Did you parents or grandparents teach you to cook and were they good or bad cooks?

[Anonymous]

One of my grandmas was an average cook, but the other one was incredible. Instinctive and amazing and so was/is my mum. They both taught me or I watched and learned, though as I got older and realised how much of my grandma’s cooking was made up and not based on recipes, I would watch her more carefully and write things down so I could learn what she made. I still make some of her recipes, especially her soups.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grandmother was a terrific cook. My grandfather was set in his ways, but she’d experiment and make new/different things for us. All 3 of my aunts are wonderful cooks. My mom HATED cooking, and growing up, she had like 5 things she made, but she made them well. In her old age, she has someone that does routine cooking for her, so when she cooks, it’s because she wants to not because she has to, and you can absolutely tell the difference. My dad cooked by instinct, and was exceptional. My brother is the same way; just doesn’t cook as often.

Like my mom, I despise cooking. I am an excellent cook though, and have a wider repertoire than she did. What I enjoy, is baking. I can bake pretty much anything and have it turn out. My DD and I have been baking since she was little, and she’s an excellent baker too. Where I fall short is in aesthetics, but she’s highly artistic and has that covered. Where we differ is that I really enjoy baking bread while she hates it.

Do you mind sharing what dishes your grandparents made? I like hearing such generational cooking stories.

On that note, my paternal grandma cooked and taught me to cook; my maternal grandma hated cooking but cooked veggies until there were no more veggies to cook. My mom dislikes cooking but does it well.

I cook well; my sister hates it and can't cook. I wonder if this is a common theme in most families. I mean, we are all our own people with different interests and like different foods.
I think most can tell here that I love food so much! I am overseas now working, and my fun thing tonight is going to a huge French supermarket that I haven't been to. I am not in France, but there are huge French supermarkets here.
In fact, DH drives me crazy with his, I don't care what I eat, and he really doesn't!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my grandmas was an average cook, but the other one was incredible. Instinctive and amazing and so was/is my mum. They both taught me or I watched and learned, though as I got older and realised how much of my grandma’s cooking was made up and not based on recipes, I would watch her more carefully and write things down so I could learn what she made. I still make some of her recipes, especially her soups.

Thank you for sharing. That is similar to my upbringing. I watched Grandma and learned from her. I didn't write down her donuts recipe, (among other recipes) and I feel sad about it. Though, she had no recipe, she did it without any measuring at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:None of my grandparents ever taught me how to cook. I thought their food was just fine. I liked my grandma’s chocolate booze cake. My mom was good at cooking Jewish food- she made the house smell really good around the holidays. Her cooking really dropped off around middle school. My dad was a consistent cook- I liked his meatloaf and stuffed shells, though he made those rarely.

I made stuffed shells twice during the pandemic- it’s a lot of work. I’m a family of one, so haven’t tried making meatloaf.

My parents didn’t teach us how to cook, though we had to cook one dinner each week. I’ve always hated cooking.

OP here. I have never even heard of stuffed shells! I just googled and it definitely looks like something I would love.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom was a terrible cook. She taught me in the sense that if I wanted good food, I had to make it myself… i learned to cook as a teen from recipes.

Do you enjoy cooking now or you are not into it?

[Anonymous]

My mother and grandmother both hated cooking and weren't very good. My grandfather enjoyed it but only special-occasion type dishes, not weeknight dinners. He made things like cabbage rolls, "city chicken", cucumber and sour cream salad, potato salad...He was Czech and Hungarian. He never taught me how but to this day I prefer that food exactly the way he made it and try to replicate his recipes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I came from a family of four children. My mom and oldest sister did all the cooking except my dad would grill on Sundays. My middle sister and I would prepare a salad, set the table, clean up and bake during the holidays. My baby brother did nothing. My oldest sister became a gourmet cook, while the rest of us taught ourselves and became average cooks. DH's mom did all the cooking so he never learned to cook but can do basic grilling and make an omelet.

OP again. We had a similar dynamic, I was always helping and my younger sister never. I learned to cook, and, if I may say without false modesty, I cook well. But my sister can't cook at all.
However, I made the same mistake as your mom. I cooked all the time and didn't teach my kids to cook. This summer was the first summer that my son came from his apartment in Arlington to the house for me to teach him to cook my everyday dishes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mother and grandmother both hated cooking and weren't very good. My grandfather enjoyed it but only special-occasion type dishes, not weeknight dinners. He made things like cabbage rolls, "city chicken", cucumber and sour cream salad, potato salad...He was Czech and Hungarian. He never taught me how but to this day I prefer that food exactly the way he made it and try to replicate his recipes.

That is such a coincidence! OP here; I lived in Prague for a year and a half long ago. My grandmother's cooking is Austro-Hungarian. I make cabbage rolls, but with sour cabbage, not plain.

[Anonymous]

My mom was a good cook. She also baked a lot, but sadly I didn’t care for those things and never learned how to make them.

She died when I was a teen, but I did help some and learned how to make a handful of things. I think she’d approve of my mashed potatoes .

My ds is 14 now and helps with meal prep. He actually does the mashed potatoes now, same way she used to. They’re awesome!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My grandmothers both cooked and I helped. I started cooking dinner (meat, starch, veg) when I was 7 or 8 because my mom worked evening shift and my dad can’t cook at all.

I have taken it a lot farther than either of them did, I am an excellent cook. It’s a hobby of mine, though.

It is the same with me. It is a hobby. Going to restaurant supply store is a great outing for me.

[Anonymous]

Nobody had time to cook in the whole country of mine. All were busy working and eating was just a quick 10-15 minute break. There were no ingredients available, no spices. If anyone had an apple in the middle of a winter or a dried orange peel, it was a good day.
Looking for a partner who can cook while I bring home the bacon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My mom was a SAHM but she never cooked. So no.

My dad retired when I was 14 and he cooked, and we discussed what he cooked but he never taught me to cook.

I was super interested in cooking so I watched cooking shows and would try to make the meals. This is where I really learned, in my 20's it didn't have to be that good and people thought it was amazing.

My H's mom was a SAHM but when the kids went off to college, she became a chef and she never taught my H how to cook... but she loved to criticize my cooking and, in her criticism, I would get information, and I paid close attention. I learned a lot watching her and listening to her. She would even go so far as to give you false information like she used tarragon when it was oregano. She's Italian. Everybody in her family are very good cooks/own restaurants/etc.

My son's girlfriend never learned to cook from her mom and she and I cook together. She is vegan-ish, meaning she is vegan but eats seafood so I've taught her how to make tofu gyros, mussels in wine sauce, real artichoke, shrimp tacos, etc.

Such an interesting generational cooking history! I am glad you shared, and it sounds like you come from a family that likes to cook. But that is too funny that your MIL would supply fake cooking ingredients!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nobody had time to cook in the whole country of mine. All were busy working and eating was just a quick 10-15 minute break. There were no ingredients available, no spices. If anyone had an apple in the middle of a winter or a dried orange peel, it was a good day.
Looking for a partner who can cook while I bring home the bacon.

What is this country? Do you enjoy gourmet food though? You can always order.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My mom was a SAHM but she never cooked. So no.

My dad retired when I was 14 and he cooked, and we discussed what he cooked but he never taught me to cook.

I was super interested in cooking so I watched cooking shows and would try to make the meals. This is where I really learned, in my 20's it didn't have to be that good and people thought it was amazing.

My H's mom was a SAHM but when the kids went off to college, she became a chef and she never taught my H how to cook... but she loved to criticize my cooking and, in her criticism, I would get information, and I paid close attention. I learned a lot watching her and listening to her. She would even go so far as to give you false information like she used tarragon when it was oregano. She's Italian. Everybody in her family are very good cooks/own restaurants/etc.

My son's girlfriend never learned to cook from her mom and she and I cook together. She is vegan-ish, meaning she is vegan but eats seafood so I've taught her how to make tofu gyros, mussels in wine sauce, real artichoke, shrimp tacos, etc.

Such an interesting generational cooking history! I am glad you shared, and it sounds like you come from a family that likes to cook. But that is too funny that your MIL would supply fake cooking ingredients!

There is actually an episode of "Everybody loves Raymond" where the mom gives the wrong ingredients. Apparently, that's common in Italian families. My MIL was the best cook/chef and she wanted that to be her's so I respected it.

My H is still stressed by his mom's presence when we cook for her.

I come from a family of all brothers and 2 are good cooks, also self taught. One does a big pig roast every year and he does the pig on a pit on his farm (lol, we are moco family but my brother always wanted a farm).

[Anonymous]

Grandma was a saint, but everything was overcooked and dry. Mom was limited in which ingredients to use due to dad’s insane pickiness. Basically self taught.