Women & Food

Women, Food & Cooking

Women are traditionally expected to cook the food in the family home. While stereotypes of traditional male/female roles have become much less strict in the last few generations, the idea of women as the family chef hasn't changed as much as many other expectations. Ask around, and see how many of your peers remembers father cooking most of the family meals.

Consider the stereotype of a young single man living on takeaway food, because he's never learned to cook. Women's magazines often have regular recipe features, while men's publications may give advice on choosing wines or mixing cocktails, but little else. But regardless of stereotypes, a single woman who knows how to cook well can save money and improve her health, among other advantages.

Thanks to the popularity of celebrity chef television shows, supermarkets now carry a wider array of specialty and 'gourmet' foods, spices and other ingredients than ever before. The spices and seasonings aisle is the quickest spot to look for new ways to dress up your food.

If you see a dish that intrigues you on telly one night, there's a good chance you can serve up the same dish at home then next night. Or you can learn to develop your own recipes, once you become familiar with a selection of 'standard' ingredients to combine in different ways. Often, foreign foods can provide inspiration for combining ingredients in new ways.

Collecting a few good, basic cookbooks can provide any woman with an endless supply of ideas for new dishes to try, or old dishes to improve, whether you're an adventurous "make it up as you go" cook, or a "follow the book" type.

Everyone should have a large 'basic' cookbook, full of classic recipes and reference tables for cooking times, ingredient substitutions, and basic seasoning and sauce mixes. These books have been around for years and are a basic requirement for women serious about food.

If you have a certain type of food you particularly enjoy, or observe certain dietary restrictions, get a specialty book in that area. You can find a selection of cookbooks for almost any foreign cuisine style, kosher or halal cooking, vegetarian or vegan cuisine, and special recipe collections for health issues like diabetes, gluten intolerance, or non-dairy cooking.

You can also find specialist recipes and dietary information on the web - just go to your favourite search engine and type in your requirements.

Of course, even the most avid cook doesn't want to fix her own food all the time. Eating out is not only a nice way for a woman to get a break from the kitchen at home, it's a favorite activity for couples, and an excellent option for having a celebration without messing up your house! Find a good local restaurant directory, and make a list of your favorite establishments. That way you'll never be at a loss when the question of what to do for the evening arises.