Many students head off to college and quickly realize they don’t know how to cook. After years of eating out and parents preparing meals, many young adults have little or no skills in the kitchen. If you have teens at home, you still have the opportunity to give them this valuable life skill. Learning to cook some basic recipes not only prepares them for moving away to work or go to college but also builds responsibility and independence, increase self-esteem, and ease the burden on parents to prepare all the meals.

Follow these guidelines as you introduce your child to cooking.

Master the Kitchen:

• Before preparing the first recipe, your child must know the way around the kitchen. 
• Help your child become more familiar with the kitchen by giving him a recipe or a list of ingredients to gather from the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.
• Assist them to find the utensils and other equipment needed to make the meal.
• These steps take extra time initially, but eventually, they will learn where to find everything needed without asking for help.

Prioritize Kitchen & Food Safety:

As parents, we have to discuss safety in the kitchen.

• Keep hands clean, washing in soapy water frequently, and not licking fingers while preparing food.
• Avoid cross-contamination by separating raw and cooked foods; do not reuse bowls or dishes unless they have been washed and dried.
• Avoid wearing dangling jewelry and loose clothing; always tie back long hair.
• Keep pot handles turned away from the front of the stove to prevent burns from hot contents being knocked onto you and the floor.
• Before leaving the kitchen, make sure all appliances are turned off, unplugged, and clean. Wipe down the microwave and stove once it has cooled.

Work Together: 

• By starting slowly and preparing meals together, your teen builds skills and confidence at the same time.
• Your teen can start by preparing some of the ingredients for the recipe or meal to gradually take full responsibility for the meal. This approach is less overwhelming and allows your child to ask questions at the moment.

Start Simple:

• Choosing recipes with just a few ingredients and simple preparation allows your child to be successful from the beginning. Once the teen becomes more familiar with reading recipes, handling equipment, and using the stove and oven, they can progress to more difficult meals. For example, starting with scrambled eggs, quesadillas, and pasta.
• Your child also needs to be comfortable using the oven. Many teens enjoy baking, so starting with a recipe straight from a mix might be an easy win.
• You can then encourage them to try baking potatoes, frozen chicken tenders, or fish sticks. Next, your child can progress to making entrees and finally trying more complex recipes with multiple ingredients.

Teach the Healthy Plate: 

• Although many teens would be happy just eating the entrée as their full dinner, it’s important to encourage them to prepare a balanced meal.
• A key component to achieving the Healthy Platter is to keep the side dish preparation very basic. 
• If your child is making a meal once a week, helping to get meals started for you, or preparing the fruits and vegetables on other days, he or she is developing valuable life skills that develop independence and a sense of responsibility that will carry on into adulthood