At what age is it ok for kids to cook by themselves (with no adult home?)

[Anonymous]

I have several children. The older ones are old enough to stay home by themselves for several hours while I bring the younger ones to after school sports and activities. The ones they are currently involved in are long an somewhat far away--so basically we (younger kids and I) are out of the house from 5:15-8:30 pm. We usually eat dinner after we get home (I sometimes have pre-cooked something I can just reheat, other times we just do something very basic like boxed spaghetti with jarred sauce), but I feel bad asking my older kids to wait that long, especially now that school will be starting. The oldest will have to wake up around 5:30 am to get to school on time.

At what age would you feel comfortable allowing a kid to cook at home--reheat something (on the stove top or in the oven, not microwave) or even cook from scratch? One of my older kids really likes fried eggs, and knows how to make them and is responsible enough to clean the pan afterwards without being asked. Another likes to make pancakes (will get together all ingredients to make the batter from scratch, then cook them on a electric griddle.) They are 12 (egg) and 14 (pancake.)

[Anonymous]

12 for someone responsible. 14 is plenty old. My 7 year old cooks now, but under supervision.

I'd just make sure:

They were good about turning the oven off.
There is a kitchen fire extinguisher in easy reach.
There's a working smoke detector near the kitchen.
They are unafraid of calling 911.
They aren't inclined to fight about food or cooking.

And that they know generic cooking safety tips like keeping pot handles turned in, how to put out a grease fire, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was definitely helping out with dinner by 14 (peeling potatoes, making salad, finishing up stuff that my mom had started the night before, etc).

Worst case, you can prep a casserole or lasagna that just needs to be put in the oven.

[Anonymous]

If the child is old enough to stay home by itself, it's old enough to cook by itself.

[Anonymous]

Middle School- start slow and build from there.

[Anonymous]

Middle School- start slow and build from there

This. Also, to add on to a PP, teach them how to throw flour on a grease fire.

[Anonymous]

I started babysitting at 12 and cooking on the stove and with the oven then too. Nothing challenging - Mac n cheese from a box, chicken strips, etc. Within a year I was cooking all kinds of things because I had gotten comfortable.

We had a similar schedule to yours (and I'm the baby with an 8 year age span) and one of my older siblings would make dinner most nights for everybody. They were high school aged and made things like spaghetti and garlic bread, hamburgers, grilled chicken, and breakfast foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:12 for someone responsible. 14 is plenty old. My 7 year old cooks now, but under supervision.

I'd just make sure:

They were good about turning the oven off.
There is a kitchen fire extinguisher in easy reach.
There's a working smoke detector near the kitchen.
They are unafraid of calling 911.
They aren't inclined to fight about food or cooking.

And that they know generic cooking safety tips like keeping pot handles turned in, how to put out a grease fire, etc.

Agree with those steps. Would also keep a stocked first aid kit near by for the minor stuff.

[Anonymous]

Depends on the child. My 14 year old is accident prone and forgetful, so not yet for him.

[Anonymous]

Gas or electric?

[Anonymous]

I was asking to make dinners for my family by freshman year of HS- obviously not haute cuisine, but start to finish. But I liked it. Even if someone didn't particularly like it I think getting much past 14 without being allowed or able to cook for oneself is really starting to teeter on stifling the child.

I have friends who were responsible for a dinner a week for the family by high school. 12 seems completely appropriate to me, even some kids at 10.

[Anonymous]

Seems okay to me, especially if the 14 year old was home while the 12 year old was cooking, just in case.

Maybe you could simplify it by leaving something for them to cook. As in, here is the box of noodles and jar of sauce, or the box of mac and cheese, or here's a step by step recipe for cooking xyz that we can all have for dinner (this is what I did with my 10 and 12 year olds)

[Anonymous]

In our house, you learned to cook from a very early age - nothing fancy, but enough to get your own breakfast, cold lunches, snacks, etc. My mom still tells the story of when I was four or five and had a sleepover at a friends house. I got up like any normal morning and started cooking eggs for me and my friend (mid '70s). Turned out perfectly (electric stove in those days), but the other mom was horrified (and rightly so, but I didn't realize there was anything wrong with it at the time). Going forward I only cooked at home, but my point being kids can learn to do a lot of things very well if you just teach them - even younger kids. Most parents today are just too scared to "let" go and have the kids try to do things on their own, or don't have the time to teach the kids the proper way and let them cook at their own speed - to regimented with all the activities, etc. Honestly, I would say no later than age 10 should a kid be able to cook basic items on their own. I'd be a little more concerned with a gas stove, but heck - almost everyone owns a microwave. Kids learn how to use that really fast!

[Anonymous]

My DD loves to cook and has been doing it on her own for about three years -- she's now 13. I don't supvervise at all. It's fine for her to use the oven and boil water with no one home.

[Anonymous]

12, or whenever you'd feel they were ready to babysit others. If you can be left on charge of a little kid, you should be able to operate a stove, etc.