Roommate doesn’t know how to cook & wants me to

I (24F) live with a roommate (24M) who is absolutely clueless when it comes to cooking whereas I cook on a regular basis. Not only do I cook regularly, but I often make more complicated dishes at least once a week aside from normal meals and use high quality ingredients. My roommate somehow manages to mess up boxed macaroni, knows nothing about food and his diet consists mostly of meat, no vegetables, etc. On top of that we have very opposite schedules as he works a regular day job & I work nights/weekends.

He’s offered to pay part of the grocery bill in exchange for me making extra portions of whatever I make. However I have some concerns. I’ve told him if he has any recommendations on dishes to send them my way and I’ll make it or if he just wants to buy certain groceries with items he likes then I can figure out something to do with it if he tells me. Every time though he just says, “I don’t know where to start”. I’ve also tried telling him to get the ingredients for a recipe he finds interesting and I will literally help him step by step so he can learn but it never gets to that point.

Is this a reasonable roommate situation or should I just say good luck cooking your own food? All my previous roommates were great cooks and it worked out because the playing field was equal. We often cooked together/took turns and pitched in getting groceries.

If I were to just start making extra portions for my meals, how should I go about splitting the cost of my grocery bill? Down the middle even though I’m taking the time to go get all the ingredients, cook it, and do the dishes? We also still have our own separate snacks and food we eat when life is too busy to cook a full fledged meal with sides.

What happens if I cook something and he doesn’t like it? Although he said he’s very open to trying new things.

I also don’t want to be put in a position where I feel obligated to cook before/after a busy shift because he’s paying part of the groceries.

Truly I wouldn’t mind it if it works out in favor of us both, I’m just not sure how to go about it to be fair and no one getting screwed over financially or time wise.

TL;DR I’m great at cooking, my roommate is completely clueless how to even use a stove. He wants me to cook extra portions. Is there a way to/how do I go about this without getting screwed over?

Submitted December 17, 2019 at 12:28AM

I (24F) live with a roommate (24M) who is absolutely clueless when it comes to cooking whereas I cook on a regular basis. Not only do I cook regularly, but I often make more complicated dishes at least once a week aside from normal meals and use high quality ingredients. My roommate somehow manages to mess up boxed macaroni, knows nothing about food and his diet consists mostly of meat, no vegetables, etc. On top of that we have very opposite schedules as he works a regular day job & I work nights/weekends.He’s offered to pay part of the grocery bill in exchange for me making extra portions of whatever I make. However I have some concerns. I’ve told him if he has any recommendations on dishes to send them my way and I’ll make it or if he just wants to buy certain groceries with items he likes then I can figure out something to do with it if he tells me. Every time though he just says, “I don’t know where to start”. I’ve also tried telling him to get the ingredients for a recipe he finds interesting and I will literally help him step by step so he can learn but it never gets to that point.Is this a reasonable roommate situation or should I just say good luck cooking your own food? All my previous roommates were great cooks and it worked out because the playing field was equal. We often cooked together/took turns and pitched in getting groceries.If I were to just start making extra portions for my meals, how should I go about splitting the cost of my grocery bill? Down the middle even though I’m taking the time to go get all the ingredients, cook it, and do the dishes? We also still have our own separate snacks and food we eat when life is too busy to cook a full fledged meal with sides.What happens if I cook something and he doesn’t like it? Although he said he’s very open to trying new things.I also don’t want to be put in a position where I feel obligated to cook before/after a busy shift because he’s paying part of the groceries.Truly I wouldn’t mind it if it works out in favor of us both, I’m just not sure how to go about it to be fair and no one getting screwed over financially or time wise.TL;DR I’m great at cooking, my roommate is completely clueless how to even use a stove. He wants me to cook extra portions. Is there a way to/how do I go about this without getting screwed over?