True...but that's sort of like saying that if kids grow up with books, and being read to, they will learn to read earlier. Yes, correct, but even if you do all that, you shouldn't really expect your kids to read at 4. Some do, lots don't. As with everything, meet your kids where they are and treat them as individuals to give them the support they need to move forward. I just posted because I didn't want people to get the false impression that it's normal for 10 years olds to be able to cook a whole dinner. It's not.
Signed,
Person who regularly cooked dinner for the family by high school (and occasionally by middle school) and grew up in a family where the teens were expected to make family dinner at least as often as mom.

PS OP asked for ideas, and I think it's great for the Posters who gave concrete suggestions of entry-level meals or food items that kids can cook. Someone suggested baked ziti, which is super easy (although I personally hate it -- but the idea is good -- mixing is pretty easy for them, and if the measurements are off a smidge, it won't mess up the whole recipe).

PPS Some of the things that I liked making the most for dinner as a teenager included: savory vegetable crepes; stuffed cabbage; stir fry; shrimp or crab scampi; curried potatoes; tacos with homemade shells and very complicated desserts. But, at 10, I think the most I could make was Tollhouse Cookies. And at least half the time I dropped those on the floor because I left the hand mixer leaning against the bowl while I went to get out the chocolate chips. (Seriously--cannot tell you how many times I did that at that age!)

Anonymous wrote:I have a 9 year old and lead a Girl Scout troop. We occasionally do cooking activities. I"m concerned people are going to feel lousy that their kids are not the master chef juniors parented by some prior posters. Please be aware that most kids are not at that level at that age. In my experience, most 9 year olds do not have the attention span or the manual dexterity to safely cook most items by themselves. The math skills are also often lacking (like many kids this age will have trouble with the concept that 3/4 c. of flour is 1/2 c plus 1/4 cup -- and forget about reducing a recipe down by 1/3 or something fancy like that). Of course, there's still plenty they can cook, especially if they are using pre-cut vegetables, etc. Also, I think that if you have an electric range, it's somewhat easier than a gas range, as far as safety issues.
There is a huge difference, however, between 9 and 12. By 12, most kids can cook basically anything.
It's like any other developmental thing, in that there is a range. Just like some kids will learn to read at 4, but the average is more like 6... I'm sure there are kids that can julienne and saute carrots at age 10, but most cannot do that safely by themselves.
I am thinking about buying one of those safe choppers to help bridge the gap on some of these skills though.

If the kids grow up with the understanding that they are helping, they end up learning earlier.

I have a 9 year old and lead a Girl Scout troop. We occasionally do cooking activities. I"m concerned people are going to feel lousy that their kids are not the master chef juniors parented by some prior posters. Please be aware that most kids are not at that level at that age. In my experience, most 9 year olds do not have the attention span or the manual dexterity to safely cook most items by themselves. The math skills are also often lacking (like many kids this age will have trouble with the concept that 3/4 c. of flour is 1/2 c plus 1/4 cup -- and forget about reducing a recipe down by 1/3 or something fancy like that). Of course, there's still plenty they can cook, especially if they are using pre-cut vegetables, etc. Also, I think that if you have an electric range, it's somewhat easier than a gas range, as far as safety issues.
There is a huge difference, however, between 9 and 12. By 12, most kids can cook basically anything.
It's like any other developmental thing, in that there is a range. Just like some kids will learn to read at 4, but the average is more like 6... I'm sure there are kids that can julienne and saute carrots at age 10, but most cannot do that safely by themselves.
I am thinking about buying one of those safe choppers to help bridge the gap on some of these skills though.

This thread is awesome. Neither my husband nor I know how to make many of these dishes! It hasn't impacted my life negatively, though At 10 my kids knew how to call Dominos and order at Chipolte. Seriously I am impressed at all of your kids' cooking skills!

Great that you are going to tackle this with your two. We joke with our kids that we want them to go to college knowing how to make a month worth of meals for themselves.

At 10 they can:

Make a mexican inspired meal - guacamole, quesadilla, beans, rice in a rice cooker
Salad
They can make most of the veggies we would have with dinner
Pasta with sauce or pesto (pre made)
Mac n Cheese
Omelet

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have had to cook one dinner per week since they were six years old. On the night one cooks, the other cleans up.

Last night the 11 yr old made marinated steak tips with cous cous and steamed broccoli. The 8 yr old made baked ziti, garlic bread and salad Thursday night. Tomorrow night the 8 yr old is making salmon, corn on the cob, and asparagus. A few hours ago the 11 yr old cut up cantaloupe and then made a melon/banana smoothie. For breakfast the 8 yr old made scrambled eggs with avocado and tomato.

What did they cook when they were six?

Hmmm... at six they needed a lot more help. A pyrex dish loaded with food was too heavy to move from the counter to the oven and back, and a pot of boiling water was too heavy (and scary) to pour into a strainer. We definitely did a ton of baking in those days - they did all the prep and I did all the taking out of the oven parts. They made eggs - scrambled and omelets. They made grilled cheese in the frying pan, salads, stir fry dinners (with me pouring hot food out of pans or moving dishes around on the stove), french toast, soups, applesauce, etc.

I still will get called into the kitchen to take a hot dish out of the oven or strain a stockpot full of boiling water and food, but it's at their direction.

Thanks! My son is just 5, and manages quite well with some baking tasks, but I feel like his motor skills are not there yet for putting together a hot meal (or even a cold one, fwiw). Not sure he could do things like operate a can opener or cut veggies (even soft ones). Buttering and spreading are challenging for him atm.

Strengthen his hand and wrist muscles, and practice eye hand coordination with him. Have him squeeze a rubber ball while he is in the car. Play cat's cradle with him. Play pick-up sticks. Stand about six feet apart, put a penny on the ground in the middle of you two, and try to bounce a tennis ball on the penny back and forth to each other.

My oldest likes to roast a whole bird-chicken, Cornish game hens, whatever. It's easy but it looks so impressive. I think it's funny that she goes for the easiest recipes that look most impressive lol.

Let her keep working on that. That's one of those things that's easy to learn, but a lifetime to master. Chefs judge one another on their roast chicken. (Or their omelette -- another good beginner dish.)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have had to cook one dinner per week since they were six years old. On the night one cooks, the other cleans up.

Last night the 11 yr old made marinated steak tips with cous cous and steamed broccoli. The 8 yr old made baked ziti, garlic bread and salad Thursday night. Tomorrow night the 8 yr old is making salmon, corn on the cob, and asparagus. A few hours ago the 11 yr old cut up cantaloupe and then made a melon/banana smoothie. For breakfast the 8 yr old made scrambled eggs with avocado and tomato.

What did they cook when they were six?

Hmmm... at six they needed a lot more help. A pyrex dish loaded with food was too heavy to move from the counter to the oven and back, and a pot of boiling water was too heavy (and scary) to pour into a strainer. We definitely did a ton of baking in those days - they did all the prep and I did all the taking out of the oven parts. They made eggs - scrambled and omelets. They made grilled cheese in the frying pan, salads, stir fry dinners (with me pouring hot food out of pans or moving dishes around on the stove), french toast, soups, applesauce, etc.

I still will get called into the kitchen to take a hot dish out of the oven or strain a stockpot full of boiling water and food, but it's at their direction.

Thanks! My son is just 5, and manages quite well with some baking tasks, but I feel like his motor skills are not there yet for putting together a hot meal (or even a cold one, fwiw). Not sure he could do things like operate a can opener or cut veggies (even soft ones). Buttering and spreading are challenging for him atm.

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest watching a few episodes of Good Eats, it's on Netflix I think. At 10 and 11 they can probably make almost anything they'd like.

I would certainly hope so.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have had to cook one dinner per week since they were six years old. On the night one cooks, the other cleans up.

Last night the 11 yr old made marinated steak tips with cous cous and steamed broccoli. The 8 yr old made baked ziti, garlic bread and salad Thursday night. Tomorrow night the 8 yr old is making salmon, corn on the cob, and asparagus. A few hours ago the 11 yr old cut up cantaloupe and then made a melon/banana smoothie. For breakfast the 8 yr old made scrambled eggs with avocado and tomato.

What did they cook when they were six?

Hmmm... at six they needed a lot more help. A pyrex dish loaded with food was too heavy to move from the counter to the oven and back, and a pot of boiling water was too heavy (and scary) to pour into a strainer. We definitely did a ton of baking in those days - they did all the prep and I did all the taking out of the oven parts. They made eggs - scrambled and omelets. They made grilled cheese in the frying pan, salads, stir fry dinners (with me pouring hot food out of pans or moving dishes around on the stove), french toast, soups, applesauce, etc.

I still will get called into the kitchen to take a hot dish out of the oven or strain a stockpot full of boiling water and food, but it's at their direction.

Yep, that's me too! By the time they are 13, they need to know how to do everything to run a household, because I'm not raising kids to have them stay little children forever. I've found that they don't have enough time to help the household when they're in high school, and they end up cooking small meals just for themselves occasionally.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My kids have had to cook one dinner per week since they were six years old. On the night one cooks, the other cleans up.

Last night the 11 yr old made marinated steak tips with cous cous and steamed broccoli. The 8 yr old made baked ziti, garlic bread and salad Thursday night. Tomorrow night the 8 yr old is making salmon, corn on the cob, and asparagus. A few hours ago the 11 yr old cut up cantaloupe and then made a melon/banana smoothie. For breakfast the 8 yr old made scrambled eggs with avocado and tomato.

What did they cook when they were six?

Hmmm... at six they needed a lot more help. A pyrex dish loaded with food was too heavy to move from the counter to the oven and back, and a pot of boiling water was too heavy (and scary) to pour into a strainer. We definitely did a ton of baking in those days - they did all the prep and I did all the taking out of the oven parts. They made eggs - scrambled and omelets. They made grilled cheese in the frying pan, salads, stir fry dinners (with me pouring hot food out of pans or moving dishes around on the stove), french toast, soups, applesauce, etc.

I still will get called into the kitchen to take a hot dish out of the oven or strain a stockpot full of boiling water and food, but it's at their direction.

Home-made pizza. Deviled eggs. Home made pasta (that one a six year old actually could do, except for the hand kneading). Pasta salad. Hamburgers and roasted vegetables. Any kind of marinated chicken that then cooks in the oven. Tacos.
I think I would tend more towards oven stuff and away from anything that might spatter grease or need to be flipped, especially if you have gas ranges. I think stirring things in a frying pan is one of the most difficult skills for kids--they ether don't stir enough and it burns, or they slosh it off the sides. So I might work up to those recipes gradually.
I agree with the other posters that said get a cookbook and let them pick some things. Even if it's desserts--that's how I learned to cook--I have a vicious sweet tooth and my mom can't bake so I became a serious baker, but learned most of the basics and most importantly the lesson that food doesn't have to come ready made in a box or bag.

I would suggest watching a few episodes of Good Eats, it's on Netflix I think. At 10 and 11 they can probably make almost anything they'd like.