Do you cook your own food?

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Do you cook your own food? If you do, are the meals very simple? Or can they be complicated ones? Do you only have a small set of seasonings in your kitchen that you know how to use, or do you have a good collection of them? Do you prefer to cook things by boiling, frying on a pan or perhaps putting things in the oven? Are there some ingredents that you simply refuse to deal with for one reason or the other? What is your opinion on those meals that you can just buy from store and heat in a microwave or oven? Do you use them often, just from time to time or not at all? If you use them then when do you do so and why? If you don't, then why not?

When it comes to cooking, I learned some very basic things far later than an average person my age does around here. I didn't do well in home economics class because I wanted to follow the recipe literally and had no idea how to improvise when it came to cooking. Aside from another autistic girl in my class, who may have been even worse off than me, couln't understand how someone could not even use seasonings without strict instructions.

When I still lived with my parents, I sometimes cooked, but it was very rare and even then I usually ended up asking help from my mom or my sisters. When I moved out (because I needed acces to public transport), I only knew some very, very basic things when it came to cooking. Fortunately I managed to move in with a relative and lived with her for year and half, and during that time she taught me a lot about cooking (among other things that one needs to know to maintain a place of their own.)

By the time I moved to actually live on my own, the amount of different food I could prepare had more than doubled. Of course even now I have to look at the recipes sometimes, but I no longer need to ask for help the way I used to. And after starting to live alone I got fresh motivation to learn to cook new things by just following a cooking book (I have a good one with very simple recipes that I got from junior high.) Now I don't even have to follow it literally anymore; it's not a problem if I lack a certain spice or if the recipe says three deciliters of flour and I end up putting in a bit more or bit less (scooping up the exact amount is hard after all.)

As for the actual details, there are around 13 different foods that I can prepare without looking at recipes at all or barely looking at them. I can also make different variations about most of these and when I'm the one who cooks I usually cook one of the 13 (there might be a few more that I'm cabable of making yet haven't in a while so I've forgotten.) My current favorite among the food that I can make on my own is sausage sauce, simply because I love to experiment on seasonings and if I mess up I can more or less cover it up with some extra ketchup.

Recently I've also gotten in to baking; I even made a cake for my father yesterday (well, mom helped.) My name day and birthday are also coming up, so I'm thinking of trying something new: I plan to use sugar mass (or marzipan) in making a cake. Haven't dealt with those before and am honestly a bit nervous about it, but I want to try 'cause I've seen many cool looking ones (and I kind of want to impress my mom who never makes them because she thinks they're too troublesome.)

And when it comes to eating food that only needs to be heated, I do that, too. I try to keep that to minimum for both health and financial reasons, but I also try to keep one or two meals in my fridge or freezer in case I'll be unexpectedly busy some day or am just feeling really lazy. I think I use those once every two weeks, sometimes once a week. When I do, it's usually noodels or pizza (there was this one time I was really hungry and did both, though.)

So how about everyone else? Do you cook your own food, buy food that only needs to be heated or does someone else cook for you? All of the above?

My apologies if this should've gone to the Random discussion -section, but I think that it fits here since cooking tends to include lot of improvising and multitasking, which are usually hard for autistic people from what I've seen and cooking in general seems to be a problem for some of us (like me.)

I do a lot of cooking. I like to use those microwave meals at lunchtime, as I hold down a full time job and can't spend a lot of time making lunch. I also like to buy food on sale. I recently bought three chicken halves for just 79 cents a pound. I seared it on the stove top and then baked it in the oven. The marinade got better with time, so the third one was best. When I bake something in the oven I usually try to cook something else like cookies or brownies. I am usually pretty good at using just about everything I buy. An item bought on sale isn't a bargain if it spoils before it can be used.

I like to cook, though I certainly wouldn't call myself a chef.
I met one of my best friends about ten years ago, he was an amazing chef. He cooked for three different presidents in the Whitehouse. He used to keep a sign in his kitchen that said: "both love and cooking should be approached with reckless abandon", attributed to the dalai lama. So I try to keep that in mind in the kitchen.
One of my last girlfriends was a vegan, and I ended up being a stay at home stepdad with her son for a while and started cooking then.
I can really only do a couple of meals, and they're pretty simple. I think of them as a theme and variations.
Basically potatoes, some random veggies, mushrooms, a little onion, fried up with eggs, fish beans, something. Started throwing in different herbs and spices to see how it goes. Usually works out pretty well.
Another one I've been making the last couple of years is the same sort of random fried veggies, plus a bit of ground meat and spices mixed in with macaroni and cheese.
Can do a couple of soups and a really good shepherds pie as well.
I'm not able to cook where I'm at right now which really messes up my head.

I do almost all of my cooking. I am hypoglycemic which means I can't eat anything that has white sugar or white flour in it. And since most everything in the grocery store has one or the other, usually both, (at least in the US), that means I have to make things from scratch like pizza, bread, barbecued pork, and so on. For me, there is no way I could remember all the ingredients and steps in what I make so I keep the recipes in a loose leaf notebook (word processed and printed out) for handy reference. I don't think the things I made are that complicated but I do make a variety of dishes. I just finished eating chicken chili, before that was cheeseburger macaroni. I also bake fish frequently, tilapia, cod, salmon, etc. And I make vegetarian dishes using tofu and TVP occassionally as well.

If anyone would care for some recipes, pm me. I am in the US where me measure with teaspoons and cups but I could help with translating. I wish we used the metric system too I can't change a whole country.

I cook a lot for myself because I'm gluten and dairy intolerant. I can't always find the motivation or physical strength though. I like to make a stew with potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, bell peppers, lentils, raw cider vinegar and dried spices and herbs in it. I fry the onion first, then add garlic and peppers to fry a bit longer, then add all the other ingredients and water and cook for an hour. I don't always make a lot of variety because I prefer organic ingredients and most vegetables aren't available in the shops here in organic versions.

When I'm feeling under the weather I make something like boiled rice with garden peas in one pan. Or cut up one big potato and fry it in a pan. Or if I'm really not up to it I will reheat some frozen French fries. I also try to keep some old stew leftovers in tubs in the freezer for times I want a quick fix. I've also started sprinkling nutritional yeast onto finished stews and soups and French fries, and putting it in lots of dishes because it is a complete protein and has high B vitamin content and is considered a super food by some people as it improves your immunity against infections. It tastes like a mild cheese.

One of the tricks to dealing with weights and measures is to weigh things like flour with a precision scale. Flour is hard to measure by volume, so you are better off weighing it.

I have a rotating meal schedule that I've designed for myself and quite the strict routine (obviously for an ASD) that I follow. I wouldn't say that it's entirely healthy but on the whole pretty good. It's a combination of cooking for myself and eating out at restaurants that aren't crowded so I don't stim excessively. I choose the hours I go to those restaurants and eating establishments very carefully for that reason. Too many people will make me very uneasy and I won't be able to enjoy the meal. The less people (NTs), the better. But that rule applies to every situation for me.

Many of the foods and meals that I cook myself are designed around my incontinence to simply help me manage it better for medical reasons. Lots of fiber and water whenever I can. I'm a typical Autistic in that I have incontinence and gastro-intestinal issues to worry about. Precise selection of what I eat has ALWAYS been a top priority. Good thing I have the high-functioning aspect to Autism (Asperger's) to help me remember everything I like to eat as well as what my body can tolerate.

I'm also hypoglycemic, lactose intolerant and I have a stomach ulcer too. My selection of food has to be VERY carefully managed for all of these reasons. It's a wonder that I can eat at all actually.

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*** High Functioning Autism - Asperger's Syndrome ***

ADHD, OCD, and PTSD.

Keep calm and stim away.

I can cook---but I tend to make what my wife calls "bachelor meals."

I guess I'm a bit more than a "basic" cook.

If I had a kid, I could make sure he/she is properly nourished.

I can make steak, hamburger, fried chicken, French fries, other sorts of meats, pasta, rice, vegetables.

If someone demands gourmet meals, I wouldn't be able to fulfill him/her.

I cook my own food all the time. I live by my self and don't have anyone to cook for me. I'd say that cooking has become quite a special interest for me. I love to cook and I am quite an excellent cook. I use lots of different ingredients and spices to make varied meals every week.

I have been cooking for about 6 years or so, since I was 18. I use to eat a lot of frozen processed food from the store, but not anymore. I hardly ever do. I always make a good a healthy meal and have the leftovers for lunch and dinner over the next few days. Occasionally I eat out and get a cheeseburger and tater tots or a pizza.

I am a very basic cook. I'm very much a chuck it all into one casserole dish/frying pan or saucepan person. For me the fewer the instructions and ingredients to deal with the better.

Do you cook your own food? Sometimes, but not often.


If you do, are the meals very simple? Or can they be complicated ones? Simple


Do you only have a small set of seasonings in your kitchen that you know how to use, or do you have a good collection of them? Small set


Do you prefer to cook things by boiling, frying on a pan or perhaps putting things in the oven? It depends on the type of food -- frozen pizza needs to be cooked in the oven, so I don't have any options with that. Potatoes can be cooked in any kind of way, but I prefer to put them in the microwave. Pancakes & french toast must be made in a fry pan after mixing the batter in a separate bowl. Jello must be made with boiling water -- can boil it in a pan or microwave, but prefer the pan, because my microwave is above eye level & it is difficult for me to get the hot water out without burning myself or spilling the water.


Are there some ingredients that you simply refuse to deal with for one reason or the other? Yes


What is your opinion on those meals that you can just buy from store and heat in a microwave or oven? Do you use them often, just from time to time or not at all? If you use them then when do you do so and why? If you don't, then why not? I like some microwavable meals, even though they are not nutritious. I grew up only eating those kinds of fast foods, except on major holidays. No one was around to cook or teach me how to cook. Now I include fresh foods in my diet more often. I don't want to be unhealthy like my relatives, so make sure to not intake a lot more food than my body needs to live. Have never been overweight, but all my relatives are, and many of them are no longer alive. Their lives were very sedentary. I am a lot more active, so must keep my body in better health so I can function better with my activities.

LOL define cook. If you mean throw it in the microwave until hot then yeah I guess so.

I cook simple meals for myself, and I prefer meals that are cooked in a slow cooker or an oven.

When I'm feeling well, yes I do, and am trying to go organic these days.
I love chicken and rice, and linguine with white clam sauce.
When I'm too busy, I eat out. I love sushi and Japanese fried rice and noodles.
When I'm not feeling so well like tonight ... it's almost bedtime so I'm going to have chocolate coconut milk for dinner with maybe some rice krispies cereal. (Getting over a cold, no appetite.)

I cook my own food, and I enjoy cooking, although, I far more enjoy baking.

I cook with fresh ingredients, as opposed to processed, and the meals I make are simple, as opposed to anything elaborate. I cook basic meals, for the most part, ie; fish, vegetables, salad, red, black or brown rice (as they aren't starchy, and I don't do well with starchy or glutinous foods) and vegetable tacos with homemade corn tortillas, chips, salsa and guacamole. I also like to make on occasion, Persian chicken kebab, Asian chicken salad, roasted chicken, chicken tacos, or, my Mom's chicken chili on the very rare occasion, as it is a bit of a production. I only have the spices of which I use in the dishes I make, and I normally, only use fresh, ground pepper, smoked pepper, fresh and dried herbs, and lemon juice, depending on the dish I'm making. I prefer to taste the flavors of the actual food I am eating, as opposed to overpowering it with spices and whatnot. I cannot stand the taste of salt, and only have it on hand, for baking. I cook most of my food on a grill, or in my oven.

^^^ I had a feeling you were a good cook......