hypothetically, what if your wife cant cook?

[vash]

i have a friend..he wants to teach his wife to cook better without hurting her feelings by telling her she cant cook in the first place. say she has the basics down. what say you? tread lightly? cooking duties go 50-50.

[legion]

Ask her what kind of cooking she is interested in.

Buy her cooking classes as a gift.

[berettafan]

i quit lying about meals some time ago. my wife is a pretty good cook but if i don't like something i surely don't want to eat it a second time.

[RoninLB]

a lot has to do with what foods you were raised with.

he should work that angle before giving any hint that she's a lousy cook.

either that or hit every boring food with red pepper.

[rouxroux]

Originally Posted by vash

i have a friend..he wants to teach his wife to cook better without hurting her feelings by telling her she cant cook in the first place. say she has the basics down. what say you? tread lightly? cooking duties go 50-50.

50/50? If you (sorry, your friend) are/(is) a good cook, maybe some joint cooking experiences will help. Maybe it is just basic prep or basic skills that need honing. Good luck!

[Les Paul]

When we first got married 31 years ago my wife couldn't boil water. I really didn't care but she was determined to cook everything I liked no matter how many bothched attempts it took. Many tears later she got better and better. I never said this sucks, it was more like she could read my mind and just knew. She should have been a chef.

I'm one lucky guy.

[RoninLB]

my wife thinks her cooking is great and I think it sucks.

I use the barbecue all winter.

[jyl]

He should choose ten meals, that he knows how to cook and she doesn't, and find recipes for them. Then he should ask her to join him in cooking and dining, with music and candlelight and wine and all that. They should be recipes that involve doing stuff and not a lot of waiting around - so, nothing that needs 3 hours baking - and perhaps different tasks or dishes that they can work on alongside each other. And ideally the first couple meals should be pretty simple and foolproof. Like, off the top of my head, a dinner of caesar salad and pasta carbonara with a nice white wine.

Then he should suggest that they take cooking classes together, because the only thing he likes more than being with her, is creating delicious meals with her.

I am pretty sure that my scheme, executed well, will not only get him a good cook for a wife, but will also get him laid.

Then, after she's all trained up, he can move on to the "where's dinner, woman?" stage.

[jyl]

My wife doesn't cook all that well, and hopefully will never read this thread, she produces interesting stuff for the weekday meals, but the kids don't care and neither do I, as I'm happy to eat Top Ramen for months on end. For weekends and dinner parties etc I do the cooking, and am pretty good.

My favorite TV program is Good Eats. Come to think of it, your "friend" might want to start watching that program with his wife. It is much more interesting than the typical cooking show.

[WolfeMacleod]

My wife is a great cook.
Unfortunately, it's caused me to gain more than 75 pounds since we met ten years ago.

Just say no.

[WolfeMacleod]

Originally Posted by jyl

I'm happy to eat Top Ramen for months on end. For weekends and dinner parties etc I do the cooking, and am pretty good.
.....My favorite TV program is Good Eats. .

I like Ramen too. About a minute before it's done, try dropping a couple eggs into it and stir....yum! Or some Cream of Mushroom soup!

Good Eats rocks. Like.. Mr Wizard does food!

[p911dad]

He could start with some basic building blocks. Hamburger Helper is a great confidence builder.. Actually, and seriously, perhaps he could enroll them both in a cooking class in the local Y or JCC, or maybe community college. Something they could do together.

[RoninLB]

he could start with getting her to try making pancakes with 1/2 & 1/2 instead of milk. Her discovery that fine eats were available if only she'd do what she was told is a good mindset.

... kinda like training a cat

[on2wheels52]

She could hang out with my wife. No meal worries in this house.
Jim

[genrex]

Vash, your post says "she has the basics down" and "he wants her to cook better." I'm not sure what that means.

What basics does she have down.. for example, what can she cook that turns out well consistently? Spaghetti? Pancakes?

And what does it mean to "cook better".. cooking something properly, healthier cooking, offering more variety in the meals?

Confidence is a good starting point, along with fun. I've noticed that the cooking classes at Whole Foods are very popular with couples..

[dmcummins]

I can eat my wifes meals, but if I want something good, we eat out. We have been married 27 years and she just doesn't have much interest in cooking a good meal. If it isn't pre-packaged or can be fried in minitues, it just isn't happening.

I'm not any better.

[mattdavis11]

I'd say you learn how to make pies, turn overs, ice cream, etc.... to wash it down, Vash. Then again, being the grandson of a former toddle house exec, and founder of pit grill, cooking is second nature to me. I couldn't give a damn how well she can cook.

A friend of mine went to culinary school, graduated and has been doing the resort rounds for almost two years now, still he can't cook worth a lick. Some just can't, but it will be alright.

[lendaddy]

This is not hypothetical in my house

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Cooking classes are great for starting extra-marital curricular activities. Wine too.

[David]

My wife starting taking Cuisine at Home Magazine and so far everything she's cooked from it have been great. When it comes to fancy cooking, I've alway been the one cooking, but this magazine is changing that.

So many cook books have these great looking pictures and recipes, but after all the cooking's done, the food just doesn't impress. Cuisine recipes are so good we ordered all the past issues.

bon appétit