after a long day at work.