10 Kitchen Skills Your Teen Should Be Able To Do
These are ten BASIC skills (in no particular order) that every teen and young adult should be able to do by themselves in the kitchen. If they eat food (and I’m guessing they most likely do), they should be able, in a very basic sense, to prepare, cook, and clean up after a meal.
1. PEEL CARROTS & POTATOES
Watch out for the fingers when using a peeler! Also, make sure to remind your teen that potato peelings should never go down the sink/garbage disposal.
2. MAKE A SOUP
Homemade Chicken Noodle is a classic, but there are SO many different types of soups (or chowders!). Your teen can do a search with they’re favorite ingredient (cheese? potato? broccoli? corn?) and get inspiration for a tasty soup.
3. BAKE COOKIES (OR A CAKE)
Cookies (or a simple cake) are a welcome addition to any gathering, party, or even as a surprise treat for a friend. Encourage your teen to try different recipes (chocolate chip, no-bake peanut butter oatmeal, gingersnaps, snickerdoodles… the options abound!)
4. PREPARE & COOK MEAT
This is a great time to talk about food safety with raw meats so there is no cross contamination with other food, utensils, or food prep surfaces. Basic meats to start with are ground beef or chicken breasts. (More advanced: cook a whole chicken or grill a steak!)
5. CUT FRUITS & VEGETABLES
Safe knife cutting skills extend beyond just cutting fruits and veggies (meat, etc), but the trick with different fruits and veggies is knowing the anatomy of each and how to get the most edible pieces out of the (like removing the hull from a strawberry, coring & slicing peppers, cutting apple slices, etc)
6. COOK RICE (OR PASTA)
A basic staple that millions of people eat across the world everyday and a great addition for tasty meals. There are many types of rice and many types of pasta. (More advanced: have your teen make their own fresh pasta from scratch!)
7. MAKE A SALAD
Good salads can be simple or complex, and a great avenue for creativity. The basic building block is a green leaf - and there are so many choices (romaine, kale, spinach, iceberg). Plus you can add in all sorts of yummy extras (cabbage, carrots, berries, nuts) and then top with a favorite dressing.
8. COOK EGGS
There are so many ways to cook eggs (scrambled, hard boiled, fried, etc). Grab a dozen eggs and let your teen try to find which way they like eggs prepared best!
9. MAKE TEA (OR COFFEE)
Make sure your teen actually knows how to boil water (212°F). Then add a favorite tea bag and let it steep. (The world of tea making can be very technical, so if your teen loves tea, this might be a fun topic to explore). Or if you have coffee drinkers at your house, let your teen make the coffee for a week!
10. WASH THE DISHES
Good clean-up skills (washing the dishes/loading the dishwasher, cleaning the stove, wiping the counters, etc) means that your teen not only has the ability to create food, but keep the kitchen clean in advance to making the next snack or meal
Can your teen complete all these skills in the kitchen?
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