Your list of "things I can cook"
Discussion
How big is this list?
Chatting to friends this weekend and I'd hazard a guess that most people end up cooking the same 3 or 4 things fairly regularly, if not all the time.
A while ago I made a list of all the things I can cook, mainly in an attempt to try and at least vary my cooking between all the things I can actually cook rather than the same 3 or 4.
It seems my list is about 20 things, which on the face of it isn't bad, but I can definitely see things on there which get cooked at least once a week and some on there I haven't done in months, so even with this list, the variation isn't huge.
Not sure I've added anything new to my list for quite a while though, so I do think I need to broaden my horizons and learn a few new things.
Chatting to friends this weekend and I'd hazard a guess that most people end up cooking the same 3 or 4 things fairly regularly, if not all the time.
A while ago I made a list of all the things I can cook, mainly in an attempt to try and at least vary my cooking between all the things I can actually cook rather than the same 3 or 4.
It seems my list is about 20 things, which on the face of it isn't bad, but I can definitely see things on there which get cooked at least once a week and some on there I haven't done in months, so even with this list, the variation isn't huge.
Not sure I've added anything new to my list for quite a while though, so I do think I need to broaden my horizons and learn a few new things.
It's all from scratch, and has evolved over the years mainly from me thinking "I like curry, so I'm going to learn how to make curry from scratch"
List is (some very standard ones and some maybe slightly leftfield ones in there)
Curry, Vodka penne, carbonara, PadThai, Steak, Chicken Parm, Madras Meatball/rice (Jamie Oliver one pan recipe), Chicken and Ham Pie (another Jamie Oliver one), Itsu-style Chicken Terryaki rice bowl, Doner Kebab, Mac and Cheese, Lasagne, Spag Bol, Shakshuka, Sunday Roast, Chicken Wings, Chicken Fried rice, Risotto, Thai Red curry (inc making the paste from scratch), Chicken pesto pasta thing
I don't think I use anything pre-made/from a jar for any of the above - I don't go quite as far as making my own pasta.....yet.
List is (some very standard ones and some maybe slightly leftfield ones in there)
Curry, Vodka penne, carbonara, PadThai, Steak, Chicken Parm, Madras Meatball/rice (Jamie Oliver one pan recipe), Chicken and Ham Pie (another Jamie Oliver one), Itsu-style Chicken Terryaki rice bowl, Doner Kebab, Mac and Cheese, Lasagne, Spag Bol, Shakshuka, Sunday Roast, Chicken Wings, Chicken Fried rice, Risotto, Thai Red curry (inc making the paste from scratch), Chicken pesto pasta thing
I don't think I use anything pre-made/from a jar for any of the above - I don't go quite as far as making my own pasta.....yet.
Forester1965 said:
Lots of skills/knowledge from one dish transfers to others, so if you can cook 20 dishes you can probably cook hundreds or thousands. If you mean 'how many recipes have you memorised?', that's a different question!
Yes good point, as you'll see from the list, they no doubt are easily adapted into other dishes. sherman said:
From that list you should explore Fish,Lamb, Pork/gammon and Egg dishes to help you diversify.
Sadly for Mrs UTH I hate seafood, but yes good point, I could really do with adding Lamb, Pork and Duck into my life......eggs to me are just breakfast things, but I could have my mind changed (I did leave off homemade McMuffins and Eggs Benedict from the list) UTH said:
sherman said:
From that list you should explore Fish,Lamb, Pork/gammon and Egg dishes to help you diversify.
Sadly for Mrs UTH I hate seafood, but yes good point, I could really do with adding Lamb, Pork and Duck into my life......eggs to me are just breakfast things, but I could have my mind changed (I did leave off homemade McMuffins and Eggs Benedict from the list) 
) or swordfish, tuna, sole for instance to try.Eggs you have Souffles, frittata, quiche, meringues just to start you off.
I am expected to cook a couple of times per week, in return 'er indoors does the washing up a couple of times per week.
My dishes are simple, easy to cook stuff like steak, I prefer fillet, and burgers....that is, burger bun split and decent beef pattie with onion/mushroom and a plastic cheese slice.
Both meals are served with chips and lots and lots of
afterall, what else would you expect from me?
My dishes are simple, easy to cook stuff like steak, I prefer fillet, and burgers....that is, burger bun split and decent beef pattie with onion/mushroom and a plastic cheese slice.
Both meals are served with chips and lots and lots of
afterall, what else would you expect from me?Endless really. I do cook a lot of the same thing because its just easier and doesnt need thinking about. Also since divorce I often have the same thing two nights in a row, because its easy to make a bigger portion, freeze one, eat one tonight, the other tomorrow.
I like to make a big batch of flatbreads and have Chicken shwama wraps 3 days on the trot!
I think have the skills of a reasonable chef, probably not cooking at scale but being able to prepare most dishes. Only thing I dont do is make my own recipes, just use someone elses as a base and tweak as needed. I notice a lot of people on Instagram run food accounts and have some good ideas for meals but their cooking skills are s
te and the method needs adjusting
I like to make a big batch of flatbreads and have Chicken shwama wraps 3 days on the trot!
I think have the skills of a reasonable chef, probably not cooking at scale but being able to prepare most dishes. Only thing I dont do is make my own recipes, just use someone elses as a base and tweak as needed. I notice a lot of people on Instagram run food accounts and have some good ideas for meals but their cooking skills are s
te and the method needs adjusting Scabutz said:
Endless really. I do cook a lot of the same thing because its just easier and doesnt need thinking about. Also since divorce I often have the same thing two nights in a row, because its easy to make a bigger portion, freeze one, eat one tonight, the other tomorrow.
I like to make a big batch of flatbreads and have Chicken shwama wraps 3 days on the trot!
I think have the skills of a reasonable chef, probably not cooking at scale but being able to prepare most dishes. Only thing I dont do is make my own recipes, just use someone elses as a base and tweak as needed. I notice a lot of people on Instagram run food accounts and have some good ideas for meals but their cooking skills are ste and the method needs adjusting
Why do you need to freeze it if you are going to eat it the next day?I like to make a big batch of flatbreads and have Chicken shwama wraps 3 days on the trot!
I think have the skills of a reasonable chef, probably not cooking at scale but being able to prepare most dishes. Only thing I dont do is make my own recipes, just use someone elses as a base and tweak as needed. I notice a lot of people on Instagram run food accounts and have some good ideas for meals but their cooking skills are s
te and the method needs adjusting UTH said:
How big is this list?
Chatting to friends this weekend and I'd hazard a guess that most people end up cooking the same 3 or 4 things fairly regularly, if not all the time.
A while ago I made a list of all the things I can cook, mainly in an attempt to try and at least vary my cooking between all the things I can actually cook rather than the same 3 or 4.
It seems my list is about 20 things, which on the face of it isn't bad, but I can definitely see things on there which get cooked at least once a week and some on there I haven't done in months, so even with this list, the variation isn't huge.
Not sure I've added anything new to my list for quite a while though, so I do think I need to broaden my horizons and learn a few new things.
I have a big list, but was single a long time & well travelled so a wide ranging pallet.Chatting to friends this weekend and I'd hazard a guess that most people end up cooking the same 3 or 4 things fairly regularly, if not all the time.
A while ago I made a list of all the things I can cook, mainly in an attempt to try and at least vary my cooking between all the things I can actually cook rather than the same 3 or 4.
It seems my list is about 20 things, which on the face of it isn't bad, but I can definitely see things on there which get cooked at least once a week and some on there I haven't done in months, so even with this list, the variation isn't huge.
Not sure I've added anything new to my list for quite a while though, so I do think I need to broaden my horizons and learn a few new things.
My pals that have other halves don’t generally do the cooking so when they do they’ll trot out the “Dad dishes” they know how to do. (Safe options)
The simple approach to finding new things, pick up the in-store magazine at supermarket, they generally have a few simple/in season ideas, & some can be pretty good.
Also some budget conscious or healthy meal ideas if relevant.
Eg I’d never done an oven “tray bake” until I saw a supermarket recipe for chopped up sausages /tomatoes etc. But now have variations with different meats/spices/fish etc
I do 90% of the cooking in our house.
Ranging from the mundane/every day stuff through to French cuisine, BBQ (by which I mean smoked meats, fish, steaks, South African Braai dishes etc. rarely burgers and hot dogs (although they definitely have a place too). I do a pretty good Sunday lunch after 20+ years of practice, and I like to cook Caribbean influenced food as well - curry goat, jerk chicken and pork with fresh, home made jerk seasoning etc. I have a small range of deserts that I make too, the wife is more of a baker, who can take care of that if needed.
It pretty much started because I lived alone prior to us meeting so I had to learn to cook, and the wife had been put off cooking by her mother - everything had to be done her way, or it was wrong. But I've grown to really enjoy it now, and the wife has her dishes that she makes really well now, but it took her about 10 years probably to really find her feet in the kitchen.
Ranging from the mundane/every day stuff through to French cuisine, BBQ (by which I mean smoked meats, fish, steaks, South African Braai dishes etc. rarely burgers and hot dogs (although they definitely have a place too). I do a pretty good Sunday lunch after 20+ years of practice, and I like to cook Caribbean influenced food as well - curry goat, jerk chicken and pork with fresh, home made jerk seasoning etc. I have a small range of deserts that I make too, the wife is more of a baker, who can take care of that if needed.
It pretty much started because I lived alone prior to us meeting so I had to learn to cook, and the wife had been put off cooking by her mother - everything had to be done her way, or it was wrong. But I've grown to really enjoy it now, and the wife has her dishes that she makes really well now, but it took her about 10 years probably to really find her feet in the kitchen.
Almost nothing, though I'm quite good at heating stuff up. I did a turkey joint and some veg and potatoes on Christmas day, and managed to get it to all finish at the same time, but that was just following times on the bits of packaging and getting advice from the internet. I can do stuff like bacon, sausages, poached or fried eggs, that sort of easy stuff, but there's a joint of meat in the freezer that I just don't know what to do with (I didn't buy it, so not even sure what kind of meat it is).
I'd learn, but I'm only doing it for me and I can't currently be bothered spending all that time producing a meal that I'll have eaten in a few minutes. I like the idea, but there's always something else to do. I do keep an eye on some of these threads in case something catches my eye and makes me want to have a go. I did join a local cookery group on FB to pick up ideas, but I was called out on it as it was "intended for people who cook regularly to share recipes" and the admins got a bit fed up of having to all the sharing. I guess if there was a sudden change to supermarkets and we had to buy everything "loose" again, I'd have to learn.
I'd learn, but I'm only doing it for me and I can't currently be bothered spending all that time producing a meal that I'll have eaten in a few minutes. I like the idea, but there's always something else to do. I do keep an eye on some of these threads in case something catches my eye and makes me want to have a go. I did join a local cookery group on FB to pick up ideas, but I was called out on it as it was "intended for people who cook regularly to share recipes" and the admins got a bit fed up of having to all the sharing. I guess if there was a sudden change to supermarkets and we had to buy everything "loose" again, I'd have to learn.
droopsnoot said:
Almost nothing, though I'm quite good at heating stuff up. I did a turkey joint and some veg and potatoes on Christmas day, and managed to get it to all finish at the same time, but that was just following times on the bits of packaging and getting advice from the internet. I can do stuff like bacon, sausages, poached or fried eggs, that sort of easy stuff, but there's a joint of meat in the freezer that I just don't know what to do with (I didn't buy it, so not even sure what kind of meat it is).
I'd learn, but I'm only doing it for me and I can't currently be bothered spending all that time producing a meal that I'll have eaten in a few minutes. I like the idea, but there's always something else to do. I do keep an eye on some of these threads in case something catches my eye and makes me want to have a go. I did join a local cookery group on FB to pick up ideas, but I was called out on it as it was "intended for people who cook regularly to share recipes" and the admins got a bit fed up of having to all the sharing. I guess if there was a sudden change to supermarkets and we had to buy everything "loose" again, I'd have to learn.
I am rather lucky in that I am absolutely in my element spending 90mins or more cooking something just for myself. Mrs UTH is quite strict on eating very healthy rather dull stuff during the week, so I'll usually cook separate things - 15 mins spinach mushrooms and chicken for her, 90 mins curry from scratch for me! I'd learn, but I'm only doing it for me and I can't currently be bothered spending all that time producing a meal that I'll have eaten in a few minutes. I like the idea, but there's always something else to do. I do keep an eye on some of these threads in case something catches my eye and makes me want to have a go. I did join a local cookery group on FB to pick up ideas, but I was called out on it as it was "intended for people who cook regularly to share recipes" and the admins got a bit fed up of having to all the sharing. I guess if there was a sudden change to supermarkets and we had to buy everything "loose" again, I'd have to learn.
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