I'm only 12, but I really love to bake and cook for my friends/relatives/parents. I probably got into cooking about a year ago, and it has affected the way I look at food now. I try to get healthier alternatives when I go grocery shopping with my dad, I very rarely eat frozen meals (Unless they're fruits or vegetables.), and I have found new foods that I actually really like. I'm not saying that my dad was a bad cook, it's just when I bake/cook, I experiment and make things that I might like better than my dad's food.

I still do make mistakes though... In fact, I tried making a Chocolate cheescake today. I have it cooking in the oven right now, but they're in personal pizza pans because I accidently tried to take the pre made pie crust out of that little aluminum thingy and then the pie crust broke. So I did it as if I were using graham crackers to make a pie crust.

You can discuss anything about cooking or baking here... If you want.

I like to cook and bake, but I'm lazy so I make quick, simple things. I always mess up my first time, though. It's pretty funny to see my first pancake, omelet, grilled cheese, etc. They look horrendous, but at least they still taste good. My first time making chi8kcen lemon rice it was way to think. I ended up adding several more cups of water than the recipe asked to thin it out. My mother also suggested adding way too much lemon despite the fact the recipe called for more. I suppose that's what you get for Googling recipes, though. I am also a picky eater, so I tend to modify things to my taste buds. Good thing the rest of my family eats anything. In all honesty, though, my mother cooks more than I do. I'm just that lazy.
I like baking better than cooking, but I'm afraid of ovens burning me. It's a stupid fear because I know I'll burn myself no matter what, but it's still creepy. The smell is intoxicating, though. I just love the smell of baking. It's always so warm and homely.

I tend to burn myself on the oven or stove every once in a while, but I'm not all that afraid of it. It's actually fun to anticipate what's going to happen next.

I burn myself if I touch the tea kettle. XD I burn easily, but I got used to it on the stove. For some reason fire isn't as intimidating as a 400 degree oven, though.

I went through a baking saga when I was in middle school.  I'd bake cookies, brownies, muffins, etc.  Then one day I suddenly realized I don't really like sweet stuff.   Now I cook more savory things and am pretty much a master at any dish that has potatoes.  I just now finished eating a baked potato actually.  Before I used to add a lot unhealthy things to baked potatoes like sour cream, different types of cheese, butter, etc. But over the years, I've managed to reduce the ingredients to healthier and simpler alternatives.  Good stuff.  

I like to cook and bake. I especially like experimenting with things. I like to just take some chicken and pasta and look through out spices and pantry cabinet to find out some things that might be good together. I ended up making this yummy stir fry... thing... at school once. Spaghetti, chicken breast cut up into bite-size pieces, frozen veggies, some seasonings, and soy sauce, all tossed around in a big pan on the stove. The pasta was boiled prior, obviously, but it was so good after I fried it up and tossed it around in some soy sauce.

I like experimenting with different spices when I cook spaghetti sauce. I try not to use garlic because my grandfather doesn't like it, but I always end up using a tiny dash of garlic in my sauce. My favorite herbs are basil and oregano, and my favorite powder is garlic powder.

I like baking but stick to cupcakes because my cakes usually sink in the middle!

I love to bake and cook. Cooking is part of my role as a parent as in my husband or myself should cook the dinner but I bake as a hobby. I bake lovely desserts or cakes. I have a second job whereby I bake cakes for people who order them. It is a good income on top of teaching.

My favourite cake to bake is red velvet

I do like to cook. It's fun, but it's also necessary for me; there's not a whole lot of vegetarian options at the fast food joints. But that's okay, because now I'm eating healthier food. I don't really experiment a lot as far as making up recipes or changing them, but I do like to to try new things. I'm always on the search for new recipes.
Baking is fun too, but I try to stay away from sweets. However, I would love to learn how to make really neat looking cakes like they do on Cake Boss and Ace of Cakes. It's like cake is an art form for them!

^^
I make quite well designed cakes. They take a lot of time and work but the end result is really beautiful but its a shame to eat it

I don't cook much, but I like to bake whenever I can. I just made some wonderful banana muffins a few days ago. :p I'd like to become wonderful at it, since it's just a nice thing to know how to do.

Today I made Tuna salad, Peanut Butter cookies, and then I finished up a Raspberry/Blackberry pie. The peanut butter cookies were fantastic. But the Tuna Salad was okay. I have to cut better, because I had to chew up a garlic clove when I was eating my tuna.

Mmmmm. The blackberry pie sounds delicious.

Luna you can always smash your garlic first with the side of the knife and the heel of your hand, then chop it. Much easier but be careful with that wide knife, or any knife really. Keep up your good work, you never know where it could lead you.  My daughter ended up with her own cake business and the last one she may before the baby was born was a Chapel that lite up and had beautiful snow drifts for a milatary wedding that fed 500 people.

My grandmother was also in a cake business. She made wedding cakes and stuff, so it was no surprise that when I saw my baby cousin's birthday cake that I found out that my grandma made it.

Thanks for the tips, by the way. And I'll keep up the good work, since it keeps my dad from having to cook dinner after working for 10 hours.

Hand claps for you Luna and I know your dad must love your cooking.

I'm 11 and I can't cook at all.

I made chocolate fondants from scratch not too long ago. There's something about creating cake from base ingredients that I find wonderful. Its a lot of work but worth it in the end.

I've unofficially taken over the cooking duties in my house. I started cooking over a year ago and enjoy it very much. I tend to cook by taste and smell and do not follow recipes that often. All I want to know from recipes is mainly temps and cooking time.

I actually made Pancakes from scratch yesterday. They were very yummy. The last time I tried to make pancakes from scratch, I burnt them and the batter was too thick.

I normally add stuff to recipes. Sometimes I don't even use recipes. But I still ask my dad if we can buy a cooking magazine with recipes every time we're in the grocery store or in Borders.

The Food Network is a great online resource for various recipes and general cooking knowledge. I subscribe to their magazine too.

I like to cook, but I'm not too fond of baking. The reason for that is, because I always put the mixer on too high of a setting.   I love to cook and GRILL.

The key to mixing is to ALWAYS start with the low setting. Once you get used to starting off at the slowest setting its a piece of "cake".  

But what if you're making "cookies"? Or "brownies"?

When making cookies or brownies, or anything that involves a mixer, always start with the low setting. Tomorrow I'm making baked macaroni and cheese. And over the weekend, I'm planning on making warm cake pudding substance.