Have done additional tests. Sent sim to one of the cooking worked houses in exchange for one of the successful cooking sims. The unsuccessful sim cooked just fine in the other house, while the successful cook now had the same can't get there issue. As a further check, put a fresh sim onto an empty lot and then provided the Country Comforts kitchen. Sim could do the meal preparation just fine. The problem is with the house, an own design build of a style have successfully used before. The MOO cheat was not activated.
Thank you both for your input which used to double-check the set up in the kitchen.
