Kitchen Stories – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Kitchen Stories

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2015

83%

WISE Score

4.8

App Store

A well-designed cooking app that actually teaches you to cook, not just scroll through food porn you'll never make.

Kitchen Stories

app

Everyone, 2015

83%

WISE Score

4.8

App Store

A well-designed cooking app that actually teaches you to cook, not just scroll through food porn you'll never make.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Kitchen Stories is one of those rare apps that's actually useful and teaches a legitimate life skill. The interface is clean, the videos are professional, and the step-by-step approach makes cooking accessible without dumbing it down.

The community features are a nice touch but require some awareness—your kid will be sharing photos of their pasta carbonara, not their face, but they can still interact with strangers in comments. Kids Mode helps here.

The real win is getting kids comfortable in the kitchen. Cooking builds math skills (measurements, conversions), reading comprehension (following recipes), planning (timing multiple dishes), and actual independence. A 12-year-old who can make dinner is developing executive function and contributing meaningfully to the household.

It's free, well-reviewed by legit sources, and doesn't feel like it's trying to manipulate you into buying anything. In a sea of mindless apps, this one actually delivers value.

Age Fit

Best for ages 8+ with supervision for actual cooking, though teens 13+ can use it more independently. Adults will find it genuinely useful too—this isn't just a kids' app, it's a solid cooking resource for the whole family.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

A cooking app that promotes family bonding through meal preparation, encourages confidence-building in the kitchen, and fosters a supportive community of home cooks. The focus on everyday cooking, sharing experiences, and creating meals for loved ones models positive life skills and cooperation without any problematic content.

Imaginative

Offers creative exploration through thousands of recipes from different cuisines and cooking styles. Users can experiment with ingredients, adapt recipes, customize cookbooks, and share their own creations with the community. The step-by-step format guides creativity rather than demanding it, making it accessible but not wildly inventive—it's following recipes, not inventing from scratch.

Safe

A straightforward cooking app with instructional content, no concerning themes, and a community feature with photo sharing and comments. Kids Mode is available, which is good. The main safety consideration is the community interaction (comments, photo uploads) which requires some parental awareness, though the context is benign (sharing food photos). No ads mentioned, no aggressive monetization, and the core app is free with quality content.

Enriching

Teaches genuine life skills—cooking is one of the most practical, transferable abilities a person can learn. The HD videos, step-by-step instructions, measurement converters, and nutritional variety (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, low-carb) build competence and independence. Praised by Washington Post, Guardian, and Forbes for instructional quality. Develops planning, following directions, time management, and creativity in the kitchen.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Genuinely useful life skill that builds independence and confidence—kids who can cook are ahead of the game
Step-by-step HD videos and 'cooking mode' make it accessible for beginners, including kids and teens learning their way around the kitchen
Over 10,000 recipes with filters for dietary needs (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, low-carb) teach adaptability and nutrition awareness
Community features let users share their creations and get feedback, creating a positive social experience around food
Free app with quality content praised by major media outlets—no paywall blocking the good stuff

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What to Watch For

Community photo sharing and comments mean kids can interact with strangers—supervise younger users or stick to Kids Mode
Cooking involves knives, heat, and potential for burns/cuts—younger kids need direct supervision in the actual kitchen, obviously
The app itself is safe, but the real-world activity it enables requires age-appropriate responsibility

Conversation Starters

"What's something you'd like to learn to cook? Let's pick a recipe together and try it this weekend."
"How did following the step-by-step instructions work for you? Was anything confusing or did you figure out a better way?"
"Want to create a family cookbook in the app with everyone's favorite recipes?"
"If you could make dinner for the family once a week, what would you want to cook?"

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