To think knowing about food and being able to cook are key life skills?

[Notcontent]

This is something I strongly believe in, but I think that notwithstanding various small-scale initiatives to teach young people and families about healthy cooking etc the lack of skills is getting worse not better.

I was listening to a Radio 4 programme the other day about child food poverty and they were talking to some young people - one of the teenage girls talked about the fact that until recently she couldn’t cook anything)no and I also had little idea of what a normal meal should be.

This seems such wide-spread problem. So many people think of food as being readymade, processed things that you unwrap and eat.

I think that there should be education about this at schools as obviously many people are not getting these skills at home. It’s so important - eating is what keeps are alive.

I learned bechamel sauce from Gordon Ramsey few months after arriving here. Shitty shared house and it was some live cooking show and I had to run from kitchen to living room and back to cook and see what he was doing😂
I am pretty sure this is why an open plan is an absolute must have for me now😂

In the 1990s I was already in my 30s

And whilst you got a book on how to do all sorts of things because your mother gave it to you, imagine never having heard of that book and no one around you had heard of that book how would you have found out that book existed.

I did once go to the library to get a cook book on how to make something and was derided and laughed at that I had got to my mid 20s and didn’t know how to make something.

To give you an idea how things were in the 60s.
I was in the last year of primary school we had sewing lessons. The teacher showed us once how to thread a sewing machine. I asked if she could show me again and was told to ask my mother.

I said we didn’t own a sewing machine and my mother wouldn’t know how to thread a machine either.
I don’t think she believed me and walked away

I then got to secondary school and asked the sewing teacher again about how to thread a sewing machine. I was told I should have learned that in primary
So I never learned how to thread a sewing machine.

Now if I need anything sewing I pay for someone to do it.

Even in 90s, imagine someone leaving care or something, in a flat on their own. Knowing that the delia book existed and had what they were looking for is a stretch in the first place. Getting their hands on it is another.

You’d be working off the assumption that this person had library membership set up and a friendly librarian willing to help them out.

It's all very well relying on someone else to cook for us but being unable to cook (or not being bothered to learn) can lead to weight problems and health problems.

Why would anyone not want to at least be able to control what they eat?

What happens when the person/people they rely on to feed them is no longer around? Or if circumstances change and they can no longer afford to keep eating out?

We had food tech at school, but I also learned it at home with my mum. I think that we as parents shouldn't expect school to be the only place for learning things. I learned most of my retained knowledge at home.

@Oliversmumsarmy

In the 1990s I was already in my 30s

And whilst you got a book on how to do all sorts of things because your mother gave it to you, imagine never having heard of that book and no one around you had heard of that book how would you have found out that book existed.

I did once go to the library to get a cook book on how to make something and was derided and laughed at that I had got to my mid 20s and didn’t know how to make something.

To give you an idea how things were in the 60s.
I was in the last year of primary school we had sewing lessons. The teacher showed us once how to thread a sewing machine. I asked if she could show me again and was told to ask my mother.

I said we didn’t own a sewing machine and my mother wouldn’t know how to thread a machine either.
I don’t think she believed me and walked away

I then got to secondary school and asked the sewing teacher again about how to thread a sewing machine. I was told I should have learned that in primary
So I never learned how to thread a sewing machine.

Now if I need anything sewing I pay for someone to do it.

That's why I don't like school, very square peg in a circular hole.

Thanks for suggestions like Jamie ministry and Delia how to cook. Has anyone got any other resources for learning the basics?

Many people don't have an interest in food.

Ideally cooking it taught to children at home- but many parents don't habve the skills themselves or the interest.

@Oliversmumsarmy

In the 1990s I was already in my 30s

And whilst you got a book on how to do all sorts of things because your mother gave it to you, imagine never having heard of that book and no one around you had heard of that book how would you have found out that book existed.

I did once go to the library to get a cook book on how to make something and was derided and laughed at that I had got to my mid 20s and didn’t know how to make something.

To give you an idea how things were in the 60s.
I was in the last year of primary school we had sewing lessons. The teacher showed us once how to thread a sewing machine. I asked if she could show me again and was told to ask my mother.

I said we didn’t own a sewing machine and my mother wouldn’t know how to thread a machine either.
I don’t think she believed me and walked away

I then got to secondary school and asked the sewing teacher again about how to thread a sewing machine. I was told I should have learned that in primary
So I never learned how to thread a sewing machine.

Now if I need anything sewing I pay for someone to do it.

Does this level of helplessness extend to everything in your life?

Sewing machines come with instruction booklets.

@Nefelibata86
I like these. Very simple nice basics no faff.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/25-skills-every-cook-should-knowlike

Gordon Ramsay has videos of how to. If you go on youtube and search "Gordon Ramsay how to" it will pop out loads. I prefer him to Jamie. I can't stand Jamie. I am always frustrated because Jamie's food is nice, but I cannot stand him😂 Gordon explains in a calmer manner.

Only. Extra point I would add. Wear gloves when chopping chilies... Some seriously hurt. I would suggest to anyone having food grade gloves at home. Great for gardening and for cooking especially if you work with chilies or things like fresh tumeric (yum).

@Nefelibata86 if you are a book person how to boil an egg by jan arkless is another popular very basic approach one. I’ve seen it given to a couple of 20 year old guys moving it out of home. You could also consider a 4 ingredients book. They don’t exactly teach classic cooking but with only 4 ingredients it’s hard not to feel like you’ve achieved a lot with not much!!
BBC website is the source of lots of decent quality basic recipes. Pick up the magazine at the supermarket - they will all have a range of level recipes including some pretty simple ones (often because they use prechopped and prepared things the supermarket sell so gets pricey quickly but is another good way to feel like you’re succeeding while you master the more basics from scratch :) )

I can "cook" but I don't enjoy it or find it instinctive or therapeutic. It's a chore!!

Not sure any amount of home economic lessons would have made a difference?

I don't even see simple cooking as a skill really. Some of the posts here are making it sound so complicated.

"But what if they don't know how to hold a knife?" There's more than one way. Unless you are a pro chef in a speed chopping contest there's no special way. Just grip it any old way and press down. If the food is now in two pieces you've done it.

"How would they know how to chop onions?" Again, pick up a knife, any knife, and press down. If the onions start going in to smaller pieces then you are doing it.

Its similar to adults (men) who claim they don't know how to use a washing machine, just can't work it out. But somehow they work a car, atm, play station, computer, poker machine, funny that.

It is but it's also one of those problems that gets stuck in families. Parents cant cook so cant teach their kids and so on

My parents couldn't cook and I taught myself as a teenager, because I wanted to eat more interesting things! The difference between me and others I suppose would be that I was encouraged and allowed to do this, and given money to go and get the ingredients, whereas others wouldn't have this opportunity.

I learned to make stir fries from buying the frozen ones first then finding out what was in them and buying the fresh ingredients. Spag bol we did at guides. Chilli con carne at school. I went to university knowing how to make these three things at least from scratch and then my friend there who was veggie showed me how to make veggie curries. Also I worked in a restaurant kitchen washing up then ended up helping with cold starters and desserts. I learned a lot from there.

I found food tech lessons worse than useless. It seemed to be all about the manufacture and packaging of packaged snacks and ready meals. Lessons were very stressful and I remember the teacher screaming at us for minor mistakes like wiping up the wrong way, maybe smaller class sizes would have helped. It put me right off cooking as a teenager.

What helped me was living off campus after my first year and being given a student cookbook. I'd recommend these as they tend to stick to simple ingredients, cover basics like how long to boil eggs and cook potatoes and don't require much more than basic equipment. This was the essential step that made me feel able to follow more complex instructions and experiment. I still use that book now.

I wonder if people living with their parents or in flatshares with loads of people holds some back as I only really cooked properly when I had enough time and space in my own kitchen or when sharing with one person.

I don't think cooking needs to be taught in school, I think it is the family's responsibility to teach. I did food tech in school, it was all things my family would never eat (I remember making a pasta dish, whilst they eat pasta now, 20 years ago I don't even know if they knew what it was) so the dog would end up with it. I obviously never made those things again at home. I did food tech for GCSE, got my worst grade in that. Burnt everything I made. The class size was too big, there weren't enough cookersor ovens, the teacher didn't have enough time to help us out individually (and by GCSE we weren't given the recipes, we had to decide on a product to cook, find recipes, trial several versions) so were all cooking different things so not even taught how to cook it.

I taught myself how to cook after uni. My family cooked and ate food that I didn't really enjoy (burnt chops, burnt sausages, roast dinners with veg that had been cooked for far too long). I bought myself a few cook books (the internet was around but it was still really slow, not sure if we still had dial up, certainly no smart phones or tablets) and taught myself how to cook. I'm a good cook now and not afraid to try cooking anything. I've now taught my mother and younger sister to cook and have taught my grandmother that food doesn't have to be black to ensure it isn't raw, she even feels quite modern now in that she can make (a very good) lasagna, spaghetti Bolognese and stir fry from scratch.

My family are not very well educated and my mother worries about following a recipe and also about the serving size (for example, when she only wants to make 2 portions and the recipe is for 4). I've had to write them their own cook book. It literally is a step by step guide. It tells them different ways of serving the meal and it contains a selection of very basic recipes, such as scrambled eggs, through to more complex recipes.

During lockdown, I've been making them meals to freeze. I have had to write them very detailed instructions on how to finish cooking/reheating the meals.

I'm in Australia - kids here have cooking classes all through secondary school. They make simple meals and learn how to read labels, etc so they know what is in food packages. My two can cook a variety of meals with no help at all.

Isn't it compulsory at ks3? The school I teach at makes a great variety of food in their food and nutrition lessons. They learn about the eat well guide and practical cooking skills, it's not just making cake!

I ended up having to teach food and nutrition once a fortnight to year 8 class once due to timetable issues. One girl, whose father is a chef, did not know how to cook spaghetti... Some families clearly have a big focus around cooking whereas others have not got a clue what some basic vegetables are. It needs to be a combination of school and home.

I never had cooking classes in school. My mother taught me a few basics before I left home: spaghetti bolognese, meat/potato/veg, etc. Which was helpful to get me started. However, I don't think my mum has ever cooked pasta or curry sauce from scratch. We never had any fresh herbs or even garlic at home, only in dried/powdered form. Which is all fine, but it did mean that for years I didn't realise you could cook a sauce from scratch, and once I knew, I was still put off for ages because it just seemed really daunting. It wasn't until I had a flatmate who was a great cook that I really broadened my horizons.

I didnt learn much cooking growing up. I knew the basics like how to do a basic meat and two veg dinner, I could put things under the grill, I could boil an egg. But then I went to university and learned a lot myself, and then I married a man whose mother cooks amazing food and he taught me a lot.

I now have a DD and we really want to ensure she knows about healthy food and cooking. She is 20 months and we bought her a learning tower for the kitchen so she is involved in cooking every day. We let her help us stir or bake. She has a very healthy diet now, and will be taught the importance of staying healthy. We feel we both didnt learn much about these things until we were in our late teens. She needs to know much earlier.

@RaisinGhost

I don't even see simple cooking as a skill really. Some of the posts here are making it sound so complicated.

"But what if they don't know how to hold a knife?" There's more than one way. Unless you are a pro chef in a speed chopping contest there's no special way. Just grip it any old way and press down. If the food is now in two pieces you've done it.

"How would they know how to chop onions?" Again, pick up a knife, any knife, and press down. If the onions start going in to smaller pieces then you are doing it.

Its similar to adults (men) who claim they don't know how to use a washing machine, just can't work it out. But somehow they work a car, atm, play station, computer, poker machine, funny that.

But that approach wouldn't work in "but Olympics"

@KaitK

I don't think cooking needs to be taught in school, I think it is the family's responsibility to teach. I did food tech in school, it was all things my family would never eat (I remember making a pasta dish, whilst they eat pasta now, 20 years ago I don't even know if they knew what it was) so the dog would end up with it. I obviously never made those things again at home. I did food tech for GCSE, got my worst grade in that. Burnt everything I made. The class size was too big, there weren't enough cookersor ovens, the teacher didn't have enough time to help us out individually (and by GCSE we weren't given the recipes, we had to decide on a product to cook, find recipes, trial several versions) so were all cooking different things so not even taught how to cook it.

I taught myself how to cook after uni. My family cooked and ate food that I didn't really enjoy (burnt chops, burnt sausages, roast dinners with veg that had been cooked for far too long). I bought myself a few cook books (the internet was around but it was still really slow, not sure if we still had dial up, certainly no smart phones or tablets) and taught myself how to cook. I'm a good cook now and not afraid to try cooking anything. I've now taught my mother and younger sister to cook and have taught my grandmother that food doesn't have to be black to ensure it isn't raw, she even feels quite modern now in that she can make (a very good) lasagna, spaghetti Bolognese and stir fry from scratch.

My family are not very well educated and my mother worries about following a recipe and also about the serving size (for example, when she only wants to make 2 portions and the recipe is for 4). I've had to write them their own cook book. It literally is a step by step guide. It tells them different ways of serving the meal and it contains a selection of very basic recipes, such as scrambled eggs, through to more complex recipes.

During lockdown, I've been making them meals to freeze. I have had to write them very detailed instructions on how to finish cooking/reheating the meals.

Not even joking, but you should self publish it.

It's interesting because where I am from, the poor cook from scratch, because no one can afford the ready food. And even if, it's quite non.existent market. The only person I know who had no idea how to do basics was a rich girl. All "poorer" and actually poor kids knew cooking basics.
Quite interesting to see UK is (as with many things) the opposite.

@SnuggyBuggy I am in a group of friends. 3 of us moved out during university, and 2 of us stayed at home. We are now turning 30, and the 2 who stayed at home are still at home (colossal rent prices in the city). The two that are at home STILL cannot cook. I think moving out is the key to it all for most people. Staying at home means, for many I know anyway, that you are basically still in teenage mode cooking wise.