It is a thing because I saw it happen with my mom. I don't know why exactly. She had less energy to be on her feet so she took shortcuts is my guess. She wanted to have events and "host" but couldn't really do the work of cooking. Plus the taste buds thing is real.

Anonymous wrote:Both of our sets of parents (in their mid-70s) have really deteriorated in their cooking skills. Is this just us being tired of their recipes, or do you think that cooking/baking also declines with age?

No, my mom’s cooking skills definitely slipped after 70. She used to be a renowned cook and people would specifically request recipes so it was noticeable and not just us being fussy. My parents live in Asia so they are able to hire a full-time cook now.

My French MIL is 91 and her food tastes the same (delicious) as it has since I started eating it in 1980. However, she’s also made the same 20 or so meals on rotation for the last 40 years (supplemented by FIL’s grilling). I’m sure she couldn’t follow a new recipe or stray from the typical menu in any way at this point but she never did anyway!

Now my dad never could cook well but he could follow a recipe and had a few scratch dishes that were tasty. At almost 80, he can’t do much cooking anymore and eats mostly frozen or prepared dishes from Trader Joe’s and Costco as well as lots of canned soups. In his case, it’s cognitive decline.

I think it’s quite the opposite. No one I know under 35 can cook worth a damn. Meanwhile, I’m so excited when I go to my parents or my in-laws. They are great cooks!

No, OP, this is not a universal thing. Though “ungrateful children” is trending on DCUM today.

Shouldn’t you be cooking for them now?

It’s health reasons a lot of them can’t use salt

My ma is in her 90s and still a great cook. She’s legally blind now but that hasn’t slowed her down.

I think part of what I'm seeing is our tastes evolving - like my mom still uses velveeta in her mac n cheese which was universally acclaimed at our midwestern parties in the 80s, but ew now. We've really expanded the veggies we use, the spices, the cheese, etc. from what was available when we were growing up. Both grandmas still use the same recipes from the 80s and 90s.

And I think they cook less frequently and are more absent-minded. So that combo means things turn out pretty meh. And agree with a PP that the food safety standards are pretty sub-par.

I suppose my kids will be saying the same thing about us in 30 years.

Just depends on how much energy they have and how much they like cooking. Most older people in my family hate cooking, because they cooked ever night for decades.

This isn't a "thing", nonnas etc are known as some of the best cooks in the world, even as they pass 80.

My mom is in her 80s (as is dad, but he's never been able to cook), and she still is an amazing cook

Taste buds change as you age (that's why old men like cigars) so they're acclimating their food to their new taste preferences.

Is it for health reasons? Are they using less salt/saturated fat? Or is it a skill issue? Personally I've gotten better with age, but I'm still in my 50s.

I don’t care about the quality of cooking, I just care about hygiene and food safety. I don’t know many adults over the age of 70 that I would trust in the kitchen, including my parents and ILs. I’ve seen too much, too consistently, over the years.

Both of our sets of parents (in their mid-70s) have really deteriorated in their cooking skills. Is this just us being tired of their recipes, or do you think that cooking/baking also declines with age?