History Main / DadsCantCook

With the increasing numbers of working mothers and single-parent families since the 1990s, this trope has become something of an UndeadHorseTrope but it can still be seen from time to time in works mostly due to RuleOfFunny.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' had a story arc where Calvin's mother was sick, so Calvin's father cooked, reassuring Calvin that he lived off his own cooking for 3 years before he married Calvin's mother. Calvin says that his mother claimed that his father lived off of canned soup and frozen waffles 3 meals a day; Calvin's father's response (while holding a can of soup) was "Your mother wasn't living with me at the time, so she wouldn't know. Now get the syrup out." Interestingly enough, other strips showed Calvin's father cooking in their backyard grill quite competently.

* In ''Film/TheSantaClause'', Scott completely fails at cooking Christmas Eve dinner and ends up setting the turkey on fire. Afterwards, he takes Charlie out to eat; the restaurant is divided into a section for a Japanese business meeting and another section of single fathers who ''also'' burnt their family's turkeys.

* The same dish for days on end

* In ''ComicStrip/FunkyWinkerbean'', Les Moore can only cook hot dogs and peas. When Funky's wife broke her ankle, Les sent over the recipe, while is mother-in-law exclaimed "''You're'' going to cook?" in horror. (Yes, Funky ''owns and runs a pizzeria'', what's your point?)

* In ''NewspaperComic/FunkyWinkerbean'', Les Moore can only cook hot dogs and peas. When Funky's wife broke her ankle, Les sent over the recipe, while is mother-in-law exclaimed "''You're'' going to cook?" in horror. (Yes, Funky ''owns and runs a pizzeria'', what's your point?)

* In ''NewspaperComic/FunkyWinkerbean'', Les Moore can only cook hot dogs and peas. When Funky's wife broke her ankle, Les sent over the recipe. (Yes, Funky ''owns and runs a pizzeria'', what's your point?)

* In ''NewspaperComic/FunkyWinkebean'', Les Moore can only cook hot dogs and peas. When Funky's wife broke her ankle, Les sent over the recipe. (Yes, Funky ''owns and runs a pizzeria'', what's your point?)

* McDonald's had an ad in the early 90s where a mom is going off on a trip and leaves her husband and kids a freezer full of pre-cooked food that the dad just needs to heat in the microwave and serve. He gets frustrated with the overly-complex, rambling instructions she left for him and decides to take the kids to McDonald's instead.

* PlayedWith in ''WesternAnimation/Arthur''; Arthur's dad runs a professional catering business, but at home subjects his family to experimental dishes.

Supertrope to ADayInHerApron. Compare FeminineWomenCanCook (the view that cooking is an inherently feminine skill), MenCantKeepHouse (not only can they not cook, but they can't clean up, either) and LazyHusband (when the husband is simply too lazy to cook). Contrast the HouseHusband (who needs to know how since he keeps house while the wife works), RealMenCook, and RealMenWearPink. Not necessarily LethalChef, as the food is usually edible, if a bit bland, unhealthy, or repetitive (or some combination of the three). This is usually PlayedWith for BreakfastInBed, when a husband/father (and/or children) attempt to make breakfast for a mother/wife for Mother's Day or an anniversary. See also UsefulNotes/RamenAsDehydratedNoodles for a similar food-related stereotype.

* In ''Film/TheSantaClause'', Scott completely fails at cooking Christmas Eve dinner and ends up setting the turkey on fire. Afterwards he takes Charlie out to eat; the restaurant is divided into a section for a Japanese business meeting, and another section of single fathers who ''also'' burnt their family's turkeys.

* Cicero from ''Literature/FairyOak'' is really good at making crepés, but the only time he attemps to cook an actual meal his daughters and their babysitter are repulsed by the smell of the cauliflower pureé. Lavender even mentions she would have prefered rotten eggs.

* In ''{{ComicStrip/Foxtrot}}'', Roger cannot cook burgers to save his life, turning his every attempt at a barbecue into a training exercise for the local fire department. His wife ''does'' know how to cook... the problem is she's fanatical with healthy-eating, which includes things like her veggie dogs being ''carrots on buns.''
** The punchline when Andy is out of town for a week and Roger goes to buy all sorts of junk food and frozen food for them, with the cashier correctly guessing Andy was out of town. Roger lampshades the stereotype.

-->'''Homer''': So this is the thanks I get for protecting my family? Then go! I'll be just fine. ''(turns to Milhouse)'' [[ImmediateSelfContradiction Do you know how to cook dinner?]]\\

[[folder:Films — Live-Action ]]
* ''Film/{{Ajnabee}}'': {{Subverted|Trope}}, much to Raj's surprise, Priya's dad was a good cook, so she never learned herself and becomes an [[LethalChef awful cook when she tries]].
* Zigzagged in ''Film/EatDrinkManWoman'': Zhu is a SupremeChef approaching retirement, but at the beginning of the film he's starting to lose his sense of taste, with disastrous results to his cooking...
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* Zigzagged in ''Film/EatDrinkManWoman'': Zhu is a SupremeChef approaching retirement, but at the beginning of the film he's starting to lose his sense of taste, with disastrous results on his cooking...

Supertrope to ADayInHerApron. Compare FeminineWomenCanCook (the view that cooking is an inherently feminine skill), MenCantKeepHouse (not only can they not cook, but they can't clean up, either) and LazyHusband (when the husband is simply too lazy to cook). Contrast the HouseHusband (who needs to know how since he keeps house while the wife works), RealMenCook, and RealMenWearPink. Not necessarily LethalChef, as the food is usually edible, if a bit bland, unhealthy, or repetitive (or some combination of the three). See also UsefulNotes/RamenAsDehydratedNoodles for a similar food-related stereotype.

* Another mac-and-cheese reference in the Hallmark Channel movie ''Christmas In The Air'', which finds a man panicking over having to host a potential business partner for dinner. As he tells the woman he's hired to organize his life, "Mac and cheese is a delicacy in our house!" Other scenes show him and his kids eating pizza. However, later scenes indicate that he actually ''is'' a good cook--it's the ''time'' to prepare better meals that he lacks, not the skills.