How often do you really cook?

[Tyler]

How often do you really cook? I'm not counting toast and eggs for breakfast, a soup and sandwhich for lunch, and hot dogs for supper - how often do you make a real meal? Once every 2 days, once a week? Once every 2 weeks?

[missingarrow]

When I'm home I tend to "really" cook about 6 times a week. I tend to be too busy to spend a good amount of time in the kitchen. I go to school full time, work full time, and do a lot of volunteering.

Unfortunately for this whole year I won't be cooking at all except for on my R&R Leave... I'm currently deployed to Afghanistan.

Keep it Real,
dan

[Tyler]

Man, I got tired just reading all the stuff you do, heh.

6 times a week is very good, I'd say. Sounds like you're quite the chef.

I've always wondered how often real professional chefs cook at their own home, or if they grab a box of KD...

[Liketobake]

I live with my parents, so I don't cook that often, but I like to cook and especially bake. I do sometimes cook sometimes with my boyfriend or my mom though. I think when I move out I will cook at least once per day. Baking though I do much more often probably once every 1.5-2 weeks. However sometimes I go crazy and bake two or three things in a week.

[momof2]

I usually cook three evenings per week, and my husband cooks the other four. I often cook breakfast once or twice a week as well. The rest of the time it is every man for himself. Believe me, my kids are old enough to fend for themselves!

[aristoworks]

3-4 times a week.

[topsy]

When necersary that means when i am not dinning out i cook.
After bringing up my faimly i like being l fed by someone else
at times.
But have really done loads of cookin in the past. Loved it.
Now whenever ..............
topsy

[RecipeDirect.Net]

5 days a week. I really prefer my own cooking unless I can afford to go to one of our awesome downtown Charleston restaurants.

[Big Daddy's House]

Usually, it's when I want a hot meal, have the time to do it, or if I want to bring something over to a friend or family member's house.

I'm doing that on the Fourth of July. Making a pouind cake and a rice dish to take over to a dear friend / former coworker who invited me over to his house that day.

[SilverSage]

I cook pretty much every day - sometimes twice.

[abi_csi]

I usually cook every night. To be fair i'm not working much at the moment so have time to plan meal times properly.

[Darkginger]

I'm another one who cooks nearly every day - from scratch. I enjoy doing it, but then I have a pretty relaxed life and have the time for it. We eat out probably once or twice a year - it pains me to think of spending money on something I could probably do better myself - and I just can't bring myself to buy ready-made meals (additives, not knowing the source of the ingredients etc.).

Thinking back - this week I've cooked chicken curry (dhansak) for the past three nights (made a huge batch of base sauce and pre-cooked lentils, plus once you get the taste for curry it's very more-ish), made a beef mince (ground beef), mushroom and green pea curry, did roast pork last Sunday, and I think we had a chilli one night too (memory failing!). Nothing particularly time-consuming (apart from making that base sauce). I think I'll be roasting a chicken tomorrow (nothing easier!).

Three weeks a year I get a break from cooking - when I visit my Dad back in the UK. He doesn't really cook, and hates anyone using his kitchen because he's a neat freak, so I get to indulge myself in delivery food - curry (yes, I *really* like curry!), pizza, Chinese and fish shop fish (minus chips). Also burgers from my favourite burger place in the entire world - Grubb's of Brighton - flame grilled and delicious :) By the time my week over there (I go 3 times a year) is up, I'm craving my own cooking!

I do what I call 'recreational' cooking as well - just for fun, cakes and bread (which I don't usually eat, but the husband does), pickles, big batches of bolognese (the slow way, takes 3 or 4 hours) for the freezer. Cooking, for me, is more than a means to an end, it really is a pleasure. Not so sure I'd feel the same if I had 3 kids wanting to be fed every night - but with just the two of us, it's fun.

[tigerlilly]

Just about everyday sometimes twice a day. Look at the what did you cook thread and I don't post all my meals all the time. Usually something new each night. We rarely have leftovers because I cook just enough for 4 servings (we are 4 people here). If I but say chicken breasts or pork loin or veggies on sale I will break it up and make 4 different meals. Sometime I use the same ingredients 3 nights in a row but they make 3 different meals. (Unless I make soup or chili)

Heres an example - B/S chicken breasts and broccoli crowns were on sale and they were dinner 3 days in a row:


Friday 6/24/11

Cubed B/S chicken breast dipped in seasoned tempura batter (flour, baking soda & water) and fried in peanut oil, salad (red & green butter lettuce, baby spinach and spring mix, vine tomato, sunflower seeds and sliced almonds) tossed with homemade dressing (a combo of EVOO, canola oil, flaxseed oil, red wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, Goya adobo seasoning, accent, ground sea salt, ground peppercorns, ground red pepper flakes, cayenne, Hungarian hot paprika) and pasta salad. Note - I added raw broccoli to the green salad after the picture was taken

http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/msmofet/Food%20Two/062411_salads_chicken.jpg

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Thursday 6/23/11

Pasta salad (b/s chicken breast (marinated with oil, fresh garlic, oregano, ground sea salt, ground pepper then sautéed till fully cooked), wagon wheel pasta, raw broccoli, mushroom caps sliced thick, green onion, black olives & green olives dressed with Oil (a combo of EVOO, canola oil, flaxseed oil), red wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, Goya adobo seasoning, accent, ground sea salt, ground peppercorns, ground red pepper flakes, cayenne, Hungarian hot paprika), guacamole & tortilla chips.

http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/msmofet/Food%20Two/062311_pasta_salad_guacamole.jpg

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Wednesday 6/22/11

Chicken stir fry (B/S chicken breast, fresh garlic, broccoli, carrot, celery, mushroom caps, onion, whole almonds, peanut oil, chicken stock and cornstarch) and fried rice (jasmine rice, frozen peas, fresh carrot, fresh onion, cooked scrambled egg, soy sauce and peanut oil) both garnished with sliced green onions and toasted black and white sesame seeds.

http://i396.photobucket.com/albums/pp48/msmofet/Food%20Two/062211_chicken_stir_fry.jpg

[Big Daddy's House]

Dag, that food looks DELISH!!!

[Whoopie Pie]

I usually cook 5 nights a week. In the summer sometimes less, even though I have central a/c I am not always in the mood to cook when it is 90+ degrees.

I find it much easier to maintain my weight when I cook at home. I don't make a huge effort to make "diet" food I just go for scratch cooking and real ingredients, I think restaurant food has a lot more fat and salt than what I cook at home, and the portions are huge, and I tend to eat too much (I don't like leftovers so I rarely take a to-go box).

[juzi1986]

I basically do every day! Friends do not do it unless there is!

[natt12321]

I cook about 4 days a week, like real from scratch food. I bake about 6 days a week though, baking is my passion.

[danalvarado]

I usually cook every weekend when we have our traditional family get together.

[pepperstuffedpepper]

It's rare that I skip a day without preparing a "real" meal. Being a stay at home mom makes it easier to get that done, though. My kids like to help which makes it just that much easier.. or harder when you consider theyre 3, 5, and 7 :D

[Liketobake]

We rotate cooking and baking in our house of three people. I cook a couple times a week and bake a couple times a week on average. We don't eat out much though..

[Lynsaf]

I tend to cook almost everyday because when I just buy food, I would most likely get complaints from the family about the food being salty, tasteless, oily. I know it's flattering to think that the family would rather eat what you cook. But it gets tiring because cooking is not just cooking. Things like planning, going to the stores/supermarts to get ingredients, the cooking itself and cleaning after are involved.

[deepfryerdan]

I'm an every-other-day type of cook. I work long hours most days and don't have time to cook so I make sure that when I do, there are plenty of leftovers.

[QTTg]

I cook everyday

[shell20110309]

because i study in school so i did cook but i like cook

[abi_csi]

I cook maybe once a week, though I do prepare fresh food daily, salads and things.

[ChefScott38]

Everyday. I am a chef.

[LauraGovan]

I like cooking but find it difficult to spare time from work to prepare something for the family. So, it is only on the weekends that I cook and we all have them together.

[Tunaoue]

Well, being semi-retired (aka: unemployed) I have lots of extra time on my hands. I cooked a lot over the holidays - YES real meals, and made sandwiches with leftovers from home made bread, some with with my own wild yeast (aka: sour dough). I had a run on Cup Cakes there for a while. Tri tip slow smoked, duck, turkey, chicken - just not altogether. So, cooking a real meal happens about every other day on average, with leftovers filling the gaps.

IMHO, being a Chef almost doesn't count. What count's is the cooking you do after you come home from cooking. No disrespect intended, cooking is a great profession, it's hard work and takes a sharp mind.

[LauraGovan]

Once in a month. Mostly when I am very hungry and there is nothing left to eat or depends on the mood.