When you fall in love, the last thing you concern yourself with is in-laws. That’s why when you finally start paying attention, you might find yourself in big trouble.

You see, there’s a reason why in-laws are so infamous. They have high expectations, go crazy around their grandkids, and are not always great with boundaries. And while not all of them are awful, the stories of in-laws from hell are not uncommon.

The following story, though, doesn’t seem to belong in either of the categories. The mother-in-law here is not doing anything that’s obviously malicious or intrusive. She’s simply not a great cook. That’s not a crime, right? But how does one deal with that without hurting anyone’s feelings? Scroll down to read the whole story and see what advice the Am I The [Jerk] community had to offer.

Whether it’s your everyday luxury or not, having a lovely home-cooked meal can be really nice

Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)

However, sometimes home cooks aren’t as skilled as they think

Image credits: Mizuno K (not the actual photo)

Image source: sarah_sunshine333

The woman added more context to the story

The author is certainly in a tricky situation. On one hand, preserving a good relationship with your in-laws is important. One doesn’t want to screw everything up simply because they don’t like the food they’re making.

On the other hand, food can be one of the great joys of living. Enjoying a tasty, nutritious meal can improve your mood and give you a boost of energy. Is the relationship with the in-laws worth sacrificing this delight? It certainly can be a tough choice.

Screwing up in the kitchen is really quite common

It’s important to note that being a bad cook is not uncommon. As much as 56% of Americans admit that they struggle to prepare easy-to-make dishes. Those include eggs, mashed potatoes, pasta, and soup. The hardest “easy” food to make is pancakes, with almost 40% of respondents saying that they have messed them up in the past.

The most common cooking mistakes of novices are over or under-cooking something as well as under-seasoning a dish. This is not a surprise as beginners are just discovering cooking and don’t know how to get to that perfect middle yet. It’s not easy to get it just right, and it might require a trial-and-error phase to get going.

Everybody makes mistakes

However, it’s not only novices that make mistakes. Plenty of decent cooks also get it wrong at times. A mistake that those confident in the kitchen make quite often is not reading the whole recipe through. They skim through the ingredients without checking the preparation steps and dive in. This can lead to all sorts of misinterpretations and a poorly executed meal.

A helpful habit that professionals encourage home cooks to get into is tasting the food you’re making. As it is with seasoning, do it as you go, not only at the end. Make sure it tastes good to you and, once you’ve found your footing in the kitchen, don’t be afraid to add your own flair to the recipe. Make it spicier, add your favorite herbs, or use other flavorings that help you balance the taste in a way that suits your palate.

And if you ever come across people who are bad cooks who insist on cooking for you, consider having an open conversation with them. State that you are not trying to insult them and that the food they make is simply not your thing. Maybe you can come to some sort of solution together.

Many stated the author is not a jerk for wanting to have tasty dinners

Others thought she’s wrong not to tell MIL the truth

People offered advice on how to handle the issue

And quite a few commentators could relate to the author’s experience

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