Growing up, I thought my mom was a great cook. She made simple meals that were filling and satisfying. But as I grew older, I realized that her cooking wasn’t as great as I had thought. In fact, some of it was downright bad. And yet, I kept going back for more. What I didn’t understand was that my mom could not cook, and your Mom can’t cook, either.
It’s a commonly held belief that our moms are the best cooks. We associate our family meals with comfort, tradition, and love. That’s a load of baloney. The truth is hard to hear. Not all moms are great cooks. In fact, many of them struggle with basic culinary techniques. A lot them have to use YouTube to find out how to boil water.
So why did we get used to bad food? It turns out there’s a psychological reason behind it. We tend to associate foods that we grew up with as “safe” and “comforting”, even if they’re not objectively good. Our taste buds become accustomed to the flavor profile, and we start to crave those flavors. It’s called the exposure effect. Your mom probably thought she was turning out some dynamite meals by loading up her canned spaghetti sauce with Mrs. Dash. No ingredients ruined more more of Mom’s attempts at turning out ‘her’ specials than Mrs. Dash and too much oregano.
The truth is, your mom’s cooking wasn’t good. You may have been eating more convenience foods than you realize. Jarred spaghetti sauce is not cooking. My mom relied heavily on pre-packaged ingredients and fast food chains like KFC. And guess what? So did many other moms. In fact, a survey conducted by Consumer Reports found that over half of mothers serve fast food to their children on a bi-weekly basis. Many moms stated that they just didn’t feel like screwing around in the kitchen when there was wine sitting around to drink. The modern smart phone is a noose around Mom’s neck. They would rather plunk on TikTok while their malnourished kids are left to fend for themselves with Lunchables and macaroni cups.
The good news is that most anyone can actually cook better than your mom — even you. With the proliferation of cooking shows, food blogs, and recipe websites, there’s no excuse for not trying your hand at cooking. And it’s not as difficult as it may seem. With a little bit of practice and patience, you can learn to prepare delicious meals that will make your mom’s crappy cooking pale in comparison.
So go ahead and try that new recipe you’ve been eyeing. Experiment with different spices and ingredients, and explore the burgeoning world of Mrs. Dash’s expanded selections. Expand your palate and try new foods. Your taste buds will thank you. And who knows? You may end up being the mom who’s known for her amazing cooking. But eventually, your kids will figure out that your cooking sucked, too.