Monday, 15 December 2008

  • Cooking: What Age Should Kids Learn?

    Guest post submitted by babyfever25

    Cooking: What Age Should Kids Learn? 

    Growing up, my parents have always encouraged me to learn how to cook. My mom learned when she was about ten years old, and my dad was cooking meals for his sick mother by the time he was twelve years old. Now, at 20 years old, I still don't know how to cook. Okay, I can make eggs, fry chicken, and cook some pasta. But other than that, I am completely clueless. I wouldn't even know where to start.

    It's interesting because now that I live in a college dorm, I've realized that most of my peers don't even know how to cook -not even the stuff that makes common sense. I can't tell you how many fires we have in our building because people put paper towels underneath a cooking pot so grease wouldn't drip all over the stove. But that's besides the point...

    If ours dorms did not have microwaves, I'd probably starve, which is sad because we have two kitchens and I can't even cook a decent meal for myself.

    One of my roommates, R, grew up in a very traditional Italian family so she knows how to make everything. We have pasta, manicotti, and other real meals. It's funny because she doesn't understand how we don't know how to cook at our age. She learned how to cook at an extremely young age because that's what traditional Italian women did.

    Till this day, my parents drive me up the wall and beg me to learn how to cook. If I'm home, they'll ask me to make small meals so I can get used to the kitchen. I feel bad but I don't even know where to start. I know, I need to grow up a little more, but really... how many more times am I going to cook pasta?

    What age did you start learning how to cook? What age will you teach your children how to cook?

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Comments (50)

  • Kristenmomof3@xanga

    I started at 5.

    I think children can start helping mix stuff like cookies at a young age.

    I wouldn't let them at the burner or oven until they are near 12 though
  • follow_home@xanga

    my mom had us in the kitchen helping her cook at a fairly young age- to be honest, i can't really remember NOT cooking. she supervised us until we were old enough to not burn the house down (or kill ourselves). when we were in high school whoever got home first (us or our parents) would start/cook dinner.


    if your parents want you to know how to cook so badly, how come they didn't teach you themselves? i would call that less your failing than theirs. but if you're interested in learning now i would just pick a relatively easy cookbook and experiment when you go home. and realize you'll probably mess up a lot before you get any good at it. good luck!


    :)
  • xRaining_Tearsx@xanga

    I started learning how to bake and cook at a really really young age and by the time I was 14, I was pretty much self-sufficient in the kitchen. There are still a few key things that I have yet to really master but I most certainly don't starve and I know how to avoid eating pasta every single night.

    My children will help me cook in the kitchen from the start because even a 1 year old can stir. I think it's really important to teach my little boy to help out because I'm still baffled by the fact that my fiancee doesn't even know how to brown hamburger.

  • LiLMiNtYFr3Sh@xanga

    i was pretty young when i started helping out in the kitchen and was making full meals by 10. But i'm interested in culinary activities so i experiment and teach myself if i want to cook something new.

    I think that children should start off helping in the kitchen at a young age so they can get used to cooking and what not. And when they're old enough to designate a day or two where they cook dinner.
  • mamajoyjoy

    I think my mom started cooking when she was 5 too. My dad is one of my favorite cooks (my parents owned a restaurant before), so he probably started young too. I actually didn't start cooking until high school or so after my dad had an accident with his leg, but at least I'm willing to learn. I love trying out new recipes, but I'm not the best cook. Hubby says my food is better than MIL's. Shhh...don't tell her though. She didn't grow up cooking, so it takes her forever to get a meal on the table, even after all these years. I actually know other grown adults (like in their 50s) who grew up with maids and cooks in their homes, and after starting their own homes still don't know how to cook anything except a few dishes. I'm so surprised by how many of my friends still go out to eat (some every single day), and they're almost 30!


    I let my daughter (22 months) help with the baking like mixing http://weblog.momaroo.com/mamajoyjoy/684894714/recipe-making-banana-bread-with-m.html) and I've showed her how to peel things and open cans...with my help of course http://weblog.momaroo.com/mamajoyjoy/673939646/product-review-kitchenaid-peeler--can-opener.html. I also tell her what I'm doing, like when I'm chopping vegetables, etc. During my pre-k teaching years, we always had the kids help with easy recipes...like grating potatoes, etc. And of course, I wouldn't let my daughter actually cook at the stove until she's a lot older....maybe after she can actually see over the top of the stove. hehe
  • writingsongsforBlair@xanga

    you should start telling them and having them watch you at a young age, but I don't believe you should leave them alone with a fire until the age of like, 10 or something, esp. if they don't know what to do in case of a fire or where the extinguisher is and stuff
  • phuck_diz_shiz@xanga

    @writingsongsforBlair@xanga -   totally agree
  • TornadoChaser

    For you, check out a cookbook from the library. There's lots of simple cookbooks out there. Flip to a page and make that recipe. It may turn out awful but at least you tried. Repeat as often as necessary.

    I don't recall I time where I didn't know how to cook. My mom owned a cake decorating business so there was always some kind of baking going on. Then I would help cook family meals from the time I was able to stand still on a step stool.

    My oldest is 4 and he helps me out with the non heating part of cooking. He likes to crack eggs, measure ingredients, stir, that sort of stuff. I figured by the time he is 8 he'll be helping a lot more under my supervision. 
  • IamKelleyK@xanga

    I remember fixing sandwiches and stuff for myself when I was 3 or 4ish.  I'll probably let my daughter start helping in the kitchen when she's 2 or 3.  Toddlers love dumping stuff, so maybe I can measure the stuff in measuring spoons and cups, and let her dump it in the bowl.  Or cut up the fruit or veggies and let her put it on a plate.  Little stuff like that...
  • elittlebear@xanga

    I think until he/she reach a certain height, much taller than the stove. Before that, just apply jam to bread, mixing sauce, set up the table, etc
  • gracehopper6@xanga

    i don't know how to cook! and i'm 20, also.  you can at least make eggs and fry chicken! i can make mac and cheese (from a box!) and sandwiches and salad. haha. that's about it. or well, anything with clear instructions.


    anyway, i never WANTED to learn to cook because my mom is a homemaker, and i kind of resented that for a long time and i didn't want to be a WOMAN who had to cook, so i never learned. i need to learn though i realize now!
  • luvlyac@xanga

    i am 28 years old today and i've learned how to cook 2 years ago when my daughter was born. I never learn how to cook in my family growing up. meals was always prepared for me. i would hope that someday i learn how to cook so my kids will enjoy mommy's home cooked meals. I ACCOMPLISHED MY GOAL!!!!!!!! 

  • xcntrychicka@xanga

    I didn't really start cooking until I got married. But I've helped my parents bake stuff before. I don't know, they never asked me to help, and my sister is the one they go to to make things. I'm a pretty good cook.

    For you, if you can follow a recipe, then you can cook. They are fairly straightforward. I would invest in some basic cooking utensils such as pots, pans, measuring cups, etc. And don't be afraid to try.
  • RoAngie467

    I'm 20 years old and I'm still learning to cook! My mom chased me out of the kitchen. When I tried to learn, she would insult my methodology or make fun of my burnt food. I would get mad and leave the kitchen in a huff.

    I'm not sure what age I will teach my son to cook. I know I'll start early though and he'll help me according to his ability.
  • anonymous

    I was always interested when my mom was cooking dinner. I watched every night and helped out whenever she let me. One day when I was 6, my parents were doing some yardwork. They were working pretty hard so I decided to surprise them and make dinner. (I definitely had never made dinner before, even supervised) I pulled a chair to the freezer, got out some hamburger meat, defrosted it in the microwave, got out my mom's cast iron pan and cooked hamburgers! I had them all ready and a salad made up when my parents came in the house. Boy they were surprised!
  • raved@xanga

    My mother had my sister and I in the kitchen when we were toddlers. We would mix things or help pour ingredients in, and she would let us set timers and open cans.

    When we got older we were trusted with knives, and then we really started helping out in the kitchen with complete recipes. Doing the same things over and over for years made us memorize them, and so now that we are adults we are pretty good cooks.

    I'll do the same thing with my future children.
  • babybooties33@xanga

    I don't remember the exact age I began helping my mom in the kitchen... she says it was around 5 years old.  I do remember cooking my first full meal, on my own at the age of 8.  I wanted to make dinner for my grandparents.  I chose to make cornish hens with potatoes and vegetable. 


    I always wanted to cook.  My sister, not so much.  She did not learn to cook until she was married.  I received many phone calls those first few months.  lol


    I feel it is something you will learn when you either WANT to learn, or have a need to learn. 

  • pillowpixies@xanga

    I was helping my mom cook as soon as it was possible to do so, same with my dad. Both of them loved to cook and it wore off on me. By the time I was seven I had already experimented with a couple of different foods, including biscuits -- Which apparently turned out awesome, or so I hear.

    I'm like your roommate, I can pretty much cook anything including manicotti. (: In fact I prefer to cook Italian dishes to just about anything else. I remember I used to cook dinner for my parents a lot when I was eight. So, I think I'm going to do the same thing with my kids. They'll get to help in the kitchen.

  • MommyDolce

    I was taught how to cook the minute I was old enough to hold something.  When my little brother was born I ended up practically raising him .. cooking and everything.  I got the nickname "mommy" from my friends because it became natural to me to cook for them.  Once married to my husband, I had to learn new things because he wasn't too fond of the foods I cooked.  My family ate a lot of veggies and Italian dishes.  I needed to learn how to cook foods he liked.  Now that I'm a mom, I had to learn how to cook kid-friendly foods .. but I still cook the foods I love and slowly introduce them to her.  My daughter is two and I keep her far away from the kitchen because she is the child of destruction.  I've tried several times too cook with her .. only having to need more ingredients.  She helps me with the dishes, but once I see she can control herself .. she is more than welcome to learn.
  • CarmineKiss@xanga

    Ah crap... I still don't know how to cook. So many of my female friends don't know how to either... I think it might just be this generation/age group, sadly =[.
  • mysticalchild@xanga

    my seven year old can make anything in the toaster(toast bagels, toaster strudels etc...)and some things in the microwave.

    She can also make ramen noodles herself on the gas kitchen stove. She does need me to come out and drain them bcuz I won't let her do it yet and get steam burns.

    Actually I just realized she should be able to do grilled cheese, and mac & cheeze, oven biscuits(like frozen from a bag).

    Of course I don't want her to open soup cans because if she spills then i'd have to clean,grrr.

    I better get teaching.

    keep in mind I am never more than a room away:)
  • Mom2Be

    I'm 20 and I've been cooking for 15-16 years. Starting out supervised with easy things like cooked oatmeal, Malt-o-Meal, Jello salads, and cakes and by the time I was 14 or 15 I could quite easily manage to put a good meal on the table for our family of 12, bake bread for a local farmer's market, etc. Not to say I'm done learning or I can cook gourmet or anything like that, but I know the basics, little shortcuts and tricks, the rules that can be broken and the ones that can't.


    I want to have my child in the kitchen from a very early age as well, learning without even realizing it. I'm very glad for the experience I've had- good cooking is something you really learn through doing.
  • bassangel@xanga

    @gracehopper6@xanga - I hope by now you realize that being a home maker is not a terrible thing or to be resentful about in any way.

    I started learning with my easy bake oven at 8 years old and by the time I was 12 cooked a roast dinner for my family.

    For learning how to cook I recommend getting a crock pot and a crock pot recipe book that limits the ingredients to about 5. You can mess up anything in a slow cooker. Plus you can put stuff in before you go to school/work and when you come home it will be ready. I did that in college for the days I would come home too late to want to cook for myself. Plus I usually had enough left over to eat the next night. It kept me from eating unhealthy quick foods.
  • bottledsunshine@xanga

    I grew up where we have maids do the cooking all the time and I'm 14 now and I'm not quite sure if I can cook anything at all. We had cooking classes during my elementary days, but other than that, I have not cooked anything else. :(
  • my_final_username@xanga

    I remember making cakes with my Mum when I was younger,  now I am adult my Mum and Dad are still teaching me how to cook.    I help out in the kitchen.


    I  have to be extra carefully in the kitchen with my disability, 

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