Art of Manliness - Latest Comments in Is Cooking Manly?

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Pancho V. — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 05:19:14 -0000

I think that cooking is definitely manly. A man should be able to do any task necessary to his own daily survival. I think that not being self-sufficient is unmanly.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Dave — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 23:29:37 -0000

I don't remember how it happened but I somehow became the camp cook when we boys would run hunting and fishing camps. Mostly I either roasted things over the fire or cooked them in an iron skillet over coals. We ran a fishing camp one summer that had someone in it for ten weeks straight. We cleaned and ate what we caught or killed and smoked cheap cigars afterward. Manly stuff it was.

I still cook today in the kitchen. My cooking is made more manly by using mostly big iron skillets and dutch ovens. A ten-inch blade kept so sharp that everyone else in the house is afraid of it adds a bit too.

It is quite satisfying to have your woman exclaim, "Oh my!" when she has her first bite of a meal you prepared. Rewards will follow your efforts.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

WendyBird — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 00:29:56 -0000

The manliest men I've ever known were my Uncle, Great Uncle, and Grandfather, and whenever there was a family gathering they were the ones who presided over cooking. My grandmother baked, and might make dessert, but anything that required open heat was the domain of the men. It was one of his great beefs with my Step father that SF couldn't cook and considered the kitchen to be off limits too him until mealtime.

The family recipe book is full of very manly meat and potatoes dishes from my Grandfather. His legacy lives in the kitchen and on the family grills forever.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Tim — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 23:02:53 -0000

In the old Army (The tougher Army in my mind) the cook was a respected part of the squadron. He wasn't the portly person the movies portray, he was a man! He trained, fought, and marched alongside his comrades, and he had to provide enough food for everyone to remain healthy and capable. Of course cooking is manly!

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Chefistopheles — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 12:36:18 -0000

There are no exceptions to when, or what food... Cooking, without question, is manly...

High heat, whether from open fire, or hot oil in a saute pan... Sharp blades (has anyone else ever been bitten by a mandolin?)... I've been burned, stabbed, sliced, and burned again.

As for the meat vs non meat... Saying that cooking steaks on a grill is manly, but preparing asparagus amandine, or a perfect hollandaise is not, is like saying that Larry Bird, or Steve Nash are less manly because they couldn't dunk, and instead utilized finesse games... Manly doesn't just consist of blunt and brutish methods, the ability to show mastery of timing, finesse, and attention to detail are equally manly.

Which brings me to the point of presentation. When you do something, and you do it well. There is nothing wrong with presenting it in a way that makes it look good. If you make a killer risotto, why just plop it in a bowl when you could add a little flair... That's like, having the skill to construct an amazing home, and building a simple shack, just because, "making it look nice makes me girly"...

Oh... also... being secure enough in your masculinity, to do something that whatever society you live in thinks is less masculine, and doing it well, without negotiating your manliness. IS MANLINESS.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Phil Avorque — Sat, 17 Aug 2013 21:12:48 -0000

Cooking is a way of survival in my opinion. It was never woman thought of it at the first place. Now, today's generation says, cooking is for house wives. so does the man goes to work. But the truth is cooking is manly but not to kiss somebodies ass to do it (or to impress someone). there's a limit. Manly man doesn't have to impress, and cooking is way of survival. which is a man really invented in the first place.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Doug Davis — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 19:37:18 -0000

Couldn't put it better than Rohit. Just an obvious example for American males: would you call the guys that went with Lewis and Clark unmanly? They scoped out their prey, gutted and skinned it, then cooked it. I'd bet most of them could sew and mend. In that way they put to shame almost all of our pre-packaged, throwaway generation. Yes, self-sufficiency is manly. And just flat-out cool too.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Rohit Ramachandran — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 19:58:19 -0000

Yes. Self-sufficiency is manly.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Gabrielle — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 23:28:35 -0000

It needs to be done weather a woman is around or not.

Do you like meat?
Do you like beans?
You need to cook. Cooking is not a Gender. It is life.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Brian — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:23:55 -0000

My wife was a stay-at-home mom for the 10 years. This year, she has gone back to work full time as a teacher at my children's private school. The shift has been dramatic and hard on her and in an effort to help out, I have taken on many of the cooking duties, however, I do it in a manly way. I have learned to grill more than just a steak or a hamburger; I have learned to properly use a dutch oven (which is cool for camping as well), and I have learned to cook using cast iron skillets (a great and manly forearm workout!). The appreciation of my wife knows no bounds, the compliments of my kids is the ultimate reward, and nothing says "Manly" like feeding your family.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Richard — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 11:46:44 -0000

Definitely manly in extenuating circumstances. When by oneself, unless needed, unmanly. If cooking on a grill, manly. The butcher from Gangs of New York, manly. Cooking because you know your wife/girlfriend is coming home soon, and you'll probably get laid after, very unmanly - but purposeful. If you're a cook and can juggle knives, yes manly, but if you've become a cook, being of a mafia family, very unmanly. Stuck in the wilderness, only if you're either fending for you're life or saving others.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Eric Grant — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:51:42 -0000

Cooking is VERY manly! Look at Hank Hill. Nothing is more manly than a man and his grill.

On a more serious note, I guarantee you that every restaurant you go to is predominantly male cooks, with a female wait staff. This falls into the irony category, however, because the stereotypical gender role is for females to make dinner.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Sean+ — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 03:55:24 -0000

I would invert the question somewhat and ask: Is being unable to prepare food for oneself manly? Is being dependent on somebody else for a meal manly? Is it manly to reduce one's options? Is being incompetent manly? Is the answer to all those is "yes," then cooking is unmanly. Otherwise, it's manly.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Elias — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 01:53:46 -0000

I fail to see how fixing up sustenance is feminine.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

CAS — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 04:02:19 -0000

A man that likes to cook likes to please others. My wife loves that I cook and is always telling her girlfriends about things that I have cooked and they all say they wish their husbands liked to cook. I don't cook every meal just when I am in the mood for something special. I get to drink, play with fire, and swing around sharp objects...Hell yes it's manly! For those of you guys that don't cook you should give it a try. It is very satisfying to work hard in the kitchen and produce a delicious meal for those that you love.

Cheers

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

The_Outlaw — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:45:30 -0000

My Nonno (Grandpa) was the best cook within my entire Italian family.
He was also very macho ( a manly man ) imvho.
So I would have to say; 'Yes' men who can cook are capable of being very manly men.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Gene — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 18:30:58 -0000

Women dig men who cook, and what women dig in a man is manly.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Ian — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 20:01:01 -0000

Cooking, in any context, is manly.

As Robert Rodriguez, director of many manly movies such as Sin City, Desperado, and Once Upon a Time in Mexico has said, "Not knowing how to cook is like not knowing how to f*ck."

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

J. Kokkinis — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 21:38:23 -0000

Cooking is a necessary skill. One cannot always make it to a restaurant or have a woman around willing or able to cook.

If a person likes to eat then they should know how to cook. Pure and simple.

If cooking is unmanly then one has just insulted Colonel Sanders, Chef Boyardee and several men who have become excellent chefs.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

kevster — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 14:02:28 -0000

@Joey - Fluting a cake so that it looks like a teddy bear is unmanly?
I don't have daughters, but if I did, I think that being able to produce something like a happy teddy bear cake for a daughter's birthday would only serve to help build an image of me in her mind of a man who can do anything.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Allstar — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:35:43 -0000

Cooking is about the manliest thing you can do.

My favorite dish to manufacture: A medium well pan seared sirloin with a big, buttery baked potato, a napa cabbage salad with balsamic vinegrette dressing and backyard tomoatoes, and an ice cold glass of amber beer.

It's manly to love your mother's cooking, but it's even manlier to cook like her.

It's also very manly to have a candle-lit dinner waiting for your significant other when she gets in on occasion.

Dying of malnutrition a month after college: Extremely un-manly.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Curtis — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:30:36 -0000

Of course cooking is manly! But some men fall into a few frou-frou trends that decreases the over all manliness of their cooking.

-Fear of mistakes. The first thing to realize is, mistakes will happen. You'll burn something, you'll add the wrong ingredient, you'll undercook a few things. Some stuff will get thrown out, some will get ate by the dog, some will taste surprisingly delicious. You really have to watch out for that last bunch, because some of those will put you in the emergency room. You will screw up. Learn from your mistakes, and overcome. And when your woman makes fun of you for setting off the smoke alarm, tell her to get her skinny butt out of your kitchen before she messes something up.

-Lack of creativity. When I find a recipe, I only follow it to the letter once. After the first batch I'm already thinking up ways to improve it. Flavorology, (Maybe some cayenne?) Chemistry (Should I increase the amount of baking soda?) and Thermodynamics (cookie sheet bad! Cast Iron Good!)all come into play. Making the same thing over and over again is boring. You should always be trying to improve and specialize.

-Over reliance on gizmos. Some tools are cool, some are awesome. Some are just stupid. Know when to get a new gizmo, and when to just sharpen your knives. Don't buy anything that some screaming guy on TV is trying to sell.

-Sticking to the same genre. Yes, cooking steaks with a grill or fire is Manly to the max, but if that is all you can do, then you need to grow your portfolio. Get a slow cooker and try making chili or stew, get an ice cream maker and make up some ice cream for the kids. Throw some ears of corn or potatoes wrapped in foil next to those steaks the next time you fire up the weber. Grab a cast iron skillet, and make up some bacon and eggs. Bonus points if you hijack the mrs' oven and figure out how to build made-from-scratch biscuits. The fire and the grill is the beginning.

-Labeling something as too feminine to fool with. Strawberry shortcake looks pretty feminine until you find some young vixen eating strawberries and whipped cream off your torso. Baking looks pretty feminine at first, but there's alot of complicated chemistry going on with those biscuits. (Baking soda IS NOT baking powder, don't make the same mistake I did.) Veggies sound feminine, until you throw them in a slow cooker with a huge slab of beef and make a roast. Bread? Bread can be the culinary equivelant to Rocket science at times.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Joey Miller — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:10:07 -0000

Using knives and fire to satiate hunger? Cooking is a culmination of manliness. Of course, much has been done culturally to femenize it -- fluting a cakes icing so that it looks like a happy teddy bear, for instance, is unmanly. But in essence, cooking is science, one of the original uses of tools, and basic to providing to oneself; and all those things are manly.

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Nicolas Matias — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 14:12:14 -0000

@abdullah - Well I think that -leaving aside the sterotype- a man that really can cook and set an elegant table for any meal (just an informal lunch at home) says a lot of himself, since the preparation of meals involves some kind of elegance, take something simple as a salad, you have to be careful enough to chop the different ingredients in a shape and size that permits a person to take a decent bite of it. Also the combinations of ingredients talks about the good taste of the person that made it. And so - on, in my opinion Abdullah just have to go back to the middle ages....

Re: Is Cooking Manly?

Alan — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 20:55:05 -0000

Dutch oven cooking is very manly, anything Cacciatore especially. Even the name is manly, Cacciatore means "In the style of the Hunter", and it's where meat is braised in flavorful liquid. Cast iron skillets are also manly, along with anything involving fire.