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 .

How big are your portions? For them to be cooking only an hour later suggests they’re getting nowhere near enough at dinner

And show them how to clean it after use. The amount they’re cooking, these appliances will not be as cheap as chips to run!

My teens cook all the time, cakes, curries, stir fry’s and im pleased they do, it’s such an important life skills. I’d be more alarmed if they were just living off cereal and bread.

If they are cooking for themselves why aren’t they including the rest of the family in this. Big pot of pasta they can feed whole family, & warm up for the next day. Think you need to see this from a different point of view, least they can cook are they putting cocks in dishwasher? & clearing up after themselves? If they are then get them to cook for everyone. Maybe including them on energy prices & budgeting might help.

I find it weird that all these teenage protein freaks have to have chicken, steak, salmon, prawns....

Has nobody told them there is also protein in cheaper foods like tinned sardines, eggs, pulses, tofu and Quorn?

If they're using the oven for two hours a day, it would cost you about £1. Much less if they are cooking on a gas hob. So it is maybe costing you £20-30 per month extra? Just take it out of their pocket money.

Or that they are greedy sods influenced by social media. I’m also a bit suspicious that it’s not just protein powder going in the brownies…

I accept that energy (calorie) requirements are higher for teenaged boys. But that’s not the same thing as needing to fill their faces constantly. Two of them aren’t even especially active. Feelings of hunger between meals are quite normal, and they need to learn that binge eating isn’t the answer.

OP has already cut their pocket money and is planning to take more out of oldest son's rent. So hard to know what her point is, which is why I understand her sons not immediately knuckling under

They aren’t including the rest of the family because that’s just OP, and they don’t have any respect for OP.

Your kids are not making pasta after dinner for fun, they're doing it because they're hungry. If this is happening an hour after dinner then your son is completely right that 6 chicken breasts between the 4 of you simply wasn't enough.

Try cooking larger amounts at dinner time to actually fill them up and even enough to have leftovers that they can just microwave so they don't need to cook again.

OP has made it clear she doesn’t want to eat white pasta, brownies or sausages and bacon.

Yes - I would have thought in the context of raising 3 children, a cost like this is not astronomical.

Who cares if they’re buying their own disposable cookware and using that?

If people are actually bringing up their kids to think this is fine, the human race is absolutely fucked. Well it obviously is anyway but this will speed things up nicely.

They don’t have to. They just want to. And they don’t seem to give a shit about the ethics of needlessly consuming so much meat…

Just to say mine are doing the same, but generally I am OK with it, as long as they clean up. It seems there are a lot of social media trends on types of food things to try. For DD (17) it seems to all be baking with low sugar but fruit and high protein. For the boys, lots of of protein stuff. Generally I would say they are very health conscious and pro vitamins and healthy food stuffs and I do not mind. But I think you are right to make them conscious of the energy bills and cleaning up too.

What in the dishwasher now?! Is this the latest TikTok craze?! 😆

😂😂

You are getting a lot of grief because in all honesty, this is typical teenager boys. There are 4 in my family and they are animals. They are constantly hungry and quite enjoy being old enough have choice and ability to pick their own options. I can see why it would put a strain on your finances.
Things I would try:

1. sit down with them all and your budget.
2. work out together what meals everyone likes that can be batch cooked and microwave leftovers
3. rota up cooking duties so everyone gets a turn
4. create a meal plan WITH them rather than your choice.
5. don’t sweat the small stuff. Boiling a pan of cheap pasta is much more economical than roasting a chicken.
6. butterbeans are a good source of protein and fibre and make a cheap but hearty alternative to meat

I have a large slow cooker and regularly cook huge batches of food that everyone microwaves for quick meals:
bolognese
chilli
pulled pork
pulled chicken
Arrabbiata pasta sauce

I cook a huge whole chicken & sausages etc in one hit that people can reheat as and when. If there is a shelf free in the oven when you are doing dinner, ask the kids if there is something they want you to put in for later. They get the choice but you
control when the oven is in use.

There are lots of options that are better than just complaining because I guarantee they will never listen to, what they see as, you being a nag.

@goz

who does?! 🤣
she probably values her health and doesnt want to gain weight

Exactly! 100% chance the midnight baking is because of this. It's all excessive.

Then she can’t moan about them not cooking for her. She cooks what she likes when she’s cooking, they make what they like when they’re cooking.

Wtf are you talking about!

It sounds like you don’t have a helpful or constructive relationship with them and you want to be in control, instead of acknowledging them as individuals. This is their home too, and cooking in your own home is something you should be able to do. If money is really that tight, talk to them about it. Explain why it worrying you. Ask them to help you brainstorm some ways you can all work to keep the electrical bill down. Maybe they can make sure they’re talking to each other about what they are cooking and trying to do things together instead of separately. Maybe they can find other ways to keep the bills down. But also check yourself. Are you cross because they growing up and becoming independent and because they won’t immediately obey you or is it actually about the electricity bill?

I accept that energy (calorie) requirements are higher for teenaged boys. But that’s not the same thing as needing to fill their faces constantly. Two of them aren’t even especially active. Feelings of hunger between meals are quite normal, and they need to learn that binge eating isn’t the answer.

I looked it up once and I don't think they need as many as a lot of people assume, I think it's about 2400 - 3200 depending on activity level and whether they're going through a growth spurt. I've just looked at a pack of sausages (sad and invested I know) and two chipolatas is over 370 calories so god knows why all these teenage boys need so much food although I guess protein takes more energy for the body to digest than carbs.

I do think someone hit the nail on the head with the weed comment.

you don't need to punish young boys who already cook. Go and read how adult men on here don't cook and don't help the wife. From the same mothers who then will complain from their future husbands