Why does food taste 100x better when someone else makes it, even if it’s the same recipe?

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Why does food taste 100x better when someone else makes it, even if it’s the same recipe?

Comments

  1. Corgipantaloonss Avatar

    Being cared for feels nice. Some of it is how you feel about the person and enjoying they did something nice for you.

    No two people make the same recipe the same way. Variations in it might add just enough change to a dish you are familiar with to be both both consistently tasty but have enough of a change to be interesting.

  2. Reset108 Avatar

    We’re often our own worst critics. When you make it yourself, you remember any little issues/mistakes you had while cooking and it can affect our perception of the end result.

  3. Substantial_Solid908 Avatar

    There’s an endearing feeling to it or comfort that it’s not you getting up to make the food or something. Last night I really wanted some fried fish with tartar sauce but I was feeling so lazy so I almost ordered something until my husband popped the fish in the air fryer and made it for me and tasted perfectly fine and had that “endearing” taste like, I didn’t make that, I am just chilling lol

  4. TripleDoubleFart Avatar

    It doesn’t. You might be a bad cook.

  5. Greg_Pecc Avatar

    Hearing a not so good guitarist on a popular recording makes us think they’re awesome. Hearing ourself, live and in person, who may even be a better player, might do nothing for us.

  6. CraftFamiliar5243 Avatar

    No. I have often eaten at other people’s houses and they totally ruined a recipe that I also used. My aunt was famous for her poor cooking skills.

  7. Baron_Harkonnen_84 Avatar

    Because you are not a good cook.

    edited for clarity

    Not trying to come off as a jerk, but the simple reality is taste is extremely subjective, and even if your preferred spice regime for a certain dish seems “da bomb”, eventually it will become boring. Someone else will have a different take, even using the same spices as you but in varying amounts. This subtle difference in how the spices interact and compliment each other will something new and exciting for your mouth.

    Also what you originally wrote is not always true. My roasted chicken is very much superiors to my wife’s, and I have endless amounts of time to perfect it because I told her so once.

  8. turingthecat Avatar

    Chicken powder, maybe the add chicken powder.
    Chicken powder is literally salt, MSG, garlic powder and chicken fat, and a sprinkle of it will improve any savoury food 100%.
    Have a Chinese supermarket nearby has not helped my weight lose

  9. midnight-shinobi Avatar

    I think it’s the magic of not doing the work yourself—no stress, no cleanup, just pure enjoyment. Food always hits different when it’s made with someone else’s hands.

  10. orbis-restitutor Avatar

    Because you’ve been smelling the food the whole time while cooking it, and when someone else makes it you only smell it for a few seconds before eating.

  11. liberal_texan Avatar

    Maybe you’re just finding out you’re a terrible cook. Kidding, I actually think it’s because when you cook something, by the time it is done you have already been saturated with the smells of everything that goes into it. When someone else cooks, when you eat all those tastes and smells are fresh and you experience them more strongly.

  12. Elysium_Chronicle Avatar

    Can also depend on the timing.

    “Scent blindness” is a thing, and some people experience it more acutely than others. If you’ve been slaving over the stove for a significant amount of time, all the while taking in the smells of whatever you’ve been cooking, then for some people, that significantly dulls the taste of the food if they dig in immediately.

    If that’s the case, then try taking a step out for some fresh air first, or drink some lemon water (or something alcoholic) as a palette cleanser.

  13. beamerpook Avatar

    Because you didn’t cook it. You didn’t spend 30+ minutes stirring, fiddling, tasting it, so your senses are not already tied off the meal before it actually gets done.

  14. ImaginaryBunch4455 Avatar

    The stress of cooking for yourself and others isn’t there when you eat a meal prepared by someone else.

  15. Boldcub Avatar

    When you make the food, you have been dealing with every ingredient, process, smell, and mess involved with the making of said dish. By the end of all that, you have been overexposed to it and it’s just not going to seem as good as if someone just presented it to you, ready to eat.

    Edited to add that I see the person above me said pretty much the same thing.

  16. VFTM Avatar

    When you smell all of the ingredients cooking together while you’re making it, you get flavor fatigue.

  17. IowaJammer Avatar

    Love is the secret ingredient.

  18. ArtiesHeadTowel Avatar

    No it doesn’t.

    I like the food I make.

  19. Derfargin Avatar

    The answer is salt and butter.

  20. Sad_Net1581 Avatar

    I kinda feel this at times. I remember as a kid, if I would get a piece of snickers , Twix or candy in general from someone it was amazing but when I purchased it myself, it didn’t hit the same 😔

  21. GrassRootsShame Avatar

    It’s not even that. Why the hell does other peoples food overall taste better? When I buy my own doritos or takis, it tastes like shit. But when someone offers them to me, they taste great? What’s up with that?

  22. Von-Nug Avatar

    If you make a peanut butter and jelly sammich for me, it will 100% be better than if I made it for myself.
    This is one of the mysteries of life.

  23. splintersmaster Avatar

    Someone once suggested that when you cook a meal you’re surrounded by the smells. You’re probably tasting it as it goes. You’re nervous about how it’ll turn out even if you made it 100 times already.

    You’re anxious and your already overwhelmed senses won’t allow your brain to really appreciate the meal.

    When someone else makes it none of this applies and you’re better able to enjoy the full experience.

  24. nopenopenope002 Avatar

    It doesn’t! I prefer my cooking to anyone else’s 😂

  25. idleandlazy Avatar

    My grandmother used to make this rice dish. Basically a poor person’s dish with very few ingredients. But all of her 7 children loved it. As adults they have all tried to replicate it, using the exact same ingredients and methods. Does it ever taste the same as hers? Never!

  26. cant-find-user-name Avatar

    I’m gonna be honest, I like the food I make more than I like the food my friends make

  27. InclusivePhitness Avatar

    Cooking is not just about recipe. A recipe is just measurements and general instructions. Cooking for many dishes requires technique and experience.

  28. Higgz221 Avatar

    A bunch of your “taste” comes through scent as well. When you’re the cook you get used to the smell, so the taste is not as fulfilling as when you smell/taste it for the first time at the same time, like when someone brings you a dish from another room (:

  29. RainMakerJMR Avatar

    I’m a pro chef, and people always ask what your favorite food is. I always tell the. “Anything i don’t have to cook”

  30. Tophinity Avatar

    It doesn’t

  31. Leather-Marketing478 Avatar

    That’s just in your own mind because you’re a self-loather

  32. Traditional_Entry183 Avatar

    I can’t enjoy anything that I make myself, even if I do my best and hope that others do. This absolutely applies to cooking.

  33. Ignoble66 Avatar

    theres a good chance by the time i get done cooking somethjng im sick of it already and dont want it

  34. psychopaticsavage Avatar

    Probably need cooking improvement

  35. Able_Membership_1199 Avatar

    Why does food I made myself always taste much better than what I’m served? Simple. My wifes cooking.

  36. duck1014 Avatar

    You obviously haven’t tasted my wife’s cooking….

  37. Secret_Divide_3030 Avatar

    Accept for spaghetti. Everyone’s own made spaghetti is better than someone else’s spaghetti.

  38. No_Equivalent8817 Avatar

    One thing i experience is that i get too caught up in the process that I forget I’m making myself food. Like I’m still in project mode when I’m done and I haven’t had time to think about how good it’s going to taste or how hungry I am. I also worked in food prep for a while and it’s hard to work hungry so I’m more of a grazer in general.

    I try to taste as I go but the best situation is when I’m just waiting for something to come out of the oven or crock pot and I have plenty of time to relax before I eat. I’m also a big proponent of letting food rest and come down to a more manageable temperature – I would rather cook a dish, let it settle for 20 minutes or so, and then if I need to I can bring it back up a couple degrees in a pan or something. I try to replicate my restaurant work experience as much as I can.

  39. Empyre47AT Avatar

    I’ve heard this plenty of times, same with free food. Can’t say I’ve ever noticed a difference in how something tastes when it’s made by someone else or if I don’t have to pay for it. My tastebuds transmit signals to my brain. That’s all it is for me.

  40. bionicallyironic Avatar

    Totally not scientific, but my theory is some people just get how to cook. The other day my cousin made me breakfast. I swear it was just eggs, rotel, potatoes, salt, and pepper, but it was SO good. I watched her do it and probably couldn’t replicate it. Some folks just have the knack/instinct/whatever you want to call it.

  41. hauntedSquirrel99 Avatar

    While everyone else have good answers.

    You might just not be using enough spices. A lot falls off during the cooking process.

  42. trenixjetix Avatar

    put some salt lmao

  43. SadisticUnicorn Avatar

    TIL I’m a culinary narcissist

  44. BryGuy_2365 Avatar

    like mom’s pb&j. still haven’t perfected it all these years later….

  45. Positron311 Avatar

    I find that the food I make tastes better than I expected lol

  46. _IratePirate_ Avatar

    Headass. I only like it when I make steaks. Nobody makes them better than me according to me

  47. randonumero Avatar

    I’ve rarely seen a home cook measure out spices including salt. I’ve also rarely seen them truly measure out the fats they add. I dated someone whose food was phenomenal. Turns out she used way more butter than I’d ever think to use. even in the same recipes. She also did things like add a bit of lemon juice or fresh herbs to things. So even though we’d cook the same things, sometimes with the same recipe, her extras definitely added up

  48. Silly_Guidance_8871 Avatar

    The added seasoning of servitude.

  49. 75153594521883 Avatar

    Because you don’t use enough salt

  50. w0nkydonuts Avatar

    I feel like element of surprise is a factor too, you’ve been there when you’re making the food so you’re already familiar with the smell and whatever ingredients are included on it, so you probably know a bit what to expect when you eat it.

    But when someone else makes it for you, especially when you’re not present when they’re cooking it, you don’t really know what to expect until you actually try it, then it’s either you will be pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised about eating that food.

  51. fluffynuckels Avatar

    I make the best grilled cheeses I’ve ever had I won’t dare tell that to my mother tho

  52. TheHondoCondo Avatar

    I don’t think that it does. In my immediate family I’m easily the best cook/baker. I’m not arrogant for saying that. It’s just that nobody in my family is particularly talented in that area and I’ve actually made efforts where they haven’t. It’s just a matter of relative skill I think.

  53. Separate_Sea8717 Avatar

    It really does not

  54. Gubbtratt1 Avatar

    It’s actually the opposite. It tastes 100x better when I make it. That’s because I add twice the amount of butter, salt, onion and garlic and cook it in a cast iron pan.

  55. belarda123 Avatar

    I like the food I prepared more than anyone else’s. The sense of accomplishment is delicious!

  56. TheDogAndCannon Avatar

    I’m the opposite of this if anything. I’ll always appreciate food prepared by others, but making something like my own roast dinner is something I take huge pride in and I make damn sure what I make tastes great.

  57. GreenPlumberEnjoyer Avatar

    If you are cooking something you smell it for a long time while you’re preparing it and become somewhat noseblind to all of the flavors. The nose and smell is a huge part of tasting food. Someone else gets the desensitization when food is prepared for you.

  58. GammaPhonica Avatar

    That’s a strange way to announce to the world that you have no idea how terrible a cook you are.

  59. 0dayssince Avatar

    It doesn’t. It really depends on how good the cook is.

  60. simonk1905 Avatar

    Other people’s labour tastes better.

    It is the same reasoning some people use to say lab grown diamonds are inferior to “real” diamonds. It just isn’t the same without the death and cruelty.

  61. Best-Cantaloupe-9437 Avatar

    Well this is just a matter of opinion.I happen to prefer my own cooking.

  62. willthefreeman Avatar

    Bc recipe is just a small part of it. People who are “good” cooks do things with time, temperature, acidity, seasoning and most importantly adding enough salt that people who aren’t good at cooking don’t do.

  63. Far_Finish_4200 Avatar

    I love cooking for myself prefer it actually…nobody can make my food better than I can 

  64. spaciousputty Avatar

    A big thing for me is the lack of surprise, it’s never unexpectedly nice because you made it, you know exactly what to expect. Also, I am more likely to judge it again my preconceptions about what I think it should taste like than on its own merit

  65. _matt_hues Avatar

    I love the food I make

  66. RuneanPrincess Avatar

    I don’t experience that. I’m curious if you might just be bad at cooking (per your own standards). There’s an art to it that isn’t captured by recipes. In fact, I never use recipes for anything more than inspiration. In my experience food is better when certain people make it, but most of the time I prefer how I do it. When I was a teenager learning to cook this was NEVER true for me so I think as you get better you may see it differently.

  67. spijkerbed Avatar

    Because the extra ingredient is love or kindness. That makes a lot of difference.

  68. Sunny_Hill_1 Avatar

    Because you aren’t a very good cook? I mean, it’s impossible to tell unless we can sample both your and the other person’s cooking.

  69. jjyourg Avatar

    Because usually when you are cooking you taste test things. This taste testing ruins your enjoyment later because you already ate.

  70. awkwardstate Avatar

    Everyone is a better cook than you.

  71. no12chere Avatar

    My theory is that food tastes better when you are hungry. You have likely been taste testing all along the process, so first you have ‘intermediate step taste’, so you take a bite ‘not enough salt or garlic’. That means your ‘first bite’ is disappointing. Second you are not as hungry so the meal tastes fine but not exceptional.

    At someones home you have not eaten yet maybe you smell the cooking but someone else made sure the final flavor is just-right so you only get that finished flavor.

  72. TeeJayPlays Avatar

    Thats why food tastes better when you are stoned. You forgot you made it and then BOOM… surprise pizza.

  73. Thossi99 Avatar

    I’m the exact opposite lmao

  74. recordedManiac Avatar

    If you eat food that’s served it’s a new/unique taste and smell. If you made it urself you have smelled it for a long time and you get sick of it

    Fun fact if you have trouble eating because of medical stuff or something you are often told to stay around the food for as little time as possible, don’t eat in the kichen, open windows and have a fan running etc

  75. catgotcha Avatar

    It’s the opposite for me. There’s nothing better than sitting down with a hot plate of food that you meticulously cooked yourself.

  76. Seriously_you_again Avatar

    Same reason it tastes better when somebody else buys it.

  77. Scared_Ad2563 Avatar

    You obviously haven’t had my partner’s cooking, lol.

  78. Few_Yak_2045 Avatar

    It’s because you need to stop eating while cooking!

  79. bubblehashguy Avatar

    IME most people don’t even know how to properly prep/cut meat & tend to over cook veggies

  80. sleepysniprsloth Avatar

    According to the cannibals, people

  81. thowe93 Avatar

    I’m the opposite

  82. LichtbringerU Avatar

    It doesn’t.

    When I make the same food, or my brother makes the same food, and we strictly use the same recipe with the same ingredients in the house , it tastes exactly the same.

    So, most probably you do not use the same ingredients/recipe even if you think you do.

    For home cooks, they don’t have the skills to make an accurate recipe. You would have to observe them and write it down yourself. Oh and you would have to weigh everything meticulously. Which nobody does. And even then, the better cook can adjust the spices, depending on how old the ingredients are and how much flavour they give. So then you would need to buy from the same stores, basically the same batch of ingredients.

    Now, free food that someone else makes, and especially if you were not expecting it always tastes better subjectively 😛

    Yes, your mental plays a huge role in how you perceive food. That’s why wine with a more expensive looking label might actually objectively taste better to you. That’s why Coca cola tastes better to you, because it evokes all the marketing they have done. You are literally conditioned to think about pleasant things when you taste coca cola.

    Tl;dr: Almost nobody makes recipes accurate enough or follows them accurately enough to produce the same meal. If they did, and used the same ingredients it would taste the same.

  83. GraciaEtScientia Avatar

    I adore food I make myself.

    Perfect blend of spices.

  84. fakingglory Avatar

    Easy answer, because you’re a bad cook.

  85. ZelaAmaryills Avatar

    Smell adds a lot more flavor to food then people realize, if your cooking it your gonna be smelling it the whole time and it’s gonna make that smell not hit as well when you go to eat.

    If someone else makes it your getting the full effect as you eat it.

  86. Lopsided-Writing-654 Avatar

    Cause you don’t have to put in the work

  87. Upbeat-Sandwich3891 Avatar

    I find most recipes to be very conservative when it comes to spice, so I view them more as suggestions than instructions. I’m also Cajun and can’t stand anything bland.

  88. Academic_UK Avatar

    Skill…

    And extra butter!

  89. Troutie88 Avatar

    They are just a better chef than you

  90. Complicated_Business Avatar

    Gratitude is its own spice.

  91. Cheap_Membership9250 Avatar

    Being a kid and visiting your friend only to see their mum has made you both toast with just a slice of cheese and salami which tasted 100x better than your housemade one

  92. Miserable-Habit-2503 Avatar

    NEARLY EVERYTHING. Something about not prepping, cooking & smelling it makes someone else’s offering better most of the time. And I cook!

  93. TinKnight1 Avatar

    Eh. There’s no one’s spaghetti that I like more than when I make it: not my mom’s, not my Italian stepgrandmother’s, not an ex-wife’s, not any gf’s, & not any restaurant’s. I don’t think mine is necessarily special, nor that they do it wrong…but merely that when I do it, it just comes out “right.”

    That said, my favorite meals have always been when someone else has made something for me, & I’ve received the same feedback when I’ve cooked. There’s something to be said for someone caring enough about you to make something special & share their own abilities & interests & likes.

  94. Ogloka Avatar

    Honestly, I usually prefer my own cooking.

  95. Deeptrench34 Avatar

    It’s gonna seem woo woo to some but food made by others has a secret ingredient: love.

  96. Working-Tomato8395 Avatar

    I don’t really have this issue. I’m no professional chef or anything, but unless I’m spending a few hundred bucks on dinner at a super high end place, I end up chewing my food thinking about how much better I would’ve made it at home

  97. nopopon Avatar

    That reminds me that scene in the Japanese movie “Kamome Shokudo”, when the previous coffee shop owner prepares a coffee for the new owner, and she’s unable to understand why she finds it tastes better, even though he’s using the same technique and ingredients.

    He goes: “Because I made it for you. It tastes better when someone makes it for you.”

  98. gelobassman Avatar

    If everything is absolutely the same and the only difference is you didn’t cook it… nothing beats sitting down relaxing, enjoying something else and hearing the call that the food is ready.

    I enjoy the whole cooking process (i do 99% of the cooking in my family) but man, sometimes the work involved to make everything good for your loved ones drains you in the end.

  99. britipinojeff Avatar

    That’s just cuz I suck at cooking

  100. Clean-Owl2714 Avatar

    With some cooked foods it is definitely a big part the smell. When you are hanging above the pan for an hour, your nose kind of filters out that smell from what you’re smelling. If you then eat right away, it still filters out the smell, so your food tastes more blend.

  101. paypiggie111 Avatar

    Are you just bad at cooking maybe?

  102. WiredWizardOfWiles Avatar

    Never happened to me.
    You’re probably a bad cook. 😂

  103. CarnageCoon Avatar

    when you cook for yourself it’s a chore, from someone else it’s a gift

  104. ye_esquilax Avatar

    This was true when I worked at McDonalds years ago. Even french fries that I didn’t scoop myself tasted better.

  105. aretasdamon Avatar

    Skill issue, I like my food better than others most of the time. They either under season or over cook. But most of the time it’s just family versions of food they have grown to like over time

  106. sneakysnake1111 Avatar

    ……

    I must have a giant ego. This is not the case for me.

    A restaurant can not make me a better steak – ever.

  107. thelukejones Avatar

    It’s the opposite for me 🥲

  108. Puzzleheaded_City808 Avatar

    I prefer my cooking over everyone else’s. So there’s that.

  109. CynicalNyhilist Avatar

    I dunno dude, you are probably just very bad at cooking.