At What Age Can the Kids Start Cooking Some Meals?

My kids can make basic things, they are 12 and 9. With summer sneaking up on me fast, I was thinking I'm going to spend more time in the kitchen with them this summer, teaching them how to cook full meals while we try out new recipes...we'll learn together! =)

My boys, ages 10 and 12 make breakfast on weekends and have for quite a few years. I think this summer, they might cook/clean with me every other night. I want them to be proficient but I want it to be fun too. Maybe in a few years, they'll be in charge of full meals but only on the weekends when it's not nuts around here. :)

I have a friend who at first thought I was nuts letting my kindergartner cook his own eggs. THen a year later was asking me how to start her kids cooking.
Like SH I started them very young. Toddlers can help mix and knead. Preschoolers can learn that stoves are hot and which utensils are used with which pans. My kids were in the kitchen from the time they came home. I wore them in a snuggly or sat them in the high chair.
By kindergarten they could make brownies, I had to put the pan in the oven and take it out. They made their own eggs and oatmeal. I just watched.
At 12 my daughter could put a meal on the table with no help. My 11 yo son is just about there, If I were to become sick again he could probably do just fine.

They have the utmost respect for my kitchen. We have had two unintentional oven fires and some intentional grease fires. We have played with baking soda and vinegar. We have blown up peeps in the microwave.
Daddy was also a cook, so when I am not around he and the kids create things.

Two years ago my then 14 yo daughter did all the canning and jellying. It was her thing. She did some wicked candied jalapenos. :o)

My son started helping around age 1 (stirring, pouring, ripping), by 5 was a great little prep cook, and now at 9 plans and executes 1 meal a week.

It is fun, in our house, though.

And yes, at 9 I am still helping. Dont know how old he'll be when he's on his own.

Start gradually with age appropriate tasks. Little hands can help scrub small potatoes or radishes with a brush, tear lettuce for a salad (since the size of the pieces can vary), add cherry tomatoes to a salad, add the other salad items that you have cut, measure rice into a cup and measure water/add it to the pot. Slightly older kids can snap the ends off the green beans as you mentioned, without sacrificing most of the bean (LOL), work a salad spinner, separate celery stalks from the bunch, etc. I'd start at 4 for the first round of things I mentioned, maybe 5 or 6 for the 2nd group.

At any age, they can start putting things on the table like silverware & napkins, and even plates and glasses if they are not china/glass but plastic or something unbreakable. They can do the serving spoons, the salad dressing & ketchup, salt & pepper, etc. They can also return condiments to the refrigerator after dinner. In my mind, setting the table is part of "cooking and preparing" the meal.

By 7, they could use a safety knife to cut easy veggies like cucumbers or mushrooms. They make serrated knives for kids that work on many veggies requiring a straight cut. They can also cut up pieces of green pepper if you have cored them - those safety knives don't work well on a "curve" if you know what I mean. They're too hard for kids to maneuver.

By 8 or 9, they can cut more difficult veggies, like broccoli or cauliflower being separated into florets, peeling and cutting carrots, etc. They can try shucking corn although that is sometimes difficult. We always were sent to sit on the front porch with some ears of corn and a paper bag. I'm sure an adult finished off removing the remaining cornsilk but kids can insert the corn holders if you use those. They can also thread veggies onto skewers for kabobs.

Depending on their fine motor skills and skill with a knife, you can add responsibilities at whatever pace makes sense to you. Obviously they should be closer to 9 when you let them near the stove, turning on burners or stirring things that can boil over.

I think if you start slowly and simply, so they can be successful in small things, you can GRADUALLY add chores & responsibilities that are more challenging. It's more important that they be able to finish a simple task well than go to something too difficult. Keep it fun, compliment them for whatever they do, and don't make helping an option. You can start by letting them choose among 2 tasks - "Would you rather cut the cucumbers or wash the potatoes?"

I think it's great that you are doing this. If you can involve them in the shopping without making yourself crazy, that's usually helpful as they get invested in what they helped buy.

My daughter took a "cooking" class at 12 and took cooking (or whatever the hell they call it now) in 7th grade. She loves to make a meal for the whole family now and again and I am happy to let her! She is now 14 and helps out a lot. She has a great sense about her and just seems to know when I'm not feelin' it and jumps right in to cook. She even knows how to make our favorite chicken cordon bleu!

I'd say by 12 kids should be able to contribute considerably and even younger to help pour in this and that and set the table and clean up afterwards. Keep it fun so they will want to help. I always let my girls "snitch" some of the ingredients as we're cooking and baking.

my son has been microwaving things since he was about 7 or 8. oatmeal, easy mac, ravioli etc. he has been making things on the stove since he was about 10. mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, hot dogs, pizzas in the oven, pizza rolls, chicken patties etc. now for things that you measure, etc he started helping with the mixing etc at about 5 standing on a chair next to me

Funny you ask this, I was just talking to my 8 year old about how she is old enough to start making complete meals. We are going to make a menu and let her get all of the ingredients to make a complete dinner. I'll even let her do things from scratch if she wants to do so.

All of my kids know how to work the toaster and microwave, they all help flip pancakes, and make macaroni and cheese. They also help make their favorite cookies. And more!! I think letting kids help in the kitchen is such a great teaching tool.

Good for you for wanting to let yours help and cook!

I started teaching my kids about cooking since they were toddlers. As they get older I teach them more per their age.
My son is 5 but even at 4 he could cook his own eggs from start to finish. Of course I am there supervising him.
My daughter is 9 and she can cook very well.

I grew up cooking and learning how to cook too.
It was fun. But now being I HAVE to cook because I have a Husband and kids, it is not as fun. One of many chores. LOL

When I was growing up, my Mom used the summer breaks to teach us how to cook. And to do kitchen type chores.
I grew up in a cooking family and they all enjoyed cooking.
My late Dad used to cook too and was very good at it.
My Hubby can cook very well too.
I think if a kid sees their parents cook, they get more into it.

I started cooking meals such as dinner or breakfast for my family by the age of 14. My daughter who is 8 often helps and right now it's not her chore but I plan on having her in the kitchen doing it herself by the time she's 14.

Our son started last year at age 7. He has been helping me since he was a toddler but this last year we started teaching him to cook certain things all by himself. He has started to learn his favorite foods...like pasta. So, if he wants to he can cook himself a meal (with our supervision). Maybe this year we will teach him one meal and he can cook us dinner every now and then. I always had to help prepare dinner - my mom worked till late, so my brother and I were put to work. We got home from school a few hours before she did so we also learned how to cook simple snack foods as well. I think I was making our lunchboxes by 2nd grade. My kids have it so easy.

My daughter is three and a half and LOVES to help in the kitchen. I keep her away from the stove of course, but she can crack eggs and scramble them. Then I actually cook them.

She dumps out the ingredients I have measured out, then helps me mix when I am baking.

I was allowed to start making my own meals at, hmmmm, I think it was 10. Simple stuff like making spaghetti, grilled cheese, things like that. Mom had us peel potatoes and things like that around 7- 8.

I have always had my kids in the kitchen, from the time they could stand and stir. Like you, I believe it's a life skill.
But cooking an entire meal? Didn't happen until they were in middle/high school.
Before that they could blend, scrub and chop (they were my little sous chefs LOL!) They could make eggs and pancakes around the age of 9 or 10. They could make themselves a pretty good sandwich, toasted or grilled if they wanted, even earlier than that.
It's never too early to start. Just make sure they are safe and understand things like cross contamination, pulling their hair back around an open flame, how to properly use a knife, etc. before you give them free reign.

At 8 they should be able to boil an egg, make a fried or scrambled egg and make a grilled cheese/ Quesadilla on the stove in a skillet.

From there they can boil pasta, make toast, fry bacon, sausage, Make a burger in a skillet, macaroni and cheese from a box..

Also they need to be able to read and follow a recipe.

Once they start, there will be no end to their adventures in the kitchen.. This summer, really work on it.

Give them a budget and let them plan, shop and prepare some simple meals.. Of course an adult should be around to make sure the child feels comfortable.

Hmm I'd say each kid is a little different. Mine is 10 and has started taking an interest not that long ago. She wanted to help me with cooking. I will not let her put things in the oven but she can start stuff and even make a mean pancake. Now I know some kids who have been cooking since they were 7 and loving it.

Both of my boys like to cook, especially my oldest. They were cracking eggs and mixing batter when they were 5. By 8 (the age of my youngest now), they were helping with meals. By 10 my oldest could make his own macaroni and cheese, eggs, and other easy meals. He knew how to measure and follow directions. Now he's 14, and he loves to cook from scratch. He and his dad cook together every Sunday, and he loves experimenting with different spices and peppers/garlic/onion to see what tastes good together. He's becoming quite a good cook, and often he will cook meals for us. Also, he knows how to CLEAN the kitchen well. :)

I'd say 13-15 is a good age to start. My daughter started cooking for everyone when she was about 15. I started cooking at 8, but that was because my mom didn't like doing it & I could follow a recipe & was pretty self sufficient anyway.

i cant giveu a specific answer but i can tell u it depends on the child.. my neighbor has 12 yr old twins.. one can cook full meals bake do whatever shes allowed to cook whatever she wants even when no1 is home.. her sister however .. not so much.. shes allowed to make things that involve the microwave as longas the other one or their older brother is home.. as for actually cooking a meal or making cupcakes or something like that.. only with moms help&supervision.. it may sound a little messedup being that they are twins but believe me i know them, have since they were born, and i totally agree with moms rules

My son could crack eggs, whisk and mix at age 4. He could use a plastic salad knife to cut soft things a bit before that. He is now 6 and can measure and follow a simple recipe. We often cook together. He can handle phyllo dough (brush with butter, fold and shape), fill dumplings and do quite a bit. He is starting to cut with a sharp knife. He likely could have handled this earlier but I had no idea when was appropriate. We do not let him do hot things yet (saute, wok, etc). Molly Katzen has a few kids cookbooks that are pretty good (Salad People) - they assume children can prepare and eat nutritious fresh foods - they are not 'how to make chicken nuggets'.

I have sort of been 'narrating' my cooking for years. DS knows how and why we proof yeast, how to knead bread, how to select a large number of fruits and veggies at the market. When he was about 3 he started wanting to 'do smells' - he would pick out various items in the pantry and we would open them so he could sniff. He has quite the nose for herbs and spices. He has been helping harvest in the garden since he was 4.

I remember always helping out in the kitchen. I remember giving my oldest thing to help with around age 3. Around age 9, I was preparing complete meals. My daughters were around age 11 when they started making complete meals.

I think incorporating kids into the kitchen as early as two or three years of age helps a great deal with maintaining their interest in cooking and increases their abilities quicker. Haveing them rinse the fruits and veggies over the sink and laying them on papertowels, while you explain why they are doing it is one of the early stages of teaching them how to cook. Teaching them how to measure is something a 4 yr old can learn easily enough.
When you are comfortable enough to know they respect the microwave or stove or oven and know how to turn it on and off and know where the baking soda is in case of fire, is the time you can actually trust them to make scrambled eggs and other easy to cook items.
The kitchen is like a science lab to little kids. Just telling them to watch a pot of water and waiting for it to hit the boiling point is a fun lesson.
I'm pretty certain I was able to make eggs and cooked on the stove oatmeal by the time I was 9 or 10.
My boys were peeling potatoes at age 7, and cooking eggs at around 9 or 10 too. They also knew how to make tuna salad, peanut butter sandwiches and that type of thing. Teaching them to make their lunch for school tomorrow on the night before is good quality time with them and gives them some independence.... as well as giving Mom a break.

My 3yo made ham biscuits for dinner tonight cause that's what she wanted. I helped her of course but like many others have said start slow and let ur child set the pace

I think safety is the first issue. Our last kitchen had a gas stove and I was not comfortable with the kids turning it on and cooking. I did teach my 10 year old son to make eggs over the open flame, but I felt I had to be there at all times just in case.

From the toddler age, my kids can tear lettuce leaves and snap the ends of beans. But I'm the only one who eats string beans...so that's not much of a help.

We don't peel potatoes in our home. But I do have the kids wash the potatoes and carrots, if they are home to do so.

This summer I plan on teaching my 10 & 13 year a few of their favorite dishes that they can hopefully make well enough for the family to eat.

I have often thought that if I could just teach my kids certain things to make, it would well to our advantage. But it's usually a lack of time that keeps us from making it work.

Since my son was 2 1/2 I started him with "helping" me: simple things like adding this or that, or pouring the measuring cup after I've measured it (and shown him what I'm doing), smashing meat with the mallet or using the rolling pin to grind stuff up. At age 5 and 6 months now, he can make his own PBJ or PB and honey sandwiches, or lunchmeat/cheese sandwiches. I slice tomatoes, lettuce or rinsed spinach leaves, cucumbers, feta, etc and he can make sandwiches from those. If I am standing with him, he can make a grilled cheese sandwich, scrambled egg (where he adds diced onion, shredded cheese, chopped tomato or spinach, and then I add the splash of milk because the gallon is too heavy). I still supervise everything except the sandwiches.
After I season/cook chicken, he'll help me shred it and will assist in making casseroles or fettucini alfredo (shredding, adding stuff, standing on the chair and stirring as it cooks). He's too short for my big stockpot, even if he's on the chair, but if it's physically possible and not "popping" food (frying fish or cooking bacon), he has his hands in there helping me. As he gets better at things, or stronger, or taller, etc......I'll be able to gauge what he can do through our everyday practice. I believe you give children tasks or opportunities based on what they've proven they can do rather than on a certain day when they're a certain age.

At seven, my daughter was making herself scrambled eggs. She made her first meatloaf at ten.

I agree that cooking is an important skill to teach our kids. My 4 year old helps me make quick breads, pizza, and homemade noodles. We have also done Easter cut-out cookies. He loves the rolling pin! As for me, I remember mixing cookie dough and cake batter when I was around my sons age. I was very interested in learning to cook. Let's just say that my mother is much better staying out of the kitchen if it isn't baking. We lived with my grandparents, and my grandmother was the main cook. I remember begging her to let me help her cook when I was around 7 years old. She banned me from the kitchen. I begged and nagged for two years before she finally gave in. When I was nine, she had me washing and peeling vegetables, making noodles, boiling water, sauteing vegetables, and all the clean up. When it came to adding the seasonings, I was banned from the kitchen. All her recipes were secret! She took great pride in her cooking, all the way to the point that every recipe she made died with her. She made me do the clean up, so I have been able to play with the ingredients that she used, but I have never matched her taste perfectly. I had cooking class in 7th grade and learned how to follow a recipe. By thirteen, I had taken over as the main cook in our home. My grandmother would still cook about 3 times a week, and insisted on keeping Sunday lunch as hers all the way until the end. I went to university in my hometown, and I would cook at school and take big batches of food home for everyone. I am in the process of making a family recipe book so that my son will be able to make everything we eat when he gets older. I am even organizing it according to ingredients and including meal plans to make shopping easier. I say start early, follow their interest level, keep it fun, and don't keep any of your recipes secret! Delicious food is meant to be shared and enjoyed! Happy cooking!

My youngest are 6 & 8 and I have two 14-year-olds. All are expected to make their own basic breakfasts. I will cook pancakes or waffles on the griddle/iron for the younger two. My youngest can do everything for an omelet except actually turn on the stove and cook alone. The older two can cook bacon, eggs, sausage, etc.

For lunch, the older two can cook anything - frozen chicken wings or pizza, ravioli, mac and cheese etc. I cook these for the younger kids if the older kids aren't around to help them.

For dinner, the older kids can cook but they're really too slow and messy for most weeknight meals (we have about 30 minutes to get a meal on the table) so my husband and I end up directing most nights with them being our sous chefs. We're working on short cutting some of the longer tasks so that they can do more without help. My younger guys can help out too but I don't let them use a big knife, etc. so for dinner for them it's about washing veggies, trimming green beans, husking corn, seasoning things, and mixing things.

I think that I started helping at the stove when I was 8 and cooking dinner for 7 people solo when I was 11. My mom worked 3-11 for a while so if we didn't cook, we didn't eat. At what age your kids should use a sharp knife or the oven/stove solo depends on the child. I would trust my 6 year old with some tasks that I wouldn't trust the older kids to do because he loves to cook and has been watching me do things since he was 2 while they sometimes act like they've never seen the inside of a kitchen before. Some kids have common sense and pay attention, others are likely to cut themselves or leave a burner on. But other than knife work and actually using the stove or oven, kids can help out as young as 3.

My daughter really likes to cook...she recently turned 8 and at least 3 mornings a week she wakes up a little early and makes buttermilk pancakes (from scratch, no mix) for the rest of us for breakfast. They are REALLY good :). I'm lovin' that she loves it! I remember doing the same thing around her age. I can't even remember the last time I got an egg shell or a baking powder/soda clump :). She generally doesn't do much with meat unless I'm there - partially because she's not a big meat eater - and partially because of safety issues when handling raw meat. Other than that - she does quite a bit.

My 9 year old can get a bowl of cereal and make a Dagwood sandwich.
Cooking? Not yet here, anyway.

My 6 & 8 year olds had a cooking class at school this year. Well, it was an after school class, but they loved it & want to start helping cook now. So, I have been letting them try more... but I think it is harder for me to let it go & let them, cause it just easier & takes less time for me to do it - lol. But I am trying.

My 6 year old has always liked to help with pouring ingredients in or stirring. Somewhere along the way she learned to crack an egg (pretty good at it too haha). Let them help with any part of it as they are capable - keeping in mind safety around sharp or hot things.

She also learned how to put her frozen corn dogs in the microwave & start it by herself lol She thinks she's big stuff to help out :)