Working out what is actually wrong
Cooking complaints are rarely one problem. Taste (too salty, too oily, not matching household preference), technique (a dish is undercooked or overcooked), portion sizes, kitchen hygiene, and dietary compliance are each different issues with different fixes, and lumping them together as "her cooking isn’t good" makes the problem harder to correct. Ask specifically what is wrong with which dish, on which occasion, rather than judging the whole range of her cooking from one or two meals.
It is also worth checking whether the gap is really about cooking skill or about not knowing your household’s specific preferences — a competent cook who has never cooked for your family will not automatically know how much spice you use or how your children like their rice, and that is a different, much faster fix than an actual skill gap.
Closing the gap
Cook one or two of your household’s key dishes together, at least once, rather than explaining the recipe verbally and hoping it translates. Watching each other’s technique catches mismatches — a different sense of how much salt is "a pinch," a different order of steps — that words alone tend to miss, especially across a language gap.
Write down your household’s core recipes, typical portion sizes, and any non-negotiable dietary rule in a short reference she can keep. This is a small investment that removes ongoing guesswork, and it is worth doing even if the initial gap seems to be closing on its own.
- Identify which specific dishes or issues are the actual problem
- Cook at least one key dish together rather than only explaining it
- Write down recipes, portions, and dietary rules as a short reference sheet
When it has moved past a training issue
Give the corrected approach a fair, defined trial — two or three weeks is usually enough to tell whether specific fixes are sticking. Judge it against the specific issues you named, not a general impression, since a single off day after a correction does not mean the fix has not worked.
If the same specific issues persist despite a demonstrated example, written reference, and a fair trial period, that is a genuine skills gap worth weighing seriously — see the guide on when to consider replacing a maid for how to judge a persistent gap against your household’s actual priorities.