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 .

They're not demanding them, they are making them for themselves.

Or put in colander and pour boiling water over it if you want it heated

I think they sound very disrespectful, buying disposable stuff rather than cleaning up and then spinning it as you 'complaining', and taking your food, and insisting on adding to meals you've already made for them. They do sound protein-obsessed as well; don't they know that it's increasingly thought that this emphasis on protein has been misguided?
I'd have a good hard chat with them about cleaning the fuck up after themselves, and about respecting other people's wishes not to take their food (and no, despite what some people on here are trying to say, it's not mean to keep organic oats for yourself and ask them to use the cheaper ones – that YOU'RE buying!).
On a practical level, they need to batch-cook and freeze things. They also need to broaden their minds and explore the world of non-cooked snacks. And, again, despite some posters wanting to send round social services because you don't think they need to have hot food 100% of the time, it is fine to have toast or cereal sometimes, and cold snacks.

I think it might be the munchies. I wondered before you mentioned weed.
Cooking at midnight used to drive me nuts too.
I don't think you sound mean at all. And I don't see why you shouldn't have your nice oats.

I've read all the posts now and can't actually tell who is being unreasonable in this scenario tbh! I don't know if the OP is being unnnecessarily miserly with portions and just getting annoyed with them using the kitchen, or if they're taking the piss by eating her out of house and home. They seem to be buying their own foods, which I wouldn't expect my kids to do, although these three do seem to be eating loads.

My two teens are both home for half-term and one of them, particularly, loves to cook and will do that if they're bored. I don't mind. Means we get loads of nice cakes and bakes! Half-term is ridiculously expensive in terms of feeding them though!

My DS likes to cook also. But if he's baking stuff for example he does it at the same time as roasting something in oven for example. Not reheat oven as soon as it's cooled down wasting fuel.

And yeah he says the air fryer is great and saves money

Have you wormed them? Not sure when teenage boys became incapable of living on 3 good meals a day.
Stop buying extra food. If they want more they can have a sandwich. The fact they can't be arsed to clean up so have bought disposable tins and plates is worrying - are they a bit dense when it comes to the environment? Why should you have to throw away all their shit?

The fact they are ignoring your wishes is unacceptable. The 19 year old can move out and the other two can toe the line if you stand up to them. You're the parent.

My kids cook, as long as they clean the kitchen I’m pleased. Sorry I think you are being unreasonable. Your healthy options of avocado will cost way more than the fuel to cook pasta. Clearly they are hungry and want hot food (which is reasonable)

So basically you have asked for advice and are now ignoring it because most people are not agreeing with you 🙄

Im on mums side here. They sound greedy. Getting prawns out of the freezer is rude.
and if they’re eating massive quantities of things they can be cheaper ingredients because they’re not caring about quality by the sounds of it.
i wouldn’t like this carry on in my house at all.
why can’t mum have her own few things to eat? These boys are getting on my last nerve and I’ve never even met them. If they want to do their own thing in the kitchen and not the family meals then they should go the whole way and do their own shopping and pay the bills. The bacon headed bandits

Get an air fryer so no preheating of main oven required and it’s so quick to cook most things. Boys at that age eat A LOT! Mine was very sporty and weight trained etc at that age and needed constant feeding of protein, unfortunately the things like bread, porridge, cereal etc just spikes their glucose and when it crashes in a couple of hours, they’ll be hungry again! Teach them to eat higher protein things like eggs or meat etc which keeps them fuller for longer..

@Boysfoodan air fryer will cook sausages and bacon too rather than the hob. It cooks quicker and the fat drips through the trivet so less fat on the food they eat. Can also cook cheese toasties etc. I’m sure they could research what food they enjoy that they could cook in it.

OP is cooking them one meal a day.

The kids have bought their own extra food. She's not supplying it. I do find that a bit weird tbh.

Can you get them to bulk cook the protein brownies and get them a second hand freezer for their room? Teenagers do need to eat a lot and if they're not overweight, it suggests they need the calories.

Can you ask them to coordinate their cooking as you cannot afford the electricity bills if everyone is cooking separate meals every single day multiple times.

If they are leaving pots and pans dirty, I would make them clean them. But if they need hot meals to feel nourished, it seems harsh to ban them. If necessary, get an air fryer. Replacing an omelette with cereal just would not do for many.

If they’re doing the high protein thing I’m guessing they are also going to the gym? Teenage boys eat A LOT and especially when they’re also burning calories at the gym. Hangry teens are also impossible to reason with in my experience! Could you sit them down and explain your concerns (cost mainly it seems?) then encourage them to come up with a solution? Meal planning and joint/ batch cooking could be the way forward. If you give them a food budget and involve them in family meal planning it could even save you time as well as money!!

Really don't' get this. They live there? They are healthy? What more do you want?

If they’re not already, encourage them to cook together or for each other. Also encourage them to cook more than one portion so that it can be saved and reheated the next day. I think this would be more effective than what you’re currently doing and they’re ignoring.

Your meals clearly aren't filling enough for teenage boys, then.

You've said none of them are overweight. They're eating pasta and protein brownies as well as the dinner you cook, but they aren't overweight so they're clearly eating the amount of food they need.

They're not going out and buying their own sausages and bacon for a laugh.

I do. Most days. I would say that’s not uncommon either

I think you're getting a hard time, OP. Feeding three teenage boys is a mammoth task and it sounds as if maybe you are doing it as a single parent? There is probably also a power issue here. No surprise that you want to have one nice thing to yourself, and it's only bloody oats! I think you've got to get much more involved in making the foods they want, labelling stuff they can't have, making sure the freezer is stocked with batch cooked stuff etc. Assert your dominance over the kitchen, basically. Either that or take a completely opposite approach - stop cooking for them altogether, buy about a thousand eggs a week and leave them to it. Even better if you can set up a little kitchenette for your private use somewhere else in the house. It won't solve the financial aspect but it might help the stress.

Honestly? I'm impressed! I have a 13 and 10 year old boys. I cannot even begin to image them cooking this amount of food for themselves. The fact they are going to the shops as well, and spending their own money on food to cook is astonishing to me. Maybe go with it a bit more. Get them involved in preparing the evening meals? If they are wanting a second cooked meal in the evening they must not be eating enough beforehand.

I cook one meal a day. Not into breakfast and have lunch at work if Im doing a day shift. Don't any of them go to work or school? Says for example OP works 9-5. How many bloody cooked meals is she supposed to do a day. ? Or is she mean to get up earlier, cook a full breakfast, them come home in lunch break cook again, then after work then before bed. When would it end. Do you actually cook all those meals in your house ( if you work obviously)