Canadians share their cooking stories, disasters and all

Picture this: it’s 3:30 AM, your kitchen is filled with smoke, the pizza’s burnt beyond recognition, and you’re laughing with friends while Superbad plays in the background. For many Canadians, that chaotic joy is what cooking at home is all about.

According to a survey from Statista, cooking and baking is a hobby for 41% Canadians. those who spoke to 8forty for this article told us their experiences, fails, tips, and views about the food prep world.  

Making food is a fun and creative way to connect with others, even over great distances.  A high school culinary foods teacher told 8forty, “I always like to try different meals from other cultures, I follow the recipe then taste as I go and add my own twist.”  

For cooks and bakers, there’s real joy in finishing a dish and sharing it. You can invite friends and family or even plan a social event. Plenty of memories are made surrounded by meals: cooking with your kids or your mom, or even just sharing a mandarin with someone you care about. It’s a hobby that’s accessible and gives people a sense of purpose.  

During the pandemic, many Canadians turned to cooking and baking to keep themselves busy with something meaningful. A 17-year-old baker tells 8forty, “I learned to bake during the pandemic at home, it just became a skill at that point ill bake cakes or cookies almost every weekend, something to look forward to.” 

Some people lean toward cooking more than baking, not because they don’t enjoy sweets, but because baking seems a lot harder to learn. One young adult told us, “I prefer cooking over baking because I don’t know how to, if I could, I would try-but it appears to be very time consuming.”

With rising financial pressure, even a single fast-food meal can cost over $20, making it less and less affordable, a stay-at-home dad cook says,“Life gets so expensive and busy especially in the restaurant industry. People started cooking more at home, got used to it getting easier, then it’s much more practical and rewarding.”  

Some people don’t always have the energy to cook just for fun. When asked how often she cook for enjoyment instead of just to eat, a mother shared how she felt and says said, “Cooking for pleasure, not just to eat feels like a luxury sometimes.”

It’s easy for beginners to try cooking just by watching quick videos. Social media makes it feel more doable-even fun-for people who never though they’d be interested in making meals from scratch. 

 A teenager bored at home shares, “I save the recipe or screenshot it, then prepare everything the next day to make it.”   

Jane, a social media foodie says, “I’ve had friends who knew nothing about the fundaments of [making dishes from scratch], sending me videos of their banana bread loaf or making a whole lasagna from recipes they’ve seen in short form content.”  

Not everything in making eats will go according to plan. Sometimes things go wrong in the kitchen, but the people interviewed were open to talk about their kitchen fail experiences. A professional chef told 8forty about a time they messed up. Mistakes are just part of the progress—even for experts. “It’s super annoying when I want to make something but I’m missing a key ingredient and there’s nothing that really works to substitute with it or forgetting to turn on the stove once I’ve incorporated ingredients in a pot or pan,” she told 8forty. “But it’s a common and happens to the best of us.”  

Joshua Lameda, a former Vancouverite shared their pizza party incident. Midway through watching the movie Superbad he and his friends decided to make a pizza. “We took out the pots from the oven but didn’t see the thin layer of oil at the bottom,” he told 8forty. 20 minutes later they noticed that something was amiss. “We opened the oven door big oil smoke clouds surrounded us and we pulled out a black burnt pizza. It took a really long time clearing the smoke out at 3:30 AM.”  

People have their own ways of incorporating tasks and little fun side quests to do while they explore the meal-making process whether you do it alone or with your whole posse in complete utter silence or a loud bass background. A body builder told us, “I listen to Mexican salsa music while dancing and cooking so it’s more fun to eat once its finished.”  

Whether you just starting out in the kitchen for the first time in months or really want to impress you loved ones with a home cooked meal, there are plenty of sources and opportunities to dive into the word of exploring the sense of taste. A cooking enthusiast from Toronto advises, “Don’t be afraid to try, being open to it is crucial, don’t expect it to be perfect the first try.”  

In a world that’s constantly on fast pace, maybe cooking is just how we can hit a pause and savour a passionate escape. trying new things, messing up, laughing through the smoke clouds, and sharing the results with the people you care about. Food is more than just a necessity—it’s one of many hobbies that encourage creativity and connection. Whether it’s a personal ritual or a cooking club, these kitchen moments remind us that something simple—like chopping vegetables or kneading dough can helps us with our busy mind and puts it into a useful skill.  

In times where things feel expensive, rushed, and overwhelming, maybe that part of the hobby is exactly what’s needed. 

Cover Image: Maarten van den Heuvel