[OakShannon]

I like Michael Pollen. I read The Omnivores Dilemma and In Defense of Food. (Thought the first one was better than the second.) So, I read his article in the New York Times Magazine about a month or so ago with this title.

Now, I'm not quite ready to swallow his premise that people aren't cooking as much anymore because cooking shows like Iron Chef are turning cooking into a spectator sport. That seems like a stretch to me. But the recent shopping/recipe threads got me thinking about his article again for a couple of reasons.

For one thing, he said that there had been a big survey of American cooking habits and they had found a few interesting facts:
1) people only spend an average of 27 minutes per day preparing food. (That includes all 3 meals.)
2) they only spend an average of 4 minutes a day cleaning up in the kitchen
3) "cooking" has been redefined to mean things like heating up a pizza or some other pre-made food

He also quoted someone who predicted that our grandchildren will see cooking as some quaint old-fashioned practice that no one does anymore.

So, considering the amount of traffic on those recent cooking/shopping threads, I'm wondering - Do those figures seem right to you? I'm not saying that they are or they aren't. I was just really surprised. I'm significantly over those numbers. Granted, I like cooking. But still, I would have to do it whether I enjoyed it or not. David has to eat. And most of the time, just dinner takes at least 1/2 hour. Although, I do know a few people, including one of my very good friends, who say very matter-of-factly that they don't cook. So who knows?

Anyway, are you over those numbers? Or under? How much of your day is spent preparing food for your family? Do you like to cook or are you a proud non-cook? And do you think this survey is right or is it, shall we say, out to lunch?

[Stormster]

Yeah those figures seem right to me. The other sahm's i know are amazed that I cook but i'm not even sure I'm cooking.....I heat up, throw things in crock pot, occasionally grill or stir fry!

They think any time they eat home is "cooking"

Remember it's just a small proportion of the thousands of members participating in the cooking threads!

[megaphonemo]

We eat out usually 2 nights a week (one take out at home - pizza or cheese steaks and then out to a rest on Fridays) and cook the other nights. Does grilled cheese and soup night count as cooking...?? Does nuking a pack of frozen veggies count?? I think it does..... I'll admit that some nights we wish I did not cook - I am not the greatest - but still I try....

cook on!!!

[OakShannon]

Originally Posted by megaphonemo

We eat out usually 2 nights a week (one take out at home - pizza or cheese steaks and then out to a rest on Fridays) and cook the other nights. Does grilled cheese and soup night count as cooking...?? Does nuking a pack of frozen veggies count?? I think it does..... I'll admit that some nights we wish I did not cook - I am not the greatest - but still I try....

cook on!!!

LOL! I think David would definitely vote for grilled cheese!

For the purposes of the survey, they didn't include heating up a frozen pizza or something like that. You had to work with some raw ingredients. So opening up a pre-made salad and putting on bottled sauce DID fit their definition. Frozen veggies and grilled cheese count!

[loveajax]

I go on "kicks" where I will cook almost every night...but even for me cooking usually means throwing (well DH throwing) marinated meats, veggies on the grill and making minute brown rice! By the time we get home on the three days DD is in preschool/extended day, she is ready to chew my arm off!

Other times it seems like I get in a funk where we only cook two/three times a week and then have pizza, etc.

I just started a Biggest Loser type challenge where I agreed not to eat any processed foods...OMG, I never realized how much processed food I ate! It is funny how when you have to really make your own meals from scratch, it is sooooo much healthier.

Mega, I am also a "not good" cook....I really would love to be which is why I love reading the cooking threads even though they are usually "beyond" me!

[Amber76]

I definitely spend more time than that cooking. I make DS oatmeal with jarred baby fruits and veggies almost every morning (and, yes, he is too old for baby food but he gets a whole bunch of veggies because I mix it into his oatmeal and the ped said that was fine if he is eating it!). I also cook lunch most days for DS and my niece. We usually have fairly low key things, but they still require some prep and cooking. We eat dinner at home at least 5 nights a week, and I always cook that. Sometimes it's something simple like a crockpot meal, sometimes more time consuming and complicated like tamales. I cook more in seasons when we aren't at the soccer field all the time, but even during soccer I'd say I average far more than half and hour of cooking!

[Fran27]

I think 27 minutes isn't much... but yeah I'm one of those people who don't cook (dh does).

[crick]

I'm well over those numbers too. And I promise you it takes far longer than 4 minutes for my dh to clean up our kitchen. LOL!

I think the amount of time we spend on prepping and cooking is shorter because we have much better technology now and not due to Iron Chef. (Which by the way ROCKS!)

Campfire cooking days are long gone and thank goodness for that! Plus, we have things at our disposal that even our parents might not have had easy access to. Chicken or Veggie stock can come right out of that little box now instead of having to chase down the dang chicken itself and do the whole cooking process to get a measly 3 cups of broth.

So yes, time spent in the kitchen and cooking is less, but I don't think that it equals heating something up in the microwave every day either.

I don't often make meals that I can't make in 30 min. or less. That's because I don't like to cook.

Yesterday though it was snowing and cold which put me in the mood for soup. I spent time chopping up potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions. Sauteed the veggies a bit and then dumped it all in the crock pot along with my trusty box of broth. Later when it was almost done, I made a roux for thickener and added the milk. I made beer bread from Wildtree out of a box with a bottle of beer.

So no...I didn't make it from scratch and quite frankly any bread I'd make from scratch would not be edible and only used for weaponry around here. "T and Goliath" anyone? Absolutely took short cuts in this meal, but I think I still cooked it.

I don't doubt that as a society we are much more hurried and harried and people DO cook less than before. I don't think it's as bad as he makes it out to be.

I sure would like to meet the minute man kitchen cleaner though. Anyone know him???

[binkybear]

It's sad but I think those numbers are probably right for most of the country.

We share cooking...with me inside and both of us on the grill, hub is good on the grill..inside not at all.
Of all of my hubs friends he grew up with I'm the ONLY wife who cooks, only one. I kid you not when I say these families live on take out and boxed food. I know I personally spend more than 6-8 minutes a meal, but my food allergies and needing to actaully "make" my food plays into that too.

I also think a lot of the lost art of cooking falls onto family and parenting even. I don't think enough people make diet, health, cooking and food selection a priority with their kids (obvious with the generation of kids now obese and living on mainly prepackaged).

I started cooking and baking with my niece when she was able to dump flour, pasta, and other ingredients into a bowl. She might not have "gotten" it but I was talking to her about ingredients, taste, texture (in baby terms) and all. Her mom does the same. It was fun and she eats so well, always has. She makes excellent food choices now too at only 2.5. And I'll do the same with B, the boy will know how to cook!
(and how to sew a button onto a piece of clothing...iphone's not gonna do that for you)

[crick]

I just thought of something interesting with the whole "Food as a spectator sport" view.

We are huge Food Network fans as well as Top Chef and my 10 year old's favorite show is Hell's Kitchen. It makes them MORE interested in cooking and learning about food.

I wanted to clarify a bit too. I DO have pizza nights and we also do eat out some. We used to eat out once a week but that has changed as the kids are older, eat more and it gets too expensive. My youngest lives on processed food unfortunately due to his pickiness and aversion to most meats, rice, beans, and well anything healthy really. So mac n cheese out of a box...that's a staple here. Still looking for that balance for him. Ugh!

[mumofone]

I try to have home cooked meals on the table daily. We might eat out once a week, sometimes not at all. I'm no chef by any means, but I love to make meals where I can make more and freeze.

Yes, we still eat hotdogs/fries once in a while, moreso during the Summer months.

I grew up on things made from scratch...I'm nowhere near the way my mom cooks, but I'm getting there. lol

[CAToso]

My husband is a chef, so we are definitely outside the bell curve on that survey, but the results don't really surprise me overall. Most people we know (outside the restaurant industry) do a lot of heating up frozen dinners, ordering delivered food, or eating out. My best friend commonly says she doesn't cook, she re-heats.

I spend a TON of time cleaning up the kitchen, since Mr. Chef cooks at home like he does at the restaurant and practically FLINGS prep bowls and spoons to the sink.

We are really striving to buy more fresh foods and cook at home, but we probably cook "real" food maybe 3-4 dinners a week, eat out once or twice, and have something like a frozen Stouffer's lasagna or tuna helper once a week or so.

~Courtney

[angelkisses0102]

We cook and clean much more...and we use real food...for the adults more than the kiddos though. DS has feeding issues and is in therpay...and is extremely thin...so whatever he will eat, he gets. But we do still make and eat 'real food'...using fresh fruits and veggies whenever possible. DD will try anything...so we have her try what we make...although she would eat chicken nuggets for every meal if she could. We do make her homemade ones at least once a week...zap either frozen or fresh store bought ones...the other times.

DH LOVES to cook and grill...I love to cook and bake...so perhaps that helps. Also, we are both clean kitchen freaks...so we spend way more time cleaning the kitchen. But since we use the kitchen...that makes sense.

Of course we visit McD's at least once but not more than twice a week...but for kiddos only. DH and I will get take out once, maybe twice a week for dinner. We tend to go out to eat every other week after church on Saturday nights.

I even make my own lunches...protien, fresh fruit and veggies. But again I enjoy doing it...I get up a few minutes early each morning and it's done while the kids are eating breakfast.

Interesting however because where we live we are definitely the exception...even the SAHM's here go out much, much than we do.

[powderpiggy]

I LOVE cooking and baking. We definitely spend more time cooking (and cleaning the kitchen) than in the survey you presented.

Unfortunately I do not get to spend as much time as I wish cooking/baking and cooking often becomes stressful due to lack of time. I work full time and am a parent. Often my approach is to make something like a big pot of homemade soup which we can eat for a couple nights and freeze some for some busy day when I can't cook. We are members of a CSA and I am constantly looking for new recipes for vegetables I have never used before.

We rarely eat out for two reasons: 1) its expensive, and 2) its just no fun with a toddler. We live in a rural area so take out (besides pizza - no delivery here) is just not an option. I also rarely buy processed frozen foods (blech)...they are for emergency only (like if DH is out of town and I a double-timing the toddler watch and cooking).

[meghann]

I'm way over those numbers. We rarely eat any prepared or packaged foods - I'm big on knowing where my food comes from, and besides, the prepared/packaged/processed stuff is so *expensive*.

I hit the farmers market once a week for fresh produce & then cut & freeze what we won't use during the week. At any given time I have bags of chopped peppers & onions, cut green beans, and fresh tomatoes in my freezer, and I pull them out when I need them for meals. I also make all of Julia's food - nowadays she eats table food for dinner.

I would say on a daily basis I'm not too far over those numbers, but I spend a few hours every Saturday processing all the farmers market stuff, and about once a month I make tomato sauce, chicken stock, and a few batches of baby food to use for Julia's lunches. So overall my average would be much higher.