To feel that sad that basic cooking skills are dying out

[SingleDoubleWhippedClotted]

Me and my brother were taught to cook by my gran and mum. Dad used to cook too but worked away a lot so wasn't around as much.

So many people now seem to be incapable of basic food prep and spend a fortune on food. Cooking seems to be an undervalued life skill, I think its so important to have the skills to be able to prepare simple cheap healthy meals.

I have taught my teen to cook and she could fend for herself if she left home tomorrow. She can cook healthy cheap meals.

I see so many threads on here where people can't boil rice, boil an egg etc

My kids can cook. And think ahead so they can meal plan leftovers/extra portions for the freezer. Also the dying art of “make a meal out of what’s in the fridge and needs using”.

I'm someone who's incapable of basic food prep and can't really cook, I'm lucky to have a partner who loves cooking. I just wasn't taught by my parents at any point (and am also clumsy, undexterous and panicky in the kitchen). I agree it's sad and I wish this wasn't the case. What's your solution? Would you teach it in schools?

I wasn’t taught to cook by my parents but I can cook well now. I just taught myself over the years, I like food so didn’t want to eat inadequate meals. I will be teaching my DC, my 3 year old already helps out with age appropriate tasks and helps with baking too.

Why are you sad when it doesn’t affect you?

@BashfulClam Are you only saddened by things that affect you?

Speak for yourself! Everyone in my family can cook fine.

Anyway, there is on such thing as someone not being able to cook. If you can read, you can cook.

’Sad’ is the new euphemism for ‘judgemental’. I prefer people using the words they actually mean.

I wasn’t taught to cook by my mother as she couldn’t cook but was taught sort of by my gran

my kids all cook meals for their families and yes they and us do throw in things for quickness or order out on occasion, but we do all cook

I don’t think anybody is incapable, they have videos and info galore at their fingertips. My son couldn’t cook before uni. There is all this panic on MN re getting kids ready for uni. He went and then taught himself from info online. Really wasn’t hard.

Where is the data that this is an issue?

tbh, the “classic” cooking that may be dying out is really old fashioned. I have no interest in making gravy from scratch or pastry or white sauce

I have much more interest in making curries from scratch or a decent stir fry sauce

I think cooking habits change, but people aren’t cooking less. They’re much more adventurous than classic aka old fashioned cooking is

who’s dad?

ill bite … you’re amazing hun

You're going to be very shocked when you discover the previous existence of Findus Pancakes, Fray Bentos pies, and Turkey Twizzlers.

I cook from scratch and so does everyone I know and we are all teaching our children (and they learn at school too). So buck up OP it's not all bad news.

A staple in my house with mum 😂

I think the same proportion of people can't cook today as in 1976 (or whenever). It was mainly men back now. More of a mixture now.

My boys both learned to cook at school and love it. I cook and so does my husband. But not everyone does but that's fine. Not having to spend your time doing something you hate is a great freedom in my view.

We were taught to cook in Home Ec at school, but I don't remember learning anything particularly useful. I left home in 1989 with a copy of Delias Complete Cookery and went from there 😀

I'm a pretty good cook now, but there are still things I just can't do (I can cook all kinds of fairly complicated dishes from around the world but I can't make omelettes without ballsing them up). Some people enjoy cooking and others aren't interested; why would that be 'sad'?

I don’t know anyone that can’t cook simple, healthy family meals. Maybe you just have rubbish friends?

I’m a chef, worked in a 2* restaurant before I had Dd, and I love a Charlie Bighams fish pie.

I was taught to cook. And sew. I can't operate the lawnmower, or change a wheel on a car.

DS can do basic food like a pasta meal, but can do other helpful things like wire a plug.

DH can cook when forced but doesn't like it. He can do an entire service on the car.

We don't have to do everything.

In yesteryear it was more common for one person to be the cook from scratch because ready meals weren't a thing. But neither were mobile phones, or the internet.

The world changes.

I see so many threads on here where people can't boil rice, boil an egg etc

Do you?

We had Vesta Paella every week with Angel Delight after. I still long for it now 😊

Mostly as why would I feel sad about things that don’t? I can have a opinion but wouldn’t be sad about it.

@SocksAndTheCity same with the omelettes!! 😅 can cook plenty of things but those bloody omelettes always end up scrambled 🙈

‘So many people now seem to be incapable’

Who? Who are all these people?

I'm a shit cook and I absolutely hate cooking but I’m not incapable nor do I think I know anyone who is

I’ve never seen a thread where people can’t boil rice. All my teens can cook. All their friends can too. My 16yo goes to her friend’s house and they bake - it’s their favourite thing to do. I think most people have cooking skills and if they don’t they can use YouTube/tiktok or just googling.