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The word diet' is set prominently in newspapers, magazines and television advertising and is a multi million dollar industry. Encouraging your teenager to cook is not only advisable but absolutely necessary, as necessary as learning about food groups and nutrition.

If you already do the cooking in the home it may be easier to allocate one day a week to your teenager to prepare a meal to turn them into more independent cooks. If you have been able to get them involved in preparing meals at a younger age it may be a natural progression for them to actually put a meal together. However, if they have never been interested in cooking and they have never been involved in making a meal, they just need a nudge in the right direction.

Be patient, supportive, encouraging and flexible and consider the following tips to encourage a budding cook no matter what their age.

Make it easy to do
Make it fail proof
Make it simple by using few ingredients
Pre plan to make sure you have everything you need before you start
Look for short cuts
Make the finished meal look sensational

Shopping for the right ingredients is important when putting a meal together. You may find grocery outlets that have quick meal' ideas that feature the specials of that week. These are menu cards that set out what to buy for that particular meal. The meals are simple and easy to put together and have been tried and tested for success.
If you are already a pretty good cook look at your recipes and put together simple ideas that can be turned into quick meals; like grilled chicken salad, wraps with a variety of fillings, oven baked potatoes and stir fry.
Remember to keep it simple for a novice cook and look for ways to short cut the process. Once they master simple procedures and get over the hurdle of too much work', or too difficult', or can't be bothered', your work is done. The rest is up to them to perfect and refine to their desire.

Look for short cuts like
marinades and dressings prepared and ready to use
cut or shredded vegetables ready for a stir fry
cuts of meat ready for the pan or baking dish
consider pre planning a meal so that preparation is done a few hours earlier or even the night before

Food requires the right ingredients and must look appetizing. Get simple ideas on presentation from the restaurant, television or cook book on how to make a plate of food look sensational. When everything comes together right they will feel proud of their achievements.
When something looks impressive they are bound to get encouraging positive comments. That is the best incentive to do it again or even try something different or more challenging.

Deserts can be a piece of cake'. Buy a ready made sponge cake and decorate it with whipped cream and strawberries.
How impressive is that!
Looks great, tastes good, is a fraction of the cost of a decorated cake and can be used for any special occasion.

What a wonderful life long skill.

Learn more about this author, Dina Psichogiopoulos.
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