To ban cooking for teenage boys

[Boysfood]

I have 3 teen ds 15,17 and 19.

They cook all the time. Breakfast lunch , I make dinner they then cook in evenings and when getting home. My electric bill is too high.

I’ve asked them to have cereal or toast or instant porridge etc for breakfast. Sandwiches etc for lunch and snacks to be something that doesn’t need cooking. We always have these type of things available but they ignore me and start cooking. I can’t remove the oven etc and they often do this when I’m out or in bed. Only 19 year old works so I can charge him more rent to cover his share but others still in education and I don’t know what to do .

Get used to what? Them eating vast amounts wth no regard to the cost or respect for what their mother has provided?

Yep, entitlement is learned early.

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Bit of a recurring Mumsnet theme really @carconcerns.

That’s what you took out of my post! No, there’s nothing wrong with everyone in the household having a treat which is just for them. But oats are literally the cheapest food in the world, even organic fancy oats are pennies. And you’re already forcing them to buy pasta fgs. Having something that’s such a basic staple and not allowing your sons to eat it just smacks of disapproval and control. If oats really are your “fancy chocolate” then sure, but keep them separate rather than with the general family food.

It's the mess and amount of food consumed around mealtimes when they're 'not that hungry' and then hitting the hobs/oven afterwards. Just eat more of the meal that I've cooked, and less of the 'extras' - although the cakes are always welcome!

You're providing so little food for your teen boys, two of whom are minors, that they are buying their own food and cooking it, even an hour after your dinner. You bitch about the food, how much it costs in energy, the cleanup, but you give yourself treat foods while not providing for your kids' physical needs.

You have minor kids buying their own very basic food while you treat yourself. And you have the nerve to bitch about them cooking.

Parenting fail.

What an idiotic response. You don't need to cook all the food you eat. 🙄

Ok, so if you can buy luxury foods for yourself, you can afford for the dc to make a pan of pasta when they're hungry.

You’re trying to make this sound outlandish but 6 chicken breasts between 4 people, 3 of which are growing male teenagers who need a huge amount of calories is really nothing crazy.
The amount of veg and noodles in a stir fry can also be quite light.

But you can.

Have you read the update where OP states she cooked a stir for 4 using 6 chicken breasts, veg and noodles, followed by himeade cheesecake and not only did her son add a whole bag of prawns from
the freezer 'cos Protein' he then cooked him self a massive bowl of pasta and hour later and was baking at midnight?!

The most ridiculous comment on MN today! Congratulations 😂

No I was just stating the quantities of what I made and that ds added a load of prawns as well.

Not ridiculous at all @outerspacepotato pretty much nailed it.

Do you think these midnight brownies could have an “extra” ingredient? This causing such hunger that isn’t satisfied by regular meals.

If you're prepared to pay for it, yes. Otherwise be respectful

I have some sympathy here. It sounds like your ds are demanding extra hot snacks around meals. That would annoy me.

Well to be honest I’ve had some good advice re air fryers on this thread which I’m grateful for. The rest of the responses I will ignore especially the unkind ones. They have enough food they are just in my opinion cooking far too much far too often. Again thanks for the helpful responses on here.

Honestly the fact they are cooking if good and better than eating shit loads of processed snack foods like crisps etc.

my brothers ate so much food all the time as teenagers. 8 weetabix with two bananas right after a huge dinner. And today’s boys seem obsessed with protein as well.

I think it’s reasonable for you to put labels on things needed for meals and I think it’s reasonable for you to expect the to do their dishes/tidy up, but just ask them what cheap foods they want in for their multiple meals a day. Some people don’t like cold food. I see nothing wrong with them eating kilos of pasta if they are still hungry. It’s cheap and filling and easy to prepare. A sandwich isn’t any better for them.

its quite normal for people within families to have different appetites and food preferences.

i would be pissed off if they were cooking up 6 chicken breasts for a snack that were intended for a meal but if you want to talk to them about meal prepping snacks/things to microwave and get it all done on a Sunday that might minimise your annoyance at them.

My teens both eat like horses. It's what teens do. Sandwiches and cereal wouldn't touch the sides either - they're seen as snacks rather than actual meals.

Can't imagine banning them from cooking - the oven is reasonably expensive to run but it's still a lot less hassle them cooking than expecting me to do it. But I have an airfryer and microwave and that's what my kids use. I haven't noticed a massive impact on my elecricity bill - would it be worth switching suppliers?

OP had already said there are several alternatives they stepped over.

Peoples attitudes on threads like these go a long way to explaining why younger people are growing up unprepared for adulthood and the workplace with a strong sense of entitlement.

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?!

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.

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

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.

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