Monday 20 April 2009

The Marvels of Gastronomy



The average Brit can cook ten dishes without resorting to the aid of a cookbook or online recipe - that’s the verdict of a new study into the nation’s culinary habits which suggests that many of us are more comfortable cooking foreign dishes than standard British classics when it comes to dining at home.

The “Great British Home-Cooked Menu Survey’ commissioned by UKTV Food, asked 3,000 respondents to reveal the staple dishes which they can prepare without the aid of a cookbook or online recipe.

The top ten dishes that Brits can make unaided:



1. Spaghetti Bolognese (65%)

2. Roast Dinner (54%)

3. Chilli Con Carne (42%)

4. Lasagne (41%)

5. Cottage or Shepherd’s Pie (38%)

6. Meat or Fish stir fry (38%)

7. Beef casserole (34%)

8. Macaroni Cheese (32%)

9. Toad in the hole (30%)

10. Meat, Fish or Vegetable curry (26%)

Well that's it then, I'm most certainly above average, I can make all those!
Jeepers, I must be a rocket scientist!
Can people really not cook these days?
Should I boast I can also make the following without the aid of a safety net or recipe?

Ice-Cubes - Darling Husband once berated me severely for buying such an item during Pimms weather and so I took it upon myself to become an expert in their preparation.

Toast - I even slice the bread myself!

Bread - ah, yes, all home-made in this house.

Tea - Glengettie, boiling water, a smattering of milk and sugar, et voila!

Scrambled egg - drop one box of eggs, sieve then whisk with a spot of milk, yum! (Serve on home-made bread made into toast)

Baked Beans - Get Darling Husband to open the can (it ruins one's nails!) and instruct daughter to stir slowly over a medium heat.

Cheese and Crackers - perfection with a nice Shiraz.

Pimms! How could I forget the Pimms! - slice the cucumber, strawberries, forage for fresh mint, pour in tall glass and top up with cold lemonade - scrumptious!

Boiled Eggs - oh I do a perfect boiled egg, with the aid of a timer even, gosh how clever!

Cupcakes - weight the eggs, add the same weight of flour and sugar and butter...instruct 5 year old to stand with the electric mixer for some time while I file my nails then whack in the oven in gorgeous paper cases, easy peasy!

So that's another ten and I haven't even begun to tell you the culinary classics I can conjour up!
Cheese on toast..
popcorn...
fresh fruit salad....

The increased culinary confidence is also reflected in the fact that men and women would now appear to be on almost equal terms when it comes to home cooking – women can make 11 dishes unaided, compared with men who can make nine, representing a seismic shift in the traditional male/female roles over the course of a generation.
Hmmm....

http://uktv.co.uk/food/homepage/sid/6136