To be shocked that Annabel Karmel's 18yr old son can't cook?

while i do take your point bran, i think tbh that if your whole career is about children and food then you should let them into the sodding kitchen.
my mum's an excellent cook who also didn't liek having four kids at her ankles while cooking, which was fair enough. but every saturday evening it was up to us to prepare something for our folks' tea (poor bastards, sometimes it was 8pm by the time the tuna pasta arrived...) and that's how we learned.

I'm not particularly surprised. My mum is a fabulous cook and I couldn't cook much when I left home. She would deny it (as I'm sure AK would), but she can't stand anyone except dad cooking in her kitchen. Anything I ever tried to do/make when I was living at home ended up in an argument, partly because of her kitchen thing and partly because I was a stroppy teenager and we argued a lot anyway. So I just didn't cook anything. Even as recently as a few years ago when I was visiting her for the weekend she phoned me and asked me to put some potatoes on to boil. When she got home the the first thing she said when she walked through the door was "Oh, I don't use that pot to boil potatoes". Even now I really don't enjoy cooking at all, it's a necessary evil.

I think it's inevitable that someone who is engrossed enough in cooking to make it their career will be too much of a control freak to teach their children. Quite at the comments about his future wife cooking her recipes though.

DS1 (now 13) and DS2 (now 11) have been cooking full meals for a number of years now. DS3 (almost 9) will be starting soon - although he does small bits and bobs in the kitchen already.

I have told them that they need to know how to cook, clean and iron, etc., because they will have to share such duties 50/50 with their future wives and not expect to be waited on.

They do enjoy cooking - although the need to clean up as you go along (or even when you've finished) seems to be escaping them at the moment.

I get the impression that AK is a control-freak who wouldn't contemplate letting children anywhere near her food unless it is to admire the faces she has so painstakingly created with their pasta, etc.

yeah, that shitey Big Cook Little Cook style of effing cheffing... [rolls eyes]

I thought she promoted 'family' mealtimes? In my house that means as many people contribute to making it & laying the table as well as sitting down together to eat.

I'm more of a Hugh F-W cook anyway.

Still, children eh? Maybe he never wanted to join in. Or maybe he's showing off.

Y'know, I read this article yesterday and my first thought was 'how long before someone starts a thread' . Maybe AK was too busy making cat faces on his dinner to teach the boy to cook?

1. Exactly how are her grandchildren going to be cooking her meals - oh dear God, will she be holding cookery auditions for future DILs?

1. The egotism of the 'Annabel Karmel' meals makes me want to whack someone over the head with the nearest cookbook.

1. Gaaaaah!!!!!

at the wife quote, poor woman whoever marries him. Why shouldnt men cook!

i am absolutely beyond belief! she's supposed to be teaching children to have a healthy relationship with food... surely that includes cooking? i've never slagged AK off before particularly (apart from the £16 hand blender) as, you know, whatever floats your boat, but that article is a facking disgrace on So Many Levels. [feminist]

RE: the 'Wife' quote:

1. Because what else is a woman for? Perhaps if AK had a career she'd understand. Oh, wait, she does have a career, so ....

1. 'Same food you had at home' because his home will always be with his mummy. Even when he's married.

1. Will he starve until he finds a wife wot cooks?

1. How the hell will his children be able to cook it if his wife follows his mother and never feffing teaches them.

1. I have more issue with this quote than I know what to do with.

Imagine if her son married a BLWer

I could BAKE though!

I couldn't cook at 18. I couldn't even boil an egg.

xposted

She actually said that his wife could cook her recipies for him when he marries!!!!
FFS does she believe that only women should cook?She needs to realise that not teaching her child to cook was a mistake.
Also how could she not notice that her son couldn't cook.She's his mother!!!!!!!

yeah, I noticed that quote too. He's going to be quite a catch for some poor girl isn't he - can you imagine Karmel for a MIL?

"It's good you've got all these recipes written down. Because when you're married, your wife will be able to cook the same food you had at home, and your children will be able to cook it and it will live on." says AK to her son

So thats why he doesn't cook - his wife will do it using her recipes.

Just read the article - did I read this right?:

"There's always been loads of different choices for dinner: my mum'll cook four things and I'll just choose whatever I want." !!!!!!!![schock]!!!!!!

Bump - was that the sound of a children's food guru falling from her pedestal!

article

Can't imagine anyone reaching that age and not being able to cook. DS has been cooking proper meals since the age of about 10 - although he did always want to be a chef. He's 17 now and does the most amazing Thai food - YUM!!! (pity I'm on a diet)

I would definately teach my children to cook. Its suprising how many people turn up at self catering university and then realise they cant cook!

I am still at uni and people are always shocked when I can cook properly from scratch and not use packets or ready meals.

One girl all she eats is weight watchers soup for lunch and dinner because she thinks its healthy as it says weight watchers on it

Mine are young atm to do full meals, but they can russle up breakfast and sandwiches.

They will be 'encouraged' to move on to 'proper' cookery once they hit secondary school.

Since schools don't do much by way of real cookery classes anymore (due to the idiocy of the QCA curriculum that is foised on them, NOT due to lack of trying by the teachers) I feel that I need to fill the gap.