cooking for a picky eater

[KnightofNi]

holy crap it sucks.

if she could cook i would tell her to do it, but i would get bored very quickly.
as it is it took 2 yrs for me to look at the normal diet and go "blah"


does anyone else have this issue? what do you do to keep things moving along and not cook the same basic thing every night?


i'm trying to find recipies that are simple and won't be "intimidating" to the palate challenged.

[OverCaffeinated]

I kinda have the same issue. My wife is very indecisive and has an allergy to wheat. This mean we can almost never eat out, but also can never decide what she would like.

We cook a lot of mexican and cuban food at home.

Have you tried interesting dishes? If so what has been her reaction?

I have found that people like that just need to come out of there comfort zone and they will like it.

Take the dishes that she does like and make them better. Example; if she likes spaghetti with a plain marinara sauce or with ground beef. Just kick it up a notch and use some Italian sausage instead of the beef, than through some fresh veggies in the sauce like squash.

[jdubbs32584]

What doesn't she like?

Or maybe an easier question is, what does she like?

[KnightofNi]

I kinda have the same issue. My wife is very indecisive and has an allergy to wheat. This mean we can almost never eat out, but also can never decide what she would like.

We cook a lot of mexican and cuban food at home.

Have you tried interesting dishes? If so what has been her reaction?

I have found that people like that just need to come out of there comfort zone and they will like it.

Take the dishes that she does like and make them better. Example; if she likes spaghetti with a plain marinara sauce or with ground beef. Just kick it up a notch and use some Italian sausage instead of the beef, than through some fresh veggies in the sauce like squash.

yes i have tried that. it has had very little success. think of trying to feed a 5 yr old.
if i added sausage insterad of ground beef she would see it and either refuse to eat it, or eat plain pasta and i would have a ton of leftover sauce.

What doesn't she like?

Or maybe an easier question is, what does she like?

what doens't she like....food that actually has character

once again, think of feeding a 5 yr old. chicken fingers, fries, and occasionally a quesadilla.

[OverCaffeinated]

Then tell her to go in time out if she doesn't finish what's on her plate. 

[Oldfisti]

Then tell her to go in time out if she doesn't finish what's on her plate. 

   +1

[Oldfisti]

Seriously though,  ??   My suggestion would have also been...

Take the dishes that she does like and make them better. Example; if she likes spaghetti with a plain marinara sauce or with ground beef. Just kick it up a notch and use some Italian sausage instead of the beef, than through some fresh veggies in the sauce like squash.

[the_Journeyman]

Send said picky eater to be w/o supper.  It'll only take once or twice  

I cook a lot, I like squash dishes, there's lots of variations on how to fix it.  Lots of different types of squash too.  Butternut can be treated a lot like sweet potatoes and prepped with brown sugar, spices & butter.  I cook a lot of chicken & beef on the grill.  Marinades, spices, rubs etc are key to variety here.  I do roasts and ribs in the slow-cooker with excellent results as well.

JM

[somegirl]

We were talking with a friend last night about her picky eater boyfriend.

He only eats:
- garlic bread
- french fries (not even tater tots)
- occasionally dry cereal
- occasionally sweet pastries
- a multi-vitamin

Talk about challenging!

[JEFF_H]

I'd just cook her want she wants.
and do the add-ons you can put in yours on the side.

that or do what i do...serve a big fat martini first...then she doesnt care what i cook  

[jdubbs32584]

Thats ... special.

Cook what you want to eat. Then throw some chicken fingers in the microwave for her. If she's not willing, then make the beast with two backs it. Not worth your effort.


If you wanna put forth the effort:

If she eats mashed potatoes, sneak cauliflower in there. Or a different kind of cheese.

Make meatballs but sneak in different kinds of meat (turkey, veal, pork, chicken).

Then, when she eats it, say, "Aha! You just ate veal in that meatball! So quit yer pregnant dogin'!"



Another approach is to get all mushy and tell her you want to have a better dining experience with her and her aversion to most foods is making that difficult. Play the "This is important to me" card.

[somegirl]

i'm trying to find recipies that are simple and won't be "intimidating" to the palate challenged.

How about a cookbook that is geared towards cooking for children?

[the_Journeyman]

Cook aromatic dishes you like so when she comes in it smells so good she can't wait to eat ~

JM

[Popeye the Sailor]

Threaten to play the bagpipes until she tries something new.

[somegirl]

Hmmm, apparently it is genetic.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/10/dining/10pick.html