Cooking Conundrums Challenge

James, Joel, and I had a discussion about favorite foods, which devolved, as it often does among folks who like writing, into an idea for a ‘blogging challenge.’ If you’re unfamiliar with what such a thing is, it’s often a series of questions around a certain theme you’re invited to participate in.

James has since created the previously discussed ‘Food Questions Challenge’, and I’ve shared my answers! In this post, however, what I’d like to present to you is the ‘Cooking Conundrums Challenge,’ or a fancy way of saying a series of questions about cooking.

Without further preamble, here they are. I invite you to participate and copy the questions!

Answer as few or as many as you like, in as few or as many words as you prefer. And if you publish said answers, please contact me and let me know! I’d be delighted to read.

The Questions

1. Do you enjoy cooking?
2. If you learned, who taught you to cook?
3. Do you follow cooking bloggers? Who are your favorites?
4. Do you own any cookbooks? If so, which do you refer to most often?
5. Do you like to watch cooking shows? If so, which ones?
6. Which cuisine have you cooked the most often? Which have you never attempted but would like to?
7. What time of day or day of the week do you prefer to cook?
8. What’s the condiment or ingredient you use the most often?
9. Do you meal plan? If so, how far in advance? If not, would you like to?
10. Do you prefer to cook from a recipe or make it up as you go along?

My Answers

Do You Enjoy Cooking?

When it’s not a day where I’m riddled with anxiety, yes, very much so! It’s a wonderful way to care for and show appreciation for the folks around you, an easy way to contribute when one lives in a household with others, and when others actually like what you prepare…it’s such a wonderful feeling.

I’ve been cooking, though perhaps not with the greatest skill, since my earliest years. Based on very limited anecdata, it seems I began handling large knives at a far younger age than many others!

While growing up, I’d meet folks of a similar age, only to learn they either couldn’t cook, hadn’t been taught, or showed no interest in learning. Which seemed anathema to me, but now I understand everyone is different.

I’m so grateful I was lucky enough to grow up where I could learn these skills. It’s so easy to judge those who don’t possess them, but what does it say about our society that cooking isn’t a mandatory subject from kindergarten? It’s a life skill, and it makes the business of being an adult so much easier.

Who Taught You To Cook?

Think of the most cliché answer I could give and you’d be correct. I’m forever grateful for the endless patience, nudging, and advice I’ve been given over the years. Because goodness knows I’ve made some silly mistakes and some…questionable decisions about ingredients.

Do You Follow Cooking Bloggers? Who Are Your Favorites?

I don’t follow them on the regular, though in writing this I’ve realized I really would like to, and what do I have just sitting there? An RSS reader!

So as I’ve been gathering links for the list below, I’ve been adding them to FreshRSS. Thank goodness, because recipe blogs are one of the last bastions of mainstream bloggers who have kept their websites instead of moving over to Instagram! And, more importantly, kept their RSS feeds going.

So here’s a list of folks, in alphabetical order. True to the fashion of existing on the internet, most arrived in my life through the recommendations of others.

• Honeybunch Of Onion Tops: I must confess I’ve not made any of Phoebe’s recipes yet, though they look delicious. They’re a recipe developer, content creator, and librarian based in Australia. Besides their wonderful blog and newsletter, they’ve a very-much-worth-watching YouTube channel, where they discuss life with chronic illness, gut flare-ups, mental health, and maintaining a rewarding creative practice. Almost all their recipes are vegan.
• RecipeTin Eats: Someone I know developed the hankering to make homemade bread some time last year, and found this woman’s no-knead bread recipe. While said person was satisfied after a few attempts, another person, to whom the first passed the recipe along, has made it countless times to great success. I’ve been fortunate enough to taste it occasionally! Nagi, the writer behind said blog, is Australian, and produces hearty, comforting food. (The measurements are all in systems I understand, which is a plus!)

Do You Own Any Cookbooks? If So, Which Do You Refer To Most Often?

Regrettably, I don’t own any cookbooks! I’ve known several folks who have, and have sworn by them, but I’ve only flipped through a few once or twice, and that was years ago.

Perhaps this is a reminder to do that again? I remember several years ago looking after someone’s house, and they had a tightly curated collection of fifteen cookbooks on a shelf in their kitchen.

I was pleased to see they had Stephanie Alexander’s ‘The Cook’s Companion,’ which is a tome, but a brilliant one. I can’t remember the author, but I remember another one with sugar-free recipes and tips on cutting down on food waste. I remember marveling at the author’s ingenuity in their creative uses for so-called ‘scraps.’

Do You Like To Watch Cooking Shows? If So, Which Ones?

I love watching cooking shows, though, like many things I enjoy, I regrettably don’t do it often. I’ve watched many of Rick Stein’s programs, and adored the Hairy Bikers throughout the years.

I was heartbroken when Dave Myers (one half of the latter duo) died in 2024, and I’m so glad he was generous enough to share his joy, spirit, and expertise in his television shows while he was alive.

Which Cuisine Have You Cooked The Most Often? Which Have You Never Attempted But Would Like To?

Again, perhaps not a super-satisfying answer, but most likely…whatever you call ‘British’ or ‘United States’ food or some combination of the two. I love a good ‘Asian-inspired’ stir-fry of veggies and tofu.

Special-occasion-wise, it’d have to be Japanese (I love hand-rolled sushi) or Italian. I’ve made Spanish dishes a few times (specifically Asturian) and who doesn’t love some Tex-Mex, well, anything?

What Time Of Day Or Day Of The Week Do You Prefer To Cook?

As I work more days than not as a freelance creative, and from wherever I’m living at that, I confess I can’t create an answer that’d do this question justice! The days just pass as they come, and weekends and weekdays don’t have any specific significance for me, so when I’m in the right headspace…I enjoy anytime.

What’s The Condiment Or Ingredient You Use The Most Often?

Again, another cliché, but condiments-wise, vegetable stock cubes. I never cook with salt, because I find I either add too much or too little for other folks’ taste, and I don’t add salt to my food. (Unless…I’m stressed.)

Ingredients-wise, onions. I prefer red onions when I can get them, but as much as they’re a sensory nightmare to prepare, goodness gracious are they an excellent base for almost any savory dish.

Do You Meal Plan? If So, How Far In Advance? If Not, Would You Like To?

No, almost never! I know someone who plans all their meals a month in advance, has a color-coded spreadsheet that’s also printed out and stuck to the fridge, somehow only shops fortnightly, and batch cooks on Sunday afternoons and doesn’t have to cook again until the following Sunday. One day, I’d love to do the same.

The only time I planned a meal was when I cooked a special orange-themed meal for Halloween. Such fun.

Do You Prefer To Cook From A Recipe Or Make It Up As You Go Along?

When cooking for sustenance’s sake, usually at dinner time (I never cook at lunchtime on an ordinary day, as it saves time during the hours I usually reserve for working on projects), I always work from what’s in the fridge.

When I’m making something specific (which is almost always for baking), I always follow a recipe. Saves much time, stress, and guesswork. I’m forever indebted to the generous folks who create recipes!