To worry about the lack of cooking skills of the next generation

[jdoe8]

People seem to barely cook these days and peoples supermarket trolleys are bursting foods that are quick and easy to make. Such as mashed potato, pre chopped onion and soup. Soup is very easy to make and home made is fresher and better for you.

Crushing up some ginger nuts, mixing with butter and dipping in melted chocolate seems to count as cooking. Lots of mess when you can just eat the chocolate and ginger nuts. The same for making a brownie mix and then icing with pre made icing. That is cooking?

Boob - yes but just because you can chop an onion doesn't mean you will loose the skill if you only chop 1 in 10. You can teach them how to chop stuff, but they can use pre done also or a combo. Ie I might chop carrots, potatoes and pepper, but use garlic purée and chopped onions in the same meal

Agree about preparing vegetables, Bobochic, but would disagree about the first half of your post. Frozen broad beans are just as good as fresh ones, and as for peas you would need to get them very fresh off the plant to get a better flavour than you do with frozen. Frozen sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli also make very good ingredients for stews and soups- I really can't tell the difference.

I recently went to a block of school run cooking classes with my 9 year old. It was simple dishes such as fresh bread, a chicken pasta and soup. Things I make fresh all the time with little thought. The 9 year olds not knowing how to cook was understandable, but the ADULTS who didn't have a clue how to chop an onion or stood looking at the cutlery drawer wondering what to use for a tbs or a tsp measurement was shocking. I agree OP that cooking skills have changed. Not necessarily decreased but have changed. My old granny cooked from scratch all the time. Every meal. However, her ingredients were very limited. She didn't have the choices we do now.
My DM cooked ready-made and processed meals as she worked full time as did dad. She knew the basics but lacked time.
Today's generation has a huge range of available recipes but there's always an easy way of doing it. Pre prepared and pre measured ingredients all ready to be just thrown in like a cake in a box. The basics like chopping fresh ingredients and measuring are disappearing.

Oh and pre chopped carrot batons? YUCK!

Ready chopped frozen onion enables me to cook delicious meals. See spice-grinding post above.

Ditto liquid vegetable stock.

Really op? I don't think people don't cook ( and by cooking I mean from scratch not heating up). My DD (5) whilst not old enough to use a cooker can help chop, stir and can bake and make her own snacks, and Ds (2) likes helping to bake, I fully expect them to be cooking a meal a week for the family by the time they are in secondary school. I only know one adult who can't cook properly, and she has no kids to pass on her cooking skills too.

Oh and pre chopped carrot batons? YUCK!

Thank you! I've been waiting for someone to agree with me on that one!

Interesting post about the sugar and veg oil. I've heard things about the combination of sugar and fat makes it very easy to overeat on. Apart from DC of many mumsnet posters who are usually great at "self moderating".

Right I must get on with some work, dinner soon - my DC age 6 has just cooked a lentil dhal (with kale obvs) although i did chop the onion.

Formerbabe you are showing a lack of understanding if you think the link between obesity and poverty is related to cooking skills. If only real life were as simplistic as mumsnet

Generally they do know, they just choose not to really give a shit - I am one of those people

This x1000000

I love frozen pre chopped stuff, I'm disabled so it saves a lot of pain and energy.

Formerbabe you are showing a lack of understanding if you think the link between obesity and poverty is related to cooking skills

I'm not saying obesity and poverty is entirely related to cooking skills. It is a complex issue. However, I stand by my comment and strongly believe cooking has now become a middle class skill.

Stand by it all you want. It's your opinion based on your extremely limited knowledge (as you've clearly stated) so is pretty meaningless really isn't it?

It's certainly not an opinion I've generated out of thin air...there's plenty of articles online about the relationship between socio economic groups and food/cooking.

I'm not interested in cooking from stratch- time is short so if buying ready made sauces, chopped onions and ready prepared vegetables, then I'll be buying them. DT's are at Uni and don't appear to be starving although I haven't taught them cookery. DH is a good cook and enjoys it but rarely has time but when he does I get spoilt with some lovely meals. Thankfully there is enough choice to suit everyone.

I'm afraid I disagree about frozen vegetables. Yes, frozen broad beans aren't too bad (though I hate frozen peas) but we need to get people to appreciate what proper fresh vegetables taste like, raw and cooked.

I buy "base vegetables" (carrots, leeks, onions, shallots, garlic, potatoes) and herbs every week and I am very fussy about the quality.

Actually I buy pre chopped peppers and they are fantastic. Can freeze them, less time, less mess. I work full time so I love things like pre chopped veg. My freezer is filled with pre chopped peppers, onions and shredded cabbage.
I'm going to buy the lazy garlic and ginger.

I don't have a lot of time but believe in fresh home cooked meals.
I take shortcuts but it's always homemade.

I don't buy soups though I make them myself as shop bought is full of added sugar and salt.