Are You A Planner or a Procrastinator?

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cookieee

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To "borrow" a question from "Rachael Ray Everyday" mag. that arrived the other day. It includes a very nice article on that question, and then includes recipes for each type of person. I think most people will say they are both. I know we go in spurts. We will go for weeks knowing what we will have every day, and then that stops and it is the question every morning after breakfast. "What would you like for dinner?" Agggggg I'm too full from breakfast, I don't even want to think about dinner. Why is it always so hard to go back to planning ahead?
 
Well I never plan ahead - but that doesn't make me a procrastinator. Procrastination is by definition: to keep delaying something that ought to be done, often because it is unpleasant and you want to avoid it.

I simply don't plan - I have adventures with cooking.
 
Like you said, a bit of both. I do menu plan most of the time, but sometimes, something will happen to upset the plan, then it's time to improvise.

A lot of times, when that happens, it totally throws me off, and I end up not making something at all that I had all the ingredients for, and I have to toss them because they've spoiled.
 
Seriously now..

I assume the full question is "Are You A Planner Or A Procrastinator as a Cook?" because this is under a Cooking forum.

In just about everything else, I'm a planner. I never, never put things off to tomorrow if I can do them today, and ideally RIGHT NOW. It's difficult sometimes, because my planning sometimes involves people who are unmotivated. But, I realize that if I put off one thing, then another thing I need to do will come up, and now I have 2 things to do, and I feel like I'll never get caught up. I have - and I'm not kidding about this - daily reminders on my phone to do things (like calling to make an appointment, or remembering to get my snowblower fixed). The reminders keep popping up until I do them. Sometimes, I'm too busy to do things right now, but I don't want to let things go until it's too late.

I don't procrastinate about cooking, either. I either do it or I don't. I can't recall a time when I've said, "Gosh, I really need to make some food for lunch next week, but I'm not feeling very motivated. Maybe I'll make something tomorrow, or maybe I'll just eat out instead." Never happens. Sometimes, depending on how the flow of the evening goes, I don't get to start cooking until extremely late, and I call it off. I've tried starting past midnight, and the results aren't good: either the quality is off, because I'm tired and I miss something or burn something, or my precision is off, and I'm working with sharp knives. That's not procrastination: it's safety.

I always something that I know will last throughout the week, and usually for two weeks. Cold weather months are great for this, since stews and such lend themselves to this sort of thing. Lately, I've mixed in the occasional toaster panini, which is more of a spontaneous decision. I have to eat, and I don't want to pay someone else for food if I can help it. Plus, I'm often too busy at work to eat out. I don't plan what I'm going to have months in advance, though. What I have from week to week varies based on my mood.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
We plan every meal each week, it means when we shop we buy only what we need and never have much waste.

I am a trained Project Manager so I have an annoying habit of planning absolutely everything.
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How far in advance do you plan your meals? I'm also a project manager, but I save my long-range planning for work projects, since so many people are affected. When it comes to food, it's usually an audience of one, so I can be flexible.
 
In the magazine article, they list things for a Thanksgiving dinner. So, for example, if you are a planner, there is a recipe for The 4 day Dry-Brined Turkey and if you are a procrastinator there is Herb Butter Turkey with Quick Pan Gravy that takes only 4 hrs. to fix and cook. Also things like stuffings. One stuffing you make your own cornbread to use, the other one you use store bought croutons. That kind of stuff. Plan ahead or take shortcuts. lol

sample Recipe - Fig & Chocolate Pecan Crostata
 
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The Late Night Gourmet said:
How far in advance do you plan your meals? I'm also a project manager, but I save my long-range planning for work projects, since so many people are affected. When it comes to food, it's usually an audience of one, so I can be flexible.
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I plan a week at a time, just before we go on the weekly shopping trip.
 
I think procrastination is the wrong word to use - not you who used it cookieee, I know - you are quoting. Its Rachel Ray who is misusing the term.

Procrastination means you don't want to do something so you put it off. All of us here love to cook so we do want to do it. What we are talking about is whether we plan ahead or not where cooking is concerned. If we don't plan ahead it doesn't mean we are procrastinators. We aren't putting things off. We just prefer to cook more impulsively.
 
I can see what they do mean though. You may want to do something, but not at that time. Like my daughter today, waiting till the almost last minute to make something to take to a party tonight. So she did not have time to make a recipe I found for her. But I do know that she did want to take something tonight but just did not plan far enough ahead.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
I am a trained Project Manager so I have an annoying habit of planning absolutely everything.
Click to expand...

I was an Art major in college, and work as a designer and photographer. Planning is not my forte. Somehow, I do my best design work when I am up against a deadline.

As far as cooking, I often "plan" to cook something in particular, and then get around to it sometime. Cold, rainy weekends are when I am most likely to follow through on a meal I've been wanting to make, but haven't found a "round tuit" laying around the house.

CD
 
I'm a procrastinator, by and large. (Couldn't you tell?)

When I was working, I had to be a planner, putting things out step by step.

As for cooking - I DO plan meals and recipes when I'm having people over for dinner. I draw up a menu well in advance (the distance in advance depends in part on how many are coming, and also on whether this will be more than one meal).

Now that I live 35 minutes from a real grocery, I do plan out shopping lists, and try not to have to go more than once a week. There are two closer Mom and Pop semi-groceries if I run out of something sort of basic, although the one I stopped at yesterday also sells a limited but price-affordable selection of meats and the occasional seafood. (I picked up scallops on sale) Their produce is fresh, although it's mostly lettuce, Russet potatoes, and onions with occasional broccoli.
 
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