Teaching my kids to cook

Homemade Mac & Cheese, some simple casseroles like green bean, eggplant/shrimp/cheese that require no more than 30 minutes stove time and the rest is in the oven.

Red beans and rice pretty much cooks itself once all the ingredients are in the pot with the exception of the occasional stir to keep them from sticking. And speaking of sticking, get a metal heat diffuser to go between the burner and pot to help evenly disperse the heat and help prevent sticking.

Chicken stew, pot roast etc. and you can make the roux or even use jarred roux if you don't think he can handle making one without burning it.

Soups like broccoli cheese, vegetable beef, chicken noodle are all pretty easy meals to cook.

Then there's the grill for burgers, BBQ chicken, pork fingers, grilled vegetables, etc. Expand his horizons.

Spaghetti is a pretty easy meal for a kid to take on

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My 10yo daughter has taken over a lot the baking duties. Mainly just boxed cake and brownies but it has taught we her how to measure, crack eggs, work the oven, set timers and so on. Her 13yo brother is a shite head who just eats all the brownies. Only thing he can make is a bowl of Fruity Pebbles

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Baking is chemistry and a great skill. You have to be precise on the measurements. Congrats Dad.

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My youngest is 7 and she is a little annoyed I hadn't let her help us fry up the meat so I'll need to figure something out for her also.

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Sandwiches.

But seriously, teaching them how to make a sandwich early on is key for when they start whining that they're hungry when it isn't dinner time yet. My oldest has tried making grilled cheese a few times quite successfully. She says hers aren't as good as when I make them, but with time she'll get it.

She is also becoming quite the baker, at least when it comes to using the stand mixer, measuring everything correctly etc. She makes great cookies then decorates them. I think she's helped my wife with cakes a few times as well.

Pancakes is another good option to teach kids. They can help make the batter, and once you show them a couple times when to flip, most get it pretty quickly.

Chicken stew/sticky chicken. All you really need are some cheap chicken parts, a lil flour, and tony's. It was one of my go to cheap meals in college. If you brown it right it's got a a ton of flavor. I used to eat all week on 10 bucks.

Chicken carbonara has a few extra steps but isn't too complicated. Casseroles are easy, and if you pick the right ones, they'll be impressed with the results. Mashed potatoes, baked beans, cowboy beans, jalapeño poppers, bacon wrapped asparagus, shish-ka-bobs... any easy food that isn't too expensive that they can throw together once they're out on their own.

Other first level dishes ...

Tacos/Buritos
Sloppy Joes
Tuna Casserole
Baked Chicken
Meatloaf
Pastas
Simple Vegetable Sides
Crock Pot Dishes ... especially some crock pot red beans
Kids seem to love making Stove Top stuffing or boxed mashed potatoes.

My boys won't even let me make the Jiffy cornbread any more. They love doing that.

Started them when they were 7 and 8. The older one loves making a roux ... it's like a zen experience for his hyperactive little arse. They're 10 and 11 now, and they have good kitchen safety habits, knife skills, can make a roux, and make a fantastic Crawfish Etouffee.

Eggs

Cheap and u can cook them in different ways

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The older one loves making a roux ... it's like a zen experience for his hyperactive little arse.

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Speaking as the ADHD kid in the room who funny enough teaches other ADHD kids, cooking is an incredible stress relief process for me. Something like stirring a roux where you only have to focus on 1 thing and everyone else will leave you alone to focus, is an amazing feeling. For once, the world is actually conspiring to help you focus, because they want you to succeed. Also, it a mission oriented task. It’s perfect to ADHD kids to help them narrow their focus for short periods of time.