I think you should say, honey the cooking is all yours for our next 60 years together and watch tv while he prepares the meals (which is what my dh does. but in his defense I prefer to cook alone,)

My father was just an excellent cook, and an even better baker. Thing was..........I could say the same thing about my mother. There was little she couldn't make and effortlessly. Therein lies the conflict and the boil came to a head and popped over a pot of marinara sauce. (Well, figuratively, had it been literally that's too gross to imagine). Mama was just about to finish cooking a wonderful pasta meal on a peaceful week-end evening when my father, sensing it was time to season the sauce went cruising out to the kitchen to offer some unsolicited advise. I can tell you one thing and that is a master cook is proud of their creations, and one is allowed to agree after the fact if the chef says 'it could have stood a little more thyme'. Whereupon you quickly add that it was wonderful anyway and you'd never have noticed had they not said something.

Well.......when Daddy presented how he made it, and suggested she might do better to emulate him, some feelings were hurt. I loved both their versions for different reasons and always thought cooking a folk art subjected to different interpretations. I was asked to take sides, something they'd never ordinarily do to me. So not fair to a kid. LOL. This must have been serious stuff to them! Since he hurt my mother's feelings, I hurt his by telling him I liked her's better. Oh.........some folks aren't born with statesmanship and learning by experience is the hardest way. I regret it to this day I didn't handle it better.

My dh offers his comments on my cooking freely and though he never compliments me as a good cook, does freely compliment the food before him. However, there are some foods he doesn't particulary like or like how I prepare them and he's equally vocal about that. At first I bent to his wishes and fixed it the way he wanted it and then just decided there were times I wanted it the way I prefer it. My usual retort now when I hear some 'constructive' critism is that it's the chef's option and feel free to create your own interpretation any time you wish.

He does whip up a meal on a rare occasion and I never, ever, ever complain. Kudos to your spouse for blooming in the kitchen. Just enjoy the experience and adventure! You gotta be pretty proud of him.

Agnes, swallow your pride and let your DH do all the cooking he wants! Mine always asks if he can help--and I think he means it--but most of the time, unless chopping vegetables is involved, there's not much he can do. However, he does help clear the table and do the dishes. (I think maybe he feels guilty for all the years he didn't offer! Of course, times were different then, weren't they?)

I have no pride! He can do all he wants to. The problem is that I am by nature, lazy. We decided, with my doctor's approval, that I HAD to do all I could...or else!

I expect that there is a wheelchair in my future. We both think that day may be postponed if I heave my butt up and do as much as I can. Therefore, he does those things that I really can't do (it's hard to run a vaccuum from a walker) and I do as much as I can. He would do the grocery shopping, but I need to get out, so awayyy we go!

Most of the cooking, I still do. He helps with the chopping and pot-watching. He makes a better biscuit (I can't figure out why, he uses my recipe) so he does the baking. Does a great cobbler, and various tapioca puddings. I guess it's tha special "talent"

I am very fortunate that I picked him out of the crowd all those many years ago. Poor Guy!!!