Cooking lessons for someone at ground zero

[Anonymous]

DH cannot cook. I mean, at all. His parents never involved him in cooking, and as an adult he survived on frozen meals and take out. We have two small kids and I do nearly 100% of all meal planning and prep, plus 100% of all shopping. He can throw together breakfast or pack school lunches, but that's about it. When I go away for work he orders pizza, heats up leftovers or can boil spaghetti and add red sauce.

For the holidays, the best gift he could get me would be to get some cooking lessons so he could have a go-to meal or two he could be in charge of from time to time. Any recommendations for somewhere he could go to get some basics?

[Anonymous]

I realize this sounds snarky, but if you've been unable to show him how to cut up vegetables, brown meat, bake chicken, etc., why do you think he'll attend and get something out of cooking lessons? Shouldn't you start at home with him first?

[Anonymous]

I don't think ground zero means what you think it does.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I realize this sounds snarky, but if you've been unable to show him how to cut up vegetables, brown meat, bake chicken, etc., why do you think he'll attend and get something out of cooking lessons? Shouldn't you start at home with him first?

Cooking lessons can be much more fun and usually mix techniques with recipes and prep. I know a lot of men who have really enjoyed cooking classes. Plus the instructors are often men.

OP, what about L'Academie de Cuisine in Bethesda. They do date night classes so you could both go. They also do some week long (evening) classes on technique.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I realize this sounds snarky, but if you've been unable to show him how to cut up vegetables, brown meat, bake chicken, etc., why do you think he'll attend and get something out of cooking lessons? Shouldn't you start at home with him first?

Not the OP, but not all spouses (male or female) deal well with spousal instruction.

I'm a certified instructor in another subject matter (think photography, golf, etc); DH is a hobbyist in that particular area. When he needs an instructor, he hires someone else. We've tried having me instruct him, and it just doesn't work for either of us. We work together great on most other things - housework etc - but we just can't reconcile the spousal relationship with the professional instructor/student relationship. Same reason some people won't take their spouse's medical advice, but will accept the exact same advice from a doctor.

Plus, at home, there would be all the normal distractions of kids, chores, etc. It can be hard to focus on something like this at home. Part of the point is to get out of the house and focus on it for a couple of hours. And maybe DH will learn something cool that DW doesn't even know! Or at least have some different tricks so that "his" meals aren't just copies of "her" meals.

Sorry, OP, I don't have any recommendations for specific cooking classes - have never taken one myself - but I think it's an awesome idea. Get him to also package up a few coupons that you can redeem later for him to cook dinner .

[Anonymous]

L'Academie in Bethesda does couples cooking classes. I think Cookology does as well in Arlington. They usually focus on a theme like Italian and it would fun for you as a couple and good review for him

[Anonymous]

your DH sounds like a moron and I realize that might be a huge insult to morons.

[Anonymous]

GivEn what you have said, why do you thnk he would have any interest in taking a class? The current system is working very well for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:your DH sounds like a moron and I realize that might be a huge insult to morons.

you're a jerk. plenty of people don't know how to cook.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:your DH sounds like a moron and I realize that might be a huge insult to morons.

No he doesn't. But you sound like an unhappy person.

[Anonymous]

Community ed has classes.

[Anonymous]

youtube and the will to learn.

If he has no interest in learning, it wont work. Trust me - my dh can make like 3 or 4 things only for himself (mac and cheese from a box, salmon cakes (I don't eat fish), pasta with store bought everything, and....fried eggplant (which is good). I asked him to look through cook books or magazines and find one new recipe every few weeks that he could learn so he could help make dinners.

it never happened.

stop cooking for him. sink or swim - if he cares enough, he'll learn. Mine clearly doesn't care so I'm starting to cook for myself, he can eat dinner if/when/what he wants (we have a 1 year old who eats before we do)

[Anonymous]

Does he want to learn? That's step one.

[Anonymous]

I've seen Groupons for cooking lessons in the home. Why don't you hire someone to come to your house to help you both prepare a meal together - and request that it is a simple meal.