Meal preparation

As I quite often do not have the energy by teatime to cook, some time ago I wrote all our simple weekly meal recipes in detail in a note book, beef casserole, , risotto, soups etc. My husband cooks most nights and enjoys it. If I am able I do the prep earlier.

As someone else said, it depends what we are having who cooks- probably it works out 60-40 with my husband doing most of the cooking for the evening meal. We each get our own separate breakfasts and lunches as we prefer different things for those. We share the dishwasher etc

When our two sons lived at home my kitchen was stocked up like a mini Sainsburys and meals were churned out on an industrial scale ... huge Desperate Dan helpings that were wolfed down in minutes.

Now that we're retired my dream would be to waft out to a continental style market as the mood took me, handpick some locally grown produce and head home for a leisurely lunch, stopping on the way to buy a posy of violets from a smiling flower seller.
However, DH is a "3 square meals, meat n 2 veg" chap so I'm happy to let him cater accordingly, while I read him bits from Gransnet.
In return I do most of the cleaning and gardening apart from the heavy lifting.

DH cooks a couple of times a week and dishes up some tasty stuff - BUT he always underestimates how long it will take him and by the time the food arrives I'm ready to start chewing the carpet. And he uses every pan, utensil and inch of work surface. My treat during lockdown has been to buy restaurant meal boxes every few weeks, which has given us the chance to try some new and delicious things without too much work,

So bloody sad that there are so many men that don't like cooking. I blame the mothers (and fathers) for feminising cooking, like it's the woman's job in the home. OK so the men that do all the DIY (periodically) can say that they have to do it, but cooking, cleaning, washing tasks are still expected to be done by women. I think the maintenance, every day tasks should be shared, even if it's 70/30. We are such an unequal society.

In ours, I cook all the main meals, DH can prepare breakfast or lunch if I am busy with something else.
Generally I enjoy cooking and am not a bad cook, but it does become a bit monotonous day in, day out.
DH washes up after main meal so all the pots/pans etc although I try to be economical with them, do quite a bit of one-pot cooking, all the juices and flavours in one pot, then maybe some rice or pasta to accompany.
These days I try to make life as easy as possible.

Some times it is horses for courses and not being forced into roles that do not fit with you just because it is approved by the gender police.

I have always been the houshold manager, looking after the finances, house, garden and children and having an enjoyable and successful career. I have bought and sold properties, moved house and everything else

DH's job from Day 1 has required a lot of foreign travel often at only a couple of hours notice and for unknown periods of time. It was not unknown for him to go to somewhere like Egypt for 2 weeks and stay three months. All before mobile phones and the internet.

On the other hand, DH is a talented hands on engineer and builder. Over the years, he has mended cars, toys, fitted kitchens and designed and built house extensions. All things that could be picked up and put down around his absences and we have both continued to do the things that we can best do for our mutal advantage.

Of our children DD has taken after her DF. Currently they have nightly conversations discussing the bathroom refit that she is undertaking, now that she has finished making her own staircarpet and DH discusses progress on our extension that he has designed and is project managing.

Meanwhile DS and I, both chief cooks and bottle washers in our respective households swap recipes and discuss, archaeology, politics, education, archaeology, history and a whole ream of other common interests.

There is absolutely no inequality in our family, we all do what we do best. DS and I both have dyspraxia, anything practical we try and do is a disaster. Being obsessed with gender roles is so tedious and limiting.

I cook all the main meals and DH will cook himself a full English and kindly do one for me if I fancy it. I'm at home all day most of the time at the moment whereas he is either out & about here on the farm or doing jobs for others so I have plenty of time & quite enjoy cooking. A couple of times a week we have ready meals - a local girl who normally does weddings etc has got a very good business going with delicious meals which she delivers plus there's M&S and I've discovered a superb supplier of genuine Cornish pasties you can cook straight from the freezer. DH will plate up the dinner most evenings which is quite nice - waiter service to my spot on the sofa!

Mostly me....OH at weekends, however suits us both.
Ladies......I’d like to join you though in the cab, I’m on for a large Malbec or three ?

I am a good cook but OH is an excellent cook. Much more adventurous than me.
I would say we share the cooking roughly 50:50 but in the winter we both wanted to do it (I suppose it gave some routine to the boredom of lockdown) and he used to sneakily prep the veg before I got up in the morning.

My husband is retired and I make him do the cooking three times a week. We use food ingredient boxes. I have to get everything ready for him and he often interrupts me to ask where some piece of equipment is or where is the oil etc. I do the washing up but he rarely does the washing up when I cook!!

It would be such a treat to have a meal cooked for me.

My partner and I mainly eat different food, except salad and anything with chips. Home made chips only allowed once a week though.
Of course, it’s me that does all the food prep and cooking.
It does become a tad boring I must admit.

I have a friend whose husband does all the cooking. I often envy her and think to myself you lucky woman.

The ONLY advantage of being on your own is that you can do as please - cook or not cook, clean or not clean. So today I went to the Bakery down the road, got myself the best ever Ham salad roll and a jam doughnut for afters. Off to put the kettle on ......

I do it all from planning, shopping, preparation, cooking, serving. DH will go and get the click and collect order, but apart from that he does nothing.

I thoroughly resent it. In 35 years of marriage, he has learned to cook chilli con carne, and that's it.

If I ask him to cook, he will only get stuff I have previously cooked and frozen from the freezer, and will only "cook" rice, peas and sweetcorn to go with it, despite our having loads of fresh or frozen vegetables. It is ALWAYS peas and sweetcorn.

I am thoroughly fed up with it, but after 35 years I know better than to expect anything to change.

We eat very different things so we each do our own cooking. If it is something we both like, we cook to our strengths. My husband does the most magnificent breakfasts, roasts and curries. He's good at Spaghetti Bolognese too. I do the more dietary stuff!

I do it all and although I used to enjoy cooking it has become a relentless chore We will be eating out a LOT after this lockdown!

I’m truly blest being married (45 years) to an Italian chef . In fact I have to “fight” to get near the cooker if I want to cook something myself. Could be worse, I ‘spoke....

Should’ve read ‘I ‘spose’

We share it. On days I work I arrive home to a cooked meal. Other days I usually cook. When he wants curry, I cook it, but I have make a pasta dish for me.

I do 99.9% of everything in the house and I get really annoyed by it - but if I don’t “it” never happens, drives me demented!

My OH spoils me rotten. He works 12 hours a day and then comes home and cooks a meal. Every night. He finds it relaxes him. He also does all the shopping. The only time I cook is when he doesn’t feel well, which is rare, and I do my chicken and pepper dish. He cooks at weekends too wonderful meals.

LaGoulue my OH used to be a chef too, and I know what you mean by having to fight to get near the cooker. The down side is I’ve got fat and I don’t always want to eat what is cooked for me as it’s not what I fancy having. I’m just a spoilt princess ?

he often interrupts me to ask where some piece of equipment is or where is the oil etc.
My husband continually asks questions too Retired65. I mostly ignore him now and he knows to look for it. I have seen him standing beside the fridge and asking Have we any milk?
I'm amazed at how many women admit to doing most in the kitchen in spite of not wanting to.

I usually have a weekly round of a couple of takeaways, a Cook ready meal - plus a reheated 'something I cooked and froze earlier' meal. (My friend calls them UFO's.)

Therefore, If I have salad one day - I'm only really cooking twice a week - which suits me fine!

My Husband does all our cooking bless him