Give them a mixing bowl..

On holiday on a boat with DGD14 last week, on the night she was due to cook, she looked at the range of odd bottles and jars we had somehow accumulated and decided that as we had pasta, parmesan and a jar of aubergine pesto, if we could get a bit of bacon or chopped chorizo to stir through it we had a meal. We found both and it made a very nice meal.

My definition of whether someone can cook or not is: whether, faced with a miscellaneous selectionof foods, fresh, tinned, frozen or whatever, they can put together an enjoyable meal - and that is exactly what DGD did.

My 10 year old granddaughter cooks scrambled eggs on toast, and I supervised her making pancakes. I think she may become more interested in cooking as she gets older.

When I was a child, our mother suffered with 'her nerves,' as it was termed then. It would be called depression now. So my 13 year old sister took over the cooking from then on, even the Christmas dinner.

It was more from necessity than anything else though.

I was always just grateful that my grandsons can cobble together something to eat out of what's available.

I was always eager to help and I love that my GC are so eager to learn. I feel sorry for children who are not encouraged so are never given the opportunity.

My just turned two year old grandson helped me to make frothy jelly on Sunday. He loves all the mixing and whisking.

His dad is a chef so I doubt this is the first things he had 'helped' to make.

Schools should teach basic cookery and nutrition - domestic science as it was when I was at school. I am sure it would help with the obesity crisis. There are generations now who can't seem to cook anything from scratch and seem to exist off fast food and ready meals

All four of my GC can cook; the older two can plan meals, budget, shop for ingredients and cook from scratch........and do so regularly.
The younger two are well on the way to doing the same. As children, my siblings and I frequently came home from school to an empty house because Mum had been delayed at work or was shopping, so we knuckled down and made a start.
You reap as you sow in my opinion. I always encouraged my children to help with meals when they were home as did my siblings with their own children

I don't know anyone who hasn't done a bit of cooking with their children, to be honest.

From an early age, my DGD used to come to my house, find a recipe on line and concoct cookies and cakes in my kitchen. Soon she'll be a mum herself and one day she will encourage her daughter to join her in the kitchen. My DGS , whose mum is not an enthusiastic cook, has always taken an interest in cooking. Now in Sixth Form, he works in a pub kitchen as a chef, having gained a BTech in catering. His dad, my DS1, trained as a chef, so there must be something in the genes.

MissAdventure I suggest that the children of mothers who cannot cook have little experience of cooking at home

Some years ago I stood silent, waiting for a lift, while a young married woman told her friend that she had tried to cook rie the previous night and left it on too long, so she was just going to stick to ready meals in future.

Both GC cook at my house and have done since they were old enough to sit and hold a wooden spoon. 'Bashing eggs' has always been a favourite. They both cook independently apart from handling the hot dishes out of the oven now which is great.
I'm glad I had time to do the cooking with them - when my own children were small either I was cooking in a hurry or they had something else they wanted to do, so they have both learned to cook as young adults.

I have 4 GC and I have cooked and baked with the all.

My youngest GD is 4 and every Wednesday when I look after her, we make something, be it apple turnovers, buns or Jelly Baby square's. I couldnt care less if the kitchen looks a mess, I couldn't care less if the gas oven is on JUST for 6/8 buns.

☆☆☆ The seed has been planted, now I watch it grow ☆☆☆

My gc is too young for cooking yet. I didn’t teach my sons how to cook, I was away a lot for work and so when I was home I was exhausted and didn’t have the patience for small hands.
My younger couldn’t cook an egg, and my elder son who went to university became very into cooking and I would say could become professional chef if he fancied (which he doesn’t).
My mother did everything too, and like me was an indifferent cook, and I am even worse. My food is more to keep you going than anything particularly enjoyable.

M0nica

MissAdventure I suggest that the children of mothers who cannot cook have little experience of cooking at home

Some years ago I stood silent, waiting for a lift, while a young married woman told her friend that she had tried to cook rie the previous night and left it on too long, so she was just going to stick to ready meals in future.

I suggest that the thread is likely going to go down the same route as many, with phrases such as "cooking from scratch" peppered in it (pardon my pun)
The reasons have been discussed inside out and upside down about why some people don't cook. (Not that I've ever met any)

Well done DillytheGardener for not being the paragon of virtue everyone else seems to be and being honest.
With our fuel bills rising, along with food prices, not everyone will be able to afford ‘indulgent’ cooking or baking. We’ve had other threads on cutting back.

I am a rubbish cook. My children learnt to cook in self defence. I did my SILs and DIL a favour.

I love that- self defence.

Just make sure the lid is on the liquidiser before you let a 5 year press the 'on' switch to make a smoothie
?

I’ve got away with murder in the kitchen over the years because my dear MIL was such a terrible cook. I think the boiled stir-fry was the pinnacle of her achievements.

All my dc can cook more than adequately. They’re not great cake or sweet eaters so don’t whip up Victoria sponges at the drop of a hat. They think it’s better that their children learn how to prepare vegetables and salads etc rather than sugary things.

In our family all cooking is driven by the family's love of food. I cook because I like eating and it feeds my curiosity about trying new flavours, new foods new recipes, not because I enjoy cooking per se. There is certainly no 'indulgent' cooking and little or no baking as I do not have a sweet tooth. DGD cooks for the same reason, she loves food.

I can honestly say I do not think I have ever cooked anything just for the pleasure of the cooking process. For me the pleasure is all in the eating.

I think many grandparents have had their kitchen splattered with ingredients. It's been nice and funny reading these responses.

My son regularly bakes sourdough bread and so do some of his friends. It's delicious. I want to see a boulangerie on every street in Britain.

I cooked with my DC from when they were tiny. Both are good cooks now as young adults. One mainly cooks meals, the other is a fantastic cake baker and was recently asking me about jam recipes.

Antonia that was me too cooking everything since I was 13. Both my girls cook anything and everything. Can't seem to teach DH though...

I’m not a very adventurous cook (my husband is), but I can cook a meal for 2 or 20 without breaking a sweat, I also bake and make sweets, jams, pickles, cordials etc. My children and grandchildren have always spent a lot of time with me so they’ve simply joined in and often the choice of what we’ve made has been theirs.

Sadly many people have not the resources to cook from scratch, but there are now many food banks that have teamed up with other charities to provide cookery classes and also lend people the pots and pans needed to produce meals etc. ????