It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

champys

cw18 wrote: »

What scares me most about some people's inability to cook is that my DD and elder DS (now 25 and very nearly 20) both did cookery to GCSE -- yet neither of them has a clue how to adapt recipes, and I often get DD asking me how to make something she's not had in a long time "because she doesn't know how to make it and it's not in a book". During their GCSEs (different schools and 5 years apart) we had countless apple crumbles come home, but I can't remember a single other dish they made

I admit that I have to shoulder some of the blame for this, but it was soooo much easier to do the cooking on my own when they were little -- I worked outside the home full-time and had to run the house as well (DH would look after the children, wash the pots and mow the lawns/trim the hedges, but just about everything else was left to me), so being in the kitchen was something I did as quickly as possible, whilst also being a chance to grab a bit of time alone (also used to catch up with the post while things simmered).

I am now looking at the diet my GDs get fed at home, and wondering if my three really ate as much junk/convenience food as they do --- my instincts say not, but unless they learn to cook properly I dread to think what sort of diet the next generation will survive on :eek:

CW 18 if I think back I never learned cooking at school, and my Mum cooked with the kitchen door closed because she hated to be distracted while cooking. She didn't teach us. All the same, both my brothers and myself LOVE cooking and cook our respective family meals from scratch every single day. Our partners are not particularly interested (and my elder brother's DW sometimes even reproaches him all the time he spends cooking when he could be doing DIY and things!). I think the reason why all 3 of us cook, is because we like eating so much and ate well at home when we grew up. Added reason, maybe, - we never had to suffer school dinners! So maybe if you can get the love for REAL food across, the cooking skills will follow automatically - it did in our case, at least. It is very encouraging if your DD asks you how to make something she used to like, that is exactly where she starts learning!

elizabunny

Charis wrote: »

For anyone in need of a little humour, I stumbled across an old thread on MSE this morning and had the best laugh I've had for ages. I was actually looking for a thread on 'Most Comfortable Pillow' but the advanced search engine on MSE is a modern miracle and among the results it brought me 'Women Without Class' (maybe there is a link, for some people anyway :rotfl:)

I have only read the first five posts on page 1 and the last five posts on page 4 but they were enough to make me laugh out loud. I love the excerpt from the domestic science manual. Hard to believe that in its day it was deadly serious.

Charis -I nearly fell off the chair laughing when I read the excerpt from the domestic science manual. The paragraph about making your husband comfortable when he came home from work just about had me in hysterics. I can just picture DH face if I asked him if he would like to lie down in the bedroom when he comes home from work:rotfl: and as for ME putting a ribbon in my hair and being a little gay -I think he would really start to get worried. No I'm afraid things in our house are staying as they are -when DH comes in from work he puts the kettle on for me and that's just the way I like it

cw18

thanks Champys -- I don't feel quite so bad at not having involved my three with the cooking now...... I guess there's still hope for them :rolleyes2

I have my GDs around school (at least until the Summer holidays, then it depends what work route I decide to try and take up), so am [strike]hoping[/strike] planning to re-organise my kitchen so that I can get them involved in some 'non packet mix' baking for starters..... The little one will be 4 in April, and the elder one 6 in August, so I think they're old enough to start doing something with them at least once a week

mardatha

I hate cooking more than almost anything. If I was on my own I'd live on sandwiches ...apart from the great occasions when I can get into a chip shop!!

minimacka

ceridwen wrote: »

Well - I've been using some up as hair conditioner. I just dollop a load on and rub it in and leave it whilst I'm having breakfast - then have my morning shower and hairwash as normal. Seems okay.

My ds had really bad dandruff and i was telling my hairdresser she told me that if you smother your hair in mayonnaise, leave it on for a while and then wash it off it gets rid of it, I tried it on my ds and yes it did work :j .

mm

[Deleted User]

The good news first ie dd is not redundant as the co need her. Oh phew!!! and what a lesson for her re saving and getting more breadth to her job skills. Such an unbelievable worry when there is a whiff in the air

I wish we had some nice local independent shops and I mean in the same area. There is a butchers a mile away plus a pharmacy and they are both good but there are 2 tacky spar type stores selling yellow caulies and lots of booze and white plastic bread. In the other direction we have a few good shops which charge reasonable prices but they are surrounded by upmarket ie very high prices, clothes and leather shops. Oh for the days when we had a fishmonger, bakery, greengrocer, haberdasherery, ironmonger etc all on the same street

I have been doing some `free` shopping this afternoon. There is a thread about air miles on mse and that reminded me that I have accumulated loads of them when I was doing all those extra tesco points. i could not for the life of me work out what to do with them until I saw the wine cases and lol I have ordered 12 champagne and 12 good wines.

I got an £8 tesco clubcard voucher and just spent it on an annual sub to national geographic. Hedonistic or what. Thats us sorted then, I`ll just get some chocs in and spring on the patio, here we come

re spending: I think we have started spending again, in fact I know we have and I feel ok about it since most of our icesave money is back with us. We bought a roofrack yesterday by mail order and it arrived today, completely none essential but it will make life easier re transporting bikes and we have bought a few other none essentials too. I hope my green shoots are the beginning for the uk

ceridwen

mardatha wrote: »

I hate cooking more than almost anything. If I was on my own I'd live on sandwiches ...apart from the great occasions when I can get into a chip shop!!

errrr......<cough>.....and those sweeties you are more than a little partial to Mardatha <cough>;)

mardatha

Wellll.. em...maybe just a FEW sweeties !

MSHAWX

DdraigGoch wrote: »

Hugs to all that need them - particularly re the work situations.

A few pages back someone asked about cooking on a woodfired stove. Frankly, it's not a lot different to cooking on electric, but you just can't control the temperature as well. A good thing to look for at the recycling/charity shops are CAST IRON METAL trivets. Please do not use anything else, it isn't worth the danger. ]

Thanks DdraigGoch, I've been trying things out and I definately agree not to leave the food as it welds itself to the bottom of the pan. I now use it to reheat things only. I use my slow cookers to do huge casseroles and other bits and pieces, freeze the results in single meal portions, and then use the top of the wood burner to reheat. Seems to work OK and I'm sure I'm saving on the electric after doing some meter readings. Meal times have to be a bit flexible as it depends on what type of wood is burning as to how long all this takes - but with a bit of practise we'll get there

furndire

I must admit that when my children were small, I didn't do a great deal to help them cook - I had 4 children under 5 and was teaching myself to cook from a cookery book, but I am now trying to show my granddaughter (11) how to do it. Her mum can cook, but tends to buy a ready meal that she can put in the oven.
From being tiny, I have always got her to try things, so she's not a picky eater. So hopefully even though I have missed a generation, she will be ok.