History Main / DadsCantCook

->The next time Dad gets breakfast\\

I'd sooner eat the plate!

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* According to Creator/DaveBarry, this is common to all men, who have [[OneNoteCook one single dish they know how to prepare]] and [[WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency view it as a considerable achievement]]. He explored this again when he was preparing to move from Pennsylvania to Florida, as he was left behind with his son while his wife went to buy the house:
-->''My son and I, who had never been in charge of each other for this long before, embarked on the following rigorous nutritional program:\\
BREAKFAST: Frozen waffles heated up.\\
LUNCH: Hot dogs heated up.\\
DINNER: Choice of hot dogs or frozen waffles heated up.''
* Judy Blume's ''Literature/TalesOfAFourthGradeNothing'' features Peter and Fudge's mother going out of town for a couple days. Their father believes himself to be an excellent cook, particularly good at making omelets. His first effort at doing so ends with him asking Peter where the peanut butter is hidden, and Peter quietly arranges to go to his friend's house for dinner the next day.
* 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.
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* 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.

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* 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, he's just lacks the time to prepare better meals.

Interestingly enough, the father is often shown as being quite competent in preparing food outside on a grill, but is hopeless once he comes inside into the kitchen.

* In ''Film/TheSantaClause'', Scott completely fails at cooking Christmas dinner and ends up setting the turkey on fire. When he decides to simply eat out instead, the waitress seats him near other dads in the same situation.

** "Bart After Dark" has Homer and Bart living off of TV dinners.

* In ''Film/TheSantaClause'', Scott completely fails at cooking christmas dinner and ends up setting the turkey on fire. When he decides to simply eat out instead, the waitress seats him near other dads in the same situation.

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* Vegeta in ''Franchise/DragonBall'' shows in Super that he can't prepare a decent meal to even please a god as he [[DoesNotKnowHisOwnStrength breaks eggs just by simply grabbing them]]. All he can make is instant ramen. Then again, judging from what Vegeta says, Bulma isn't any better.

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'''Dad:''' ''(to camera/fourth wall)'' Thank goodness!

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** "Bart After Dark" has Homer and Bart living off of TV dinners.

* 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 obsessed with putting healthy replacements like tofu in everything.

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

->Dad:OK kids, since mom's out bowling, what's it gonna be -- ''my'' cooking, or Elias Brothers Big Boy?
->Kids:(in unison) Big Boy!!
->Dad:(to camera/fourth wall) Thank goodness!

* According to Creator/DaveBarry, this is common to all men, who have one single dish they know how to prepare and [[WantsAPrizeForBasicDecency view it as a considerable achievement]]. He explored this again when he was preparing to move from Pennsylvania to Florida, as he was left behind with his son while his wife went to buy the house:

-->''My son and I, who had never been in charge of each other for this long before, embarked on the following rigorous nutritional program:''
-->''BREAKFAST: Frozen waffles heated up.''
-->''LUNCH: Hot dogs heated up.''
-->''DINNER: Choice of hot dogs or frozen waffles heated up.''

-->''"You just have to improvise. Cloves, Tom Collins mix, pie crust..."
** ''Bart After Dark'' has Homer and Bart living off of TV dinners.

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 3). See also UsefulNotes/RamenAsDehydratedNoodles for a similar food-related stereotype.

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), ADayInHerApron, 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 3). See also UsefulNotes/RamenAsDehydratedNoodles for a similar food-related stereotype.

* According to Creator/DaveBarry, this is common to all men, who have one single dish they know how to prepare and [[WantsARewardForBasicDecency view it as a considerable achievement]]. He explored this again when he was preparing to move from Pennsylvania to Florida, as he was left behind with his son while his wife went to buy the house: