When did you first start cooking?

I didn't start cooking until college, when I basically needed to cook or I would have, err, starved. I also cooked for a lot of other people, and got some money in return. I wish I'd started earlier, though, then I would've been better.

Oh wow, I can't even remember. Seriously, I was barely in school, if that. That's one reason I've always enjoyed cooking. My mom is a great cook and I learned a lot just from helping her and branched out from there.

I think I was born cooking!

Yeah, started helping mother in the kitchen around age 6 or so...with little things like hot dogs, mac and cheese, fish sticks, etc.

I have to laugh at how particular I used to be. I would make tuna salad and my mom told me I needed 1/4 cup each of chopped onion and celery. I was so careful to fill the 1/4 cup measure exactly right.

I also remember the time I made mashed potatoes and forgot to drain them after boiling first. And the many times I forgot to salt something. Blech!

It is rare that I use measurements when cooking. It is all from eyeball unless I am following someone elses recipie.

This is going to sound so silly, but at some point in elementary school I read the book "Betsy's Wedding" in which Betsy discovers she's such a terrible cook that she can't even scramble eggs and it's a running joke in the book that she is a terrible cook, and I got all upset and ran to my mother and begged her to teach me how to scramble eggs.

and I went from there.

I measure less and less. I used to be fanatical about it but these days I generally eyeball things unless I'm baking, where you need to be more exact.

I figure if Rachael Ray can be famous using measurements like "a handful of this" and "once around the pan" then I can do it too.

I started cooking when my mom was in a bad car accident and someone else had to cook. I dont care for it much. But I try for the sake for my family. lets just say that I should by stock in Hamburger Helper and oven bake. That is why I am here.

I think when you are a very experienced cook, you don't have to be so careful about measurements; you can just do them naturally, like driving.

First it was the Easy Bake Oven. Loved that thing (have any of you seen the "Gourmet" Easy Bake Cookbook? LOL). Then Home Ec class. On occasion I'd bake an apple crisp or some muffins but I tended to steer clear of the kitchen. My mother begged me to learn some "basics" but I was too busy with other things. When I got married my hubby was a far superior cook. Then I got in a car accident, had a long period of recouping and wanted to legitimate my existence because I couldn't work outside the home for quite a while. Took out a ton of library books, copied recipes from them, baked and cooked my way through others. I joined online groups and started to collect recipes in a data base. Suffice to say I love to cook now (and eat!) and take a sense of pride in always having things stockpiled for "drop ins" or those days I simply feel like taking it easy.

My best friend in HS was responsible for cooking for her family. She cooked and baked up a storm and was very good at it. Made Danish Pastries that were as good as anything from a bakery. Some of us are just late bloomers.

I think I was making the good stuff (fudge, cakes and cookies) when I was 8 years old. I made so many then, that now a days I rarely eat sweets.

I first started cooking when I was about 20 years old. I am 27 now. It has been a long battle lol. I am still learning. I know how to cook like basic things like fried chicken, fried fish, etc. I like baking alot. Especially sweets.

I first started really cooking when i got married, DH and i learned together and it was fun!

I started cooking after I got married at 17. I had never cooked a meal in my life so it did take some time learning how to cook but now I am pretty good at it and I love to cook even tho a break every now and then is not bad neither.