Kelise F

More Cooking Is Better for You 

by Kelsie F.

"Cooking with kids is not just ingredients, recipes, and cooking.  It's about harnessing, imagination, empowerment and creativity" (Fieri).  Because children are still growing it's important that our diets are not underestimated.  It's important to teach your children to cook at whatever age you think they are ready.  But it's not about the cooking in general, but instead how you are taught to use what you have. Teaching the younger generation how to cook helps them to use the resources around them.  There are many people that are able to help with this.  Cooking together creates a special bond with the people around you.  But, cooking is also about the food that you cook for yourself or family and how you have been taught.  For example, if you are not taught to use natural ingredients this effects your diet.    Teaching your children to cook comes with many benefits and develops their skills.

For someone who is reaching a more mature age it's important to be taught how to cook to sustain yourself and or your family in the future.  With the essential life skills it comes with benefits.  According to BBC, there are many overall benefits of cooking even when you are younger.   One benefit is that we are able to learn about food hygiene, which means that you learn to be sanitary before cooking and after or with handling raw meats.  For example, this is very important because you don't want spread germs or even diseases from raw meat or not washing your hands. Another benefit is that children learn to follow instructions.  It's important that this is incorporated in our lives because it's a basic life skill that helps to achieve a goal together or as individuals.  There are many benefits of cooking, but one important one that should be recognized is that children learn patience.  Since it's a process to cook certain foods and it doesn't go as planned, you always have to have patience.  This ties in with life because sometimes things don't go as planned. but you have to work your way around a problem.

It's one thing to learn to cook but another to use natural ingredients to be able to make healthy food.  According to Foodal, one benefit of this process is the cost of cooking from scratch at home with natural ingredients. Eating at a restaurant can be expensive and buying your lunch everyday can be costly.  Since using natural ingredients can help with as other bills around the house. This can help parents with budgeting and can teach kids about saving money early in life.  When cooking food from scratch with natural ingredients you are able to watch what you eat, which helps you to make healthier decisions.  This will also help you to know what types of preservatives are in your food.  Something that many people lack is creativity.  When cooking home cooked meals with ingredients from scratch you are able to create something that is your very own.

Cooking is an essential life skill that many families don't recognize.  But it's something that could help sustain you in the future and your family.  But it also has an affect on how you look.  As teenagers and adolescents start to develop, they can have skin problems. This is where cooking comes in.  According to Health, many vegetables that you cook with have antioxidants that make your skin anti-wrinkle.  There is fish fat that can help your skin with many things.  There are also things like zinc, vitamin C and iron for our skin to be healthy.  Many vegetables, fruits, meats, and drinks help skin to be clear.

Many critics argue that it's dangerous for children to cook in the kitchen no matter what age.  But one article that stood out is "Cooking with Kids: Dangers to watch out for" (Parenting).   Since there are many sharp objects that are in the kitchen children can get cut.  But, if children are taught properly to use the kitchen, then won't be a problem.  Another danger might be hot pans and burners.  This is because sometimes hands slip and accidentally touch the burner or pan, which can result in major burns.  But that is why children should be cautioned about cooking.  But, again, if taught properly to use certain kitchen utensils and taught at a mature age, then this should not be a problem.  

Many people have to understand that cooking should be incorporated in every household.  Since in the future we will move out of the house you need an essential life skill to help you which is the pleasure of cooking.  Not only to just cook but to use natural ingredients that are provided with the resources that you have.  It important for you to involve cooking in your life because it is a tool.  Teaching children how to cook is underestimated but in the future they'll thank you.