At what age did you start cooking proper food?

I started baking at 7 with my mom and Started preparing salads every Sunday for my family's evening meal at 12.
I still like to bake the odd time, I do not cook a lot anymore.
Shame really , I am decent at cooking.
 
19 - Moved away from home so what better time too learn when I have too!!!

Never baked though which is something I want to do in the next few weeks or so.
 
I had a few compulsory classes in school, but it was only for about 4 weeks. I seem to remember making Spag Bol, Shortbread and a Sponge Cake.

It wasn't until I got to University that I really started cooking properly. As you quite quickly learn that unless you want to eat everything out of a can, or from the microwave, you need to.

I think Fajitas was one of the first things I learnt to cook and enjoyed, along with curries. I also had a hallsmate who had parents which owned a Chinese restaurant, so he taught me how to do loads of Chinese dishes.
 
Jonny69 said:
I remember a very similar story, but the student had to go to hospital for severe malnutrition, not constipation. The version I remember was he'd lined his drawers with greaseproof paper and filled them with porridge. Every mealtime he'd cut a slice out, reheat it and live off that. Would have been late 80's early 90's and for some reason I think it was at Cambridge? Must be the same story :D
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Yeah that actually sounds about right.

Still, I remember the legend of "bottle girl" ;)
 
I'm 25 and haven't ventured much past oven food from the freezer.

Proper fresh food though, not done it. I'm a late bloomer :p
 
Since I was a kid. My parents insisted that I learned how to cook at home - and besides, considering we only had a small 14" tv, and about 3 channels, no internet or computers helping them in the kitchen seemed like fun! Besides I love food so much it was always a pleasure to do! :D Though the French Cypriot culture probably had something to do with it too. :)
 
Jonny69 said:
Don't think I know "bottle girl" - elaborate!
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It transpires that a girl going manchester uni got freaky with a bottle in front of a load of people at a massive party during freshers.
It got filmed, then passed around the internet and the uni so much she dropped out 2 days later.

Her dad must be so proud.

Which is incidentally something I think at a club I have been to a handful of times in Plymouth, theres poles on the bar around the edges of the room.
If girls take their top off, free drink, if girls take their bra off free bottle of champagne. Seen some great knockers there I must say.

MooMoo444 said:
I'm 25 and haven't ventured much past oven food from the freezer.

Proper fresh food though, not done it. I'm a late bloomer :p
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How do you people exist :p
I'm serious though, why have you never tried cooking fresh food, it's easy man.
 
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~It shocked me when I went to uni (wow, over 12 years ago now! :eek: ) and people were amazed at the fact I knew how to make a basic bolognese, roasting a chicken or even making an omelette! :/ Quite frightening really.
 
pitchfork said:
It transpires that a girl going manchester uni got freaky with a bottle in front of a load of people at a massive party during freshers.
It got filmed, then passed around the internet and the uni so much she dropped out 2 days later.
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Source on vid? :p:p
 
Been fairly interested in cooking/baking since I was about 10 (am now 22). I can now cook at a significantly above average standard, and am often surprised by how badly some of my friends cook. It's a really good thing to get yourself stuck into as nothing is so useful as experience/practice.
 
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I don't really class jar based curry as 'proper food'

You should attempt to make these things from scratch to get a real understanding of food and cooking.

If you are very short on time, then fair enough, but if you have a while spare, then do it yourself from scratch. If it's nice, you will feel far more satisfied.
 
robfosters said:
I don't really class jar based curry as 'proper food'

You should attempt to make these things from scratch to get a real understanding of food and cooking.

If you are very short on time, then fair enough, but if you have a while spare, then do it yourself from scratch. If it's nice, you will feel far more satisfied.
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I do agree with this to some extent but context is of course an important thing, and it's also worth noting that jar based cooking is at least a step up from ready meals!

As I mentioned above, I'm a pretty good cook (imo) but do use, for example, fajita kits during the week as it is a massive time saver (and in this case we love the flavour anyway). Week day recipes are pretty lazy.

Having said that on the weekends, we can spend multiple hours putting together things from scratch.

Long and short, I do agree that experimenting with fully home cooked foods is best, but taking short cuts doesnt have to be a bad thing.
 
Packet cooking isn't cooking.

Also, fajita kits are a massive rip off. It's 10 pence worth of spices in a sachet they charge a quid for. Less effort to make a spice mix than buy it packet every week.
 
pitchfork said:
Packet cooking isn't cooking.

Also, fajita kits are a massive rip off. It's 10 pence worth of spices in a sachet they charge a quid for. Less effort to make a spice mix than buy it packet every week.
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Even better is to make lots at once, mix with water to make a sluggish paste then heat in a pan until the oil floats. Then seperate into meal portions and whack in the freezer. Fajita paste any time you need it :)
 
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