Jerry, if you hang around here very long, you'll find that many of us are busily teaching our grandchildren to cook. I just helped my Granddaughter, The Monkey Princess, make a strawberry/rhubarb pie to enter in the local agricultural fair. She's 8 and has been cooking with me since she's been old enough to sit on the counter with a spoon. her brother has too.

My own Grandmother taught me to cook, she lived with us when I was a child. We were pretty much dirt poor farmers, although I didn't know it. We ate whatever there was, so I grew up on illegal venison, rabbit, squirrel, porcupine, turtle, whatever. Eat it or go hungry. Grandma, though, could "make a great meal out of nothing", as my Dad used to say.

We bought the farm I grew up on and I still have a big organic garden and raise grass fed beef. I can and pickle and make jelly and my grandkids are right there with me, both in the garden and in the kitchen. It's a good thing.

this is one of my favorite pictures of Makayla, 6 years ago, picking apples for the cider press:

Annie

I don't ever remember anyone "teaching me to cook"...I was allowed in the kitchen and helped where I could....and watched and learned.
I don't ever remember "teaching" either of my children to cook.....they just were allowed to cook and learned from watching and eating.....and both are awesome cooks!!
The closest I ever cane to teaching on of my kids to cook, was one Thanksgiving, my son called and asked "how do you make a pumpkin pie?? Seems he was going to his inlaws for dinner and had volunteered to make a pumpkin pie....and he didn't know how! So with my phone on my shoulder while I stuffed my turkey, I walked him through it....and it was delicious!
But one grandson wanted me to teach him to make bread, pesto, and cinnamon rolls.

I taught myself back in the early 70;s because I refused to live on Hamburger Helper like so many of my young friendss were doing! LOL

My mom is not a good cook and I don't recall either of my grandmothers in the kitchen.

So, by the seat of my pants I dove in by trying different recipes and learning from others (including spending the last 12 or so years with the great cooks on this forum. Lots of mistakes and failures later I have figured it out and I think I do a pretty good job!

I do intend to spend as much time as possible in the kitchen with my grandkids and teach them the joys of making their own foods from scratch!

Linda

Like others, I learned out of necessity. Being the oldest of 5 kids, I had to participate in meal preparation where I observed versus being "taught". But I observed some darn good food being made; my mom was from Italy and was making authentic Italian food which I didn't realize or appreciated until many years later.

Like Annie, we had our share of whatever was available--alligator tail, hearts of palm, squirrel, alligator pears. I hated that I had to go fishing with my "hunter grannie" versus my "Italian grannie". She made me catch lubbers for bait.

My mother was a depression era Arkansas country girl so her cuisine was basic hearty fare. I and my two brothers weren't particular interested in cooking, just eating, but when we were each about 10 she decided it was time for us to learn the basics, just so we could take care of ourselves. I never thought much about it and didn't even realize how much I had learned from her until I was going to school on the GI bill and living very frugally. I learned quickly it was cheaper to make my own food than to pay someone else to make it for me. One Thanksgiving I invited a friend over for dinner since it seemed we were the only two people left in town without family nearby. I didn't think I made anything fancy, just roasted a chicken, mashed some potatoes, made giblet gravy, corn, green beans, a simple salad, and an apple pie for desert. You'd think we were eating at the Waldorf the way she carried on. She didn't know anyone else in our peer group( including her) that could do more than cook a hamburger. I realized at that point that Mom must've taught me something after all. Sally2 and I have tried to convince our kids that knowing their way around a kitchen is the surest way to guarantee a fine quality of life. With 2 out of 3 I think it took (can't win 'em all)and Sally's working on the next generation. Pass it on!