My 2 teenagers (17 and 13) can both cook some basic stuff. Both do very well with breakfast--they can do sausages, bacon, hashbrowns, French toast, fried eggs and pancakes.
They can also make spaghetti and meatballs (with sauce and meatballs that I made ahead and froze).
Boxed mac & cheese is a given.
My 13-year-old has been helping me cook more and more. She likes to help when I make Chicken Piccata. She's not ready to "fly solo" on that dish yet, but she's getting there.
Barb all 3 of my kid do well in the kitchen....My youngest is 10 and she can make a pizza with bought crust and do boxed mac and cheese.
My 12 and 15 year old both can make many meals...My oldest is head BBQ chef...he can cook most thinkgs on it....My 12 year old likes more to help with things like sweet and sour pork etc. They all know how to make pancakes, eggs and cook meats in a fry pan. Because my hubby is military and goes away they have had no choice but to learn so they can pitch in where needed. They all like to bake too.....My 10 year old make awsome choc chip cookies all on her own. Thy can all make a cake from a box and all know how to use all the appliances in our kitchen.
Hugs debbie
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Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
My girls are 16 and 17 and they both can do alot of cooking. They have made a full dinner including shopping and cleanup for food classes they have had in school. Of course I was in the kitchen to help them with timing issues.
They both bake on there own even when I am not home.
My younger son is 20 and lives with his girlfriend. I am told he does 95% of the cooking. I feel proud when I hear that. I know I did my job as a mom. All 4 of my kids could/do live on there own and survive.
I have always wanted to do the cooking myself but just recently realized that I wasn't helping anyone out by not letting them cook - My 13 year old is great on the grill & my 16 year old has been making quite a few dinners lately - His favorite? Shake N Bake LOL.
DD2 started in the kitchen doing prep work and now has graduated to whole meals. Prep work with a knife at the age of 6! Yes, she had to be careful and the knife had to be sharp too so she wouldn't slip and get cut.
DD2 recently chopped potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes (they cook faster), boiled them, put in the oil and parsley, and pepper and served them for gramma along with the salmon/scallops we slow braised in a pan and the microwave peas. It was a marvelous meal.
DD1 is more of a baker. She did a complete buche de noel from scratch, the separation of all the eggs, the slow stirring of the custard filling, the five step frosting, and the meringue mushrooms for decoration.
DD2s first big meal was chicken marsala at the age of 16 and I wasn't in the kitchen with her.
They each got a new Martha Stewart cookbook for Christmas along with a cast iron glazed stewpot and a set of pyrex glass mixing bowls with lids.
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Ellen in PA
"God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of love, power, and a sound mind."
My 12 yr old can fry an egg, grilled cheese sandwiches, ramen noodles, and heat anything canned. She is helping more in the kitchen and learned how to make liver & onions not to long ago.
My guy turned 15 today and has had an interest in cooking since he was a little guy. Nothing fancy, just basic like mac n cheese, cake from mix, he really likes to cook with the dutch oven outdoors when camping with scouts
My 11 DD loves to cook. I haven't given her free reign in the kitchen, I watch over and she can make most things and knows how to make a pie from scratch
My DS 8 loves to help out with the preparation, but then looses interest very quickly
but my DS 4 he just loves it all. I have a blunt child's knife which he uses to cut soft things like mushrooms etc. He loves to have a go at stirring too at the cooker. He knows what not to touch and I stand behind him. He love the whole process
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Take time to recharge your batteries. It's hard to see where you're going when your lights are dim.
Kids love to cook! There are so many different recipes that children can be a part of, share yours here!
Ellen in PA 
