Mums and Grans...Do you pass your Cooking/Baking Skills on to your Family?

shoeshine · 08-03-2006, 14:11

I ask the question because my wife, a Grandmother, sometimes has a session in the kitchen showing my Grandaughter (10 yrs old) how to make and bake Cakes etc.

My wife also has some notebooks passed down through her family, with some recipes from earlier times.

It's great and strengthens the bond between the two of them.

Joanl · 08-03-2006, 15:48

My daughter left school n the 70's and I think they were after phasing out cookery in schools then. I used to grumble because the lessons that she DID have was all about instant this and instant that. Very rarely anything that had to be cooked from scratch.
I was a single mom by then and was working, so I used to insist that she do the Sunday lunch every other week. I was there and I helped but basically she did it.
My reasons werent selfish ones but I just felt that her cookery lessons were nowhere near as good as mine had been at the same age.
As you can imagine, at the time it didn't go down very well. She had a boyfriend and when he would come round I would hear her say that she couldn't come out now" because my mom says Ive got to cook the dinner".
Well time marches on, she married the same boyfriend and divorced him but has never had any problems with cooking healthily and from scratch. Her own kids friends in later years, used to love to come to hers for tea cos "she did proper food".
One of my better ideas, not popular at the time, but she has thanked me since that I did MAKE her do the dinners.

shoeshine · 08-03-2006, 17:02

Joanl, what a lovely post, and thank you for responding to the Thread.

Although your daughter seemed not to have appreciated your guidance at the time, I reckon you passed on a valuable asset to her.

Yellowrose · 08-03-2006, 17:05

My mother passed her cooking skills on to me, but sadly my daughter (19) doesnt want to know and seems to prefer junk.

willman · 08-03-2006, 17:05

my mother taught me to learn how to cook, the crap that served up made sure of that.

i do not jest, it was either tinned or in a packet. we kept Smash in business while i was a child.
can now cook from scratch & do every day - although i can't bake.
my daughter unfortunately burns water

spicey · 08-03-2006, 17:08

I got taught how to make chappatis when i was 11.

It used to be frowned upon if an indian girl couldn't make perfect chappatis.

diskoheaven · 08-03-2006, 17:11

I used to like watching my mum in the kitchen, I learnt quite a lot that way!
But if theres something I don't know how to do, I'll ask her!

My dad also taught me quite a bit though, he's great at making cakes and the nicest trifles, and every sunday morning we used to make proper fresh bread together

mmmm

shoeshine · 08-03-2006, 17:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by spicey

I got taught how to make chappatis when i was 11.

It used to be frowned upon if an indian girl couldn't make perfect chappatis.

spicey, what a coincidence.....I have just been reading a fictional book written by an Indian lady. It's a very good read too.

The Indian girl in it is due to be married, and it is drilled into her, by her mother how essential it is for her to be able to produce perfect chappatis prior to her impending marriage.

It is a brilliant read, very humorous with a fairytale ending. PM me if you would like the details.....it is from our local Library so you may be able to get it on request from your local Library.

Moonbird · 08-03-2006, 17:39

I was taught to cook by my Mum, Grandma and Grandad, and cooked family meals by the time i was 11.
I have passed on what i know to my own sons, the eldest just does not want to know (cause he is a lazy so and so

) the youngest is a great cook and has been cooking since he was realy young too.
Working on Grandson now (who is 3 in july) i think we have a way to go yet on that one

.

Eleri · 08-03-2006, 17:55

I was taught to cook by my mum and gran as well, although I still haven't perfected Nan's light fruit cake (she didn't keep to a recipe)

I teach my teenage son (when he can be bothered

) and pass on cookery tips to my partner as well...although he'd probably tell you I fuss until he does things my way

Godzilla · 08-03-2006, 18:04

I worked virtually full time when my son was groing up. I would pick him up from his grandma's and start cooking as soon as we got home. I wanted to hear about his day, and he would stir pans and cut veg while we talked. His cooking skills are now better than my own, and I love it when he visits because he takes over the kitchen and delivers up some mean curry dishes.

taxman · 08-03-2006, 18:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by Godzilla

I worked virtually full time when my son was groing up. I would pick him up from his grandma's and start cooking as soon as we got home. I wanted to hear about his day, and he would stir pans and cut veg while we talked. His cooking skills are now better than my own, and I love it when he visits because he takes over the kitchen and delivers up some mean curry dishes.

Ta Mum,
Afraid its just a pizza bunged in the oven tonight though!

dustbunny · 08-03-2006, 19:48

I am a terrible cook (not for want of trying) so have never been able to have that special bond in the kitchen that most mums and daughter's have so my husband taught our daughter how to cook and bake from any early age. They do not teach it in school now after the first year in secondary. I think all the old crafts should be brought back (woodwork, sewing etc) in to the curriculum.

taxman · 08-03-2006, 20:12

There is a bloke at work who cannot even heat beans and I remember meeting a bloke in a hostel a few years back who didn't know how to use a can opener.

I used to love standing at the stove stirring and adding stuff then tasting as I went. Thats the sort of thing that gave me the experience to try different things and not bother with recipes.

Bellacboy · 08-03-2006, 20:39

Why only mums and grans, shoeshine? Some men are good cooks too you know!

shoeshine · 08-03-2006, 20:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bellacboy

Why only mums and grans, shoeshine? Some men are good cooks too you know!

Feel free to elucidate, please. My eldest son is an excellent cook......

I just didn't want to make the OP title too long to fit on one line....

Pipine · 08-03-2006, 20:44

I plan to have a weekend with my gran sometime soon to learn some of her tricks. She cooks the most amazing cakes

I always helped out cooking stuff when I was a kid but never paid much attention to the detail of quantities, cake tin sizes and cooking times... so I need to go, notebook in hand and get it all learnt!

mummybear · 08-03-2006, 22:34

Every school holiday I ask my daughter what she would like to do. Most kids would want to go out - ice skating, cinema etc.
Her answer is always 'Can we bake' and so we do - cookies, flapjack and the like.
Makes me feel awful that we don't do it more often - must try harder to be a better Mum!

shoeshine · 09-03-2006, 09:21

My thanks to all the contributors so far, and your lovely comments.

It would appear that you try to spend what is now called "real quality time" with your children/grandchildren, and trying to fill in the gaps within the school curriculum.

It's sad to know that cooking/domestic sciences seem to be at the back of the queue for children these days. Perhaps there is too much concentration on some subjects which children don't like, and too little on teaching valuable "real life, useful" subjects.

As one contributor noted, I did not include fathers in the Thread Title. I did not. for reasons I specified above, but there is no doubt that many men can, and sometimes have to learn the art of cooking.

What better gift to a child than to teach them how to produce healthy meals.

LHarman · 09-03-2006, 09:55

My kids love cooking-and enjoy trying and tasting new foods.I have taught them that cooking is not a chore(most women i know seem to think it is!!)My 11 yr old frequently rustles up a fantastic tomato and red pepper soup (from scratch!) and has realised that most of the food in shops is tasteless and artificial.She bakes cakes that are fantastic, using only a 1950s Tala cooks measure, and she bakes in good old pounds and ounces!!!,We cook as a family,and enjoy the meals as a family, weve even got my husbands apprentice into cooking(aged 22-never tasted a kiwi before!!) hes now keen to learn and taste new foods,its time PROPER cooking was taught in schools, not the rubbish food tech that replaced home ecomomics