A recipe for success

Cooking is an every-day activity for many households and it allows people to express their creativity through food. But, learning at a young age could be hard at times, which is why cooking classes in Edison Intermediate School (EIS) could really help shape teens into learning important life skills.

“Teenagers often gravitate toward fast food and unhealthy snacks, but cooking classes introduce them to fresh, nutritious ingredients in an engaging way” (Philly Family).

This research shows that cooking could help improve students’ health in a way that would actually make them interested and want them to understand what is in their food. It could also cause a picky eater to become more open with the food that they eat and learn what fresh ingredients could do for them. Seventh grade student Leonardo Kent shared, “I think kids our age should learn to cook because when you get older, you can learn how to make healthy foods instead of eating junk foods, it’s also better to start earlier.”

Leonardo proves that learning to cook could help students develop lifelong eating habits that could benefit them as they grow. 

 As much as staying healthy and getting nutrition is important, being responsible and safe in the kitchen should also be prioritized. Specifically kids and teens should learn because they can be more prone to causing accidents if they have no adult supervision. “Cooking classes teach responsibility by requiring students to manage tasks beyond just food preparation—such as kitchen safety, cleanliness, and time management” (Philly Family). 

Principal of EIS, LaNova Schall, agreed, “I would love for kids to learn how to cook. It’s a good life skill. You won’t have to wait for your parents and you won’t have to spend so much money. It also teaches them safety in the kitchen.” 

Teens could apply skills such as using cutlery, ovens, stoves, and others when they want food instead of buying pre cooked meals that require none of these tools. Cooking classes could show kids how to do this so they would be prepared whenever they need to apply these skills. Tyler Shutman, a sixth grader at Edison claimed, “I know how to use everything in a kitchen like knives and stoves, but not ovens. I would like to learn how to use them.”

Also, according to Mrs. Schall, cooking your own food could help you save money instead of spending all your money on expensive fast foods that aren’t healthy for you. Sixth grader Leo Zhao agreed, “You spend a lot of money for takeout instead of your own needs, so cooking can save you lots of money.”

Leo and Mrs. Schall demonstrate that spending too much money is unnecessary when one could learn how to be independent and cook for themselves or even for their family. Fast food is expensive and does not compare to a freshly made, homecooked meal.

“It introduces children to a variety of ingredients and cuisines, broadening their understanding of different cultures and food sources” (The Chopping Block). 

In addition to all of these skills you would learn in a cooking class, you would also be taught about the importance of the meals or the culture it came from. As a French teacher who assigns many cooking projects to her students, seventh and eighth grade French teacher Mrs. Brittany Sappachino explained, “Cooking gives you an insight to different cultures and expands horizons. It allows you to see different foods and measurements. Also popular foods can make you more worldly and knowledgeable.”

Many students also agree with the idea of a cooking class at EIS, and they’ve already given ideas on what different foods they could make. Eighth graders Abby Bresnahan and Abby Hsu claimed, “If there was a cooking class in Edison, I would want to make pasta or cookies, or we could make macaroons or smoothies.” 

Eighth grade student Kelly McCabe also agreed with this idea and said that it could benefit kids with allergies, “You can make new foods to eat when you have allergies.”

Kelly shows that students with food allergies have limited ingredients and meals that they could eat. So if they learn how to make something suitable for them, they could feel included in the meals that their friends are eating.

Overall, learning how to cook in your early years can help you be more responsible in the kitchen, allows you to spend less money, can help create healthier eating habits, and gives you an insight to different cultures and how they express themselves through food.