What kind of cook are you?

In my many years of cooking, I’ve discovered that most people can be classified as one of several “types”. Whether you love making your family’s traditional recipes or prefer trying new dishes, techniques, and ingredients, you probably fall into one of these types. Read on, and see where you fit:

The Traditionalist. These are the people who used to cook with their moms, or grandmothers, or aunts; they value their family’s long history of cooking for their family, and they doubtless have a folder full of recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Love their fried chicken? Good luck getting the recipe, because it’s no doubt a closely-guarded secret!

The Ground-breaker. These are the people whose experience growing up was the exact opposite of the Traditionalist. They might have grown up in a single-parent household, with a mom or dad who worked a lot and had no time to spend cooking big meals. As a result, they grew up eating a lot of takeout, fast food, or convenience food. When they got out on their own, they discovered the joy of creating home-cooked food. These folks tend to be big on experimentation; they don’t have a roster of family recipes to fall back on, so they enjoy creating their own.

The Freshist. These people wouldn’t be caught dead using pre-made mixes or sauces. They make virtually everything from scratch – from bread to soups to pasta. They are are a great resource if you’re trying to learn a new technique because they love to explore (and master) a multitude of cooking styles and methods, and have a lot of knowledge about how to cook many different foods – as long as they’re fresh!

The Gourmand. These people not only know what coq au vin, brioche, and meringue are, they’ve known how to cook them since they were 12. No recipe is too complex for them, and their holiday table usually looks like something out of a home and garden magazine. The food they serve might be a little rich, but eating at their house is always a delicious culinary experience.

The Mix-and-Match. These folks do a little bit of everything – they have some fancy recipes in their rotation as well as simple, freshly-prepared dishes. They can whip up a quick stir-fry for one or a dinner party for 8. They might not know how to make a choucroute garnie (or even what that is), but they can always throw together a tasty meal using whatever’s on hand.

So what kind of cook are you? Share with us in the comments!