I can cook some reasonably decent chow, but most people are deluding themselves if they think their cooking is better than any restaurant that isn’t totally terrible.
Restaurant-style cooking is very equipment intensive. A proper Chinese style stir fry needs a gas jet burner and a big wok. A proper pizza needs an oven hotter than home ovens can do. Proper rotisserie meats like gyros or kebab need, well, a rotisserie. You can try to emulate these at home with varying degrees of success, but typically you do more work for what is objectively an inferior product. Many restaurant dishes also require the kind of prep work that doesn’t make sense unless you’re making them at scale.
With home cooking you have to play to your strengths and accept the fact that a lot of restaurant dishes are not worth making. There’s lots of great home cooked dishes you can make, and oftentimes making them yourself at home does make them feel better than at a restaurant, but let’s be honest the overwhelming majority of us are not cooking tastier food than a restaurant.
What makes you think we don’t have any special kind of equipment? Home pizza ovens are quite cheap and effective these days. Rotisseries can be bought as well.
but typically you do more work for what is objectively an inferior product.
No, that is a dubious claim. There is nothing objective about that statement.
If I’m making home shawarma I don’t have the meat kebab spinner, but that’s okay. I can swap in roast chicken and as long as I’ve got good garlic sauce and pickled veg, and a good pita it can still taste amazing. Is just not a proper shawarma.
Home cooking is better for stuff like a cheap steak house or a mid tier chain restaurant or whatever.
I’m not a Michelin star chef, the high quality restaurants are doing things I never would, and they’re amazing for that. But I don’t go to them often, and I’d rather spend money on that level of food than the common mid quality restaurant.
I disagree. I’m no expert, but I can make a better steak than any adorable restaurant. I can make pastas better, and my wife makes much better soups than I’ve had at restaurants. Many things we regularly make at home we can do better than restaurants. But you’re right, I can make okay Asian food, but not better than a restaurant. But my Hmong friend makes better Chinese than anything I’ve had at a restaurant. I think it really depends what you make a lot of and get good at.
Home cooked food is also going to taste a bit poorer because restaurants design their recipes to be appealing, not good for you. Full fat butter and too much sodium in everything.
You can, however, absolutely make better food at home. And it can be delicious if you know what youre doing and have a good grocery. But you’ve gotta put time and effort in.
![Home Cooked Meal [Teddy]](https://slrpnk.net/pictrs/image/6c568f33-16a6-43f9-a043-8c760c83421b.webp){kind=link}
I can cook some reasonably decent chow, but most people are deluding themselves if they think their cooking is better than any restaurant that isn’t totally terrible.
Restaurant-style cooking is very equipment intensive. A proper Chinese style stir fry needs a gas jet burner and a big wok. A proper pizza needs an oven hotter than home ovens can do. Proper rotisserie meats like gyros or kebab need, well, a rotisserie. You can try to emulate these at home with varying degrees of success, but typically you do more work for what is objectively an inferior product. Many restaurant dishes also require the kind of prep work that doesn’t make sense unless you’re making them at scale.
With home cooking you have to play to your strengths and accept the fact that a lot of restaurant dishes are not worth making. There’s lots of great home cooked dishes you can make, and oftentimes making them yourself at home does make them feel better than at a restaurant, but let’s be honest the overwhelming majority of us are not cooking tastier food than a restaurant.
What makes you think we don’t have any special kind of equipment? Home pizza ovens are quite cheap and effective these days. Rotisseries can be bought as well.
No, that is a dubious claim. There is nothing objective about that statement.
I agree and disagree
If I’m making home shawarma I don’t have the meat kebab spinner, but that’s okay. I can swap in roast chicken and as long as I’ve got good garlic sauce and pickled veg, and a good pita it can still taste amazing. Is just not a proper shawarma.
Home cooking is better for stuff like a cheap steak house or a mid tier chain restaurant or whatever.
I’m not a Michelin star chef, the high quality restaurants are doing things I never would, and they’re amazing for that. But I don’t go to them often, and I’d rather spend money on that level of food than the common mid quality restaurant.
I think food tastes worse if I put effort into it.
I’m the exact opposite, if I put a decent amount of effort into it I’m more likely to enjoy it
I disagree. I’m no expert, but I can make a better steak than any adorable restaurant. I can make pastas better, and my wife makes much better soups than I’ve had at restaurants. Many things we regularly make at home we can do better than restaurants. But you’re right, I can make okay Asian food, but not better than a restaurant. But my Hmong friend makes better Chinese than anything I’ve had at a restaurant. I think it really depends what you make a lot of and get good at.
Home cooked food is also going to taste a bit poorer because restaurants design their recipes to be appealing, not good for you. Full fat butter and too much sodium in everything.
You can, however, absolutely make better food at home. And it can be delicious if you know what youre doing and have a good grocery. But you’ve gotta put time and effort in.
Absolutely true.