My parents raised my younger brother and me to be independent adults. As I parent, I want my children to learn to be independent. (I wrote about it here) Cooking for yoursel – regardless of skill – is a vital part of achieving independence.
My daugher (7) is at the age we can help her learn to cook with supervision. Over the next five years I want to move her through the process my parents used to teach me to cook. By the last step, I was able to look at any cookbook and fix almost anything.
Mixing. I have no idea how early my parents started allowing me to mix things. They taught me to mix the wets before adding the solids. They taught me to mix until I had lumps and to mix until things were smooth. I could mix before I could read, from what I can remember.
Measuring. After mixing, I learned about measuring cups and spoons. I didn’t even know math or fractions, but I learned how to fill a cup of flour when Mom needed one. I think learning how to measure ended up helping my math in the long run.
Microwave. After mixing and measuring, I learned how to make Butternut Cheerios in the microwave. I love them when I was a kid – can’t stand them now.) Instead, I taught my daughter how to make popcorn in the microwave. I will probably move her up to microwaving burritos next.
Reading Directions. After I learned how to read, I remember my mom sitting me on the counter and reading the directions to her as she measured and combined the ingredients.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Grilled cheese sandwiches are cheap, easy to cook, and easy to replace when they burn. You can cook them over medium heat with a flat pan. This is the first time a child learns about getting burned, how to use a spatula, and cooking safety. I can’t remember how old I was when I began cooking grilled cheese sandwiches, but I was young.
Ground Beef. When I was about 8, Mom allowed me to brown the ground beef for spaghetti, tacos, and chili. In fact, anytime she needed to brown the beef, she let me do it. It was a step up from grilled cheeses because ground beef is a staple to many easy recipes.
Biscuits. When we lived in India, Mom taught me to follow the basic biscuit recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. I made biscuits almost once a week when I was 12-13 years old.
Chili. About the same time I learned how to make Chili from scratch. I loved learning how to cook Chili because I could make a huge pot and have friends over to eat something I made. In high school, the girls thought I was pretty cool because I was one of the few guys who could actually prepare, cook, and serve a whole meal for a group of people. I will never forget that moment of ‘coolness.’
I’d love to hear how you’re teaching your kids to cook. What’s your process?
