To ban cooking for teenage boys

If they’re not already, encourage them to cook together or for each other. Also encourage them to cook more than one portion so that it can be saved and reheated the next day. I think this would be more effective than what you’re currently doing and they’re ignoring.

Really don't' get this. They live there? They are healthy? What more do you want?

If they’re doing the high protein thing I’m guessing they are also going to the gym? Teenage boys eat A LOT and especially when they’re also burning calories at the gym. Hangry teens are also impossible to reason with in my experience! Could you sit them down and explain your concerns (cost mainly it seems?) then encourage them to come up with a solution? Meal planning and joint/ batch cooking could be the way forward. If you give them a food budget and involve them in family meal planning it could even save you time as well as money!!

If they are leaving pots and pans dirty, I would make them clean them. But if they need hot meals to feel nourished, it seems harsh to ban them. If necessary, get an air fryer. Replacing an omelette with cereal just would not do for many.

Can you ask them to coordinate their cooking as you cannot afford the electricity bills if everyone is cooking separate meals every single day multiple times.

Can you get them to bulk cook the protein brownies and get them a second hand freezer for their room? Teenagers do need to eat a lot and if they're not overweight, it suggests they need the calories.

The kids have bought their own extra food. She's not supplying it. I do find that a bit weird tbh.

OP is cooking them one meal a day.

@Boysfoodan air fryer will cook sausages and bacon too rather than the hob. It cooks quicker and the fat drips through the trivet so less fat on the food they eat. Can also cook cheese toasties etc. I’m sure they could research what food they enjoy that they could cook in it.

Get an air fryer so no preheating of main oven required and it’s so quick to cook most things. Boys at that age eat A LOT! Mine was very sporty and weight trained etc at that age and needed constant feeding of protein, unfortunately the things like bread, porridge, cereal etc just spikes their glucose and when it crashes in a couple of hours, they’ll be hungry again! Teach them to eat higher protein things like eggs or meat etc which keeps them fuller for longer..

Im on mums side here. They sound greedy. Getting prawns out of the freezer is rude.
and if they’re eating massive quantities of things they can be cheaper ingredients because they’re not caring about quality by the sounds of it.
i wouldn’t like this carry on in my house at all.
why can’t mum have her own few things to eat? These boys are getting on my last nerve and I’ve never even met them. If they want to do their own thing in the kitchen and not the family meals then they should go the whole way and do their own shopping and pay the bills. The bacon headed bandits

So basically you have asked for advice and are now ignoring it because most people are not agreeing with you 🙄

My kids cook, as long as they clean the kitchen I’m pleased. Sorry I think you are being unreasonable. Your healthy options of avocado will cost way more than the fuel to cook pasta. Clearly they are hungry and want hot food (which is reasonable)

Have you wormed them? Not sure when teenage boys became incapable of living on 3 good meals a day.
Stop buying extra food. If they want more they can have a sandwich. The fact they can't be arsed to clean up so have bought disposable tins and plates is worrying - are they a bit dense when it comes to the environment? Why should you have to throw away all their shit?

The fact they are ignoring your wishes is unacceptable. The 19 year old can move out and the other two can toe the line if you stand up to them. You're the parent.

My DS likes to cook also. But if he's baking stuff for example he does it at the same time as roasting something in oven for example. Not reheat oven as soon as it's cooled down wasting fuel.

And yeah he says the air fryer is great and saves money

I've read all the posts now and can't actually tell who is being unreasonable in this scenario tbh! I don't know if the OP is being unnnecessarily miserly with portions and just getting annoyed with them using the kitchen, or if they're taking the piss by eating her out of house and home. They seem to be buying their own foods, which I wouldn't expect my kids to do, although these three do seem to be eating loads.

My two teens are both home for half-term and one of them, particularly, loves to cook and will do that if they're bored. I don't mind. Means we get loads of nice cakes and bakes! Half-term is ridiculously expensive in terms of feeding them though!

I think it might be the munchies. I wondered before you mentioned weed.
Cooking at midnight used to drive me nuts too.
I don't think you sound mean at all. And I don't see why you shouldn't have your nice oats.

I think they sound very disrespectful, buying disposable stuff rather than cleaning up and then spinning it as you 'complaining', and taking your food, and insisting on adding to meals you've already made for them. They do sound protein-obsessed as well; don't they know that it's increasingly thought that this emphasis on protein has been misguided?
I'd have a good hard chat with them about cleaning the fuck up after themselves, and about respecting other people's wishes not to take their food (and no, despite what some people on here are trying to say, it's not mean to keep organic oats for yourself and ask them to use the cheaper ones – that YOU'RE buying!).
On a practical level, they need to batch-cook and freeze things. They also need to broaden their minds and explore the world of non-cooked snacks. And, again, despite some posters wanting to send round social services because you don't think they need to have hot food 100% of the time, it is fine to have toast or cereal sometimes, and cold snacks.

Or put in colander and pour boiling water over it if you want it heated

They're not demanding them, they are making them for themselves.

But the OP is cooking for THE AS WELL. So not as though they are saving her the work

Without knowing the amount of noodles and about sauces, veg sides etc, we are just no further forward. Chicken breast isn't especially calorific - it's recommended as a light protein when people are dieting.

Why not let them do the cooking and give yourself a break from negotiating portions and ingredients? That sounds irritating.

I agree with you about the oats - everyone should be able to have something special and oats are such a common ingredient that they'll fly through them otherwise.

It must be odd having you + three boys at home eventually becoming three (near) men + you. While they're younger, you can control their food. Later, you might just be the one with the minority tastes. I eat very simply and differently from most of the family I grew up with. That is my preference but when they visit I cook differently.

I would consider giving them a (good, realistic) food budget and responsibility for managing it and cooking, if they are up for that. You can still have some ground rules but if they have oversight of the whole thing instead of having to add their preferences on top of a structure that isn't working any more for them, they will probably become a bit more balanced in their habits. Definitely get them batch cooking and microwaving things like pasta.

Batch cook pasta - toss in a little oil and microwave as needed.

Yes.

6 chicken breasts between 4 people is not much protein when 3 of the 4 are growing teen boys. How much was the weight of those breasts? Noodles and veg go fast and not very far when you're talking teen boys.

I stir fry a lot. A wok full of food will give two servings if someone is pretty hungry.

I think she's restricting her kids' food in an unhealthy way. She wants a hungry guy to fill up on a banana, for fucks sake.

Having read your updates - baking at midnight would drive me nuts. And it sounds like they've gone full-in for the protein thing, which does cost a bloody fortune in chicken breasts etc. I blame social media for that one! All the teenage boys think they need to be 'built' now. Maybe get a padlock for the kitchen door and lock them out between 9pm and 7am?!