What age do start to teach your kids to cook a meal

[anewme]

At what age do start to teach your kids to cook a meal? My dd started around 11 yrs old my son wants do it now (8yrs old). So I have started to teach him simple things. My 14yr old could really cook anything if she had a recipe ( although she does often makes up her own.)


When did you start ?

What did you start with?

[lukaelmo]

I know it's not exactly what you mean, but I cook with my little people. Well, with Luka anyway, Felix just kind of barges in and out. Luka can open the fridge and get things I ask for, and he'll mash potato, or whisk or stir while I am pouring, that sort of thing. He can chop up fruit for his own fruit salad too, not that he really eats much of it afterwards.

Lol, he also does the washing up, as in all the cutlery and crockery and lots of bubbles and water... he kind of does it anyway.

But yes, I imagine in a year or two he'll be more than capable of making simple things with me helping with things that are heavy, dangerous etc.

[Pax]

my oldest girls 14 & 16 can cook complete meals and bake goodies.

my son 11 can bake a cake, heat things up in the microwave and fry eggs and stuff in the saucepan.

my 7 year old daughter helps to cook

so somewhere between 9-11 depending on the capabilities of the child.

but from littlies they have poured in stuff and stirred..

[neostudded]

I was seven when I was cooking roasts. My mum would take it out of the oven for me though. That is young to do that but I liked it and was interested and ready to learn cooking. I cooked all my own food from about ten years of age and still love it at 18.

I think you will just know when your child is ready to start cooking. Just like every other thing children do, they just do it at their own pace.:)

[WorkingClassMum]

Cooking is an evolving thing.

My 7yo can cook sausages - but not boil anything (too short = too dangerous), and he can cook toast - so wallla - he can cook sausages on toast and calls it a meal

My 4yo can get all the ingredients for a meal out, and therefore is involved in cooking IMO. She's especially good at putting scraps in the compost and pouring peeling water out onthe herbs - it's all part of the learning process

[flick82]

I know it's not exactly what you mean, but I cook with my little people. Well, with Luka anyway, Felix just kind of barges in and out. Luka can open the fridge and get things I ask for, and he'll mash potato, or whisk or stir while I am pouring, that sort of thing. He can chop up fruit for his own fruit salad too, not that he really eats much of it afterwards.

Lol, he also does the washing up, as in all the cutlery and crockery and lots of bubbles and water... he kind of does it anyway.

But yes, I imagine in a year or two he'll be more than capable of making simple things with me helping with things that are heavy, dangerous etc.

Its the same in our house, they love to "learn" but it will be another 4-5yrs before i let them attempt on their own.

[floodprincess]

DD1 has been helping 'cook' since she was about 3 - simple stuff, pouring mixing etc.

From about 5 I began to let her bake...simple cake & cookie type mixes (although an adult ALWAYS handled the hot stuff) and she monitored and stirred dinners cooking on the stove under supervision.

From 8 I began to let her do it all herself but under supervision and now that she is 11 she's a fairly well established little cook (although I handle stuff in and out of the oven, that still takes a little more co-ordination & strength than she has).

Of course, she has a natural flair and attraction for cooking seeing as DH & his entire family are all chefs and I'm pretty handy in the kitchen myself..

[kymmy]

My daughter is 8 and shows interest but if I start to show her she figures I can do it on my own!

[floodprincess]

This is slightly off topic but related....reading the thread reminded me of a kitchen & cooking incident a few weeks ago.

DD1 was in the process of preparing to make herself grilled cheese on toast for supper one night....I'm downstairs watching TV with mum and can hear her pottering away in the kitchen.

Anyway, I hear her open the griller door and she let's out this almighty SHRIEK.....comes running into me white as a ghost because, she'd found a small mouse in the griller (and it was alive - we live in the middle of the bush and it's not unusual to get them indoors where it's warm)..

Poor kid was in tears while mean'ol mum & g'ma tried to pick themselves up off the floor and contain her laughter....a short time later mouse (who was more scared of her than she was of it) was successfully relocated but DD1 (who is 10 1/2) makes us keep the griller door open just in case

[Rell]

Cooking is an evolving thing.



:iagree:
Cooking in my house starts at around 18mths/2years when they help tip in ingredients and stir. then they slowly learn more and more as they get older. by 3 1/2 they crack eggs and measure (althought not always accuretly:o)and now DD is 6 she can read the recpie, know most cooking terms, chop veges, measure correctly, stir on the stove etc. With DD I am always in the kitchen with her to supervise and i always put the things in the oven.

I think its great for kids to cook and just let them do as much as they are capible of.

[pinkgingham]

depends on when i think they are ready. but anytime after about 12 years old. i think teaching them young is important. and will teach them to be self sufficient.

[Ky]

Becoming responsible for one meal a week was part of my DD's 7th birthday present!

She has been cooking with me for a few years now, but now she gets to do a meal basically on her own! I am in the kitchen doing something else and will supervise when using knives/heat etc and demonstrate the right way to cut things, but she is very capable.

I was 6yo when my mother became very ill having my baby sister (damaged her heart ultimately, fatally) and I took over the running of the house, cooking all meals, laundry (cloth nappies), looking after a newborn and all cleaning. My father was a workaholic and was rarely home and assumed that I was getting the lady across the road to help. My DD reminds me of me a bit in her approach to things and is also a bright little girl, so I am happy to teach her these basic skills now.

My 5yo DS can't wait until he turns 7 so that he can cook a meal a week too! By that time, DD will be cooking 2 meals, so that only leaves 4 main meals a week for me ... let's see ... if we have takeaway one night, visit friends another, tinned spaghetti on toast another - I could get away with cooking only once :devil: