​Eventually living on my own this mindset showed as well, as I always learned to invest in decent tools and equipment. I bought a set of knives that was decent and would do the job at that moment. Online I bought some secondhand pots and pans of the brand BK as I remembered my father saying that 'you would buy these pans and would be set up the rest of your light'. 
When quite equiped I started copying dishes I saw on tv or found in cookbooks I bought secondhand. Along the way I developed my basic knife skills, learned about different spices and herbs and having the control over the heat and the overal process. But if you would've asked if I was a good cook I still can't say, as I was the only one eating the dishes. But what I could see is that my basic skillset became better, I did eat a lot more good prepared vegetables and that salt wasn't the only seasoning and dishes out of different cultures really tasted way different from what I experienced before.

What I immediately liked about cooking is how you almost have instant gratification as the result comes rather within hours than over days. What  I definitely learned is that cooking is more fun when you start from base and share the process and/or the result with others. As I didn't had that experience in my childhood, I personally like to involve children in the cooking and tasting along the way with me. Partly because I believe in the base children always taste everything as long as it is a pure product and they learn eating by experience. In my opinion is when it happens five times a week they don't like the food, it probably has to do with some lack of skill of the chef than the children.  Unfortunately this also goes further than only not eating, because you'll give them a disadvantage on their self-esteem. So for me it is important they like to cook with me, because than I am able to give them the advantage we in our 'Unilever-childhood' never had.