Probably 5 nights/week.

6 nights a week. Thursdays is takeout and is generally pizza so that there is leftovers for kids lunches for Fridays. One less day plan and prepare something for them! No one has ever said, "Not pizza again!"

What do people do for food when they don't cook themselves?

@kahrynamaya - depending on where they live, they manage with take-away, delivery, and restaurants. In NYC, for instance, there are people who never use the kitchen for more than storage. I'm sure this is true in other cities, and to be honest, there is nothing wrong with this. In NYC in particular, one could eat in a different restaurant every day and never repeat. I couldn't live like that because I thoroughly enjoy food preparation and dining at home. However - and it is a big however - I admit that when I was responsible for all the meals in our household, I didn't enjoy it nearly as much. Now my husband and I take it in turns, week on week off, and it is much more of a pleasure.

Hi Beth, thanks for this!

@havingfun I used recipes with the bread machine. It was something with texture and smell that bothered me. Perhaps I didn't give it enough of a chance. But it's so long ago now, that I can barely remember!

4-5 nights a week. Then I have leftovers the rest of the week. Sometimes on Sunday I might make 2 or 3 meals for the week.

my husband is a chef - so it is hard to eat out - restaurant food is rarely good enough....with the exception of the occasional sushi - we eat at home daily

I cook about 4-5 nights a week. Then eat planned leftovers or eat out the other 2-3 days

6 days a week. It's not the money, it's wanting to eat low fat and healthy.

Sunday to Wednesday.

I'm another one here with food allergies. Our house is gluten free, dairy free and peanut free and minimal grains. When I was about 10 years old, I started having dinner prepared almost daily when my mom and dad came in from work. How many nights a week I cook now varies on the leftovers that we have, but we eat almost all our meals at home and pack lunches for the office. I love seeing all the comments of others that also enjoy spending time in the kitchen because very few of my friends do. I thought I was one of the few. You all have proved me wrong :-)

I love to cook. I started liking it when I was a designer/illustrator with deadlines that could really stress me out. Making dinner took my mind off my project worries and allowed me to clear my head. Now that my husband is almost retired and I am completely retired, cooking is even easier. I get to make creative decisions, to control what we are eating and I also get out of doing dishes—my not-so-favorite task. We do eat out twice a week, generally, though when we have our kids and grandson with us, more.

6 or 7 night a week. My cooking is so much better and healthier than 95% of restaurants and if the food at a restaurant is as delicious, it is waaaaay too expensive. Also, I use veggies fresh from the garden. Still harvesting beets, chard, carrots and potatoes on Nov. 4th here in the Pacific NW. Where you gonna get chard and roasted beets with garlic and onions in most restaurants.? Their idea of a veggie is steamed broccoli! ick! We do go out for pho (too hard to make at home) and sushi, though.

Eating out is expensive, and my husband has type 2 diabetes. We are very careful about the food we eat, and restaurant food is too full of sugar, carbs and sodium. Much less expensive to eat at home.

For me, cooking at home is healthier and easier on my budget. I am no stranger to leftovers.

I spend a day cooking mega-meals for the week, just for me. It's usually 2 to 3 types of meats and 2 to 3 veggies. Adding different fillers (rice, pasta, potatoes) creates the variety and eliminates boredom.

I cook three meals on weekends and dinners every day of the week for my boys, yes, including my husband. By 3 p.m. in the day they are calling me at work and asking me what's for dinner and what it is - so I always have to have an answer. I love to try out new (easy) recipes and if three out of the four of us like it, I'll make it again. But if only 2, nope (even if I like it), lots of stir fry, Indian chicken, tacos, hamburgers, easy stuff during the week and more elaborate meals on the weekend. Since I have to cook, I like to make it a challenge. I prefer baking to cooking, though, but now everyone is on a no carb diet.

Love to cook! Also like to eat out once or twice a week..

@Norma - you've never been to Brooklyn I guess. Every single restaurant has a chard or kale dish and in the fall, roasted beets rule. One of our problems in the food world, is that we have too many chains, so that is what people experience when they dine out. Red Lobster Applebee's TGIFriday Olive Garden Ruby Tuesday Outback etc. In our area, we have the chains, but we still have local restaurants where you can get food sourced locally and prepared in house. And I don't even live in Brooklyn or Manhattan - I'm an hour north in the Hudson Valley. We only frequent chains when we travel and can't find any other choice - and then you are right - squishy broccoli.

Hey Beth! Well I've lived out here in WA for 25 years and Olympia is pretty much a restaurant wasteland except for Asian food and about TWO gourmet places, but if we travel to Seattle or Portland it's foodie heaven - but awfully pricey, except for Portland's amazing food carts. You can't pull me kicking and screaming into one of those chains! My grandparents actually owned a Polish deli in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and I still make all my gramma's recipes. Cooking for others - it's a family tradition.

Does the Oak something cafe still exist in Sequim? Our son is in Issaquah so we get out there, and he has taken me to Dahlia Lounge (??) during restaurant week. Yes, it is pricey but so is Brooklyn & Manhattan & even where we live. So we rarely eat out, except when we are in Brooklyn visiting our daughter & her family.

Not cooking, but cleaning question. How do you all keep your black cook tops smudge free? I have tried everything and still it shows streaks and smudges. I have a 6 burner, gas, with black porcelain top and when the lights on the range hood are on I hate the streaks! Your secret? Thanks ☺

I finally solved my problem with the black surface on my Kitchenaid range by giving it away. I couldn't keep up with the glass top at all. One benefit was that I can now use my great-grandmother's wonderful cast iron pan again because we switched to gas.

Beth, The Oak Table Cafe still exists in Sequim. Ohh, Dahlia Lounge - yummy, but you need to hock your engagement ring to eat there!

I LOVE cooking, no processed food for my family ! Cooking relaxes me, I love to try new things and make people happy with my cooking..I don't bake though...

I don't really cook every night but I'm single, so I have plenty of leftovers to tide me through the work week. I typically cook for the week on weekends.

I cook 4-5 evening meals/week. I work night shift so I cook something the night before a 3 night stretch that will give us leftovers for one night. The 2nd night is "clean out the fridge" and 3rd night is sandwich or take out.

When we had the restaurant we didn't really have to cook, but now "I" cook at least 5 times a week and we try to get out for dinner a couple of times a week. Good thing I was taught by "the " best cook in the world. Thanks Mom ! ( rest in peace )

I was talking to my siblings the other day about how we use to complain when we lived at home about having certain meals and then when you move out on your own how much you missed those amazing meals.

We all laughed because we use to call Mom and ask Mom could you make us such and such a meal and then we would all make trips to the house to pick up our carefully wrapped dinners . Mom would have a big smile on her face every time and say you miss your mom's cooking ? We would hug her and tell her that nothing tastes like your food Mom. The special little surprise was when we use to open up the meals at our places because Mom would write a little note telling us how much she loved us. I have a shoe box full of those notes. They make me smile everytime I go through them and read them. Mom's are the best !

Mark, that is the sweetest story ever. I'm hoping to put together a personal cook book of family recipes that the "kids" always call and ask about. Of course, then, they'd probably stop calling? LOL. But I continually forget to plan for the step by step photo sessions needed while I'm cooking one of the things they always ask for.

lessismoore I think a cookbook of family recipes would be a great idea. I wish I had a recipe book of all my Mom's home made meals. I think your "kids" would love that !

Mark, I also loved your post. I lost my sweet Mom a year ago and miss her terribly. Yes, Mom's are pretty darn special!

Thank you chloebud, and I'm so sorry for your loss.

Years ago I typed up about 75 of our four sons' favorite recipes and gave each of them a binder of them (all in sheet protectors). They use them all the time. It was probably the most useful gift I ever gave any of them. It is called "Nobody Cooks Like Mom".

Lessismoore, even though we have been empty-nesters for 15 years I often get a call from one or another of them asking "Mom, how do I make this or that?", No matter how old our children get, they still need their moms!

We cook at home most nights. I think it is healthier and I know we save $$$

Ditto Solraven & Luzforu: I cook 3-4 times a week, and 75% of those meals I use the grill. I also try & juice 3-4 times a week, which is a whole other clean up job but worth it. One night a week we order pizza.

My husband does the cooking! I take him out 1 to twice a week!

I cook every day, breakfast , lunch, and supper. It is better for you and there is more control of what goes into your meals. Also, I should add I work fulltime, I always make time for meals.

tkpain I also cook every meal 3 times a day. Also love cooking for the holidays. Grown children and grandchildren ask for special dishes. I also try to use leftovers in

new dishes: e.g. roast chicken can become chicken pot pie, chicken salad with fruit, chicken stir fry, etc.

I cook everyday except when I'm on vacation! I just had a vacation from everything last week--no cooking for 5 days!

I cook almost daily. When you share your food and time in the kitchen it is a genuine show of love. Having a full pantry, and
Freezer is the greatest feeling. One of my favorite one dish meals is: Pistachio encrusted sea bass, pan fried, over oven
Asiago Risotto. Light green salad frisée, mini tomatoes and I light vinegorette on top. Delicious and easy.
We have amazing restaurants in Napa Valley. When I worked full time we ate out a lot. Now really for special occasions, except lunch with girlfriends. Love love love left overs.

My husband and I don't like to eat out much at all, so I am the constant cook along with lots of vegetable and fruit salads. We cheat twice a month with a hearty callah french toast breakfast with sausage and scrambled eggs.

I cook 3 days a week when my son is away at college and every day when he's home. No more leftovers. My wife and I do manage to eat out once a week though.

About four days of the week and some weekends me and my husband share the chore of cooking, he does some dinners and I do others, but on the whole I do roughly four nights, and we very rarely go out to eat at restaurants these days

Amost every day for the Iast 16 years. I live alone in the bush and just to get a takeout burger is close to a 1 and 1/2 hour round trip. I went into the city last week, and that was the first time in almost 9 months. But, to be honest, if I lived in the city, I would eat out a LOT!! I got very lazy after I hit 75.

My husband loves to cook and I do the clean up. We eat at home almost everyday. We go out to lunch or dinner approximately twice a month.

We cook in almost every day. Sometimes if there are enough leftovers, we won't cook something new. We eat out about twice a month. I'd like to eat out more. I enjoy eating out. I love Thai, and there's a really good vegan restaurant nearby that I'd love to visit more often, but we really have to watch our spending. Eating out is expensive.

I truly love cooking at home. I find it relaxing and fun-especially when I have friends or family members involved. There are so many delicious recipes -both simple and elegant.

We usually eat out a couple times a week - often on a Friday and whenever we just run out of time.