12 People With Bizarre Kitchen Habits That Are Almost Too Strange to Be True

The kitchen is where creativity thrives—or where chaos takes over. Everyone has their own way of doing things, but some habits are so unexpected they’ll make you question everything you know about cooking. Whether it’s strange techniques or outright puzzling decisions, these stories reveal just how bizarre people can be when it comes to food prep.

1. “My mum mixed all the sugars.”

2.

“My husband picks at the things I’m prepping, and it drives me crazy! He says ‘it’s just a bite’ but then does it to everything. So much so that I plan for 4 when I’m only feeding 2 to make sure we get a meal.” FiguringItOutAsWeGo / Reddit

3.

“Not timing your items so that everything is ready and fresh at the same time. My husband always wants to start steaming the broccoli at the same time he puts the chicken in the oven. Start with whatever will take longest, and count backwards from there.” LuvCilantro / Reddit

4. “My wife when she cooks:”

5.

“People who insist on ‘helping’ when I’m trying to finish 4 dishes at the same time and timing is a factor. I have yet to be in a home kitchen in which there are only one or two spaces available for doing key tasks. Helpers taking up those spaces make it very hard to get to everything I need, and they don’t understand that I don’t have time to teach/show them how to do it, especially when it needs to be done quickly and in a certain way.” SpaceDave83 / Reddit

6.

“I live in a huge household, lots of roommates and the worst for me is when folks are constantly throwing meat directly on the countertop, like right where we prepare food. I am always putting a plate under it.” Chemical-Key-604 / Reddit

7.

“I stubbornly use the smallest chopping board possible. I end up making a big mess every time because the board’s too small for what I’m doing. I have several of the big ones like normal people use, but they’re such a pain to wrangle around in the sink to wash!” scheru / Reddit

8.

“I had to teach some kids in Boy Scouts how to cook basic meals, focusing on two key things: cross-contamination and washing your hands. For example, if you just cut raw chicken, why wouldn’t you wash your hands before cutting the vegetables?” _Soyyy / Reddit

9.

“I live with two roommates, and they’re both really bad at cooking. I hate it when they leave the gas on low to boil water—it takes forever. They also leave fish out on the counter all day until it’s room temperature, and then they cook it.” Unknown author / Reddit

10.

I’m retired and moved in with my son and DIL. My DIL wasn’t happy about it. One day, at lunch, I was disgusted to notice that she used the same sponge to wash the dog’s plate and my coffee mug.
I confronted her. She snapped, ’If you don’t like it, you can leave!’ My son stayed silent. Later that evening, he came to my room and said, ’You need to understand that this is her home too, and she’s feeling overwhelmed.’ His words stung, but they made me think.
The next day, I bought a pack of new sponges, labeled them, and joked, ’One for the dogs, one for grumpy mother-in-law.’ My DIL burst out laughing, and that small gesture broke the ice.

11.

“Cutting anything without a chopping board, basically just cutting against the counter surface. Not washing utensils that are not stored in closed containers. Not washing ingredients that fall on the floor or any other unsanitized surface.” cellonote / Reddit

12.

“Instead of washing my knife right away, I’ll set it down on the cutting board with stuff stuck to it, eat, and then forget about it until I need to use it again — by which point the stuff stuck to it has dried up and had to be scrubbed off. I also have a tendency to start cooking the item I’m most excited about, not the one that’ll take the longest. Which usually means I eat the one item by itself while the rest of the meal is still cooking.” waggawerewolf / Reddit

Kitchen mishaps have a way of transforming family gatherings into chaotic yet unforgettable experiences. Even the tiniest mistake can spiral into a full-blown drama, highlighting how cooking and family dynamics don’t always mix seamlessly. Brace yourself for some cringe-worthy moments and valuable lessons on navigating family get-togethers with a touch of humor and patience.