Parents Believe Kids Should Know How to Cook by 11

Feeding kids can be a bit of a challenge. As well as finding the time to cook something nutritious and delicious for them, you also need to cater to their changing tastes, try and introduce them to different foods while also fielding the occasional tantrum.

But do you really need to do all the cooking where your kids are involved? While many little ones would happily buy sweets or fast food if you told them to get their own dinner, some might just head to the kitchen.

In fact, a recent survey of 2,000 British parents performed by Samsung has revealed that parents believe their Chefs of the Future should have 25 different recipes under their belts by age 11. While mums and dads know they can’t just leave their kids to it in the kitchen, there is a firm belief that they should be able to cook things from scratch while supervised.

The list of 25 foods includes sweet and savoury dishes and ranges from simple to more complicated. In fact, it looks like parents want their little ones to have a pretty good grasp of cooking techniques, as well as a varied repertoire, well before their teens.

The top ten listed dishes that parents think 11-year-olds should be able to whip up are spaghetti bolognese, scrambled egg on toast, omelette, jacket potato with baked beans, cheese on toast, cottage pie, sausage and mash, pasta bake and porridge.

Other meals on the list include things like macaroni cheese, casserole, pizza from scratch, lasagne, Victoria sponge, chilli con carne and meatballs.

With the rise of ready meals and fast food over the years, it could be suggested that children may not have as much experience in the kitchen as they used to, which could cause problems later in life.

Not only does teaching your kids how to cook give them valuable skills, it can teach them about healthy eating and also stop them from being fussy, which is sure to make dinner time much easier!

You never know, getting your little ones in the kitchen could also mean you end up with the next top chef on your hands.

We’re firm believers that children should get into the kitchen early and learn all about food and meal preparation. This can provide so many benefits and it doesn’t take a lot to get them involved – especially if you get them using the Cook4Me. Not only could this mean your children start to really enjoy food, it could make it easier for you at dinnertime.

Find out what our Chefs of the Future have been up to and how they are getting on here.