Why *I* cook

I seem to be part of a fast disappearing breed of (working) women, who not only cooks herself, but also cuts, chops and does dough and chapattis without the help of a maid.

Here's why.

When I cook myself, after mastering a recipe, I enjoy tweaking it to get it to taste different. This is particularly important if one is vegetarian -- after all there are only so many veggies and it is nice to get a different taste with minimal extra effort.


Cooking is a "critical-path" item. Lunch has to be packed and if the help fails to show up on a certain morning, life can turn topsy-turvy if cooking food is outsourced to her. Some people "solve" the problem by cooking the previous day, but I am always suspicious of putting anything other than fresh food in a child's lunch box.


My gas bills are extremely low because *I* am the only one who handles the gas. Unlike maids, who I see turn on the gas first and then go around looking for a pan to place on it.

The quantity of oil and spice can be easily controlled. I have often seen maids dunk food in oil because it cooks faster that way.

My chapattis have been turning out much better since I started kneading dough myself -- because I "knead". I mean -- really knead, not just gather up the powdered flour into a lump.

Last, but probably the most important, I am much more adventurous with food, given that I have the liberty of slicing and dicing the way *I* want. I am not limited to the skill set of the maid. Cooking is a creative activity. Also a great stress-buster. What could be nicer than sitting down to eat a well cooked meal where a new (or long forgotten) dish has been tried?

:-)