I hate cooking, and so does my fiance. And by hate, I mean HATE....?!
How do you make cooking bearable? Anyone else in this predicament? Any websites that make cooking somewhat tolerable for people who hate it?
Answers: but it is getting expensive eating out all the time.
How do you make cooking bearable? Anyone else in this predicament? Any websites that make cooking somewhat tolerable for people who hate it?
If you'd really rather avoid doing any cooking yourself, and you live in a more populous area (near a city instead of where I live in the wilds of Maine) you could see about finding a personal chef. By this, I mean someone who will come to your home, sit down with you to discuss meal options, and will then cook up a series of meals for you to cover a week or two at a time. It will usually cost less than dining out all the time, and the meals will be better for you.
Those who do this will usually have several clients like you, which is why it will be cheaper than eating out or hiring someone to cook just for you. They'll come to your home, do all the cooking for the week, package and freeze it, then leave instructions on how to reheat it and leave. Good luck.
watch food network
take help from the store regarding chopping, seasoning blends, and bagged salads/sauces
quit associating cooking as a negative thing. you both must have some "slave" mentality that makes it unbearable to you. Get over it. When you're hungry enough, you will.
Check out www.allrecipes.com or www.recipezaar.com
Most of these have photos (which I love to see what I'm trying to cook). And there's plenty of "quick and easy" recipes too.
And hey, an inside tip, maybe you should invest in a crockpot if you don't have one. Nowadays, you can cook anything, I mean ANYTHING in them. It's not jsut for soups anymore. I cook ham, lasagna, chicken, teriyaki steak, anything. And it's so easy. Just pour everything in and put on low. Go to work, come home maybe heat up some veggies or rice and you're good to go.
Start by doing easy foods you both like, simple things like peeling and cooking potatoes preparing and cooking a steak, or boiling eggs.
These questions are asked on here.
Run off a copy of the following suggestions for future use:
1. Dinner recipe videos, turn on your sound and click this link:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/CookingScho...
2. Foil-Pack Dinners-turn on your sound (video):
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/cookingscho...
3. Favorite Brand Name Recipes:
http://www.fbnr.com/finder/searchlists/1...
Take a look at these recipes from Campbells:
http://www.campbellsoup.com/Supper_Bakes...
20-Minute Meals:
http://www.bhg.com/bhg/slideshow/slideSh...
4. In a rush? Smithfield, Hormel, Armour, Tyson have packages of PRE-COOKED beef tips, roast, pot roast, pork roast, chicken, ham, meatload. Use this for your meat dish with a side dish or two of vegetables, rice, or potatoes. You will find these packages near the meat section, they are not frozen. Ask a clerk for help.
5. Tyson's fully cooked whole chickens are delicious. I serve them often with S&W canned sweet potatoes, Stove-Top dressing, microwave chicken/turkey gravy in jars, a canned vegetable, canned cranberry sauce, and frozen Pillsbury Microwave Biscuits which are better than I can make. A frozen pie defrosted and fully cooked. Perfect for one or two people at Thanksgiving or Christmas.
6. Another thing you can do is cook in a slow cooker or a crock-pot. You put the meat into the crock-pot in the morning and it cooks all day long. The meal is ready at dinner time. Crock-pots can be bought at your grocery store, WalMart, Target, etc. BE SURE to read the booklet that comes with the crock-pot.
Here are some crock-pot recipes for you:
.
Beef Recipes in Crock Pot (see other types of meats at the very bottom of this link):
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/beef-...
.
Chicken Recipes in Crock Pot:
http://www.razzledazzlerecipes.com/chick...
TEXAS crock pot recipes:
http://www.texascook.com/crockpot/
7. If you are in a hurry, go to your grocery store and pick up a roasted chicken that you can buy in the deli section. They also have side dishes such as veggies, salads, desserts, and etc.
8. Frozen dinners are always a good choice. Our favorites are Stouffer's, Marie Calendar's, Michael Angelo's, Boston Market's. Just add a side dish, salad, or fruit salad. Desserts can be bought in the bakery section of your grocery store.
9. Ragu Sauces- Italian (in jars, just pour it on).
Scroll down this screen, click a category and then click "Find Recipe" at the bottom of the screen:
http://www.eat.com/recipe_landing.asp
10. Quick put together desserts:
Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk videos-turn on your sound:
http://eaglebrand.com/videos.asp?v=fudge...
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Kraft's Chocolate Passion Bowl (video):
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/cookingscho...
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From:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1813,1521...
8 MINUTE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE
1 Keebler graham cracker crust
1 (8 oz.) tub Cool Whip
1 (8 oz.) bar of cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 pt. fresh strawberries
First cream the softened cream cheese, gradually add in sugar. Add vanilla and whip until fluffy. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour into crust. Garnish with fresh strawberries, blueberries, cherries. Refrigerate for 1 hour, until firm.
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1. Philidelphia Cream Cheese has ready to eat cheesecake Tubs:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/philly/readyTo...
2. Video - New York Style Cream Topped Cheesecake:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/search/Sear...
***********************************
From:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1937,150...
FROZEN PEANUT BUTTER PIE-no bake
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. crunchy peanut butter
2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. milk
1 lg. carton Cool Whip
Mix all ingredients. Add Cool Whip last. Pour into 2 baked pie shells and freeze. Serve frozen.
11. Tossed Salad (video):
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-th...
Caesar Salad - chef style (video):
http://www.ifoods.tv/site/video.jsp?vide...
Quick five minute Caesar Salad (video):
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-make-a-...
12. Guacamole Dip video (peppers can be left out if you wish):
http://www.5min.com/Video/how-to-make-gu...
14. Chef Wan's Recipes-Malaysia...in south east asia - pictures:
(Categories on the left hand side of the screen)
http://www.chef-wan.com.my/index.php?pag...
15. Video On How To Cook A Rib Eye Steak (turn on your sound), click this link:
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make...
16. Ramen noodles recipes:
http://www.budget101.com/ramen_noodle_re...
I love to cook, so I can't relate very well, but from experience I know that if you learn the basic techniques -- how to make broth or soup stock, how to mix dough so it will be tender, what order to add ingredients for different results -- if you learn these things, you can apply them to almost anything.
It might help to watch cooking shows because sometimes watching people who love what they are doing is inspiring. Jacque Pepin is my favorite. Lydia Bostanich (Italian) is good. America's Test Kitchen is great because they not only show you how to cook, but give great tips on products.
Buon appetito
its fun to cook. buy aprons oNe each. ok start by making something simple. you guys can make tacos.. buy tortillas, tomatoes, wash, chopp and dice small. shred cheese using a cheese shredder jack or chedder, wash lettuce and chopp it. buy ground meat your choice, chicken, beef or pork. get a skillet pour oil in it and fry your meat until a good brown and drain the oil then enjoy. buy sour cream and salsa or hot sauce. make mac and cheese thats easy. make green salads. buy frozen foods and bake or fry. if you buy a bag of potatoes you can make french fries, mash pototes , bake potatoes or potato salad. buy a rice cooker. im asian so we eat rice al the time. buy all kinds of fruit and chopp the fruit and make fruit salads. just learn to make some of your favorite foods. make ice cream or smoothies. cooking is everything from baking, cooking, grilling, bbqing, dessert or just making a simple drink. learn how to cook it will be so worth it. or another motivation is to start a garden yoll save money eating your own produce. my mom has a garden and she plants everthing ok goodluck.
If you have a crockpot, you can buy the easy betty crocker crock pot dinners. They're like five dollars each and you can just put them in before you go to work, and when you come home you have a pot roast ready!
they're incredibly easy.
good luck!
First thought would be to take a cooking class that is teaching a style of cooking you like or teaching about certain food preparation (baking, grilling, etc.).
Watching food network is a good idea ... if you don't like one show, go on to another. Lots of them and maybe one will convince you it isn't quite so bad!
I belong to recipezaar and would recommend browsing the site and checking out some of our boards. Lots of recipes on the site. If you have a certain food you do like (beef, chocolate, lemon, etc.), put it in under the recipe sections ingredient search and see what comes back. Many of the recipes are easy so good starting points!
Good luck with this.
I love to cook but I have friends who hate it and they always ask the same thing!
I usually suggest making things in bulk...like baked pasta dishes and to cook things like grilled chicken with salad or steak and salad that require minimum fuss.
Fussing is what turns people off the most....because they dont enjoy cooking and its like torture just to eat!
You will save heaps of money by cooking at home though...
what are you fav dishes?
See if you can make them up and freeze some for another meal. If you can get a bit of a stock pile going then you will feel happy about that!
Go for simple things like pasta, or meat and vegetable meals that dont take long to cook.
One pot dishes are great - and a crock pot can do amazing things with a cheap cut of meat and vegetables!
I hope this helps a bit....its hard I know!
Bon Appetit!
Buy items liek rotesseire chicken from your groceyr shop, also, sausages, canned ready mane tiomato basil sauce, stuffed frozen pasta, cheeses, and soem raw vegetables,
With all above you could make,
1) Chicken Salad Sandwich,
2) MExican Chicken tortilla soup
3) Pasta withs oem cheese sauce
4) Pasta with sausage
I woudl highly recommned rachel ray's recipes....she make dishes with soem store bough help
Or you have a huge fortune or you must learn to cook cold dishes: sandwiches, salads and soaps.
Decide what you want to eat first. Then prep everything. Then, pour a glass of wine and start cooking until your done. This works really well when cooking outdoors only you would drink beer. Cooking has so many rewards....it's creative, it's a little scientific, it saves money and you get to eat when your done. Drinking while cooking just makes it a total party.
i love cooking
try simple dishes at first and get into the whole process of shopping for food, preparing it and enjoying it together. it sounds like you may not have learned how to shop smart -- the periphery of the grocery store (fresh foods mostly) vs. the center store (processed foods).
start planning your weekly grocery shopping and meals in advance so you don't have to struggle so much every time you need to eat. I think you'll enjoy the learning experience if you're willing to take a few risks and experiment a bit. Good cooking isn't about following a recipe to the letter but about learning how to put different kinds of ingredients together.
There are pre-assembled kits in the butcher section. I've seen the meat with veggies already cut up for stir fry, stew, etc. I've also recently seen premade chicken kabobs. Most grocery store have pre-marinated pork loins, turkey breasts, meats etc... These are really good and you can just throw a potato in the oven and have what ever meat it is and a baked potato.
A lot of higher end grocery store also have pre-made chicken cordon blue, chicken parmesean, b-b-q chicken breasts, a startch of some kind, and veggies, and then all kinds of sides like pasta and potate salad. It's still not as cheap is it is to make it completely from scratch but I'm sure it would cut down on the cost. And you are still making it at home.
Also a crock pot can be your best friend. You just throw a bunch of stuff in them and then leave them for the day. You can also buy pre-cut veggies and there a lot of frozen products with sauce already on them, and frozen crock pot kits that all you do is open the bag and empty.
Here are a couple of super easy recipes that are also very tasty, and a few instructions on other stuff.
1 pound stew meat
1 or 2 carrots peeled and cut into big chunks
1 or 2 ribs of celery cut into big chunks
1 onion chopped
1 large white potato or 2 medium potatoes peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 can stewed tomatoes
Oil
Flour
Seasonings such as seasoned salt, granulated garlic, pepper, celery salt, onion powder and a few bay leaves
In a large skillet heat the oil.
In a zipper seal bag add flour and all the seasoning to taste-except bay leaves. You want to season it kinda heavily because it will basically season your whole stew.
Toss the meat into the bag of flour and coat well. Add the meat to the oil, adding a little extra flour.
Meanwhile add all veggies and bay leaf to a soup or crock pot. Add the meat when it is done frying, add all the flour drippings as well.
Simmer on low heat until the meat and veggies are tender. Adding more water or seasonings as needed. Stir from time to time as well.
Crock Pot Chicken Salsa Curry
10 chicken thighs-bone in
1 jar of your fav salsa
1/2 onion chopped
1 tablespoon curry (or about 1/2 if you don't like a strong curry taste)
1/2 cup sour cream
Place the chicken in the crock pot. Mix the onion, curry and salsa. Pour over the chicken and cook on low for about 6-8 hours.
When the chicken is done take it out of the crock pot and put on a serving plate. Add the sour cream and mix well. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
This would go well with rice or cous cous.
If you don't have crock pot I would think that you could do this in you oven in a well wrapped pan on low (about 200) check it though since it may cook faster. I haven't done it in the oven but as I said I think it should work. I did it in the crock pot and it was awesome. This recipe is easy to do smaller portions of as well.
Rice:
When adding the liquid to rice I never really measure it out with a measuring cup. I learned this from my mom-in-law. Just pour in the rice and then gently place your pointer finger on top of the rice, slowly add cool water to a knuckle and half past the rice. Place on the stove and turn on high un-covered until the rice starts to boil. Reduce the heat to a medium low and cover with a tight fitting lid. The rice should be done in about 20 min. Fluff with a fork add some butter and enjoy.
Mexi-rice:
Use rice that is still warm.
Heat a skillet or griddle pan to a med-low heat. Add the rice and your favorite salsa, some olives, corn and ground cumin. (A great salsa to use would be the kind in the plastic tubs in the produce section, I think it's labeled as "Fresh Salsa" but El Paso or whatever would work as well.)
Instead of pre-made salsa make your own using roma tomatoes chopped small, red onions, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, finely chopped jalape?o pepper, adding some lime juice, and garlic salt. You can also do this in the processor but be very careful not to over process because it can end up kind of mushy, and to green from the cilantro. You can also drain the salsa, or remove the seeds from the tomatoes. But using the seeds and then draining it would be great flavor enhancers in your rice. You could even freeze the liquid in ice cube trays (1 cubes equals approx 1 oz) and keep them for future uses. Then toss this fresh salsa in with the rice and cumin, olives, and corn.
Serve hot and I like mine with just a sprinkle of melted cheese.....yumm!!!
Creamy chicken enchiladas:
1 pound boneless chicken breasts diced
1 8oz package cream cheese cut into cubes
Flour or corn tortillas
1 can diced green chili peppers
ground cumin
1 or 2 can green enchilada sauce
Shredded cheese
Cook the chicken in a skillet and when the chicken is done add the cream cheese, it will melt. As the cream cheese melts add the green chilis, and a couple of good dashes of cumin. Continue to heat on low until the cream cheese has melted.
Fill a tortilla with the chicken mix, roll and place in a baking dish, Continue until the chicken mix is gone. Top with the enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for about 10-15 min or until the sauce is nice and hot and the cheese is golden and bubbly.
Hamburger soup:
1 pound hamburger
1 or 2 carrots peeled and cut into big chunks
1 or 2 ribs of celery cut into big chunks
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 large white potato peeled and chopped or 4-5 red potatoes depending on size halved or quartered
1 can corn or 1/2 bag frozen corn
1/2 bag frozen peas
Beef broth or beef bullion
Seasonings such as seasoned salt, granulated garlic, pepper, celery salt, onion powder and a few bay leaves
Cook the burger and drain and set aside. In a large soup pot cook all veggies except corn and peas in some butter. Add the bay leaves and then also the liquid of your choice. Simmer until all the veggies are tender, and add seasonings to taste, the beef, and peas and corn. Simmer until corn and peas are heated thru and it is seasoned to your liking.
Enjoy!
The first recipe is for 2 chops. I red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces, 1/2 onion chopped into medium to small pieces, and 1 apple sliced. Cook the chops in a tiny bit of oil, brown on one side and turn, add the onions, pepper, and apples. Cook until chops are done and the other ingredients are crisp tender. Serve with rice.
The next recipe is for as many chops as you want to make. Salt and pepper both sides of the chops, place in a baking dish. Top EACH chop with the following
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp ketchup
1 slice onion
1 slice lemon
Bake at 350 for about 30-45 min depending on how many chops, and how thick they are. This dish creates just a tiny bit of a nice sweet tangy sauce. You can simmer an extra serving or 2 the topping ingredients on the stove top with a little water if you would like. I serve this dish over rice also. Different sounding but very good!!!
Mashed potatoes:
Peel the potatoes into chunks; boil just until the potatoes are done. Be careful not to over boil. You know they are done if you can easily slide a fork thru the potato. Drain and either return the potatoes to the pan or into a sturdy bowl. Mix the potatoes with a hand mixer or mash with an old-school hand potato masher. Get the potatoes to the desired consistency, slowly fold in butter. Then add the milk just a small splash at a time, and fold into the potatoes. Sprinkle with the salt and if you have reg pepper or white pepper add that as well.
And here is a nice dessert type dish:
Tangy Watermelon Salad:
4 cups seedless watermelon-cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3/4 crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint or Italian parsley
Mix the oil, lime juice, and vinegar. Toss the watermelon with the oil and lime mix. Gently fold in feta cheese, and mint/parsley.
I can't imagine why anyone would hate cooking. I mean, what's to hate about being creative, learning a bunch of different skills, and producing something good to eat? No one always wants to cook every day, that's what restaurants and packaged food are for, but you will eat much better and be healthier if you're aware of what food is about, and cooking your own food is so much cheaper than any other way of eating.
Make a list of the things you like best. Get a good basic cookbook that explains what cooking terms mean. Look up recipes for the things you like, and start with those. And you don't have to cook much to eat well. Salads, sandwiches, pasta, stir-fries, all those are vey simple, and by using different ingredients you can get nutrition and taste without much effort.
Canned soup and sandwiches