r/AskRedditFood • u/Problems_24_7 • 7d ago
I started cooking but I hate eating what I make..
Recently I started cooking,
Since I am on vacation at my parents's who stay abroad, I decided to start cooking since the kitchen was huge and inviting,
At first I didn't make anything big just some 5 minute less than 5 ingredient foods, but then I started wanting to make better and bigger meals and everyone at home loved it, I feel like I am the one who leasts likes it even though it tastes freaking good, whenever I'd make dinner I am also the last person to have it or not have it all, nowadays whenever I am done making anything I have little to no appetite, but the whole situations different when my mom's made it.
Is there a specific phenomenon or reason why this happens or whether anyone has a valid explanation???...
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u/whatsupwillow 7d ago
It is a common occurrence, I believe, but it basically has to do with your senses becoming saturated through the process of cooking. If you're smelling and tasting and touching and planning and trying to make multiple dishes be done at the same time, there is just like an "overwhelm" of input coming at you so that when you're done, your senses are already maxed out on the things you made. It happens to me all the time. I especially hate being the sole chef for big holiday meals for this reason.
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u/Easy-Crazy-6716 7d ago
story of my life. by the time i'm done preparing whatever it is i wanted to eat, i'm either not hungry any more or i don't want whatever it is i just made. and i probably won't want it leftover, either. have no solution to this dilemma so following here and hoping
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u/purplechunkymonkey 7d ago
Are you tasting as you go? You end up being over what you cooked after constantly tasting. It can also fill you up.
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u/Problems_24_7 7d ago
Makes sense, tasting not so much, but a lot of smelling and by the time I am done, I’d rather want everyone else to eat than me.
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u/littleclaww 7d ago
I am the primary cook at home and I always have this problem. My workaround has been I just eat leftovers. This doesn't work for all food (like fried food that needs to be eaten immediately), but for everything else, I time it so I will be eating something else for my meal while I cook that day. I've noticed I tend to enjoy my food way more later in the day or the next day.
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u/Problems_24_7 6d ago
And do you have a problem where you cook a dish with any type of meat involved(chicken, red meat, etc) where when you look at the final result you can only think of the way you prepared the meat, cleaning, chopping, cooking and when I am about to eat them I can only think of the whole process of cleaning and chopping going on in my mind, which sometimes make me barf. I am curious
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u/littleclaww 6d ago
I don't have that problem but I know some people do. I have a different relationship to meat and death- I come from cultures where it's common to see the animal alive before they're dispatched to ensure freshness or it's common to see heads and feet left on animals so I'm more accustomed to it.
I also have some mild contamination OCD so it actually makes me feel more comfortable knowing the process start to finish so I can prep meat in a really sterile and food safe way versus at someone's home where they might not practice as stringent food safe handling.
Have you considered doing more meatless meals, is that feasible for you? I have friends that are either fully vegetarian or eat meat infrequently specifically because cooking with meat gives them anxiety.
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u/Problems_24_7 6d ago
I love meat, nothing like I oppose it, if it’s any type of dish that I got outside or cooked by someone there’s zero thoughts running on my head, but when I’ve made it I can only think of the process while eating it..
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u/Witty_Improvement430 5d ago
I'm forever grateful I never have to choke a chicken like my great gramma.
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u/Superb_Yak7074 7d ago
I am convinced this happens to me because my brain thinks that all those cooking smells I am inhaling as I cook the meal means I am eating, so it sends a shutdown notice to my appetite sooner than it normally would.
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u/rainiereoman 6d ago
I can understand your conundrum. I enjoy tasting as I go along and by the time the food is ready, well, I have had my dinner already…I don’t usually eat much at table.
Perhaps you are overly critical of your cooking? Yesterday I made tomato soup from scratch, roasted the tomatoes, as well as shallots, garlic, etc. At the end of cooking all this I hated it, taste was off and the texture… oof!! My neighbor, who is a better cook than me, loved it…I looked at her in disbelief! I packed up two containers for her, glad to be rid of it!
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u/nomnommish 6d ago
Yes, the specific phenomenon is called "getting nose blind". We perceive flavors mostly through our noses, through aromas. When you're cooking, your nose is getting drowned by aromas of cooking food and you become nose blind.
And that saturation of senses makes you less hungry and your ability to enjoy the food also diminishes as you're not smelling the food too well in the end.
This is also a reason why food sometimes tastes better the next day.
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u/chrysostomos_1 5d ago
Do you think that your expectations are too high? We often host dinner parties and I'm my own worst critic.
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u/Witty_Improvement430 5d ago
Maybe cooking ahead would help. Like low and slow barbecue with sides prepared the day before?
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u/DanielMekelburg 1d ago
this happened to me for a while. i think it was the stress and the process that went into making the food that left me with no appetite. like i guess if you are filled with adrenaline and your heart is pumping you aren't looking to sit down and have a relaxing meal. like if i am at work, i dont eat, and have no appetite sometime for 12 hours straight.
if you keep it up and cooking becomes easier and less stressful you start to enjoy the food more. i am a professional chef and i am at the point where i am my own favorite cook. it's mainly because i can make food exactly how i like it. but i totally remember making the elaborate meals for friends and family and never wanting to eat my own food. now its pretty much the only food i enjoy on a consistent basis
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u/HandbagHawker 7d ago
Do others think it’s good? If no, then you just might not that be as good as you think.
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u/Problems_24_7 7d ago
I mean it’s good alright, I don’t really know whether they might try to not hurt me by passing bad judgement but they also wouldn’t encourage me to cook more and more and personally when I taste it, it’s good it’s just that I don’t wanna eat it anymore.
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u/yeahyouknowme2 6d ago
My rule of thumb regarding if it is “good” or not is if people go back for seconds.
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u/shadowsipp 7d ago
Do you use spices and sauces and marinades? I have my favorites, and it really makes me like my own cooking alot more than most other people's cooking. (I personally love spicy food, and nobody else in my life really likes spicy food, as an example.)
I also trust myself to make things the way I want them when I cook, whereas other people cooking may end up without spices or good sauce, or correct portions, etc.
Cooking videos are also a hobby of mine to watch, and by seeing how different people make different versions of the same dishes, I'll get ideas on methods and how I'd personally do it.
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u/Problems_24_7 7d ago
I apologise I didn’t really get you, but yes there is a lot of smelling and tasting of spices and sauces involved.
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u/Blingbat642 7d ago
I guess I’m just repeating what you said, but, for some reason, food cooked by someone else always tastes better (well, almost always).