Men vs. Women in the Kitchen

I don't mean to start a battle here, but just asking some opinions.

ChefDanielle had a thread re women as chefs which I found interesting.

Other than the obvious differences between men and women (thank God), I believe there are others that are not so obvious.

For example, I believe that most women when doing a recipe will generally follow the recipe pretty closely at least the first time around. However, I believe men are less trusting in the writer of the recipe and want to know WHY they are doing what they are doing.

Example: baking a cake....grease and flour pan and put wax paper or parchment in the bottom. Woman...follows instructions. Man...says, "S..T, I have non-stick cake pans, so I don't have to do that...big mistake. Man has to be told to do it even if he has non-stick pans cause it's gonna stick anyway if you don't.

See difference?

Any thoughts from others about this issue? Think we should get some interesting responses from both sexes.

When I create a cake from a new recipe, I usually follow the recipe as it says until I become comfortable with it and then start to change some of the recipe directions. But generally I don't play with baking instructions too much unless it is a simple recipe.

men .vs. women in the kitchen, yes there are differences, but when it comes to doing the job does gender mean anything?

CoolJ:

Knew I should stayed away from this topic. No, in doing the job, gender has nothing to do with it IMHO.

I am just asking for opinions about how men and women approach cooking differently. I am after attitudes not results.

[momoreg]

If a chef is educated in cooking, and a recipe is written by someone who is less educated, the chef may feel there is a better way of preparing the dish. However, if a chef is uncomfortable with the procedure, whether he is male or she is female, that chef will probably follow the directions.

I think women have more open lines of communication than men. (This may be because I'm a female.) Women will always tell you what they think, sometimes whether you like it or not!

[Live_to_cook]

I don't know about chefs, but in my kitchen I usually follow recipes once. Then I alter it to my taste and my wife's, sometimes dramatically.

She follows recipes slavishly, but I think it has more to do with her not liking to cook that much rather than anything to do with being female.

[cape chef]

The stock pot was full of fond de veau.. I needed help removing it from the stove to chill it in ice water. I took one side and another chef took the other side, As we moved the stock pot off the stove it tilted a little to the other chefs side. I compensated by raising my side just a tad. We placed the pot into the sink and I put on the water and the other chef got the ice.
What team work
cc

[mudbug]

Crudeau,

I disagree with your gender classification of women following directions more often than men. I have male and female friends who cook "on the fly" and like to experiment rather than follow a recipe. At the same time I have male and female friends who follow directions. I'm female and usually have to know "why" in a recipe as opposed to my male counterpart.

I totally believe every individual is different in their own persona and I also believe it is human nature to generalize and "classify" things.

[Live_to_cook]

I have to say, if you're given to knowing the "why" of recipes, Cook's Illustrated is a good publication to have around. Those people are so anal, testing 30 different variations of a recipe to see what works best, that you'd be remiss not to take advantage of their work. If that was how you were wired, that is.

Sorry, Crudeau, I guess I didn't quite understand where you were going, please accept my apology, and I really hope that iI haven't offended anybody with my previous posting.

[mudbug]

Live_to_cook,

Wasn't sure if you were directing that at me or Crudeau. Either way, FYI, I am a HUGE fan of Cook's Illustrated. I don't think it's a matter of being anal. I think it's a quest for knowledge and considering how things work under different circumstances. They easily lay the foundation from which to experiment.

[Nick.Shu]

wisdom would suggest that what works does and that doesnt work costs profits. - if something that works somewhere doesnt elsewhere, then obviously something is wrong.

By the same token, if it isnt broke, then dont fix it.

Interesting responses. Thanks, folks.

[Live_to_cook]

By anal I didn't mean bad. I meant obsessive. My beloved has the Cook's Illustrated dessert book. They did their routine on creme brulee, working through every possible permutation before recommending a recipe.

Including rice milk *and* soy milk (both of which were gross, they reported).

Now that's thorough.