Men who cook


Many Sunday evenings my father would cook dinner. He cooked one of our favourite dishes - Potato Latkes which we all loved and dad was the best at cooking them.

Dad now lives alone, he cooks all his own meals and he is very good at it. Whilst they are often simple meals, they are very healthy and he often likes to try out new recipes.  Not only does he cook for himself, he is very capable cooking for a small group of people too. 

Dad was also very good at cooking tomato sauce and jam and it was my dad would taught me to make jam. 

My brothers all cook, one cooks every night for his wife and he is a great cook (has even booked for parties and weddings).

Both my sons cook and one cooks every night for his wife.

I taught both my sons to cook and my mother taught all three of my brothers to cook. It wasn't some feminist ideal, it was simply so they could help out in the kitchen. It turned out that my brothers and my sons were very good at cooking and enjoyed doing it. 

My son (who is 27) loves cooking, not only does he cook every night, he also does the grocery shopping so he can find the ingredients he needs. He is a frugal chef and cooks up big meals to freeze and watched careful how much he spends. 


Above are some of his recent meals - whilst he often makes simple meals, he also likes to tries out new recipes such as the sardine dish from Spain or the chicken pie with the lattice pastry top.  He will phone me from the supermarket if he is having trouble finding something or if he needs advice. He taught himself to make bread and makes all the cakes and muffins as well - he was very impressed with the shortbread he made on the weekend. Their children will be very spoilt food wise with a dad like my son. 

Why teach boys to cook - isn't it a job for women?

No, cooking should be done by the one who loves to cook and that doesn't necessarily mean the wife. The greatest chefs in the world are men, so why wouldn't some men like to cook at home. If you find that your son loves to cook, let him cook, he will make a splendid husband one day with a wife who will be spoilt.

And wives, if you husband wants to cook, don't be critical at the mess they make or if they do things differently. It is the quickest way to put them off. My husband is retired and at home, occasionally he likes to make dinner but I have the terrible habit of stepping in and "advising" him because I know best! This just mades him cross, so I am learning to step back and let him do it his way and praise him for a delicious meal. 

So don't be afraid to let your husbands and sons into the kitchen. Men enjoy cooking because it can be challenging (and men love a good challenge), it is logical and most men love to experiment and play with gadgets so let them. The sky won't fall in if you husbands decide they want to be more active in the kitchen, it isn't just the domain of women. 

PS as I write this my husband is cutting up chillies to make Harissa. He is doing the cutting and I am doing the blending - team work!!

*****

Comments

  1. My husband and I have started to enjoy cooking together, like you I have to stop myself taking over but we are having fun.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My husband and I LOVE cooking together. He barely knew how to cook when we got married, but I encouraged him and taught him lots of tips etc and now I often can't keep him out of the kitchen! There is something therapeutic about cooking I sometimes think. Last night after the children were in bed we baked a cake together. We often get in the kitchen and cook up a storm together on the weekends, too - or he will cook on his own often, too -- cakes, desserts, cookies, meals, sauces, salsas... He likes cooking lots of different things! Both my children love cooking too -- they can cook or bake ANYTHING even at this young age, and I encourage all of them to cook as much and often as they like. Sometimes I am barely needed in my own kitchen -- oh well, extra sewing time!!! ;) I will often find my daughter pouring over cookbooks, marking the pages of the recipes she wants to try! I LOVE it!! Such an excellent skill to have!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We all have to eat!!!! So why wait for someone to cook for you when you can do it yourself and share:))) some women get very protected of "their" kitchen which is a bit sad. I think men enjoy play about and experimenting and it should be encouraged !!!

      Delete

Post a Comment