662162 Sun Oct 25 16:16:00 -0700 2009 13 29 Not About Food 0 5130005 Ok, so i searched both on chow's search engine (notoriously unreliable) and on google, and it seems nobody has posted about this, but if so, please direct me to the appropriate post. I am almost always in the position of having to cook for only me, because the people i live with will very very rarely eat what i cook. Does anyone else hate cooking for themselves only? I get so much less satisfaction from it. I mean, I love creating new dishes, and enjoy eating them, but part of the joy i get from cooking is seeing other people enjoy it... I am much less likely to cook every night if I'm the only one enjoying it, otherwise i'll make something like a lentil salad to enjoy throughout the week. Am I the only one?? Sun Oct 25 16:16:01 -0700 2009 264146 kubasd 1 5130033 If you search using "picky eaters" you'll find all sorts of comments. danhole's husband is quite awful. I say that in the most affectionate way :) Sun Oct 25 16:29:02 -0700 2009 5130005 131001 c oliver 2 5130059 oh i know, because my ex was one of the people i posted about on danhole's post... I'm more talking about everyone else eating their own food, leaving you to fend for yourself. Sun Oct 25 16:43:48 -0700 2009 5130033 264146 kubasd 1 5130098 Me. If I don't have to cook for my dh and kid, I would subsist mainly on whatever I could throw together in five minutes or less, and/or eat out. To mess up the kitchen and spend hours cooking for just me is almost always pointless (especially considering I REALLY hate the clean-up part). I stay at home do to a disability that keeps me from working at a regular job, which works out with having a kid. The challenge of putting together good meals to nourish the little one as well as make the hubby happy to come home is one of the major inspirations I have to spend hours planning, prepping and putting together a meal (although I do have my 30-minute-or-less repitoire). And pride; so far, I'm the only one I know whose mac and cheese doesn't come from a box. However, if I lived with picky eaters, that would be twice the challenge. Have you never cooked anything that made their mouths water when they walked in the door? Some basic Italian dishes redolent of garlic and herbs would be hard to turn down, I think. Sun Oct 25 16:57:48 -0700 2009 5130005 322300 Michelly 2 5130131 wow, i totally admire you michelle. i struggle every day with trying to come up with foods that would nourish them that they would eat. Your italian examples? none of them will eat tomatoes, garlic, onions, or any stronger herbs, lol. Everything i make is from scratch, which is what makes it so much less satisfying to end up being the only one eating it.... and now, i hate to compare.... but i'm like you in that it's much harder to cook elaborate dishes knowing i'm going to be the only one cleaning it up as well as eating it... Sun Oct 25 17:08:51 -0700 2009 5130098 264146 kubasd 3 5130492 I think it makes a difference: are these your family members or "just" roommates? Sun Oct 25 19:08:09 -0700 2009 5130131 131001 c oliver 3 5150821 Wow, no garlic...that's a tough challenge. How about fettucine alfredo, with slices of steak or chicken, and broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, and/or peas thrown in? (I'm very fond of one-bowl meals). You can use the same approach with mac & cheese...add cooked burger or sliced sausage or hot dogs and peas. I know you said that they won't eat strong herbs; would they eat a pasta with a pesto sauce made by substituting half or three-quarters of the basil with spinach (this'll cut down on the basil flavor and add lots of vitamins to boot)? Before you puree in the spinach, you can set some of the all-basil mixture aside for you (that way you can add more garlic in it for yourself). And no tomatoes, hmm.... is tomato sauce acceptable? Mon Nov 02 18:24:56 -0800 2009 5130131 322300 Michelly 1 5130467 I don't think I could have married a man that was a picky eater. I just can't see myself kowtowing to a pain in the ass when I love to experiment and love almost all foods. DH fills the bill nicely. 22 years later, for instance, we just discovered a good dim sum restaurant, and he needs to make it a weekly thing, which is okay with me! Sun Oct 25 18:56:03 -0700 2009 5130005 105625 EWSflash 1 5131293 I am away from my primary home and family three days a week. I love the chance to cook for me. I don't have to take anyone else's tastes, likes and dislikes into consideration. My wife eats most things, but my kids are terrible eaters. I have a 21 year old who lives on junk food. She will not eat chicken on the bone, only breaded and fried boneless nuggets or tenders, or grilled boneless breasts. I married later in life and for years lived alone. I cooked full meals, roasts, casseroles, soups, etc. I just portioned and froze quite a bit after cooking. I never took the easy or lazy way out, thinking the work wasn't worth it just for me. Who better to cook for? As for the joy of seeing others eat what I cook, when single, I used to host biweekly dinner parties. Now I get to see the kids and wife enjoy my cooking on the weekends, from breakfast in bed, to BBQ to a Sunday roast. But, tomorrow night, I'll be making tongue in raisin sauce, nothing my wife and kids would eat, and I'll enjoy it. Mon Oct 26 07:37:57 -0700 2009 5130005 274541 bagelman01 1 5134969 You definitely are not the only one. Before I separated, I would always plan and cook a proper meal for my husband. But now that I'm off on my own again, well, I can't honestly be bothered to spend hours cooking for myself. I eat a lot of cheese and olives for dinner or tend to throw things into a slow cooker now and then, when inspired. Tue Oct 27 11:43:47 -0700 2009 5130005 190037 bdachow 1 5135383 When I was single I cooked, but always something quick and easy, fish and veggies, steak, or sometimes make a big batch of something and break it down in to frozen left overs and just eat that when I get home from work. My girl friend now comes over 4 nights a week and we always make "dinner" not just something that we throw together at the last minute. The other 3 nights a week when it's dinner by myself, it's back to the quick and easy dinners. Tue Oct 27 14:03:08 -0700 2009 5130005 15507 Rick 1 5135420 I enjoy cooking just for me, but I definitely only make a "real" meal every night because my SO really appreciates it. This is so 1950's, but I really love how excited he still gets over a beautifully presented plate of homecooked food on the table. It makes me want to do something special even when I'm tired. When it was just me, I usually did sandwiches, quick stir fries, salads, big bowls full of roasted vegetables, cereal, and fast noodle soups. I also ate out or got takeout about three times a week and now I'm down to about three times a month (not counting lunch). Tue Oct 27 14:17:40 -0700 2009 5130005 172437 foodpoisoned 1 5135432 Just saw a book called "The Pleasures of Cooking for One" in Barnes and Noble today. I leafed through it and thought there were some interesting recipes. It's been favorably reviewed on Amazon. Tue Oct 27 14:23:10 -0700 2009 5130005 11995 pikawicca 1 5137129 Maybe it's just because I've always lived on my own, but I love cooking for just me. I'll spend hours in the kitchen hooking up something from The French Laundry Cookbook or playing with awesome finds from the farmers' market. For me the joy is in the cooking (and the eating). I do tend to make 3-4 servings of most meals for weeknights both because it makes it easier when I get home late from work and because it's just not practical to cook single servings of some things (braised oxtail for one, anyone?). This has actually worked out well, though: If I'm not super-excited to eat something for the 4th time in a week, I don't ever make that dish again. =) I remember when I worked in a winery that customers would sometimes ask about dinner plans (e.g. if I mentioned that the wine I was pouring for them was going to be part of my meal that night) and when I'd tell them (steak and lobster, or maybe just a grilled rib-eye with roquefort-stuffed mushrooms) I would almost always get asked "Ooh. Who are you cooking for?" It was always a shock to them when I said "Me." Wed Oct 28 08:13:54 -0700 2009 5130005 111059 emmo42