When did you learn to make your first meal, and what was it?

[lucyarty]

I remember being so proud when I learnt to make an omelette - put it with some pasta and vegetables and that was my first meal! I learnt pretty late, must have been 16 or so; my parents weren't big on teaching me that sort of thing and I never had lessons at school so I didn't have any confidence in cooking for quite a long time. With my own children, I hope to get them helping me to cook at least occasionally as soon as they can safely do so, so that they don't end up as nervous and clueless in the kitchen as I was!

 

[winterybella]

Many years ago when I was probably in my early teens, I prepared a macaroni pie for guest as my mom was not at home as I remember it. It was not the best but I have since learned to master that dish. That's the first meal I sent out but things like omelettes I probably did much earlier. I was always around the kitchen watching and helping my mom out so I was always in hurry to get started with my own cooking.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I went to an all girls school that taught us all to cook, sew, change a plug, wood work, and metal work. Init was expected of us all to know nutrition and how to cook and I can well remember those first lessons when I was 11 with our formidable cookery teacher. Sadly I had the old lady with the terrible temper who did throw things around her kitchen if you were out of order in any way whatsoever! The first thing we cooked with her was a dish that used onions, tomatoes, cheese and bread crumbs. It looks awful but tested great though few of the other girls in the class like it! Sadly I don't have the recipe anymore.

But I'm not entirely certain if it counts as the first thing I cooked because even at primary school my brother and I would come home to an empty house and if we wanted a hot meal we made it ourselves and I clearly remember our first microwave meaning jacket potatoes were an option... We quickly leant they tasted better cooked in an oven and reheated in the microwave with cheese melts over them just to the point where the outer edges of the melted cheese were getting chewy!

 

[Berties]

my parents both worked long hours but we always sat to eat at 5.30 and i was encouraged to cook for them from 13 i would have to do stir frys and simple grills and i had to use a stove top fryer ,I wouldn't let my kids do it now,
i did cookery at school at a local tech as my grammar school was not set up for it ,we did quite complex stuff for teenage boys from bread to roasts

 

[eat and eat]

I forget !! Maybe the rice, could it be the first meal?

 

[wahmed]

Omlettes were an early thing, but my first proper meal was aroun 12 13 my mum taught me how to make dal, chicken curry and roti.

 

[missbishi]

I first learnt to cook at an all-girls school too (although they never taught us to change a plug!). I think the first dish I made was Spaghetti Bolognese but I do remember we used jars of sauce rather than starting from scratch. In primary school we made things like scones and melting moments but never any savoury meals.

 

[Rosyrain]

Is primary school popular in the UK? We do not have many all boys or all girls schools around here, and they are very expensive when you can find one. We had a class in high school that taught us the basics of living life outside of your parents home and we made a few simple dishes there. If I remember correctly, the first thing I ever made was cinnamon pull aparts. This dish is basically cut up raw canned biscuits, mixed with cinnamon, sugar, and melted butter. You then arrange these in a round baking dish and bake them until the biscuits are done. A very inexpensive way to make cinnamon rolls.

 

[missbishi]

Everyone goes to primary school here, from ages 4-11. I suppose it's our equivalent of elementary school. That was co-ed but the state high schools in my area were single sex. It was quite an antiquated system.

 

[SquiffyBubble]

I used to do little things to help me parents out when I was little, like cutting tomatoes and cucumber. The first meal I learned to do myself was when I was 11, and it was bolognese sauce with pasta.