Do you still cook?

Yeah, I have a sort of lidded pot designed for the microwave oven.

I can dump in some rice, a can of chicken breast, a can of tomatoes and green chilis, some dried onion, and some water. Season that with pepper, chili powder, some lemon pepper. Then cook it at 40% until the rice is done, stirring halfway through.

Not really cooking, but it isn't a TV dinner.
 
I am a rebel in the kitchen, and probably your worst nightmare, unless you like creative stuff thrown together. I may put blueberries in Tuna Noodle Casserole, or peaches in scrambled eggs. I don't have any problem being adventurous, and yes, sometimes I may wonder, "What the hell was I thinking", but other times I take my taste buds on an adventure that can be quite unique, and even occasionally, pretty damn good. Either way, it's inventive.
 
I'm like you Fuzzy...I hate to cook. I've found prepared meals that I like, mostly from Costco and Walmart, but one must watch the sodium content. I try to choose ones that have the lowest. Since I will have to start following a renal diet (to stave off further progression of renal failure), I'm going to have to rely on them a lot less and do more cooking from scratch. I am not looking forward to that !

I consider myself a lazy cook, but I'm a good cook. I plan to see a nutritionist soon and will likely follow her prescribed diet as best I can. One of the easiest meals I make is salad made with frozen broccoli, microwave steamed and cooled. I add chopped egg, pickled beets or mango chunks (from frozen) and homemade Russian dressing. The dressing is easy...ketchup, mayo and a little filtered water.
 
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I entered the cooking game late in life, but now am the cook since the significant other became disabled. I had a sharp learning curve since in my school days, boys took “Shop” while girls took “Home Economics.” I learned to make crooked bookcases and ugly table lamps out of wood while girls learned cooking and sewing…you know, useful stuff! The assumption back then was that a male would always find a compliant female around who would hasten to make him a sandwich or a full meal…not true! My mother to boot was a terrible cook, and never taught me what little she knew.

I now cook at a survival level with emphasis on “convenience” foods, and heavy reliance on the microwave… 🍳
 
I love cooking and always have. Cooking for just me is so much more fun! I am not as fussy as the past men I have been involved with so I like to try new dishes. I live the keto lifestyle so to really get the most out of it I must cook whether I liked it or not. I do and cook at least two meals every day.
 
Has anyone tried one-pan meals? They are also called sheet meals, etc. For those who haven't, you cook all of your food on one pan in the oven. Taste of Home & Food Network has some recipes.

I've done sausage with peppers & potatoes which came out good. Minimal prep & clean up if you put a piece of foil on the pan to help keep it clean. Once in a while I'll poke a hole & grease will get through, but it's still an easier clean up than not using it.
 
I was a bachelor all my life. I loved to cook if where I lived had a full kitchen, but for 33 years I lived in one room with a hot plate. I would eat in during the work week, and out on weekends. My cooking then was what I called phased cooking.

First I would make a salad to eat while watching TV. Then I would boil the potato until the first commercial. Then I'd boil the veggies until the next commercial. Then cook the meat slowly and turn it at a few successive commercial breaks. I'd eat each phase while watching TV as the next phase cooked. You have to do this when you only have a one burner hot plate to cook on. But, I had a full dinner each night. You just have to be a little creative in your cooking and eating habits.

To cut down on the dishes since I had no kitchen sink, but only the bathroom one I would eat out of the pot I cooked in. I suppose this sort of cooking would be roughing it to most others. But, I discovered something interesting - if you cook and eat slowly by stretching the meal out for about an hour you don't get the hungries later and then snack on treats. Works great for the waistline.
 
fuzzybuddy said:
I live alone, and cooking is not a fun thing for me, so I nuke frozen dinners. My brother dices, chops, sautés, broils, bakes, etc. No way am I doing all that. So, do you still cook? What do you mean by "cook"?
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I do a little actual cooking once in a while. But, anymore I'm too tired to care and it's just me. I can live with prepared foods. I will sometimes make a box cake or brownies. I got the sugar free ones so I sometimes bake those up. Once in a while I make sloppy joes or spaghetti with ground beef. Mostly I just don't wanna eat leftovers for a week.
 
Blaze Duskdreamer said:
No, not an option due to severe arthritis from head to toe and digestive issues.

I love salad. I miss salad. I can no longer eat salad as anything high in fiber makes me physically and severely ill and, no, I'm not going to go into gruesome detail. Just cannot eat as healthy as I wish I could. Enough said.

The arthritis means I can't stand long enough. You can buy stools to sit at counter and stop top height but it's really not the same and you have to lean forward more so kind of negates the saving on your spine though it does your hips on down to your feet. If I chop, dice, stir, etc., etc., etc, the numerous tasks cooking involves with my arthritic hands - yikes! So not worth it.

I don't cook. Stouffeur and Marie Callender cook. I don't.

I'm also high risk for heart attack/stroke so I kind of like things like the microwave and toaster that stop and turn themselves off. If I actually use stove top or oven, I live in dread that I'll keel over before the food is done. I even use an electric kettle to boil water for tea that turns itself off.
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is that an unusual thing there ?...Every person in the UK has had an automatic kettle for decades.....I think the last time I saw a stove top kettle was when I was a kid...


BTW..you won't be surprised to learn I too have OA..and digestive issues..😑
 
Robb.hisself said:
I was a bachelor all my life. I loved to cook if where I lived had a full kitchen, but for 33 years I lived in one room with a hot plate. I would eat in during the work week, and out on weekends. My cooking then was what I called phased cooking.

First I would make a salad to eat while watching TV. Then I would boil the potato until the first commercial. Then I'd boil the veggies until the next commercial. Then cook the meat slowly and turn it at a few successive commercial breaks. I'd eat each phase while watching TV as the next phase cooked. You have to do this when you only have a one burner hot plate to cook on. But, I had a full dinner each night. You just have to be a little creative in your cooking and eating habits.

To cut down on the dishes since I had no kitchen sink, but only the bathroom one I would eat out of the pot I cooked in. I suppose this sort of cooking would be roughing it to most others. But, I discovered something interesting - if you cook and eat slowly by stretching the meal out for about an hour you don't get the hungries later and then snack on treats. Works great for the waistline.
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Congratulations, you are the first person I heard of that will go through such an "ingenious" way to make a whole meal for themselve!!! and not just eat out and or junk food(y) And on top finding a way to clean your dishes!
 
OneEyedDiva said:
I'm like you Fuzzy...I hate to cook. I've found prepared meals that I like, mostly from Costco and Walmart, but one must watch the sodium content. I try to choose ones that have the lowest. Since I will have to start following a renal diet (to stave off further progression of renal failure), I'm going to have to rely on them a lot less and do more cooking from scratch. I am not looking forward to that !

I consider myself a lazy cook, but I'm a good cook. I plan to see a nutritionist soon and will likely follow her prescribed diet as best I can. One of the easiest meals I make is salad made with frozen broccoli, microwave steamed and cooled. I add chopped egg, pickled beets or mango chunks (from frozen) and homemade Russian dressing. The dressing is easy...ketchup, mayo and a little filtered water.
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Once you get into the habit of it @OneEyedDiva you may well find you enjoy cooking. Things like slow cookers and airfryers make cooking much easier too.

Your salad sounds really nice and similar to the ones I make; grains, protein, vegetables, a simple homemade dressing (natural yoghurt, lemon juice, favourite herbs and perhaps a little garlic), maybe some croutons and a sprinkle of cheese and a chunk of crusty bread.

I wish you well with your new eating plan (y) :)
 
I clean my hot water pot with a few teaspoons of vinegar boiled in a full pot of water, then cleaned well about twice a year. I like mine since it works faster than our old electric stove.

What cookies are you planning to bake for Christmas?
 
hollydolly said:
is that an unusual thing there ?...Every person in the UK has had an automatic kettle for decades.....I think the last time I saw a stove top kettle was when I was a kid...


BTW..you won't be surprised to learn I too have OA..and digestive issues..😑
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Until recently. It seems to be catching on. Especially as there's an option between the traditional looking ceramic ones - I noticed when I went looking that there seemed to be a lot in the UK and nothing new - and really mad ultra modern looking all glass and chrome.

I got stuck on loving them when my daughter gave me one for Christmas that actually glowed blue until it turned itself off so even if you're deaf, you'd know but that one died quickly and I've now got one that is just perfect in between the ceramic traditional thing, glass and chrome but also a lot of just plain back. Seems to be lasting longer. No glowing blue lights and not so big as that one was.

It perfectly holds and boils a 16 oz water bottle. I think one thing that killed the other was that I wasn't always using bottled water and the water in my village is hard so now I only use bottled water and the kettle seems to be lasting.

I wonder a lot how connected health problems are to childhood neglect/abuse/poverty. I've suffered from seasonal allergies and a severe allergy to perfume all my life and have read that poor nutrition in childhood contribute to those big time and we were half starved all my childhood. Can't help but wonder if it also contriubutes to digestive issues.

The arthritis is actually caused by an underlying bone disease that's degenerative and incurable. Words you just love to hear. I suspect it's genetic as I can remember my grandmother going from limping to cane to walker over my childhood and my grandson watched me do the same over the course of his. Only difference is I lived to the powerchair stage and she didn't. But I can't really confirm it or even know if she was diagnosed with the same because no one ever told me.

Also earlier times, they didn't know. It's possible she had the bone disease and it wasn't yet known. I and doctors surmise that I likely had juvenile arthritis when I was a kid based on I limped and couldn't run as fast as the other kids and I was always complaining that my bones hurt as far back as I remember but got brushed off as that's just growing pains. In the 60s, they didn't really diagnose JA unless it was so severe a kid couldn't walk. I was first diagnosed with a mild arthritis at 17.

I did have one doctor ask about childhood injuries because apparently breaking a limb or something can lead to arthritis later in life also but I immediately regretted answering honestly no broken bones or anything but my parents were child beaters when the man paled and blanched then tried to hide his shock at my blunt honesty.

This was in my 40's. He did state that while I was early with it, given that I'd had it at least since I was 17, I was right on course for its growing more severe. While it was more normal in 60s or 70s, that's because people usually start having those aches in pains in 30s or 40s, not limping as a child.
 
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