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AeroShot Caffeine Inhaler
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Underdog Loire Valley Wines
Stephen Burton, a project manager for a pharmaceutical company who lives outside Philadelphia, was once the kind of college student who might spend five hours perfecting a cream puff recipe, but his cooking obsession really took off when he and his wife had their first child. He pored over Mexican and Thai cookbooks, seeking out ethnic ingredients in specialty stores and experimenting with them at home. Only occasionally did he actually make a meal with them.
"My poor wife just wanted some food and some sleep and I'm down in the kitchen playing Top Chef," he admits.
We've come a long way from the 1950s, when a woman's place was in front of her mint-green Magic Chef stove and men were considered genetically incapable of doing more than flipping burgers on alternate Saturdays. These days, more men are cooking at home, and plenty are helpfully doing all the cooking. But as men get more and more into food, it seems that some of them are bringing an obsessive, sometimes competitive, spirit to cooking that has little to do with actually helping. It's more John Cusack in High Fidelity than Betty Crocker. Or it's, as I like to call it, "Iron Chef Syndrome."
The symptoms? Hotshot kitchen skills—including the ability to stuff a turducken, disarticulate an entire heirloom hog, and set up home-brewing systems more complex than the average microbiology lab—combined with the seeming inability to "cook simple." A quick mac ’n' cheese dinner for the kids? How about a macaroni-fennel gratin with chunks of La Quercia's Tamworth bacon that will be finished approximately three hours after the kids go to bed?
When Elizabeth Weil, a San Francisco writer, penned a 2009 New York Times Magazine cover story about improving her marriage, one of her major complaints revolved around her husband's cooking habits. Her husband (Daniel Duane, who has blogged about food and wine for CHOW) cooked all the home meals, she wrote, but the cooking was less about practical nurturing than about his own need for skill-mastery. Duane hid in the kitchen for hours every day, frying up pig ears and making champagne crêpes while Weil was "left to attend to our increasingly hungry, tired and frantic children and to worry about money."
Those whose spouses have Iron Chef Syndrome often suffer in silence. As Weil pointed out, she gained no sympathy from her friends. Hey, their attitude seemed to be, at least your husband is cooking.
DRAGGING HOME-BREW EQUIPMENT ACROSS CONTINENTS
The stereotype of the woman who packs obscenely large suitcases full of shoes is being put to the test by the growing legions of men afflicted by Iron Chef Syndrome. Lucy Corne, a 32-year-old travel writer, recounts the time her husband insisted on bringing his home-brewing equipment along for an intercontinental move from South Korea to South Africa.
"I spent hours doing a perfect packing job, and then, lacking a car, we pushed this absurdly large and heavy box to the post office on a skateboard, only to find out it was too large to send," recalls Corne. "He then had me carry it with him through Seoul as we went to meet a guy who was buying it from him. Rather embarrassing walking into a pub with a couple of giant pans and some rubber hose!"
Illustration by Juan Leguizamon
So I guess this means men like Mario Batali, Emeril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, and Micheal Simon are just sticking their noses where they don't belong. I guess they should just go play in the garage and let their wives do all the cooking. I am almost ready to just delete this site from my favorites list and find a REAL foodie website.
I think these kinds of articles just reinforce traditional gender stereotypes - women do the real work of taking care of a household, and men are easily distracted dilettantes. Come on! This is just lazy journalism...
Gender equality on Chow. The shark has been jumped.
I have found that a diamond tennis bracelet compensates nicely for a man's poor cooking skills.
I think I hear it now... can you? It's the WAAAAAAMBULANCE!
On a more serious note... I do find this article, well, rather whiney. I think the article rests mostly on the opinion and experience of few, gross generalizations (crazy cooking fathers leaving mothers with children to do the "real" household work -- same story, different actors; rather than the father going fishing, watching...+READ
I think I hear it now... can you? It's the WAAAAAAMBULANCE!
On a more serious note... I do find this article, well, rather whiney. I think the article rests mostly on the opinion and experience of few, gross generalizations (crazy cooking fathers leaving mothers with children to do the "real" household work -- same story, different actors; rather than the father going fishing, watching football, etc.), and absurd use of "statistics" -- 78% and "more likely" are NOT statistics. Sorry. I visit Chow for the forums... I should really stop reading the wretched articles these people write.-COLLAPSE
Why does everything have to be about gender? Wow, a story about men getting to do "fun" things while women do the real work of childrearing. How is this news? We have statistics that reflect the fact that despite the increasing number of two-income households, women still do the bulk of the housework. Moreover, this story sure makes me sympathize for the millions of men who cook and don't fit the...+READ
Why does everything have to be about gender? Wow, a story about men getting to do "fun" things while women do the real work of childrearing. How is this news? We have statistics that reflect the fact that despite the increasing number of two-income households, women still do the bulk of the housework. Moreover, this story sure makes me sympathize for the millions of men who cook and don't fit the descriptions in the article. The men in this article appear to be narcissistic jerks--and their spouses should tell them so.-COLLAPSE
I see a bit of myself in some of that.
But not completely.
One...
I have always enjoyed cooking and so it wasn't
something I did on a lark.
Two...
I was a single parent with two sons.
There were times when I used them as guinea pigs
but they always let me know when I had run afoul
of their sense of taste.
It has taken me a while to cut down the amounts
of food I cook, now that I...+READ
I see a bit of myself in some of that.
But not completely.
One...
I have always enjoyed cooking and so it wasn't
something I did on a lark.
Two...
I was a single parent with two sons.
There were times when I used them as guinea pigs
but they always let me know when I had run afoul
of their sense of taste.
It has taken me a while to cut down the amounts
of food I cook, now that I kicked their butts out
of the house. :-)-COLLAPSE
tried to build a mini-tandoori in a plastic bucket-- it melted.
LMAO
What about those of us who happen to be male who cook because it is a creative outlet? I don't care if someone else likes what I do. I spend a lot of time learning techniques and experimenting with ingredients. I try to cook tasty food but I sometimes fail. I do this because the process brings ME joy. It's not a competition, it's a journey.
When I have to get dinner on the table I do it in the...+READ
What about those of us who happen to be male who cook because it is a creative outlet? I don't care if someone else likes what I do. I spend a lot of time learning techniques and experimenting with ingredients. I try to cook tasty food but I sometimes fail. I do this because the process brings ME joy. It's not a competition, it's a journey.
When I have to get dinner on the table I do it in the time I have. I know that getting home at 6:00 isn't when you start preparing pork for rillettes if you expect to have them for dinner that night. When I do have the time, though, I break out the Sous Vide Supreme and three days later we feast on medium-rare fork-tender short ribs.
I do agree that women on the Food Network are under-represented and pigeonholed. That's one reason I don't watch Food Network much these days.-COLLAPSE
Very sexist, no room for that in this modern age.
I think this story is just hilarious but I can't say just men are afflicted or it just has to do with what is on the TV/Blogs or in magazines and books that seem to be taking over the media right now. I am a woman who began my cooking life after college and before all the cooking mania began and I must say I was obsessed. I wanted to learn everything. Croquembouche for dessert, why not on a...+READ
I think this story is just hilarious but I can't say just men are afflicted or it just has to do with what is on the TV/Blogs or in magazines and books that seem to be taking over the media right now. I am a woman who began my cooking life after college and before all the cooking mania began and I must say I was obsessed. I wanted to learn everything. Croquembouche for dessert, why not on a Wednesday evening? My then boyfriend, and now husband was incredibly supportive of me and eating dinner at midnight and cleaning a war zone looking kitchen was just part of the day, so was gaining like 50lbs. Seriously, I feel like you were describing me, luckily no kids or relationships were hurt or hindered in my 'self-exploration'. Thanks for the funny.-COLLAPSE
I think that every comment posted so far has a lot of merit. Hesshaus strikes an especially familiar chord with me, I used to be a cooking maniac. I read all the magazines and made tons of new, interesting stuff. For two years I went to my dad's house, cooked him dinner, then went home and cooked my toddler dinner, then dinner for my husband and me, all while holding down a full-time job. It was...+READ
I think that every comment posted so far has a lot of merit. Hesshaus strikes an especially familiar chord with me, I used to be a cooking maniac. I read all the magazines and made tons of new, interesting stuff. For two years I went to my dad's house, cooked him dinner, then went home and cooked my toddler dinner, then dinner for my husband and me, all while holding down a full-time job. It was a lot of work, most of it was fun, but I got burned out. Now my husband is getting into cooking more. I'm the one that likes all the kitchen gadgets, though. :-)-COLLAPSE
God, men are so stupid and selfish. Especially the three that you interviewed. Good work.
This is pretty insulting and baseless.
The author generalizes about what must surely be millions of men, drawing from THREE examples as evidence.
I don't appreciate being labelled and dismissed because of my gender any more than a woman would. I can't imagine that Chow would be so blatantly sexist as to publish an article complaining about "Foodie" women, so please dont generalize so...+READ
This is pretty insulting and baseless.
The author generalizes about what must surely be millions of men, drawing from THREE examples as evidence.
I don't appreciate being labelled and dismissed because of my gender any more than a woman would. I can't imagine that Chow would be so blatantly sexist as to publish an article complaining about "Foodie" women, so please dont generalize so sloppily about men either.-COLLAPSE
Betty Friedan described something similar in The Feminine Mystique back in 1958 or so. Men primarily engage in housework when it's creative and fun. I think over time more men are accepting the drudge chores, but in a family, particularly one with young children, the woman usually gets stuck with most of it. I could have a hot cooked meal on the table within 15 minutes of arriving home with the...+READ
Betty Friedan described something similar in The Feminine Mystique back in 1958 or so. Men primarily engage in housework when it's creative and fun. I think over time more men are accepting the drudge chores, but in a family, particularly one with young children, the woman usually gets stuck with most of it. I could have a hot cooked meal on the table within 15 minutes of arriving home with the kids. That's a skill equal to the fanciest Iron Chef capabilities.-COLLAPSE
I'd imagine there are females who cause the rest of the household to suffer as well. How about those people that HAVE improved from embracing their foodie instincts? This article takes a look at people who are obsessed as the writer states, but what about those who follow a more Mark Bittman/Thomas Keller approach. Good food without the gonzo.
The article is obviously culturally biased. In France, men cook regularly and don't have this need to go on food projects. My mom cooked regularly but she tended to make things much more complicated then they had to be.
I am not married like the people in article but I do cook regularly. I admit I go on big food projects but it's only about once every few months. My daily cooking is rather...+READ
The article is obviously culturally biased. In France, men cook regularly and don't have this need to go on food projects. My mom cooked regularly but she tended to make things much more complicated then they had to be.
I am not married like the people in article but I do cook regularly. I admit I go on big food projects but it's only about once every few months. My daily cooking is rather simple and I make it in large quantity. I figure I wouldn't change my cooking style one bit if I ever have kids.
But really there is nothing wrong with someone wanting to cook elaborate items. I believe the true issue is time management. They should have started much earlier if they have hungry people waiting. If that's the case then they should have the wisdom to go with something simple.-COLLAPSE
Anyone can do the over the top, fun stuff. Getting accolades from your friends is a ego boost. Do easy things for your kids and family, do it every day, day in and day out. A smile on my kid's faces at dinner is more rewarding to me than any compliment from a friend. Good tasting simple food that your kids will eat, developing their palates over time that's when you can call yourself a good cook....+READ
Anyone can do the over the top, fun stuff. Getting accolades from your friends is a ego boost. Do easy things for your kids and family, do it every day, day in and day out. A smile on my kid's faces at dinner is more rewarding to me than any compliment from a friend. Good tasting simple food that your kids will eat, developing their palates over time that's when you can call yourself a good cook. I have 5 kids, each one will eat more variety then their same age peers. Why? Because I didn't start out with 50 meatloaf recipes. I developed one good one. I built their palates over years and years. I never pushed them to try something new, but I told them they couldn't say they didn't like something unless they ate 3 good bites. If they didn't like it, we would hold it back for 6 months and try again. I now have 5 year olds who will eat brussel sprouts, turnips and roast red kuri squash.
And please, if you don't do it professionally, don't call yourself a Chef. Those of us who get paid for it, earned our coats over years of busting our asses in hot kitchens and long hours, it wasn't just given to us.-COLLAPSE
Good article. I can see myself in it. My wife is a great cook, can make about anything well. But, after all those years of cooking, she's grown tired of being in the kitchen. I've always had an interest in food and food preparation so little by little I've taken over the kitchen from shopping for groceries, cooking , and more importantly, cleanup. My wife now comes into the kitchen when the meal...+READ
Good article. I can see myself in it. My wife is a great cook, can make about anything well. But, after all those years of cooking, she's grown tired of being in the kitchen. I've always had an interest in food and food preparation so little by little I've taken over the kitchen from shopping for groceries, cooking , and more importantly, cleanup. My wife now comes into the kitchen when the meal is on the table, and leaves at the end of the meal.
Enough of me patting myself on the back. Where my wife cooked regularly, the meals were simple and tasted good. Now I spend a lot of time pouring over my many cookbooks including the ones that I check out from our public library, looking for new recipes in cookbooks and on the Internet for variations on the ones that I use. Do I really need a dozen different recipes to make a meat loaf? She cooked many of her meals in a three quart pot. I have at least six different sized pots to cook something with. She had two skillets, a large one and a smaller one. I have nine skillets, including four cast iron skillets of various sizes. My point is, I have become the Man Chef described in the article. Gives me something to think about.....-COLLAPSE
Communication is hard?