At what age did you start cooking proper food?

Slyfoxx · 6 Sep 2012 at 14:44

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.

Although I know what you mean - packet cooking is cooking. When I get home from work and gym at 7 pm, I really don't have an interest in spending hours cooking - it's not viable. I'm happy to put something together which means I use a packet of spice instead of a home blend, or a tin of tomatoes rather than my own - edit - to be fair I could prepare my own and freeze it if I wanted to but in the case of spice blends especially I don't see the need.

We buy 6 kits at a time and stick in the drawer ready to use - yes you can make your own, and I'd probably suggest it to most people but as said previously we enjoy the flavour compared to anything done ourselves - we can do it well but we dont enjoy it as much.

I've done a lot of cooking in my time, ranging from simple to very complex - and there is a time and place for both forms. Simple cooking with (in this case a single) packet merely requires superior starting ingredients

Freefaller · 6 Sep 2012 at 15:09

You can whip up a decent meal in under 30 mins without using pastes or pre mixed stuff.

Cosimo · 6 Sep 2012 at 15:24

I cooked omelettes, bacon and baked when I was 11. I made my first attempt at a proper meal when I was 18 and my parents were away. Any cooking I’ve done since then can be considered to be fairly basic as I’ve never managed to get enthusiastic about it.

pitchfork · 6 Sep 2012 at 15:31

Yep agreed, I manage to cook from fresh every evening in about half an hour, meal for one, healthy, balanced, no fuss. It'd be the same time cooking for 3-4 people, maybe a little longer just baring in mind quantity.
I have about 3 hours spare time when I get in from work (9 hour day and a long commute) I don't want to spend hours cooking. Better to maximise pub time.

Weekends I'll spend longer and cook something more complex.

Slyfoxx · 6 Sep 2012 at 15:53

Freefaller said:
You can whip up a decent meal in under 30 mins without using pastes or pre mixed stuff.

Agreed and 4 days out of 5 each week, myself and parent do exactly that. All I'm pointing out is that occasionally choosing to simplify life is not the work of the devil.

Freefaller · 7 Sep 2012 at 10:36

I agree. You're right.

manic111 · 7 Sep 2012 at 11:07

14 or 15 I think, always helped my parents out in the kitchen before that though.

pitchfork · 7 Sep 2012 at 11:16

I agree to an extent, but still maintain it's easier to make your own spice mixes being that it's 30 seconds work

TheSgtDK · 7 Sep 2012 at 11:58

I've baked for a while made multiple birthday cakes etc

but i've only very recently (this year) started learning how to cook, sadly i'm 26.