Here's the deal: I don't want to learn to cook. I have dug deep and found zero interest. There, I said it. But I feel like I do so many other things to help shoulder the household workload, that she should let me off the hook for stuff like not cooking. I know this sounds really boring and lame but it's exactly the sort of thing that causes arguments in every relationship. To simplify, I feel like her jokey little suggestions are really criticisms, and they make me feel unappreciated for all the things I do do. Meanwhile, she feels like my reactions are totally nutso and claims she didn't mean to criticize. I suppose we're both right (or wrong as the case may be).

So here's my question: How can couples make suggestions and requests without making the other one feel overly criticized?