A major review of 35 studies found that young adults learn cooking skills in surprising ways after leaving home. Instead of relying mainly on what their parents taught them or what they learned in school, young people are teaching themselves through hands-on practice and using tools like social media and online videos. The research shows that moving out creates a natural opportunity to learn cooking because they suddenly need to feed themselves. Young adults are resourceful learners who figure things out by experimenting in their kitchens, learning from friends, and trying new recipes—often without formal classes or structured programs.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: How do young adults (roughly ages 18-29) learn to cook after they move away from their parents’ homes?
  • Who participated: This review looked at 35 different research studies conducted between 1990 and 2025 that included young adults learning to cook on their own.
  • Key finding: Young adults learn cooking mainly through doing it themselves and learning from everyday sources like social media, friends, and family—not from formal cooking classes or what they learned in school.
  • What it means for you: If you’re a young adult learning to cook, you’re probably doing it the right way by experimenting and using online resources. This suggests that hands-on practice is more important than formal instruction for developing real cooking skills.

The Research Details

Researchers looked at 35 different studies about how young adults learn cooking after moving out. They followed strict guidelines from the Joanna Briggs Institute, which is an organization that makes sure reviews are done carefully and fairly. The review included studies that used different research methods—some counted numbers and statistics, some interviewed people about their experiences, and some did both. By combining all these different types of studies, the researchers could see patterns across many different situations and get a complete picture of how young adults learn to cook.

The researchers searched five major databases for studies published over 35 years (1990-2025) to make sure they found all the important research on this topic. They also registered their plan ahead of time in a public database called Prospero, which helps prevent bias and shows that the review was done carefully and transparently.

This research approach matters because cooking is important for health and daily life. By looking at real-world studies of how young adults actually learn to cook, rather than just looking at what schools teach or what parents pass down, we get a better understanding of what really works. This helps us understand that learning happens in everyday life, not just in classrooms.

This is a high-quality review because it followed strict international guidelines for conducting systematic reviews. The researchers looked at many different types of studies (35 total), searched multiple databases to find all relevant research, and registered their plan beforehand to prevent bias. However, the review doesn’t give us a single number for sample size because it combined many different studies with different numbers of participants.

What the Results Show

The review found three major discoveries about how young adults learn to cook. First, moving out of your parents’ house is actually a really important time for learning cooking skills. When young adults suddenly have to feed themselves and manage their own kitchens, they’re motivated to learn. This new responsibility and the need to fit cooking into their daily routines pushes them to develop these skills.

Second, young adults are smart, capable learners who don’t just follow instructions—they experiment and figure things out. They try new recipes, learn from mistakes, and adapt cooking to fit their budgets and what’s available to them. They’re not passive learners waiting to be taught; they’re actively solving problems in their kitchens.

Third, and most importantly, young adults learn cooking mainly through doing it themselves and using many different sources of help. Social media, online videos, friends, family members, and trial-and-error are the main ways they learn. Surprisingly, formal cooking classes, school-based cooking education, and structured programs play a smaller role than many people think.

The review also found that the way young adults learn cooking is deeply connected to their real-life situations. Things like how much money they have, what kind of kitchen they have access to, and what their daily schedule looks like all affect how they learn. Learning cooking competence isn’t just about getting information—it’s about practicing in real conditions and adapting to everyday challenges.

Previous research has focused a lot on what parents teach their children about cooking and on school-based cooking programs. This review shows that while these things matter, they’re not the whole story. The research suggests that current understanding has underestimated how much young adults learn through everyday practice and real-world experience. It also shows that online tools and social media are much more important for learning than older research recognized.

This review has some important limitations to understand. The researchers didn’t do their own new study—they looked at existing studies, so the quality depends on those studies. The 35 studies they found may not cover all situations or all types of young adults equally. Some groups of young adults might be studied more than others. Also, because this is a review of many different studies with different methods, it’s harder to give one simple answer about exactly how much young adults learn from each source.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, here are practical suggestions: If you’re a young adult learning to cook, embrace hands-on practice and don’t worry if you don’t have formal training—that’s normal and effective. Use online resources like videos and recipes freely available on social media and cooking websites. Learn from friends and family members who cook. If you’re a parent, know that your kids will likely learn cooking through doing it themselves after they move out, so focus on encouraging them to try cooking and supporting their experiments. If you’re an educator or policymaker, consider that cooking education might be more effective if it emphasizes hands-on practice and real-world problem-solving rather than just teaching recipes.

This research is most relevant to young adults (ages 18-29) who are learning to cook or about to move out. It’s also important for parents, teachers, and anyone who designs cooking education programs. If you’re interested in health and nutrition, this matters because cooking skills affect what people eat. However, this research is less relevant to people who already have strong cooking skills or to children still living with parents.

Learning cooking competence isn’t something that happens overnight. Based on the research, young adults typically develop cooking skills gradually over months and years after moving out. You might see basic improvements in a few weeks of regular cooking, but developing real competence—being able to cook a variety of meals, adapt recipes, and cook efficiently—usually takes several months to a year or more of regular practice.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track the number of different recipes or meals you cook each week. Set a goal like ‘cook 3 new recipes this week’ or ‘cook dinner at home 4 times this week.’ This helps you build the hands-on practice that research shows is most important for learning cooking skills.
  • Use the app to save recipes from social media and cooking websites that interest you, then schedule time to try them. Create a simple checklist of basic cooking skills you want to learn (like making pasta, roasting vegetables, or cooking rice) and check them off as you master them. This turns everyday cooking into intentional practice.
  • Over the next 3-6 months, track how many different meals you can cook confidently without looking at a recipe. Also note which sources help you most (videos, friends, trial-and-error, etc.). This helps you see your progress and understand your own learning style, which the research shows is important for developing real cooking competence.

This review summarizes research about how young adults learn cooking skills and should not be considered medical or nutritional advice. The findings are based on observational studies and do not prove that any particular cooking method is healthier than another. If you have specific dietary needs, food allergies, or health concerns related to nutrition, please consult with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian. This research describes general patterns and may not apply to every individual’s situation.