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Families will be feting their fathers this weekend. Cinda Chavich, our food and cooking columnist, has just published a new cookbook aimed at men - and she is here to talk about how, and why men cook – and how to get them motivated to cook more.

SO YOU’VE JUST WRITTEN A COOKBOOK AIMED EXCLUSIVELY AT MEN – AND SPECIFICALLY AT MEN WHO DON’T COOK. WHAT WAS THE IDEA BEHIND THE GUY CAN’T COOK?

Well, The Guy Can’t Cook is really a sequel to my last book, The Girl Can’t Cook. Both are designed to inspire more people to lose their fear of cooking, and to act as kind of a handbook to walk you through all of the occasions when cooking really isn’t an option.

I want to teach people to cook by giving them some really delicious and doable recipes that will inspire them to cook more often, so they can enjoy great, fresh local food when it’s in season and stay away from expensive and often unhealthy prepared foods.

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET A RELUCTANT COOK – ESPECIALLY A GUY – TO GET IN THERE AND COOK SOMETHING?

I always suggest that people find something they really like to eat, and experiment with cooking that dish until they perfect it.

This is really how I learned to cook. I love to eat and when I first left home, I wanted to create some really great dinner parties for my friends, so I learned how to cook a few really good dishes.

With guys, it might be a great sandwich – a classic Montreal smoked meat or tall toasty Reuben, a big juicy burger or a warm, melty panini sandwich. It could be a dish that you love to order at a restaurant, like a perfect wild mushroom risotto, or something you had on a vacation like Spanish paella or spicy Jerk chicken in Jamaica.

Maybe you’ve just come home from a big salmon fishing trip and want to show off the salmon you caught, so you learn some new ways to cook fish.

Perhaps you’re trying to impress someone so you want to put together a wonderful romantic dinner for two, or a fancy dinner for your boss.

Or maybe you want to preserve a cultural or family tradition, so you learn to make something your mother or your grandmother made like saskatoon pie or apple strudel.

There are lots of motivators for learning to cook at least one or two things – and once you have some success, it’s easier to try the next thing.

Learning to make something you love – and doing it well – builds confidence and makes you the family “expert”.

SO WHY DON’T MEN TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE AND AT LEAST LEARN TO COOK A FEW THINGS?

I think most men do cook, at least some of the time.

According to a 2006 Stats Canada report, women are putting in more hours in paid labour and men are putting in more hours in unpaid labour, which translates into housework, cleaning and cooking. Traditional sex-based division of household labour are starting to blur – although the report did say “women have made dramatic breakthroughs in the job market, while men have only gradually been getting into housework.”

When it comes to cooking, 85% of Canadian women and 63% of Canadian men cook and wash up every day.

Women cook and wash up an average of 1.3 hours per day, while men cook and wash up, only half that much, on average about .7 hours per day. So that may mean the men are cooking, or at least they’re doing the dishes.

Young men with wives who work full time tend to cook more often. But because men still aren’t usually expected to cook every day, they become weekend cooks or at least they tend to specialize, they look at cooking as more of a hobby than a chore.

And more single guys are cooking – now that chefs are the new rock stars it’s suddenly cool to cook.

DO MOST MEN SPECIALIZE IN A SPECIFIC DISH OR MEAL?

That’s often what happens first, when it comes to guys cooking.

Your father might be the breakfast cook – who turns out perfectly cooked eggs and omelets every Sunday. Or he’s the soup guy who experiments with all kinds of soup recipes.

I know a guy who just makes paella – but he learned with men cooking this traditional dish in Spain and he’s truly an expert. Sometimes it’s a gadget that inspires a guy to start cooking. Maybe it’s a bread machine or a special skill like wok cooking or making pizza on a new pizza stone.

Of course grilling and slow barbecue using a smoker also falls into that category.

WHY IS IT THAT MEN LOVE TO BARBECUE?

I think guys like to cook outside because then it’s their “domain” – they don’t have to share the kitchen with someone who’s telling them how to cook.

The barbecue is something men usually like to perfect, they like to be the family expert when it comes to cooking ribs or the perfect steak. It’s a skill that’s separate from everyday cooking in the kitchen.

Plus, a barbecue meal is usually casual and fun – no pressure – so that’s appealing, I think.

And then there’s the whole issue of having a hot smoky toy, with lots of BTU’s and other bells and whistles. A big fancy gas barbecue can be like a car – it’s a toy, like a backyard smoker, that guys can talk about.

The other thing about the barbecue meal is that there’s literally no pots and pans to wash. Just brush off the grill and you’re done. I think guys like that.

SO DO YOU FOCUS ON MACHO MEAT AND POATOES MEALS IN THE GUY CAN’T COOK?

Well, there are plenty of meaty dishes, there’s a whole chapter on steak-house suppers for example, and things like three ways to grill lamb chops, how to smoke a pork butt, make a variety of different meat pies, and lots of stews like lamb shanks braised in dark beer or pork goulash. But there are all kinds of recipes – it’s not strictly a meat and potatoes book – there are lots of vegetarian meals, too, because men eat all kinds of things.

The book is set up in three sections – sustenance, meals for everyday; decadence, cooking for special dinners, whether it’s a tapas party, a western-inspired cowboy meal or a special wine pairing dinner; and observance, things like birthday cakes, cooking for the holidays, mother’s day, the kinds of occasions that come up when you have to cook something.

I think men today have adventurous and sophisticated palates, just like women, so there are various kinds of ethnic foods in the book, too, the kinds of things you might eat in ethnic restaurants, like bowls of Vietnamese noodles, Greek souvlaki or Thai curries.

There’s a chapter on basic Chinese cooking, and another featuring spicy Szechuan dishes, there’s a full Mexican menu and a Caribbean feast with an island-style fish stew and key lime pie.

Men have to cook for all kinds of occasions – like women – so there’s a holiday dinner, complete with instructions for stuffing and roasting a turkey, a potluck salad section for summer parties, a chapter on cooking for backpacking, cycling or ski trips with the guys.

ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR CULINARY GIFTS FOR DAD?

Well, a good cookbook is key if your dad doesn’t cook but wants to start experimenting – or you want to encourage him to try.

I’ve reviewed a lot of cookbooks over the years, and I research a lot of cooking styles and recipes on websites, and I know that there are many recipes out there, published in books and magazines, that simply don’t work, or don’t work that well. You need to tweak them while you’re in the middle of cooking – to add sufficient flavour or spice.

This is a nightmare for people who don’t cook. They get a recipe, follow it to the letter, it turns out dull or disastrous, and then they take it personally. They assume they can’t cook, but it’s often the recipe they’re using.

So I make sure that the recipes I write are well-tested and the best they can be – even if it’s just a simple recipe for fried chicken or coleslaw it’s an excellent and tasty version that will turn out well.

If your dad has a special interest – salmon or Italian cooking or Chinese food, try to find a book or a piece of specialized equipment that will encourage him to experiment more with that kind of cooking.

Always buy quality when you’re buying kitchen equipment. A great chef’s knife and a good cutting board is really all anyone needs to get started. A good quality knife is like any piece of equipment – like a great fly rod or a good pair of skis – your performance improves instantly with the right tool.

A heavy wok or big sauté pan, whatever kind of cooking your dad likes to do, the right equipment makes it easier.

But I’ve also had fun experimenting with tools like the new electric grill/panini press that makes anything from a steak to a perfect grilled cheese and capicollo panini sandwich.

There’s always the barbecue tools or a home smoker, for guys that like to hang out all day in the back yard.

RECIPES?

Well, since it’s Father’s Day, I thought I’d bring a recipe for the other members of the family to try – a couple of breakfast ideas.

First, there are easy instructions for making the perfect omelet. That’s a skill any guy should learn as an omelet is great for breakfast, but doubles as dinner, especially filled with some good cheese, smoked salmon or veggies.

Like the Guy likes to say – garbage in, garbage out – so make sure you start with tasty organic, free-range eggs and quality ingredients for your fillings, and that omelet will be brilliant.

And there’s a recipe for a big batch of banana pancakes – fluffy and filled with fruit and whole grains - the perfect family feast for Father’s Day breakfast.

Really, this is the best gift you can give your dad – some quality family time with some great food.

click here for recipes...