I started cooking by the age of 9. Believe it or not, I prepared an entire meal (unsupervised)while Mom was at work. I was HUNGRY! I have no idea how I knew to do what I did, but it turned out pretty good. I floured and fried porkchops, made mashed potatoes, battered and fried canned greenbeans and made gravy too. Of course the gravy was too thick, but if memory serves me, it was very tasty and not one burn or mishap (besides a huge mess in the kitchen) was encountered that evening. I can't remember if my Mother was impressed or not but me and my two brothers ate very well that night. Down home country cooking will probably always be my favorite thing to cook and eat. Experiment, experiment, experiment! Nothing ever comes out quite the same as the last time :-D Learning how to cook in moderate amounts as I tend to want to cook for an army and feed the neighborhood.