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Food & Drink / Recipes

16 Photos Of Next-Level Food Made By Proud Dads

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Five braided bread wreaths, each decorated with a red ribbon, are arranged on a dark surface in front of a light-colored wooden background.
MakeABarrel – Reddit

Who said men can’t cook as well as women? In a world where gender roles are balancing out and the disparities of the past are fading, women work outside the home and men take on domestic chores. Reddit users took the opportunity to show off these dad cooking ideas and dishes prepared by their dads!

Dad’s Christmas Cake

A round cake with white icing, decorated with brown icing vines, green holly leaves, and red berries, sits on a white plate with a Christmas tree blurred in the background.
death_saints – Reddit

Reddit user death_saints revealed that the decorations in the cake were fondant. A reply from user TheOneTheyCallWho commented: “I would be afraid to eat that if only for the fear of being fined for destruction of modern art.”

Watermelon Rare Cut

A watermelon carved to look like a turtle, with the top resembling a turtle shell, and the inside filled with watermelon pieces. The turtle’s head and legs are made from watermelon and fruits.
jsuss – Reddit

Reddit user jsuss revealed that his dad had decided to get creative that day while cutting the watermelon. Also, he added: “The apple is a fake one, and it’s bigger than a normal one. To cut the shell he used a butter knife and etched the shells, and put two blueberries as eyes.”

Pizza Breakfast

A pizza topped with three sunny-side-up eggs, pieces of sausage, and melted cheese on a wooden pizza board.
Artkinn – Reddit

Reddit user Artkinn revealed that his father owns a pizzeria, so that day he decided to make breakfast pizza for the whole family. He mentioned that the dish had ham, bacon, chorizo, hash browns, mozzarella, cheddar, sunny eggs, and he even made the dough.

Japanese Soufflé Cheesecake

A close-up of a fluffy yellow sponge cake with a slice cut, served on a floral-patterned plate on a wooden table.
[borrado] – Reddit

The recipe for this Japanese soufflé cheesecake came from a YouTube video that Reddit user [borrado]’s father watched. These dad cooking ideas included 160g of cream cheese, 20g of unsalted butter, hot water, 50ml of milk, 40g of cake flour, 4 egg yolks, 4 egg whites, 1/4 tbsp of lemon juice, 80g of sugar. Then, you have to bake it at 320 °F for 20 minutes.

Gingerbread House

A small decorative house with lit windows sits among greenery and string lights, creating a warm, festive ambiance.
dafish – Reddit

Reddit user dafish commented that the windows are caramelized sugar, and a reply from icemasterdsslim revealed the recipe: “You can make the gingerbread house facade with window holes cut out, then you boil hard sweets at a very high temperature until they’re liquid, and you pour the liquid into the window spaces over non-sticker paper. They set like glass in the windowpanes.”

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Beef Pie

A golden-brown pie with a shiny crust sits on a wooden board, next to a glass of red wine, a bottle, and cutlery on a wooden table.
Wilza30101 – Reddit

Although Reddit user Wilza30101 did not reveal the exact recipe for the beef pie, these dad cooking ideas typically include onions, chuck steak, seasoned flour, Worcestershire sauce, potato and stock. Then, you can place it in the oven for an hour at 300 °F. Finally, you take it out, add extra potatoes and cook it for another hour.

Thanksgiving Pizza

Chicken-shaped pizza with pepperoni and anchovies on a wooden board. Pizza has cheese, pepperoni for feathers, anchovies for wing, and crust shaped to look like a chicken with pepper legs and beak.
Radio-Chimp – Reddit

Reddit user Radio-Chimp revealed that his family was recovering from COVID when his dad opted for a Thanksgiving Pizza that year instead of a traditional roast turkey. He mentioned: “I’ve never had anchovy pizza before, but it added salt to an already salty food.” While user Se7enLC replied: “I can’t be the only one hoping to see a pizza topped with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and gravy.” These dad cooking ideas made for a memorable holiday meal.

Dad’s Barbecue

Sliced smoked brisket with a dark, seasoned crust and juicy, tender meat on a wooden cutting board.
PacMax – Reddit

Reddit user CivilCitizen replied to this post and commented that it was user PacMax’s father. He also revealed: “I love grilling and smoking meat, veggies, whatever you got! There are no real ‘secrets’ in cooking, I just learn lots of tips from my dad and uncles as they cooked and told lots of jokes and family stories. But maybe the best barbecue tip is taking your time.”

Christmas Challah

Five braided bread wreaths, each decorated with a red ribbon, are arranged on a dark surface in front of a light-colored wooden background.
MakeABarrel – Reddit

Reddit user MakeABarrel mentioned that his dad had worked on these Christmas challahs all that morning. These dad cooking ideas included this recipe: 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 tbsp of salt, 1/3 cup of soft butter, 1/2 cup of warm water, 2 packages active dry yeast, 3 eggs, 7 1/2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour, 1 egg yolk and 2 tbs of sesame seeds.

Butter Chicken

A plate with rice and beans, a piece of stewed chicken in sauce, creamy lentils, and folded pieces of naan bread.
L0nelyStarXO_ – Reddit

Reddit user L0nelyStarXO_ revealed that his dad from Ontario made this butter chicken and it tasted really good. A reply from user [borrado] commented that it looked like a plate-licking-worthy dish. These dad cooking ideas warned praise from other users.

Sweet and Sour Pork

A close-up of sweet and sour pork with chunks of crispy meat, red and green bell peppers, pineapple, and red onions coated in a glossy sauce. A black serving spoon rests on the edge of the dish.
wonderinglady20 – Reddit

Reddit user wonderinglady20 commented that his father made this sweet and sour pork recipe from Made with Lau, which tasted delicious. The recipe was 10 oz of pork shoulder butt, 1 oz of red bell pepper, 1 oz of yellow bell pepper, 1 oz of green bell pepper, 1 oz of red onion, 1 oz of yellow onion, 4 oz of pineapple, 0.50 lb of corn oil; and for the pork marinade: 1 tbsp of garlic salt, 1 tbsp of light soy sauce, 0,50 egg, 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp of cornstarch; and finally the sauce was 4 tbsp of ketchup, 4 tbsp of brown sugar, 3 tbsp of vinegar, 1 tbsp of cornstarch, 0.50 tbsp of salt and 2 tbsp of water.

5 lb King Salmon Grilled

A large, seasoned fillet of fish is grilling over hot coals on a round outdoor charcoal grill, placed on a wooden deck with some greenery visible in the background.
KrobyZ71 – Reddit

Reddit user KrobyZ71 revealed that his father had grilled that 5 lb king salmon half that weekend. He also mentioned that while he was cooking it, he reached for his little notebook of things with jokes that his mother won’t laugh at, like he drops dad lines. These dad cooking ideas came with plenty of dad jokes. Finally, he described him having his best joy when cooking.

Dad’s a German Chef

A white plate with cooked meat in brown sauce, mashed potatoes, a slice of berry terrine, red currants, green leaves, and crispy onions. Knife and fork rest on a yellow napkin on a wooden table.
oskarwald – Reddit

Reddit user oskarwald commented that his dad is a German chef, so he shared some pictures of his culinary creations. These dad cooking ideas focused on regional ingredients like venison, which is the back of a deer, and cranberry sauce while getting inspiration from everywhere.

Kimchi Jjigae

A close-up of a spicy Korean stew with round dumplings, thick noodles, tofu cubes, and vegetables in a red broth.
vlyxen – Reddit

Reddit vlyxen revealed that his father prepared this kimchi jjigae with udon, tofu, dumplings, and pork belly underneath. These dad cooking ideas came from simple improvisation. He also added that it tasted really good and expressed: “He just threw a bunch of stuff in and started making this for me and my grandma.”

Dad’s Gingerbread House – 2nd Version

A detailed gingerbread house resembling a Victorian mansion, decorated with white icing and red candy accents, sits on a wooden table indoors.
filmbuffy42 – Reddit

Reddit user filmbuffy42 commented that his father is an architect, and that’s why he found the motivation to make one of these gingerbread houses. He also added: “All the house pieces that you see are edible and he used melted lifesavers for the windows. He even baked all the gingerbread himself, then custom cut it and finally put it all together.” These dad cooking ideas combined baking skills with architectural precision.

Conclusion

A man and child are in a bright kitchen, making pizza together. The child sprinkles cheese on a pizza, while the man smiles. Vegetables and ingredients are on the counter.
Jimmy Dean – unsplash

When you look at these images of delicious meals and desserts, ranging from the simplest dishes to those requiring hours of preparation, it is impossible not to crave a taste. These dad cooking ideas reflects the love fathers have for their children and family members while inspiring others to cook at home.

Meet the Writer


Augusto Manuel Cornes Sangiao