Your teenager moves farther along the path to being a full-fledged adult every day and needs all the direction possible to lead a happy, independent life. Being able to cook is a skill that is invaluable in terms of promoting self-sufficiency, and learning how to navigate the kitchen is an important part of this journey. Here are a few tips to teach your teen about how to get around in a kitchen.

Applicable Appliances

The first place to start is explaining what each appliance is, what it does and how to use it safely. Whether you have dorm-sized or commercial refrigerators, this appliance is an essential stop for every teen numerous times a day, and probably needs no introduction. What needs to be explained is how important it is to keep it closed and to throw away leftovers promptly so there are no home-grown science experiments. You could ask your teen to tell you how to use the oven and stove top controls to make sure he or she knows how they work. This gives you the opportunity to fill in the blanks of what is not understood and to talk about safety around hot surfaces. There is probably a well-worn path to your microwave, but no matter how many times your teen has used it in the past, discussing safety measures and special features of this appliance is always a good idea. Smaller appliances, such as blenders, coffee makers, electric can openers, toasters and mixers make cooking easier and fun. They can all be learned as the need arises with the item's instruction manual.

Meaty Matters

Now that your teen has been shown the lay of the land, it is time to break out the bread, steak and potatoes, apples and raisins, or whatever else you like to eat and demonstrate the best way to navigate cooking a meal in your kitchen. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach how to find a recipe online or in a cookbook if you haven't ever done that with your teen, and how to follow its instructions. You can also teach the different tools needed for cooking, such as measuring spoons and cups, different types of knives and what they are used for, timers, thermometers and various utensils that make preparing food easy. Besides the satisfaction of eating a delicious, homemade meal, it is the food preparation that makes cooking fun, and sharing this activity with your teen shows how the kitchen is a great place to spend time together. It lays the groundwork for your teen to enjoy cooking and look forward to making meals in the future.

Sparkling Surfaces

The final leg of the journey around the kitchen involves teaching your teen the proper cleaning techniques so that the food preparation area is kept sanitary. Hands should be washed before, during and after cooking in any kitchen. Demonstrate your preferred methods of keeping your space clean and then ask your teen to take a turn repeating it so you know the lesson was learned. Of course, any items used to prepare and cook fresh meat should be cleaned immediately. Countertops and tables need to be wiped off, dishes need to be washed and leftovers need to be stored in air-tight containers. If you practice cleaning as you go, there will be less to do at the end.

One way to do this is to put the ingredients of your recipe away right after you use it, and to load any cooking utensils, mixing bowls or measuring devices in the dishwasher as soon as you finish with them. Good habits formed at the beginning of your teen's road to independence will lead to happy and healthy households in his or her future.

The kitchen is a wonderful place to be at any age, and the creativity and curiosity of your teen can be put to good use in preparing and enjoying homemade meals.