Jump to content

Making your own meals vs eating out/getting takeout


swirl_of_blue

Do you cook most of your meals?  

87 members have voted

  1. 1. Do you buy your food ready-to-eat, or do you cook your own meals?

    • I almost never cook - I eat my meals at a cafeteria, restaurant, diner etc or grab takeout.
      8
    • I don't really cook myself, but I do get microwave meals or other things that I simply need to heat up, or at the most just something I need to add hot water into.
      15
    • I cook, but not the whole meal: I might make my mashed potatoes from scratch, but get the meatballs from the store.
      19
    • I make most of my meals myself, but do use marinated meats, ready-made sauces and other things to speed up cooking.
      33
    • I tend to make everything from scratch, only buying the ingredients. Fresh, if possible!
      33
  2. 2. If you do very little cooking, what is the reason for that? Or even if you do cook yourself, what are the reasons you sometimes buy something ready-to-eat?

    • I'm a bad cook or lack ideas of what to make.
      14
    • Eating food someone else has made is quicker and easier, so why would I cook myself?
      22
    • Getting quality ingredients is too expensive or the stores don't have a good selection of the things I would like to buy.
      17
    • I've never even considered doing much of my own cooking - it's simply not something I was brought up to do.
      6
    • I would like to cook more, but I don't have the time.
      18
    • I actually never buy any ready-made food, or do it extremely rarely.
      31
  3. 3. Did/do your parents often cook at home?

    • Most of the days, so I grew up with homecooked food.
      61
    • Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It really depended on how busy my parents were/are.
      25
    • Almost never - takeout or eating out was/is everyday for us.
      4

This poll is closed to new votes


Recommended Posts

Ruru+Saphhy=Garnet

I almost always make my own meals.

I do takeout sometimes, but I mostly prefer cooking my own food.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, miettaisace said:

make your own meals its fun and healthy aye

Yeah no, I won't enter the kitchen with cooking intentions after a 12hr shift at 11pm tyvm. Also I never thought of cooking as fun; it's annoying af *scratches head*

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm lucky to live in one of the countries with the most diverse foods one could ever find, so I definitely love cooking! I ate the most delicious foods at home, cooked by my dad, my grandparents, my siblings, my friends... I love cooking and making up recipes, see what will get out of pans and pots after I'm done experimenting :) And it's also way healthier to make your own food than to buy already cooked meals. And it tastes better. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Store prices are ripoff prices not to mention all the crap they put in most foods these days. Salt and artificial sugar are massive offenders on that list. I just prefer to grow a year's worth of stuff in a garden. I don't hunt, and likely never will unless my survival depended on it, but I occassionally make deals on meat with hunters in my local area. I'm no master chef but I learn as I go. 

Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, Grinchmer said:

Yeah no, I won't enter the kitchen with cooking intentions after a 12hr shift at 11pm tyvm. Also I never thought of cooking as fun; it's annoying af *scratches head*

cook before and put your meal in the fridge. 

 

you say its annoying because youre bad at it...thats why people who are out of shape hate working out. if you practise then youll learn to love it aye 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I am far too lazy to do anything more strenuous than pushing microwave buttons

Link to post
Share on other sites
Alejandrogynous

I wasn't sure how far to take these questions, like I love to cook but I still buy dried grains and pasta from the store? I make all of my own sauces though. And I use a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables.


I cook because I enjoy it, but also because it's cheaper and eating processed foods and takeout is unhealthy and makes me feel disgusting. I do it sometimes when I'm in a pinch but mostly I cook at home. I like bulk cooking and stocking my freezer too so I always have something even when I'm exhausted.


Growing up, my mom was a single parent who worked multiple jobs so home-cooked meals were a treat when they happened. Mostly we kids fended for ourselves with instant stuff. Hot dogs and boxed mac'ncheese, yup.

Link to post
Share on other sites
7 hours ago, miettaisace said:

you say its annoying because youre bad at it...thats why people who are out of shape hate working out. if you practise then youll learn to love it aye 

I can figure out whether something is (not) for me quite quickly. Sometimes there are things you're not good at in the beginning, but they're interesting or fun enough to keep trying. Sometimes there are things that are just OMFG leave me alone with that annoying bs.

 

For me, cooking is (and has always been) the latter. I'm a hate cook :D

Link to post
Share on other sites

i cook for myself but wouldn't say that i cook from scratch. sometimes uses frozen vegetables but i do like chopping vegetables. i don't do ready made meals though and i rarely do takeaways or restaurants, really only if i am away would i do a restaurant (or the christmas work party last week)

 

my mother cooked growing up and we never had takeaways, a lot of time the money would be just near enough for ingredients to the food so preprepared food would have been a luxury that would have put us in the red.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I once made noodles from scratch that turned out pretty good because my great-grandma had a recipe and showed me how to make them. I totally forgot how we made them though, and my great-grandma has been dead since 2011 so I obviously can’t ask her...

 

A few months ago I got a whole chicken for only $4. I ended up making broth out of the carcass when I was done eating the meat. :D 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I cook usually, but only simple things like spaghetti with usually ready made sauce (though if I get bored of pesto, I'll make the sauce myself) or thin pancakes with eggs, sometimes if I have classes before and after lunch time I'll eat in a cafeteria, because it's practical, and sometimes I just get pizza, if I'm in the mood for pizza.. 

I don't usually cook completely from scratch and don't cook difficult things, because I usually don't get up to cook until I'm hungry, at which point I don't want to wait for the food to be ready... 

Link to post
Share on other sites
Alejandrogynous
3 hours ago, Gloomy said:

A few months ago I got a whole chicken for only $4. I ended up making broth out of the carcass when I was done eating the meat. :D 

I love doing this! I also save all of my vegetable scraps in a bag in my freezer and when I have enough, I use them to make stock. So easy and tastes way better than store bought. :)

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 12/28/2017 at 11:40 AM, Ruru+Saphhy=Garnet said:

I almost always make my own meals.

I do takeout sometimes, but I mostly prefer cooking my own food.

 

^this.

 

I cook at least 6 days a week.  I actually love to cook and try new recipes.  Eating out is a rarity. I might grab a quick bite (fast food) if I'm traveling or had a long day. And I treat myself to one very nice meal out every month. In Flagstaff, there are a lot of farm-to-table style restaurants that use local, fresh ingredients and menus with options to accommodate a variety of dietary needs, from gluten-free to vegan. I've pretty much tried them all and love that every time I go back the menu is different - based on what's "in season". :) 

Link to post
Share on other sites
Knight of Cydonia

Canadian here, make almost all of my own food. Getting takeout is reserved for days when I really, really don't feel like cooking, and going out to a restaurant is for special occasions.

 

Cooking my own meals obviously takes time, which is the downside, and I don't particularly enjoy cooking that much. But, it's far cheaper than the alternative, and I feel better and healthier about it!

Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm not a natural cook. I have a difficult time with it for some reason and I don't enjoy it. I am actually jealous of people who are amazingly good cooks. I have honestly tried to get into it at various times in my life but haven't been very successful at it. I have trouble even just finding things I need for recipes when I go to the supermarket. I even had to watch the YouTube tutorial on how to mash an avocado. I am clueless. Anyhow, these days I usually just heat up water for tea or hot cocoa and have something like a bagel or a pop tart at  home which is fine with me. I'm not a big eater.

 

My mom cooked when we were little but after my parents got divorced we mostly just ate junk food and take out.

Link to post
Share on other sites

It’s a chore for me really and I just eat when I start feeling shitty because I know I should.  A lot of eggs because they’re easy and quick to make, but I’m certainly not above eating salt and vinegar chips instead if they’re on hand.

Link to post
Share on other sites
everywhere and nowhere

I generally eat at home. Eating out regurarly would be too expensive.

I cook and... well... I don't love cooking - I pefer eating ;) - but I'm not averse to cooking either.

On the other hand, sometimes I eat instant soups because I don't have time to prepare something more time-consuming.

There are things I can't prepare myself - for example, I can't turn a pancake/crepe over. So sometimes I buy "empty" pancakes (but they are hard to get), sometimes my mom makes a few for me and I prepare the filling... (I like, for example, pancakes with vegetables and scrambled egg and that isn't something you'd get ready-made.)

However, in some cases preparing the food myself is better for many reasons. For example, I'd never eat anything that cointains meat. I also don't drink any alcohol at all, so cooking my own risotto ensures that it's prepared without wine. I'm also rather picky and prefer dishes completely without onions. There are also some things I can't eat because of my allergy - I eat some stuff I know I'm somewhat allergic to because with my number of allergens, avoiding all of them would probably mean living on water only... ;) But I take care to avoid more risky things: peanuts, sesame, goat milk...

I like vegetable spreads for breakfast and there are more and more of them, but not all are good to try. For example, I'll have to make my own hummus so that it's sesame-free. I'd also like to try tofu paste, but all of the available ones containt things I don't like: red peppers, or vinegar - and I have an extremely strong negative reaction to the smell of vinegar, in the "right" concentration it immediately induces gag reflex in me. Sometimes I eat ready-made vegetable spreads, but I also make my own sometimes: lentils and carrot, millet and tomatoes...

My parents usually cooked at home. Since for the last six years of his life my father was unable to work, he spent a lot of time at home and usually he was the one to cook. Already fairly disabled (for example, he had a lot of trouble standing up from an armchair and sometimes had to get down on the floor, position himself in front of the armchair and stand up holding it with his hands), but still nimble enough to turn pancakes over by throwing them up in the air. I absolutely can't do it, I even have trouble turning a pancake over with a kitchen spatula...

I'm not sure about my mom's current cooking habits because I don't live with her... But from time to time I visit her and we (her, me and her husband) make some foor together. For example we make some stew with carrots, zucchini (preferably both yellow and green), string beans (preferably both yellow and green, too), tomatoes (preferably at least two different colors) and spices, them they add meat to their part :( and I take my part home and add soy cubes.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I still live with my parents, so they cook all the food. When I go to my University, I eat in the canteen and at home, I eat frozen food I brought from home. If I have to cook, I can cook. I cook the rice, the sparghetti... Occasionally, I also cook meat or fish if I have nothing frozen.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 weeks later...

I grew up in a pretty poor family, so we ate home cooked meals every night (despite my mum working a full time job, bless her), and now I always try to cook from scratch (or as scratch as I can make it) my issue is that I live with a flatmate, but often only cook for myself, so I find that if I do want to make something completely from scratch eg. salsa for burritos, I end up wasting ingredients, because what's left over I often don't end up using until it's out of date :/ it's a pain, but I'm slowly teaching myself how to waste less (since it's my biggest pet peeve!)

I honestly don't know how people can eat out every night without crying over how much cheaper it is to make the exact same food at home! I get the appeal, every now and again I like to eat out and just relax and enjoy a meal, but I always find it hard to actually spend £7/8 on a meal that would cost me £2/3 to make! :P

Link to post
Share on other sites

I cook my own meals, and grew up with homecooked meals. Eating out is too expensive, salty, and greasy for a regular source of food.

 

I used to cook fairly good and elaborate meals, but depression,  exhaustion, and inability to afford a place with proper kitchen and food storage space has sucked most of the joy out of cooking for me these days. So, I end up with a lot of hasty and mediocre meals, with only myself to blame. At least it's cheapish, and I have good access to a weekly farmers' market.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Depends on how busy I am, but usually I try to only eat out once a week at most.  Most days I'll make microwave meals or similar because it's easy, but I will also cook for myself a few times a week as well.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 9 months later...

I'm a fan of the restaurant experience. Otherwise I usually cook from scratch, although I have gone through my fair share of grocery store rotisserie chickens.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...

@swirl_of_blue

 

This poll is being locked and moved to the read only Census archive for it's respective year. As part of ongoing Census organisation, and in an attempt to keep the demographics of the polls current with the active user base at the time, the polls will last for one year from now on. However, members are allowed and even encouraged to restart new polls similar to the archived ones if they like them.

  

iff, Census Forum Moderator

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...