Teaching DS to cook

[snafu]

My DS just turned 18 and I'm wondering how others taught their kids to cook.


My idea (subject to change) is that he take over making supper 1 night per week (w/help from mom as needed)

....Taco Tuesday w/corn cake (see recipe forum for corn cake recipe)

[Annsdil]

I've been doing this with my eldest two for the last year or so. I told them they would alternate weekly to cook a dinner from a recipe of their choice on a Thursday.

DD wanted to go first so she chose her menu. Them on the day she decided she'd prefer to go play out. So I told them all that since chef was obviously on strike they would have to starve. ODS looked up a recipe then to make scrambled eggs and toast and took it upon himself to make it for him and YDS. When DD returned she attempted to make her dinner but it didn't work out too well. ODS first attempt was lovely!

I started by showing how to get all the equipment they needed and how to weigh ingredients. I would stand over them getting them to read each step of the recipe out. I would put food in the oven or do the frying if hit oil was involved.

Gradually I would step back and let them work stuff out and do all the cooking themselves whilst I looked on. For the main now ODS is pretty much independent and I rarely watch him unless he asks for help. With DD I stay in the kitchen so I can keep a sly eye on her and be there if she needs it.

I don't let them make up ready prepared foods. It has to be something from scratch recipe that they follow, basically because if they learn how to follow a recipe they can cook anytime.

[trixxie]

I know that this thread is almost a year old - some school districts (ours) have an adult living course. They learn how to budget for grocery shopping and for ONE week, they have to budget for groceries, cook with the same groceries ALL week - including dinner meals.

I think it should be worldwide for young teenagers. Teaches them value of money, budgeting and learning to cook with the budget that they have.

As an aside, I played the foil while my ODS was food shopping, saying "I want this cereal" and "this kind of soda" to make sure that they understood thats what I would go through with them when I grocery shopped.

Both DS' know how to cook. They are probably better at managing/budgeting money than I am.

[KayKay]

Wow, trixxie - thanks for bumping up this thread! I had completely missed it. I love the idea of playing the foil while shopping with your kid. LOL.

snafu, I did the DS-cooks-once-per-week method with DS. DD had no interest in being in the kitchen EVER, so I figured she was smart enough to read a recipe and/or watch a cooking video. DD moved into her first apartment (and off the college meal plan) this year and I expected a lot of calls, either for help with recipes or for money to eat out with. Turns out she is a pretty good cook, and seems to like doing it!

I guess with each kid it's a YMMV thing? What did you end up doing with DS?

[Knot2loud]

LOL... Couldn't get our DD's to step into the kitchen for fear they would have to wash dishes (which they did anyway). Mom did a good job teaching them to cook anyway. Both have become quite the cooks too.

Ironically, my oldest rarely cooks as her husband prefers to cook the meals.

[LucyVanPelt]

True Story: I had a boss who requested a woman's group to cook him healthy meals on a daily basis. He doesn't make healthy choices and he needed someone like mom to cook for him. He was approaching 60.

[snafu]

DS is going to be getting a crash course in college, his dorm is set up like apartments.

[snafu]

DS is now 21

He does some cooking when (cough, cough) "encouraged".


He can make tacos and corncake

[snafu]

DS made the main course last night, while DH and I made the side.