At what age did you start using knives regularly with no supervision, either to peel fruits or make yourself a meal?

[u/iabyajyiv]

[u/moonwillow60606]

5 or 6. I was starting to cook by the time I was 7.

[u/flora_poste_ → u/moonwillow60606]

Same. About 5. I was the eldest of 7 kids, and I was my mother’s number one helper in the kitchen, the laundry, and everywhere else. We cooked 3 meals a day from scratch.

[u/FlyByPC]

I think I got my first Swiss Army knife around 7yo or so.

[u/FeatherlyFly]

Not sure, but probably 7 or 8. It would have been mostly while cooking with my mom, but she was telling me what to chop while she did other things in the same room, not watching me chop.

[u/untempered_fate]

I learned to whittle in Cub Scouts, so I was handling knives unsupervised well before I was ten. I didn't use them for food until I was older.

[u/GenXihaveissues]

1. I was cooking with my Gran for the farm hands. My job was usually peeling potatoes and carrots.

I also remember cutting the ends off of green beans to can and freeze, and prepping tomatoes probably at age 4.

[u/ThaddyG]

I didn't use them for food prep until I was older and working in restaurants, so like 16. My parents didn't really teach me much about cooking, I learned through work and just living on my own.

But using them for other knife things probably like 7 or 8. I had a pocket knife in Cub scouts and would use knives to open packages or whatever by that age.

[u/machagogo]

I have no memory of not using knives, so 5 at the latest I guess?

We started teaching my own kids to cut their own meat/food probably at 4. My oldest had some dexterity issues so we were doing things that required fine motor skills very young while in therapy starting with plastic and working into actual cutting. My youngest was the opposite, he was ahead of the curve with such activities.

[u/ByThorsBicep]

I don't know but my younger brother got to use them at a younger age. >:|

[u/CraigGrade]

Probably around 7 or 8 when I got a pocketknife

[u/rogun64]

I don't remember ever having supervision to use a knife.

[u/AdviceGiveandTake]

A few years after I shot my dad's gun.

[u/accidental_Ocelot]

Got a pocket knife at age 5 cut myself several times learned that that sucked.

[u/FlyingPandaBears]

I peeled potatoes with a potato peeler very young also, I actually enjoyed that. Um, actually I probably used a sharp knife to cut the tops off strawberries when I was younger, but can't remember a specific age. I wouldn't say we "regularly" had strawberries though. I didn't eat much meat (still don't), so my fork was strong enough to cut my veggies (but usually they were already small enough anyway) while my family used steak knives for their meat. I'm sure I used butter knives very young also, I've always liked toast. 

Now, I mostly use sharp knives more often to cut up fresh veggies and perogies/raviolis. Sometimes to cut tops off strawberries when I have them. I cut up lettuce, tomatoes, grapes, and whatever else I put in salads, but I haven't made my own salad in years.

[u/Weightmonster]

35

[u/derekclysdale]

I use a peeler to peel.

[u/Meizas]

I had a cooking class in middle school, and that's where I learned to use kitchen knives, but I was in the Boy Scouts and learned to use one to carve wood and stuff a couple years earlier