I am curious about how many people actually cook their own meals. For the purposes of this poll, “cook” means prepare a dish which requires combining two or more ingredients, and heating it. Throwing a frozen pizza in the oven does not count, nor does putting salad dressing on some greens. Mac & cheese from a box would count, however.
My wife and I prepare 90% of our meals at home. We frequently prepare large quantities, such as lasagna or roast turkey, which is then frozen for use later (yes, this counts because we did the original preparation). We only eat take out or at a restaurant once a week or so; everything else is prepared at home, mostly from raw ingredients.
Roughly 66-75% of the time based on your “definition” of “reheating leftovers” counting (most of the rest of the time I nuke TV dinners/heat frozen pizza/go eat at a friend’s/go eat out).
Basically, every Sunday (since I have the time and inclination) I try to do something more elaborate than “nuke a TV dinner and pour dressing over bagged salad greens” in quantities that will provide leftovers for several days over the next two weeks. Then during the week I’ll eat the leftovers from the last two Sundays, or do the occasional quick and easy one dish meal, prepare a boxed meal (something like one of Banquet’s “Homestyle Bakes”), or grill a steak/pork chop/chicken breast and heat some frozen vegetables.
It helps that I live in an area of Memphis that doesn’t have a lot of restaurants nearby, and because I live within walking distance of the office I’ve gotten into the habit of avoiding driving my car unless necessary. Where I used to live had several excellent restaurants within walking distance (including the Italian deli right there in my apartment building), and I would eat out way too much.
I’d say that if we’re just counting dinner, 80 - 85% of the time, I cook. My daughter and I both eat out a fair amount, but it’s a social thing, not a sustenance thing. For just the two of us, I might order Thai or a pizza once a month or so, and breakfast and lunch tend to be bagel or salad type stuff, but dinner I cook. I *like *to cook, and I love good food.
I don’t cook at home, I love to cook and even had some professional training, I can make an Indonesian rijst tafelfrom scratch, but I hate cooking for only me. I got a monthly cooking class where we make an elaborate multi course meal with a group of friends, and sometimes when I’m visiting friends I go ballistic in the kitchen.
But in the 6 years that I ‘m single, I’ve cooked maybe once a month and then only a simple stir-fry or a steak with salad and taters, I never seem to get the logistics right for one person cooking.
I eat mostly ready made meals (some are quite good these days, fresh ingredients, steam cooked in the microwave) or fast-food/take out
I cook around 3 to 4 times a week. The rest of the time we eat leftovers or sandwiches or ready-made meals; we rarely go out to eat or get take out food.
It’s about 50-50 right now. I’d like to be cooking more but my job is wiping me out and I have no energy left when I get home. And I get home at 9:30pm.
I cook probably 4 times a week and get 2 or 3 days of leftovers out of that. I like to go out once a week, but it actually only happens maybe 3 times per month.
Tonight is chicken thighs. Any ideas what I should do with 'em?
Counting only weekday dinners plus all weekend meals, we cook about 90% of our meals. We love eating out, but we’re trying to keep it to once a week or less because it’s hard on the wallet and on the waistline.
Mind you, if you factor in workday lunches, the number drops to 60%. The Boy prefers to buy something instead of bringing a lunch from home and I tend to go out for lunch about 2-3 times per week (having to buy lunch is a handy excuse for stepping out for a while at lunchtime).
Most every night (by your definition). We probably eat too many froze pizzas (tho probably no more than once a week). And at least a couple of times a week a meal will be pasta with white of red sauce from a jar and a green veggie. So we aren’t exactly doing fine cooking. Heck, pasta, tuna, mayo, and frozen peas is a 10 minute meal. Or we’ll just brown bownless chicken, add mushroom soup and spices, and serve with brown rice and a veggie. Another 10 minute meal. Cooking is less of a problem than shopping so as to have the necessary ingredients.
Tonight will be tacos.
Last night was steak, baked potatoes, and broccoli.
Night before was pork chops, apple sauce, and asparagus.
Hell, I’m working at home today, and I’m probably going to combine 3 ingredients to make grilled chees sandwiches for lunch - plus a side salad (if we have greens that haven’t turned into a science project.
Often dinner leftovers are my wife’s lunch the next day. Tho over the weekend we made lasagna that was enough for 2 full meals.
I’d be surprised if my wife and I ate more than a total of 5 meals in restaurants per month.
I’m not sure if your definition of “cook” is very fair from a breakfast perspective, though. Lots of typical breakfast foods wouldn’t qualify - off the top of my head, I’ve disqualified all of my typical breakfasts because they either aren’t heated or they don’t combine two or more ingredients (yogurt with granola, fresh fruit, untoasted bread with cheese or jam, bagel with cream cheese, cereal with milk, and instant oatmeal).*
Since the usual three-squares-a-day adds up to 21 meals in a week, you’d only be able to opt out of cooking two meals to stay at 90%… so are you saying that you’re cooking a hot breakfast six days out of seven? If so, colour me impressed.
*Oddly enough, though, my coffee qualifies since it’s both hot and has additional ingredients stirred in since I take it with sugar and cream.
If we reheat things we’ve made, or eat things previously made from scratch, does that count? Because we try to eat out/get takeout less than once a week. It probably breaks down to both of us eating lunch out once a week, and dinner bought every two weeks.
I make granola and oatmeal and coffeecake for breakfast, but i do batches, and thaw or reheat. Mr. Lissar’s lunches are stuff I’ve made and packages (for some reason he doesn’t like sandwiches, so they’re homemade main courses).
So, 85%, after you exclude yogurt and some boxed cereal. I like to cook and bake. I actually could use fifteen teenaged boys around (and a cash subsidy). I like feeding people.
We all eat breakfast at home every morning, 7/7.
I bring lunch to work 4-5 days a week; might get a slice of pizza on a Friday during Lent; maybe once a month I’ll eat luch at a restaurant during the week. Weekends we have leftovers or lunchmeat for lunch.
My wife prepares dinner probably 6 nights a week, either from scratch or heats up leftovers. We’ll get a pizza maybe once a month. We do go out to eat usually once a weekend, maybe once every 2 weekends.
Almost everything - lunch is usually leftovers, or I make a batch of soup or a pasta/grain salad and eat that for the week. We almost never get take-out, though my husband has a weakness for fast food, so he indulges for lunch a couple of times a month.
I’m do most of the cooking, my husband usually only cooks when I’m not around - simple stuff like pasta, or grilled meat.
I like to cook. If I don’t cook dinner in the evening, I feel like I’m missing something. Unless I’m really exhausted, it relaxes me after getting home from work.
