7 Kitchen Skills Teens Can Practice Before They Move Out
A fridge full of ingredients can still leave a first-time cook wondering what’s for dinner. That’s where a little practice at home comes in handy. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report utilizing data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, only 7.1% of U.S. high school students met federal fruit intake recommendations and 2.0% met vegetable intake recommendations in 2017. Those figures offer a historical snapshot of what students ate and leave their cooking skills unmeasured.
For families, the numbers can open a conversation about how teens learn to choose and prepare food for themselves. A regular weeknight gives them plenty to practice, from checking the pantry to packing up leftovers. One dinner can give them a turn at the whole routine.
Cook from a recipe
Hand your teen a recipe and let them run the show. Have them read it through and check the ingredients before they touch the oven dial. Then they can preheat the oven as directed, slice the squash, and mix the seasoned topping.
Ask your teen what they’ll look for when the timer goes off. Let them decide if the squash needs more time based on what the recipe says. That last check gives them practice making a decision they’ll face with plenty of other recipes.
Plan before you shop
Give your teen three dinners to plan and let them open the fridge before they open a shopping app. Ask them to check the freezer and pantry, too. Taking stock before shopping is a core strategy recommended by the Utah State University Extension Food Waste Prevention Guide.
Once your teen sees what’s on hand, have them pick meals that share an ingredient. Then they can write down only what they still need. Before anyone heads to the store, ask which dinner each item belongs to. If they can point to a meal for everything on the list, they’ve made a plan they can actually use.
Give raw meat its own space
Chicken and salad make a handy practice dinner because your teen has to think about where each ingredient goes.“Use separate cutting boards and plates.” Set out a board for the salad and a different one for the raw chicken. Give the cooked chicken a clean plate of its own, too.
Have your teen follow the same routine before dinner prep even starts by keeping raw meat apart from other groceries in the shopping bags and in the fridge. Once they’ve done it themselves, ask them to set up the boards and plates the next time chicken is on the menu.
Wash produce and clean up
Put your teen in charge of the vegetables from the first rinse to the final wipe of the counter. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends washing your hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds both before and after handling or preparing fresh produce. Next, have your teen rinse the vegetables under running water before cutting them.
After prep, they can wash the board, utensils, and counter with hot, soapy water. Make cleanup part of the assignment from the start. It’s easy to call the job done once the vegetables reach the bowl. This time, let the clean counter be the finish line so the next person can walk in and start cooking.
Stay by the stove
Give your teen a simple stovetop dish and have them clear towels and packaging away from the burner first. If your teen needs to step out, have them turn off the heat first. Talk through a small grease fire before anyone starts cooking.
If they can act safely, they should slide a lid over the pan, shut off the burner, and leave the lid in place until the pan cools. Tell them to keep water away and leave the pan where it is. If they doubt they can control the fire, they should get outside and call 911.
Check doneness with a thermometer
A timer can tell your teen when to check the chicken. A food thermometer gives them the reading they need to decide if dinner is ready. According to FoodSafety.gov, the minimum safe internal temperature for all poultry, including chicken, turkey, and ground poultry, is 165°F 74°C Have them compare the reading with the guide before they serve. If the chicken needs more time, let them keep cooking and check again.
Keep the chart where they can find it the next time they cook a different cut of meat. Looking up the right temperature is part of the skill, and it takes the pressure off memorizing a chart.
Put leftovers away promptly
Before everyone drifts away from the table, hand your teen the containers and let them pack up dinner. Refrigerate leftovers within two hours, or within one hour if the outdoor temperature tops 90°F. Have your teen divide the food among shallow containers and clear a spot for them in the fridge.
The next day, let them use the thermometer again to check reheated leftovers for 165°F. If tomorrow’s dinner starts with a frozen ingredient, have them plan to thaw it in the fridge, in cold water, or in the microwave. If they use cold water or the microwave, have them cook the food right away.
