I’d probably be the perfect example of that stereotype since the only thing I actually know how to cook from the top of my head is scrambled eggs and ramen (if you can even count that). I always just prepare frozen meals (e.g. breakfast bowls) since I rarely give myself time to actually cook something. Tbf though, I feel like if I was forced to cook something, assuming I had access to the internet to get instructions, I could cook anything basic just fine. Though maybe that’s just cope, lol

I mean I do know gen Z kids who can’t cook at all, but I knew a lot of young men back when I started college who couldn’t cook either and that was way before gen Z was around.

Its been noted in studies that all generations starting from Boomers have had less people who “know how to cook”. With instant meals came less cooking, and less cooking brought less learning how to cook.

When looking at younger people who don’t know how to cook, it’s not about them being stupid - someone failed them. Yes, to your point, cooking is easy. A rice cooker, a single pan, you can make a great meal…

But no one ever mentioned what temp to cook chicken at. What the hell’s a 4 (out of 10) and how much oil (or how little) should I use? Rice cooker comes with instructions and lines but that just makes plan rice - at least Zatarans has some flavor.

I learned how to cook a grilled cheese as a kid… And I hate cheese.

Then I was working in kitchens for seven years. So, yeah, I’ve got a leg up on people who’ve literally never cooked a meal for one, let alone 1,500 over a lunch period. It’s hard to ‘learn’ to cook entirely by yourself because fucking up your meal means not having anything to eat.

It’s not just Gen Z because no one taught their parents and Gen Z will probably fuck up their kids the same.

Hey, I’m Gen Z. Not everyone here is older. I do cook. Quite well. I can be a bit lazy tho and I’m poor. So it’s simple cheap stuff usually. I like to get chicken or pork, put some chinese chilli sauce on it, and bake it until its crispy. Then maybe some sweet and sour on top. Another good simple sauce is soy sauce mixed with peanut butter and heated and stirred a bit. Rice with some yellow curry powder, msg, and dried onion/carrots while its cooking, then adding the juices from whatever meat you cooked at the end is pretty good. Red Thai Curry powder is also great and can go on almost anything. A lot of my diet is just whatever meat cuts are dirt cheap (usually chicken quarters or pork half loin), rice, potatoes, beans, and other dirt cheap stuff.

Edit: Also, for the time aspect. It’s good to find meals that you can just let cook and don’t need to be watched. Like I can throw chicken thighs in the oven with a potato, leave it at 375F for 1.5 hours then come back and they’re both done and ready to eat. Not need to check on it. I can do other things in the mean time. Like chores. Altho, that specific one only works if you enjoy your chicken cooked to shit which I personally do. I like it cooked so much it falls off the bone.

Am gen z, can cook. When I don’t, yup, freezer section.

When I was younger I didn’t know how to plan out meals or grocery shop to do so. As well not a lot of time or money so fast meals such as soups, microwave meals, and simple meals. Though I believe there hasn’t been a lot of recipe reading passed down to younger folks of recent.

I don’t know if they are worse or not. Every gen has people who get to adulthood completely unprepared. Don’t know what their parents were thinking. I’m early Gen X, and remember first year living in a student house and only about half of us knew how to shop and cook. Thankful for the weekly cleaning service for the common areas because cleaning and laundry were also things that many had no clue about. Quite a few arguments about cleanliness in the common kitchen.

I’m an elder millenial and my parents cooking consisted of 1) BBQ a piece of meat until it’s real dry and 2) microwave a can of veggies.

I moved out early and in a pretty unsupported way, so I had to pretty much immediately figure out how to feed myself. I don’t remember who pointed me to Budget Bytes but I’m pretty certain Beth pretty much taught me how to cook.

This is not paid, I just really love Budget Bytes. The recipes are generally pretty simple and approachable. They are obviously budget friendly. But most of all every single recipe has step by step pictures. if I don’t know what a fine dice vs a mince is – it’s in the pictures. If I don’t understand what spoon coating thick is – also in the pictures. Last benefit: Beth would regularly make suggestions for additions or substitutions. Other commenters would say their favorite changes. There’s a few contributors these days, but they all seem similarly good.

im ahhh. not proud but kinda a sterotypical guy in the kitchen and I live large on the largess of my wifes skill. When I was single pizza was a very common meal for dinner and fast food for breakfast and lunch. Freezer filled with microwaveable options and plenty of cereal on hand at all times along with bread, peanut butter, jelly, lunch meat and cheese.

It’s not that hard and can be a mindfulness exercise with the washing, cutting and other prep, and then cook it and smells delicious and enjoy the food when it’s ready. It can be as healthy as you want. Ina Garten videos/books explain well and she’s like a kind and helpful aunt! Mr. Money Mustache also has some good advice on food and nutrition and cutting costs too.

Stay under 25 g added sugars a day, have them after/with fiber, good fats and proteins to slow the sugar hit to the brain and liver. Check fasting insulin and C-reactive protein along with the usual checks to look for metabolic and inflammatory issues earlier. Homa-ir and TG/HDL are useful to check your health for your gender and age, before you need treatment for something. You can eat great, spend less and be healthier!

My son is 22 now, when he was 14 I started giving him “serious” cooking lessons, as in not just helping mom in the kitchen but making whole meals with only guidance from me. When he was ~19 in college all the boys on the floor of his dorm decided they wanted to do a 4th of July cookout. My son was the only boy on the whole floor who knew how to cook. They winged it on the grill and that was fine but even like potato salad was too much for anyone else to make. He called me to tell me how proud he was of himself for essentially running the whole thing because it would have just been meat and chips without his cooking lessons. Obviously this is just one kid in a dorm for a mathematics/computer science college so big grain of salt of course but both my kids (20 and 22) are the only ones in their friend groups who can cook

Maybe more broadly, consider that it’s not always simply “kids these days” but often just the stage of life one is in. Don’t worry, they’ll come around to seeing most things your way - just that you’ll again have moved on to a yet later stage and not notice that they’re now in agreement with your former self

35 here: my cooking before I could afford to eat out every meal was boiled chicken and rice. The prep time for meals that I enjoy are multi hour affairs, and I’d rather work an extra hour for a meal prepared by a professional whose food I enjoy.