Basic Cooking Skills

Elawin

Elawin

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Agree 100% - everybody should be able to cook at a basic level, men women boys and girls. Not sure of the need to cook a sponge cake TBH but simple every day food is just something we all need to be able to do.
 
At school (going way back now) we had domestic science, i.e. cookery lessons. These days I hear it's a shadow of its former self, i.e. weights and measures etc not cooking.
 
I believe that everyone should be able to prepare a home cooked simple but healthy meal for themselves & their families if necessary.

I also am a believer, that all people should have a general knowledge of healthy natural food and food combining & how to purchase and what to look for ..

In my generation, I had learnt to cook from my Grandmothers and my Mother .. And 2 sons from their grandmothers and I. Afterall, everyone male or female should be able to handle the basics of the kitchen ..

Good Post. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend.
 
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I am in the US so our list may be different but to me those were not cooking skills. They were all fancy stuff.
1. I don't know what a falafel is.
2. It is much cheaper to buy ice cream than all the ingredients.
3. Not everyone eats Mexican food.
4, 7, 9 , 11. Why is making dough so important? Bread is one of the cheapest foods you can buy.
5. What is a curry paste?
6. Appetizer that not everyone does on a regular basis.
8. That one does fit if I remember what pulses are.
10. Not all foods require a marinade and I know many kitchens that wouldn't even have the ingredients to make a marinade.
12, 13. Again very cheap in the stores.
14. Again not a real common food. You are more likely to see meatloaf than meatballs.
15, ,19. I don't know of many everyday foods that call for a white sauce or cheese sauce.
16. What type of batter? Too many there.
17. Why specify sponge cake? Once again, not served at most meals.
18. Which gravy?
20. That one I will agree with.

To me, that cookery list said most people can't cook fancy/restaurant/uncommon foods.

Now, I do know people that can't cook.
1. They couldn't do a simple meat.
2. Vegetables are beyond them.
3. Seasoning eludes them. Heck, they probably don't own any.
4. If it doesn't come from a can or box, they are lost.
5. They think measurements are only for baking.
 
Its a strange list: making dough, making pizza dough and making bread are virtually the same yet listed as 3 items. Falafel seems an odd choice. Is falafel a really popular thing that people want to make? In actual fact it is difficult to make. You have to use raw chickpeas not cooked.

I've made everything on the list but that doesn't mean very much as I've made much more complicated things.
 
Cinisajoy said:
Note:
I am in the US so our list may be different but to me those were not cooking skills. They were all fancy stuff.....

To me, that cookery list said most people can't cook fancy/restaurant/uncommon foods.

Now, I do know people that can't cook.
1. They couldn't do a simple meat.
2. Vegetables are beyond them.
3. Seasoning eludes them. Heck, they probably don't own any.
4. If it doesn't come from a can or box, they are lost.
5. They think measurements are only for baking.
Click to expand...

As I replied to @morning glory, the article is from MSN and some of their ideas are strange, but I think it also points out the differences between cooking in the US and cooking in the UK.

I make all my own bread and pizza dough simply because I find the cheap, commercially produced stuff absolutely awful, and decent bread from a proper baker's is not cheap when you are on a very limited income.

I make ice cream only very occasionally, but home-made is much better and there are a lot of flavours that do not seem to be available commercially (or cheaply).

I often make white or cheese sauces as you may have noticed from some of my posts about what I have made or eaten. I also often have dips as an accompaniment to my meals, particular when I have curry (which is a common type of meal here), and I also eat pulses quite regularly. Marinades can be quite simple and don't always contain uncommon or exotic ingredients. Shop-bought tomato sauces are usually full of salt and sugar. It's very simple to make your own. I like to make my own salad dressings using ingredients I like; again I am not keen on a lot of shop-bought ones. I have eaten meatballs far more often than meatloaf. Batter probably means pancake batter, and gravy here usually means what goes on your Sunday roast. Sponge cake is probably more common in the UK - afternoon tea?

I entirely agree with your points about people who can't cook. As for point 5, my Mum never used to measure anything - she had a knack of being able to use the right mix of ingredients without actually measuring anything. Our local greengrocer used to let her pick out her own fruit and veg - her "measurements" were very accurate weight-wise.
 
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Elawin said:
As I replied to @morning glory, the article is from MSN and some of their ideas are strange, but I think it also points out the differences between cooking in the US and cooking in the UK.

I make all my own bread and pizza dough simply because I find the cheap, commercially produced stuff absolutely awful, and decent bread from a proper baker's is not cheap when you are on a very limited income.

I make ice cream only very occasionally, but home-made is much better and there are a lot of flavours that do not seem to be available commercially (or cheaply).

I often make white or cheese sauces as you may have noticed from some of my posts about what I have made or eaten. I also often have dips as an accompaniment to my meals, particular when I have curry (which is a common type of meal here), and I also eat pulses quite regularly. Marinades can be quite simple and don't always contain uncommon or exotic ingredients. Shop-bought tomato sauces are usually full of salt and sugar. It's very simple to make your own. I like to make my own salad dressings using ingredients I like; again I am not keen on a lot of shop-bought ones. I have eaten meatballs far more often than meatloaf. Batter probably means pancake batter, and gravy here usually means what goes on your Sunday roast. Sponge cake is probably more common in the UK - afternoon tea?

I entirely agree with your points about people who can't cook. As for point 5, my Mum never used to measure anything - she had a knack of being able to use the right mix of ingredients without actually measuring anything. Our local greengrocer used to let her pick out her own fruit and veg - her "measurements" were very accurate weight-wise.
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I agree with you completely, I tend to make my own bread myself.
But how many other people do you know that make their own bread?
Other than on here.
Out of all the people I know, on any kind of bread or marinade the only one that might have everything would be my brother.
What we consider common and others consider common are sometimes different things.
Most people I know don't even keep flour in the house. Much less baking powder or yeast.
Since Marinades require an acid, I don't know many people that keep wine or even vinegar in the house.

As to the ice cream, I agree but most people don't want to take the time or the trouble to make it. On my block, you would have a hard time finding an ice cream maker, unless you knew where to look and give 24 hours notice because the bowl needs to freeze. Make that 25. I forgot which cabinet I stored it in.

I think cooking at home from scratch is getting as uncommon as reading.

Oh and Elawin, note: we also do homemade food for our dogs.
 
Re: ice cream making. I have noticed - in many cookery programmes that involve the general public (not chefs) - that ice cream is frequently made with 2 ingredients: cream and condensed milk! Yuk! (Invariably always with an ice cream maker too!) A custard base seems to be alien/old hat. I must admit I have been known and cheat a bit, i.e. buy ready made, good quality fresh custard! I am not really a gadget person so use the freezer.
 
Cinisajoy said:
Note:
To me, that cookery list said most people can't cook fancy/restaurant/uncommon foods.

Now, I do know people that can't cook.
1. They couldn't do a simple meat.
2. Vegetables are beyond them.
3. Seasoning eludes them. Heck, they probably don't own any.
4. If it doesn't come from a can or box, they are lost.
5. They think measurements are only for baking.
Click to expand...
I like your list better than the one in the article. The article starts with a valid premise - Millions of Brits are lacking basic kitchen skills - then goes on to list falafel as the first item on the list that people can't make. The horror! I actually have made falafel (both with canned chickpeas - which make it pasty and terrible - and with fresh chickpeas) but I'm extremely unusual there.

What I've seen from people I know related to cooking-skills is something like this:
  • Most people don't usually cook, but can make something when it comes to a potluck situation. The smart ones find one or two things that they do well, and only do that. My sister-in-law makes an excellent macaroni and cheese, and always makes that when there's a family gathering. I have absolutely no problem with this.
  • Most people think they know how to properly use their outdoor grill, but generally do a terrible job with it. Everyone has internet access, and excellent videos abound on how to do everything, so there's no excuse for terrible BBQs. But, many insist on incinerating hamburgers and serving them to poor victims who have to choke them down to avoid offending them. Yes, the same sister-in-law had her husband manning the grill last weekend, and cooking burgers until they resembled hockey pucks. At least her mac-and-cheese was good.
  • A small percentage get take away or eat out for every meal. These are people I like to call "wealthy" or "soon to not be wealthy anymore when their money runs out".
  • Some people like to try making different things, with varying degree of success, but without doing any research. Again, the internet is there waiting for you to look up how to make a sponge cake or how to properly operate you damn grill without killing your guests.
  • The smallest percentage are what I'd call proficient home cooks. I work with two women who are absolute geniuses when it comes to baked goods, and they are certainly in the minority. I moderate a Creative Cooking forum at work, and only one person I know is on it. At least my lunches taste good. :)
 
On point 3, I know one couple that did eat out every day. He told her when he retired, she retired. I guarantee you could set your watch by them because they knew exactly what time the senior discounts were. There is a restaurant in town that has senior lunch buffet (60+) from 2 to 4. If you want dinner cheap, you best get there by 345 or you might miss getting rung up before 4. There are many that take advantage of that. (It is $8 for all you can eat, pay first.)
 
Well, I too look at that list and think it compiled by someone who themselves understands very little about cooking. However, the point that there are a broad range of skills – and beyond just cookery skills – that used to be very common, and were still very common until surprisingly recently, that are now fast disappearing all together is true enough. But, laudable as the basic idea of this attempt to revive some of them may be, you sit alongside King Canute if you think they will have any success. And I certainly do not mean to support the idea that a general and widespread stupidity is to blame. I think it is just a simple reality of the modern world and a genie that simply cannot be put back in the bottle.


But on the other hand, in the particular case of cooking skill, I wonder if the case might be overstated a little. Absolutely these days there are a lot of people who live off take-away and convenience food, and I certainly do not envy the paucity of their experience. But there are still quite a lot of people who can and do cook, and cook quite well. It seems to me.
 
Cinisajoy said:
I agree with you completely, I tend to make my own bread myself.
But how many other people do you know that make their own bread?
Other than on here.
Out of all the people I know, on any kind of bread or marinade the only one that might have everything would be my brother.
What we consider common and others consider common are sometimes different things.
Most people I know don't even keep flour in the house. Much less baking powder or yeast.
Since Marinades require an acid, I don't know many people that keep wine or even vinegar in the house.

As to the ice cream, I agree but most people don't want to take the time or the trouble to make it. On my block, you would have a hard time finding an ice cream maker, unless you knew where to look and give 24 hours notice because the bowl needs to freeze. Make that 25. I forgot which cabinet I stored it in.

I think cooking at home from scratch is getting as uncommon as reading.

Oh and Elawin, note: we also do homemade food for our dogs.
Click to expand...
Flour and vinegar would be considered staples here. Everyone I know has at least one pack of flour in their cupboard, and we need vinegar for our fish and chips. Bicarbonate of soda is sold in most food shops and easy bake yeast is common. As for ice cream, you can pick up ice cream makers here quite easily for just a few pounds, although you don't actually need one to make ice cream, and you only need to freeze a lot of ice cream for a couple of hours.

Again, I think it is the difference between cooking in the US and cooking in the UK, although I agree that home cooking from scratch is becoming uncommon amongst younger people. The only cooking smells that emanate from the house next door to me are from when she lights her barbecue in the garden, and then the food looks as though it has been cremated rather than cooked. Otherwise, the only sounds from her kitchen are of her microwave pinging. But I don't know anyone who doesn't read something!
 
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