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

How can making a white sauce be old fashioned? Does nobody cook lasagne or moussaka or have parsley sauce with fish or cauliflower cheese or macaroni?

I can make white sauce but I do consider it to be fairly old fashioned.

Nothing especially old-fashioned about lasagne, cauliflower cheese, macaroni cheese etc, surely? They still seem pretty universally popular.

Oops, didn't see previous post! Tbf, fish in parsley sauce does strike me as quite old-fashioned!

I agree with this too.

I think a lot of "essential skills" just aren't needed anymore because people eat different foods, and prepare them in different ways.

My dad taught me to cook and while I know how to do all sorts of things, I don't need to because I don't really eat that style of food anymore. It would genuinely never occur to me to spend half an hour on a pasta sauce or several hours on a lasagne for a meal either.

Honestly, no. I would never cook any of those meals.

I can cook all those things but it's very rare that I do. They are very time consuming. I think nowadays lots of women work and have access to food and recipes that are much quicker to prep and cook. You can make meals with fresh ingredients that are much quicker and easier especially on a weeknight.

What dishes is it the basis for?

because I can bet you’re about to list a load of old fashioned dishes - cauliflower cheese, macaroni cheese, bread sauce etc etc

Tbf, my two young adult dc can cook really well, and so do the dc of my friends. They all went away to uni, maybe that's why - they had no choice.

Fish in parsley sauce not being old fashioned 🤣🤣🤣

I don't think there's necessarily anything old fashioned about either of those. They are absolute staples in my house along with a wide range of other cuisines.

Once people get confident in their abilities, they tend to be versatile with all kinds of food - in my experience at least.

I'm not a fan of fish with white sauces generally - and I cook tonnes of fish.

However I make a parsley sauce with baked ham and it is absolutely to die for.

A judgy OP I think. There's far more to be sad about I think.

I can cook, but don't enjoy it. I still cook something from scratch every day. Everyone I knows does the same. Actually I don't think I've taught my dc how to make a bechemal sauce but they can all cook, and the ones that have gone to university cook more than I do these days.

My teens all cook things from tiktok that look revolting.

There are a lot of posters on this thread who seem to have assumed I am complaining that people can't cook "old-fashioned traditional British foods" although I am amused that a cheese sauce is considered old-fashioned.
There are some great shortcuts available for homecooked meals, frozen herbs, vegetables, and minced garlic. Air fryers and slow cookers are great for reducing energy use.
Obesity and diabetes are soaring and the diet of lots of people is shocking. There is fast food and processed food everywhere.

I thought of this thread when I unpacked my Tesco delivery just now. The Spirit of Mumsnet has obviously decided to punish me for my inadequacies. I thought I had ordered a pot of fresh lentil and vegetable soup, but in fact I have been sent a bag of chopped veg and lentils. OK, not really cooking "from scratch" as I haven't chopped the veg myself but I'm going to have to do more than shove the pot in the microwave!
It's obviously my penance for not spending enough time in the kitchen...or doing my own shopping...😂

How is lasagne old fashioned or macaroni cheese?
I make a béchamel pretty regularly

Lasagne is a huge faff. Making a ragu, then the white sauce, then assembling it and baking it in the oven. I rarely make it. I don't find the reward is worth the effort

I find it relaxing to make so do it quite a bit
But I live alone and make 6-8 portions and freeze it so a homemade ready meal!

I wouldn't make lasagne on a week night (unless I'd made the ragu in advance).The others don't take very long though. I was just making the point that there are certainly dishes very much still in favour which use a white sauce. Sadly I don't make them any more, as I've become intolerant to most dairy!

I think as a rule, dishes that involve quite a lot of time and effort are considered old fashioned. So it's absolutely true that lasagna and cauliflower cheese are still popular, but I am not sure they're done as often - they're time consuming, have lots of different elements etc. Plus, I think a lot of people make an effort to make their food less heavy, which of course, cuts out anything with a cheese sauce as a rule!

It's like sausages and mash - not a terribly complicated meal. But one I don't make very often any more because frankly, it is a faff. I have to peel the potatoes, cook the potatoes, mash the potatoes, grill the sausages while carefully keeping an eye on them so they don't burn, then make some kind of gravy or sauce AND some veg on the side. Chopping up a big pile of vegetables, slicing some meat/or chicken and doing a quick stir fry with some wok noodles or rice and a "sauce" of lime juice and soy is a lot easier and less faff.

I sometimes do schnitzels with a cheese sauce. We all like it. But it's about a million calories per portion, involves at least 2 pots and one pan, boards etc etc etc. It's definitely more hassle.

It reminds me of school dinners in the nineties. It's not something I would ever think to cook or order in a restaurant.

It's also a massive hassle to make properly and takes forever.

Mash is the ultimate faff! Peeling, chopping, boiling then mashing....I absolutely can't be bothered. I sound really lazy here! I actually don't mind spending time cooking but if I spend a long time making something I like it to be exciting and extra tasty...not boring old mash potato.

I went to uni in 2000 and there was a guy who lived in pot noodles and a guy who was going stews, pot roasts, full dinners etc. Like always, it's about what parents have prioritised. It isn't a new phenomenon

It's like sausages and mash - not a terribly complicated meal. But one I don't make very often any more because frankly, it is a faff. I have to peel the potatoes, cook the potatoes, mash the potatoes, grill the sausages while carefully keeping an eye on them so they don't burn, then make some kind of gravy or sauce AND some veg on the side. Chopping up a big pile of vegetables, slicing some meat/or chicken and doing a quick stir fry with some wok noodles or rice and a "sauce" of lime juice and soy is a lot easier and less faff.

I wouldn't consider it much less faff tbh. I cook my sausages in the oven though, which helps. Do for quite a bit of the total time, the sausages are sitting in the oven and the potatoes are just getting on with boiling. Chopping a big pile of vegetables takes a while.

Mash is the ultimate faff! Peeling, chopping, boiling then mashing....I absolutely can't be bothered. I sound really lazy here! I actually don't mind spending time cooking but if I spend a long time making something I like it to be exciting and extra tasty...not boring old mash potato.

I bloody love mashed potato! Lots of butter and pepper and a bit of nutmeg!

My parents always cooked from scratch but I still lived off noodles and frozen food as a student. I just don't enjoy cooking in the slightest even though I can cook (and bake) fairly well.