What do you do whilst cooking dinner ?

There's no tv in the kitchen so it's where I like to play a cd.....yes I know I should move with the times but I still like cds I always clear up as I'm cooking. I like a tidy kitchen. I record the chase for later so that I can skip the adverts.

If it’s just for a few minutes, then I’ll just stay in the kitchen and do word puzzles. I’ll put the timer on my phone on for various items I’m cooking and every time I have to go in the kitchen to check things if there’s not long enough to go and sit in the lounge then I will just do the puzzles. I do Words With Friends, Wordscape and Wordle.

I haven't cooked dinner in 20 years, but as I recall I used to clean the kitchen or fold laundry

Baggs

Once everything is cooking and the table's set, I sit down, put my feet on the horizontal cooker door handle and read a book. Might sip some wine while I'm at it.

What a lovely picture you paint Baggs

I imagine you have a large old country-style kitchen with an Aga - I wouldn't be able to swing my legs up onto the cooker in my little urban kitchen!

I like a glass of wine when preparing and cooking in the evening, and no not only when cooking special occasion dinners.

And I definitely wouldn't burn, drop or have a disaster whilst enjoying a glass of wine!

I’m surprised about the amount of slurping whilst cooking.
I occasionally like a drink with a meal, but imagine those that drink whilst cooking are meaning just whilst cooking special occasion dinners, not a regular thing?
If I drink whilst cooking a “special” meal (infrequent) I would probably burn or drop it, or have some similar disaster, especially when expecting guests.

At other times I would be worried that drinking every time whilst I was waiting for a meal to cook could be, er…………habit forming.

The sort of food I cook now needs me to stand over it so I often put my favourtite playlist on spotify and sing to it and drink a mixture of red wine and soda. It all helps!

Listen to some music, have a glass of dry white do some of the jigsaw puzzle on the go in the kitchen at the moment. Meanwhile, as DH is making a superb recovery, he is doing the cooking again, something he enjoys since retirement and joins me to add a few pieces to the jigsaw. Once cooked we sit at the table and eat. I do the clearing up then we finish off with a small coffee.

Watch the news

Depends what is cooking and how much attention it needs. Watch TV, have a 🍷, clean up, empty/fill the dishwasher, 'microwave' the plates to heat them. I can't go too far if something needs attention as I'm likely to forget I've got something cooking until smoke from the kitchen reminds me.

Once it is all cooking, I clear up, do a jigsaw if one is on the go, or do word puzzles in the newspaper, or look at Pointless or Flog it or whatever DH is watching.
If I need to stand over it, ClassicFM is on. These days I get tired if I have to stand and cook for too long, but tend to avoid putting the oven on, except for Sunday dinner- back to my Mum’s habits.

I tell Alexa to play Italian songs,especially if I’m preparing an
Italian dish.Sometimes I tell Alexa to play French songs,like
Franchoise Hardy.It really gets me in the mood for cooking.

Anything I like! DH does the cooking. Usually DH listens to Radio 4 in the kitchen but on Saturdays we have Radio 6 and Craig Charles's "funk" music show. And tonight DH has made Kir Royale drinks for a pre-meal treat.

It's Saturday night so I will have a glass of wine 🍷

I can feed the dog, wash up, empty dish washer wipe floor, all before the kettle has boiled
😁

We have a new kettle mistymitts and it's very speedy, I barely have time to make a piece of toast!

All the little odd jobs, and listen to radio, also have a glass of wine, drying up, hanging up laundry, sudoku. It always amuses me when DH makes a cup of tea, he will stand by the kettle waiting for it to boil. I can feed the dog, wash up, empty dish washer wipe floor, all before the kettle has boiled.

Sit on the sofa with a drink and GN while my husband does the cooking. I am the washer upper, he does tend to use a lot of utensils.

Mokeswife

I'm amazed at the number of people here with TVs in their kitchens! I listen to Radio 4 News - on the radio!!

If I watch TV in the kitchen (rarely) it is on my iPad on a stand where it is safely out of harm's way. You don't need an actual TV nowadays - even a phone will do.

A large glass of red🙂

Listen to Classic FM/empty & load dishwasher/clean worktops/empty & load washer/text/e-mail/recycle containers. It’s boring, but I want to get it done so I can sit down after the meal!

Kitchen/dining room and living room with TV all in one large open plan room.

Get everything sorted and in the oven I usually oven cook as we have an aga[That we inherited but has to be used to justify using the oil then make a coffee and watch the 6 o'clock news.

Radio 4 while cooking then Channel Four News while eating at 7pm.

Have a G & T and play Words with Friends in my phone.

My kitchen and living room are open plan so I usually watch the TV whilst listening for the timer or pans boiling over.
I tend to get things ready in advance so don't have a very long time standing actually cooking. (Or I do something in the oven).
In the summer we often take the air fryer outside and sit with a drink out there.

I knock about in the kitchen with a book, newspaper, crossword puzzle or the like but mostly I put the dried crockery away from the last 'wash up' in order to clear the decks, as it were. It doesn't stay clear for long, does it?