It may seem scary to think of your teenager handling sharp knives or hot pans but teaching them to cook has many benefits to both you, and your child. For example:
- It teaches them about healthy eating. A balanced diet is particularly important for teenager’s physical and mental health.
- Gives you the chance to spend quality time together. It can give you the opportunity to discuss how they are feeling or how their day or week has been.
- It gives them the skills they will need when they leave home. There will come a time when your teenager will need to cook for themselves. You can give them the skills and knowledge to cook safely and healthily.
- It boosts confidence. Teenagers will have more belief in themselves if they know they can prepare or cook a meal for themselves (or others!). Seeing the final result helps create a sense of achievement or even pride.
Getting started
- Ask them if they would like to be involved in the family food shop. This can teach them about ingredients and what is required to cook their favourite meals. You can show them how to spot the healthier ingredients and what to avoid.
- Start simple. Try to get them interested without overwhelming them.For example, start with things such as peeling or cutting vegetables.
- Choose their favourite dish. It will be more interesting for them to prepare the things they love to eat.
- Make it regular. You could make it a weekly, fortnightly or even monthly thing to start with.
Once you are ready, choose a recipe and go to work! We have a few recipe ideas to start you off.
Corn Beef Stew
Cookies
Tortilla Pizza
Vegetable Soup
Ham and Cheese Toasties
Homemade Ice-cream
Ingredients:
- 1400g potatoes
- 2 cans of corn beef
- 1 kg of frozen mixed vegetables, carrot, peas, swede, and onion
- Water
- Beef stock
- Salt and pepper for seasoning
Resources:
- Large saucepan
- Knife
- Chopping board
- Spoon
- Bowls
Instructions:
- First wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds
- Peel and cut the potatoes into small chunks.
- Boil them in a saucepan until soft.
- Add the frozen vegetables with the potatoes, add extra water if required
- Simmer until all vegetables are cooked
- Chop up the corn beef
- Add the corn beef and the beef stock to the saucepan and cook until corn beef is soft
- Add seasoning if you require it
- Serve in bowls and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 100 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- 100 grams of caster sugar
- 1 medium egg slightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 275 grams of plain flour
- 200 grams icing sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons of water
- 2-3 drops of food colouring
- Sweet sprinkles
Resources:
- Oven (make sure you get an adult to help you use the oven)
- Baking tray and wire rack to cool
- Grease-proof paper
- Rolling pin
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until combined.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla extract, a little at a time, until well combined.
- Then stir in the flour and bring together to form a dough.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 1 cm/½in.
- Using biscuit cutters, cut biscuits out of the dough and carefully place onto the baking tray.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until pale golden-brown. Make sure you get an adult to help you
- Set aside to harden for 2 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
- For the icing, sift the icing sugar into a large mixing bowl and stir in enough water to create a smooth mixture. Stir in the food colouring.
- Then you can decorate your cooled biscuits.
Ingredients:
- Tortilla wrap
- Tomato purée
- Ham / chicken
- Sweetcorn
- Peppers
- Grated cheese
Resources:
- Oven
- Baking tray
- Chopping board
- Oven gloves
- Knives
- Spoon
- Bowls
- Plates
Instructions:
- First wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees.
- Place the wrap on the baking tray and squeeze some tomato purée on to cover the base. You can use the back of a spoon to spread it around evenly.
- Next add whichever toppings you would like and place them on however you wish. You could try to make a funny face if you like.
- Sprinkle some grated cheese on top
- Carefully place your pizza into the oven for 10-12 minutes
- Once cooked, use oven gloves to take your pizza out of the oven and allow to cool
- Cut up your pizza and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- White Potatoes
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Onions
- Vegetable Stock (2)
- Water (1½ pints)
- Oil
Resources:
- Saucepan
- Frying Pan
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Blender
Instructions:
- First wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds
- Peel and cut the potatoes into small chunks.
- Boil them in a saucepan until soft.
- While the potatoes are cooking, peel and chop the carrots, onion, garlic, and celery.
- Fry them in a small amount of oil until they are soft.
- When all the vegetables are soft, drain the potatoes, mix them together in the saucepan.
- Add the vegetable stock and bring back to boil.
- Remove from the heat and add a small amount into the blender.
- Blend until smooth. Add it back into the saucepan. You may need to do this a few times.
- You may need to heat the soup again.
- Serve in bowls and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- Bread
- Butter
- Ham
- Cheese
- Tuna
- Beans
- Oil
Resources:
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Tin foil
- Plate
- Frying Pan
Instructions:
- First wash your hands thoroughly with soap for 20 seconds
- Take your bread and put a thin layer of oil or butter on one side then put that side onto a piece of tin foil
- Put your filling in (butter, cheese, and ham)
- Put the other piece of bread on top then cover it with a thin layer of oil or butter and wrap the sandwich in the foil
- Heat a pan up with no oil in it and cook the sandwich (that is wrapped in tin foil) for 5 mins on each side
- You can use any filling that you want, enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1½ vanilla extract
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Flavourings and toppings of your choice
Resources:
- Mason jar or other large glass canning jar with screw-on lid
- Bowl
- Spoon or whisk
- Freezer
Directions:
- Add cream, vanilla extract, sugar, and salt to the jar. Screw on the lid.
- Shake until mixture has thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add flavourings such as jam, chocolate chips, mint, candy sprinkles, or cereal.
- Freeze to firm up the mixture, about 2 hours.