I use a lot of short cuts and am the microwave queen. Got sick of all the "from scratch" methods after decades. Can do all that blindfolded with one hand, but would rather be on Houzz etc. I applaud those who cook from scratch , though.

Simple meals at home four to five days a week in summer we cook steak or chicken or fish & salad or vegies, stir fry & one pot meals in winter. If we want something special we go out & let someone else do the fancy cooking.

When our four kids were here it was cooking all nights except Friday night take out dinner, now we are empty nesters plus one cat ;))

Hubby and I live on a farm and at present it is hard to find the time to cook being in our harvest right now but I simply must cook, as we live at least 15km from any store in any direction, so even if it's baked beans on toast, it's a meal.

I cook from scratch at every opportunity and still make my own pastry for meat pies and have a scrumptous sweet pastry for an apple slice or strawberry tart.

I'm 58 so I don't consider myself old and I do like to eat out occasionally just to have a break from the kitchen, however, I would always prefer my own cooking over a bought meal most times.

I don't use any modern gadgets, save the "can't do without microwave" for quick thawing or reheating and not against modern appliances, just don't seem to need them.

I cook most nights during the week . . as long as the total prep plus cooking is around 30 mins. Generally fresh ingredients but sauces from a jar.

Longer prep and cooking meals like roasts are usually down to my wife.

@tarotlova,

Absolutely inspiring story about life and the love of cooking!!

My hubby had to wait for tea tonight ha-ha.....because I had no bench left to prepare it in the little kitchen I have at present, getting caught in the middle of making biscuits etc...and I too made the comment that I will not have this problem once we move into the new home we're currently building.

If you are at all fussy about what you eat, you must cook. It's as simple as that. But if your kitchen isn't well designed, and far too many aren't, cooking becomes more difficult or dangerous.

I see a lot of stories on sites like Houzz about kitchen design that are all over how a kitchen looks, but not so hot on how they work. A kitchen isn't a room, it's a tool. Yes, the individual components should work, but they should work together, too. Cupboards should be structured so that you never have to kneel to get something, you never have to push jars aside to get the one you want, and you never have to lift heavy things from above your head. You should never bang your head on a cupboard door handle reaching to the back of the bench, either. And of course they should make it easy, almost inevitable, to put your floury or greasy hand on exactly what you need within two seconds - the time it takes a sauce to curdle - of you deciding that you need it.

Designers pay lip service to ergonomics, but as a rule haven't a clue what it means. A kitchen sink, for instance, should be sited so that the person who does most of the washing up, even if that is only rinsing stuff on its way to the dishwasher, doesn't have to stoop (bad for the back) or reach (carrying your arms ahead of your body is tiring) to use it.

Surfaces. Every kitchen where anybody at all is ever likely to make pastry NEEDS a stone slab. It stops the butter layers from melting into the paste layers because it's cool. This, people, is why granite benches are a thing. You just can't do the same job on wood. Or stainless steel, for that matter. The stone slab needn't be any bigger than 600mm square, but it really should be there. Speaking of wood, any kitchen surface you can't put a cake fresh out of the oven or a pan straight off the hotplate on is a bit useless. It looks nice? Sweet. You've got frilly curtains in your machine shop, right?

My core expertise is in garden design rather than kitchen design, but I've been cooking in good and bad kitchens for fifty years, and in any case, bad design is bad design, wherever it rears its ugly head!

I used to cook every night..used to do fancy meals..now that I'm working and away from home half the week I only cook a few nights the rest we eat out..hubby and daughter does the cooking when I'm away..

I am at a phase where I'm too busy..hubby whinges all the time that I don't do fancy stuff anymore..I think he's spoilt rotten..

the thing is I'd rather spend my day off going wandering or taking photos than slaving in the kitchen all day for a fancy meal

I don't freeze my food only stock as hubby is picky so are my kids..and I am too..we don't like frozen stuff..the other night I served stew cooked and froze as I cooked too much one time..

and umm they ate it but should have seen hubby's long face lol

so now I buy stuff that I can freeze for quick meals like prawns and scallops all divided up into bags..for emergencies when I haven't gotten to the shop

I need to start cooking stock again for quick soups..or noodle soup..

We are lucky to live so close to Box Hill a hub of yummy restaurants but then one can only eat so much take away..

Due to dietary restrictions and budget we rarely eat out. I enjoy cooking and I'm always looking for new ideas. Being home for the most part we cook nearly all our meals at home.

Lately, my fave dish is Taco Pie, a low carb favourite of ours as we slowly (agonisingly) shed unwanted kilos!

I've always found cooking soothing and a great way to unwind after work. Besides I grew up in a place and time when take away and home delivery didn't exist and then I didn't have the money to eat out. I cook fairly simply most nights as I got used to having a family meal on the table 30 minutes after getting home from work, but sometimes I go for complicated. Some meat or protein and lots of vegetables most nights, ad vegetarian occasionally.

Just moved into our new home after building for 11 years and you can't keep me out of the kitchen!!

Our kitchen gets a massive workout about three times a day. Cooking in bulk & making enough to feed entire armies then freezing portions has been a great time-saver.