I'd be careful and make sure they are aware of what is near the stove (no cooking in cluttered kitchens!) and no loose clothing or jewelry, hair tied back etc. I almost caught my loose long sleeve shirt on fire while cooking on my gas stove yesterday and i'm 35!

My 8 yo can make scrambled eggs on the gas stove start to finish, but there is always a parent in the room with her.

Twice a day, she swept the sand off the sleeping mats, and she helped stack the kapashi leaves for transport back to the village. In the evening, she fished for crustaceans, which she cleaned, boiled, and served to the others. Calm and self-possessed, Yanira “asked for nothing,” Izquierdo later recalled. The girl’s behavior made a strong impression on the anthropologist because at the time of the trip Yanira was just six years old.

http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/07/02/spoiled-rotten

I wouldn't allow it unsupervised. Too high and mine does not always start reliably. I do let him use the oven as well as knives. To me, fire is more risky than cuts or burns.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Seven year old children around the world are building fires, cooking, using sharp knives, hunting and working paying jobs. So, yes, a seven-year-old is perfectly capable of using a gas stove.

Thank you. Coddle them long enough and the next generation will be saying 13yr olds can no longer babysit OR use a gas stove.

Amen. Teach them to be careful and they're fine.

Anonymous wrote:Seven year old children around the world are building fires, cooking, using sharp knives, hunting and working paying jobs. So, yes, a seven-year-old is perfectly capable of using a gas stove.

Thank you. Coddle them long enough and the next generation will be saying 13yr olds can no longer babysit OR use a gas stove.

I've been holding off because I'm a little worried about the height thing. If I had to use a gas stove where the flames burst out at face level, I'd be pretty nervous about it for myself. Also, their arms are short so they can't stand very far away from the stove (which is what I do when I turn on the flame). My kids do cook, but I try to turn the gas on for them and then turn it down. I wouldn't let them cook anything on high, because the flames usually come out and lick around the side of the pot, and I'd be worried they'd catch a sleeve on fire.

I guess a plug-in frying pan is something to think about. My mom always used that for certain recipes because the heat stays more consistent.