Since when does every family meal have to be a potluck anyway?

One of the best parts about learning to cook is that you get to share the results with the people that you care about. We all have to eat, and when it comes down to it, a lot of food is meant to be a communal thing. It can be difficult to find recipes for one for this reason. There are few better family experiences than being related to somebody who is a great chef and is happy to share their skills with their relatives.

At the same time, the blessing of having people who can cook in the family is not one that is shared equally. For every person who has a whole book filled with their grandma’s recipes, there is somebody who dreads every holiday season because they have to eat their way through a culinary horror that is only just barely edible. On top of that, everybody has different tastes; what may be one individual’s idea of food heaven could be their relative’s nightmare. As if there weren’t enough arguments to potentially be started around the dinner table, this only adds to them.

If you are dealing with a family member’s bad cooking, there are two main ways to deal with it. Either you eat up and keep those complaints to yourself, or you find a way to take away their catering responsibilities. You are not obliged to put up with somebody’s food just because you are related, but tact is important.