I have always heard that you will either be good at cooking or baking. I am wondering if you guys are good cooks... I like to think I'm a decent cook and a decent baker (I wouldn't say I'm a pro at either). Just wondering. I just made some raspberry filling and I'm waiting for it to set up and my cakes to cool, so I'm kinda bored.
You're right, Stephanie. It does seem to be a lost art form. Many people don't have the love of it that people had in the past. I don't know if they are not taught how to or if they just don't have an interest. Many of my old friends thought I was weird growing up always baking or cooking. I believe it's one of the best things you can do to bond with your family, spouse, and children. I don't have either yet, but when I get married and have children...they will DEFINATELY learn how to cook and bake. Hopefully, they grow to love it as much as I do.
I've always been told I'm good at both, but most women in my family are, it runs in the family!
You're right, Stephanie. It does seem to be a lost art form. Many people don't have the love of it that people had in the past. I don't know if they are not taught how to or if they just don't have an interest. Many of my old friends thought I was weird growing up always baking or cooking. I believe it's one of the best things you can do to bond with your family, spouse, and children. I don't have either yet, but when I get married and have children...they will DEFINATELY learn how to cook and bake. Hopefully, they grow to love it as much as I do.
I completely agree!!! My mom never taught me either.... So when I got married I had to figure it all out (with a lot of help from my MIL) But I love to cook/bake for my family now... It makes me soooo happy and there's nothing like bonding over a good meal!
My family says I am...and they're my favorite group to cook for.
yep...my mom taught me and i now teach cooking and baking etc.
my students are amazed that you can really make almost anything, they willl say "i didn't know you could make that, my mom buys that already made" they love what i make and quite often tell me how they don't like the stuff mom buys, well duh, chemicals, preservatives, lots of fillers and no taste, just like premade cakes from those big discount stores.
yep...my mom taught me and i now teach cooking and baking etc.
my students are amazed that you can really make almost anything, they willl say "i didn't know you could make that, my mom buys that already made" they love what i make and quite often tell me how they don't like the stuff mom buys, well duh, chemicals, preservatives, lots of fillers and no taste, just like premade cakes from those big discount stores.
So true! Plus you have sucha feeling of accomplishment the first time you make something that you could have bought (and yours turns out much better than store bought anyway)!
Love to cook as well as bake and yes I've been told many times I'm damn good at both. I make my own pasta, bread, sauces, jams, etc... I'd be perfectly happy doing both all day every day.
I also love to clean my house.........now you must REALLY think I'm strange.
Many of my friends have told me that I was born in the wrong century......I'd churn my own butter if I could.
Many of my friends have told me that I was born in the wrong century......I'd churn my own butter if I could.
Oh, you totally can churn your own butter. A little time consuming, a lot mindless, but it tastes SO good. I haven't done it in many years, but used to do demonstrations during "historical events" at a local museum. Yes, I wore a bonnet and a long skirt while I did it. Shut up. *LOL*
In the kitchen, baking is my first love but I'm a decent cook, too. I tend to lean more toward comfort food cooking, though. Y'know a good ham, whipped potatoes and scalloped corn. No tofu in my kitchen!
now dkelly you can make your own butter....that is one of the demos i do that amazes my students....put some heavy whipping cream into a tupperware container or a jar and start shaking....it will get really thick and then the real buttermilk will separate from the fat...keep shaking until no more "water comes out.....dump out the lump of butter and wash it in cold water .....now taste....it it fantastic....i would serve this real butter on homemade bread and the kids would go crazy for it. the next day they always wanted more. don't throw out the real buttermilk it is great to drink....not like that commercially made butter milk, this is actually sweet.
I love to cook and I guess I'm pretty good at it. That's one of the ways I show people that I love them - through food!
I've had my kids make their own butter - their arms get tired, but I think it's the coolest thing ever!
I'm not sure which I like better - cooking or baking. I'm just thankful I get to do both!
Melissa
OK you guys may have just convinced me to try making butter. hammer1, how long does it take before the fat hardens and separates from the buttermilk? Should I start with cold cream or room temp?
blu_canary..........sounds like a cool job. The bonnet and all huh? Wow....very cool.
I've always been told I'm good at both, but most women in my family are, it runs in the family!
Same here. My mom didn't do too much cooking when I was young but when she did...she could really burn (in a good way). The same goes for all the women on my mother's, mother's side of the family. My Great Aunt....she makes the BEST pecan pie I have yet to taste....including mine.
I also agree with Melissa...cooking IS an act of love. I love giving away baked goods to people and groups that I care about. There is something about a homemade gift that people really love.
DKelley...My grandmother showed me how to make homemade butter when I was a teenager,before she got sick. Its not that hard too do and it tastes soooo fresh. Its funny you mention being born in the wrong century. I'm divided between the past centuries (cooking, baking and fam values) and the 22nd or 23rd century (political, religious, and racial issues). I know...TMI but I know how you feel.
I can honestly say I have never made my own butter! LOL! Ya'll sound like true country gals!!!
cold heavy whipping cream....it is hard to say how long because it all depends on agitation speed and the amount you use.....I usually use about a cup....just so it doesn't take too long....i often do a couple batches at once so the kids can shake it white i am doing some other demo....just keep shaking, the fat willl start to grab on to itself and squeeze out the water, you will know....once the water comes off i pour it off and shake somemore just to get all the water out.
I'm slightly embarrassed to join the "made my own butter" club. My daughter and I made some last week (but I used a kitchenaid mixer, much easier on the arms). One quart of whipping cream makes almost exactly 2 cups of buttermilk and enough butter to last for quite a while on bread. It does taste better than commercial, too. We made pancakes with the buttermilk and put the butter on them!
If you use a mixer, do use the splashguard. We found that out the hard way once the butter started separating from the buttermilk!
I'm an excellent cook! I learned from the best cook I've known, my father! He taught all us kids starting at 7 with meatloaf so we could play with the mixture! LOL From age 13 on I've made one dish for every family function we've had! Next up is my nieces baby shower.
everyone tells me i am a great cook. my aunt and cousins come over all the time for homemade pizza and hot wings. if i have a recipe i can make just about anything, and if something sounds good together, i just make a recipe myself. lol. i've been told i need to open my own restaurant, but i dont thinki'm that good. i went through high school cooking in restaurants to pay for my first 2 cars. but i love to cook sweets. watching people eat them makes everything worth while. 
I like to think I am a decent cook. I *HATE* handling raw chicken so I don't make as many chicken dishes as I'd like to. I use the same few tried and true recipes in rotation...spaghetti & meatballs, meatloaf, chicken & turkey pot pie, sausage jambalaya, lasagne, and a few others I can't think of off the top of my head.
costumeczar why be embarassed to have such skills as making butter, just think of it as belonging to an elite club......have you made your own yogurt or cheese? my daughter made an indian cheese last week. the cheese was put in a sweet sauce, i have no idea what is was called. she is alway tring some new recipes.
Like a lot of you, I do consider myself a pretty good cook!
I also make everything from scratch: sourdough breads, jams from homegrown fruit, homemade pasta, buttermilk, pesto, yoghurt, passata, relishes and sauces, grow my own herbs and some vegetables (yard is a bit small atm!) and I make a sit-down (yes, the whole family!) dinner every night. I love the closeness that this brings to our family, and while I know I am probably a bit out of the ordinary (LOL) I really do love my central role in the home, and the closeness that shared meals bring to our family. We are moving house very soon, and I am looking forward to having chickens once again, because fresh eggs are out of this world!
My husband takes leftover homemade meals in to work every day too - not only does it save money, but he is regularly envied by his colleagues! 
My other soapbox diatribe is about saving money and eating much better food if you make stuff from raw ingredients, not out of packets. And no, if you are organised enough, you are not spending hours upon hours in the kitchen.
One thing I have found too, on this topic, is that if I have a bunch or orders for sweet baked goods, i start to crave cooking something savoury...does anyone else find this?
Just today I ran across this video on a local newsperson's blog:
Step by step how to make your own butter. Decided I needed to use the extra cream in my fridge tomorrow to make some!
Yep, I can do both and I'm dang good at both of them!
My 16 year old will eat my made-from-scratch chicken-n-dumplings until she pukes them up. Serious, she did once. She tells me, every time I make them, "PLEASE mom, make me stop eating them!"
First thing(s) my son wanted when he came home from Iraq was my Chicken-n-dumplins, my made-from-scratch tuna casserole and my made-from-scratch beef-n-noodles. On Halloween, it's tradition to have a big pot of my made-from-scratch chili with all the sides-n-fixin's.
My mother was a HORRIBLE cook so I think I learned to cook for survival! 
But I can't make a pie to save my a$$.
wow, I'm pretty surprised at the results of this poll. I too have heard that people are typically one or the other. I can bake anything and rival gourmet restaurant quality desserts, but cooking....not so much...I can cook enough that my family doesn't starve, but that's about it. I wish I was better at it.
I've always been a pretty good cook. . . no complaints from my peanut gallery just a very adverturesome cook. That all changed when I went to culinary school last fall. I've come out of my comfort zone and am willing to try almost anything. Unfortunately my culinary dream has been put on hold, I've got go back to work fulltime, hubby could possibly laid off by year end. But I still have the dream!! Love to bake not I enjoy cooking much more. We are also empty nesters so its much easier to cook for my DH and me. We like more seafood and other nasty things like brussel sprouts!
Leslie
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%