If you have a teenager, you may be ready to let her begin lending a hand in the kitchen. Learning to cook during the teen years is a good way to enhance math and science skills, promote healthy eating and increase a teen's self-esteem through a sense of accomplishment. Cooking together allows you to talk about healthy lifestyle choices that your teen can use throughout her life. Following a recipe is a skill that most teens will master quickly, but enrolling her in a cooking class is a good way to increase her knowledge and build her confidence in the kitchen.
Step 1
Start simple. You don't want your teen to jump into preparing a gourmet meal as his first experience in the kitchen. Choose one that only has a few ingredients and a short preparation time. This prevents frustration and gets him excited to learn.
Step 2
Teach her about cooking utensils. Many recipes require a certain amount of chopping and learning to do this safely is something that teens are typically able to do. Help her understand the difference between types of knives and what they are used to cut. Explain what ladles, rubber spatulas, slotted spoons and tongs are used for.
Step 3
Talk about healthy foods. Help your teen understand the Food Guide Pyramid recommendations regarding what foods are healthy. This will include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy and healthy fats. Look for recipes that use these ingredients so that you are able to prepare a healthy meal together.
Step 4
Try the microwave. Many dishes are simple to prepare in the microwave and will lay the groundwork for timing a recipe and measuring the ingredients correctly. Scrambled eggs, steamed vegetables or oatmeal are good ones to start with.
Step 5
Move on to more advanced techniques. Cooking may seem like a no-brainer to you, but for a teen who has no experience with it, you will need to work together to understand the different cooking techniques and how to implement them safely. Try sauteing, steaming, roasting, grilling and baking. Each method will work well with different dishes and is fairly simple to learn. They are the healthiest ways to prepare food because they are methods that don't require much cooking fat.
Step 6
Try a recipe. Let your teen choose a recipe that he feels that he can prepare without help. Allow him to cook a meal from start to finish and serve it to the family. This builds confidence and problem-solving. Stay close in case he needs help. Don't forget to teach him how to put things away and clean up the mess.
Tips and Warnings
- Accidents can happen when cooking, so teach your teen to be prepared. Review how to cool and bandage a burn and how to stop blood flow. Keep a fire extinguisher handy when someone is learning to cook.
Member Comments