How much time do you spend cooking?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-04-2003
How much time do you spend cooking?
9
Sat, 08-02-2008 - 8:42pm

I have been anti-cooking for about a month, just dragged down by how long it takes me to get the new recipes together, shop, plan, cook, serve, clean up, etc.....


I am wondering how long everyone spends in the kitchen preparing and cooking each meal? Mainly dinner, as I know breakfast and lunch are generally easier meals.


So, how long are you spending in the kitchen each evening cooking dinner?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2006
Sat, 08-02-2008 - 8:50pm

For me, a typical meal takes about 20 minutes or less to prepare. It's the clean up that bothers me the most! That's why I love to grill as much as possible...very few or no pans to clean!


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iVillage Member
Registered: 05-04-2003
Sat, 08-02-2008 - 9:05pm

20 minutes to prepare but then do you have to just put it in the oven? Or does that include cooking time? I really am not a fan of standing in the kitchen tied to the stove, stirring, etc -


And my kids run WILD and if I have to stop to discipline, change, supervise - I've ruined many a meal that way

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2006
Sat, 08-02-2008 - 9:26pm

It really varies A LOT -

I meal plan every Friday, that usually takes about 30-45min to search the web for new recipes, write a list, etc.

We grocery shop on Saturday as a family, that usually takes about 1.5hrs total (drive time, unloading, etc.) My kids do most of the unloading and putting stuff away now though.

Cooking it self - well, some nights it may be an hour - other nights 20min. At least one night a week we do a "no cook" meal (rotisserie chicken on salad or brown rice sushi I picked up at the store). And then we go out at least 2 nights per week, so I only actually "cook" 3-4 nights.

I actually really like cooking though. Its like a "treat" for me to put on my favorite apron, crank up the music on the kitchen speakers, pour myself a glass of wine and then start exploring and creating. I actually wish I could cook more nights, but with school I am just too busy/tired to cook as much as I'd like. During the semester, dh and I would do Sunday afternoon cooking sessions together to make meals for the whole week that we could just reheat (soups, casseroles, etc.) Again, we'd pop open a bottle of wine, put on the music and have fun cooking together for a few hours. I actually would really look forward to every week. I grew up in an Italian family where EVERYTHING was homemade and my grandma and the other women would spend hours a day laughing, drinking, etc. in the kitchen. Cooking/being in the kitchen is kind of a social thing to me and was always a huge part of my life. Some of my best childhood memories are cooking with my mom/grandma.

I'm also lucky because my kids are 7 and 10, so they know better than to bother me while I am cooking. That time of day they are usually playing out in the cul de sac with friends or up in their rooms doing homework. My ds (10) is actually getting VERY into cooking and watches Food Network all day long! So enjoys helping a lot.

Clean up - the kids are starting to help with that too, or dh does it. The rule in our house is whoever cooks does NOT have to clean up! They clear the table, load the dishwasher before bed and unload it in the morning after breakfast. So I don't have to spend too much time on that.



















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Edited 8/2/2008 11:34 pm ET by firebird_mom


belizesig1
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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-20-2007
Sat, 08-02-2008 - 11:13pm

Well, since it's summer, I have more time to for cooking. I've also NEVER cooked as much as I

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-01-2004
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 5:22am

I usually don't spend more than 20 or 30 minutes cooking dinner.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-17-2007
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 10:21am

I spend probably 20-30 minutes prep time for lunch and dinner.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-07-2007
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 3:07pm

I also usually spend just 20-30 minutes a night cooking dinner, including in the oven time.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 8:14pm

so variable. cooking is a hobby of mine. I could spend a few hours or i could do all the cooking on a day off and just heat up. Today i made a pea soup and cooked veggies and freh tuna on the grill. they will be fine to eat tomorrow night, so no cooking tomorrow.

Since cooking is a hobby for me, not fair to answer. I do like to cook in advance, so if I am tired after work, I can just heat up. Time is not a consideration for me unless I am really tired. Then I might just have a can of black bean soup.

I wish I had a guy to cook for and then i would double my cooking time, happily. leila

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-02-2008
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 8:32pm

As little as possible.

I usually try to remember to cook up some chicken on Sundays - at the very least I can use that for lunches during the week. Lately, I've been stuck at work until late so dinner has been ordered for us. I'm trying to get back into actually cooking on occasion.

If I've remembered to cook chicken before hand, it'll take me less than 10 minutes to cook dinner. I heat up the chicken throw some BBQ Sauce, Ranch, or salsa on it and heat up some kind of veggie or dump the chicken on spinach and have a salad.








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