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Cooking with a dog at home: a safer kitchen

To cook with a dog at home, start by clearing your routes, setting aside a place where your dog can settle, and putting both food and waste out of reach. These preparations avoid having to move the dog while carrying a hot saucepan. Dinner already takes a little coordination; there is no need to add a slalom between the sink and the colander.

Plan your routes before cooking

Think through the movements your recipe involves: opening the oven, reaching the sink, draining pasta, taking out a dish and setting it down. Keep these routes clear and leave a free surface for hot cookware. Your dog’s bed should be neither in front of a door nor between the hob and the sink.

Next, gather the ingredients and utensils. The guide to organising your preparation helps you plan the steps and avoid searching for things while cooking. Add one simple check: can you make every movement without stepping over or moving the dog out of the way?

If the room is too small, prepare a separate space for the dog while you handle hot food and cookware. A door or suitable barrier should let you cook with the dog away from the work area, in a place where the dog feels comfortable and its needs, including access to water, are met. If your dog finds this arrangement distressing, work out another setup before turning on the heat.

Set up a quiet spot away from walkways

A familiar mat or bed can help define this spot. Choose a quiet location, then let your dog explore it before using it during meal preparation. Opening the oven is a poor time to start a training session.

To introduce this spot gradually, Encyclopedog explains how to teach a dog to go to a mat using rewards (guide in French). The guide covers the first approaches to the mat, when to give a reward, and how to progress in a new environment.

Your dog must be free to leave the mat: this exercise does not guarantee that the dog will stay lying down while you cook. When handling very hot items, arrange a suitable separation rather than relying only on a cue. Make sure the other people in the household know the plan too: they need to know where the dog can move around and avoid calling it into your path.

Put ingredients and scraps away as you work

Put the shopping away before cooking. Keep dishes waiting to be served, packaging and food that could be grabbed away from the edge. Have an inaccessible container for scraps while chopping, followed by a bin that the dog cannot open or knock over. A tied bag on the floor is not enough if your dog can tear it open.

Onion and garlic are toxic to dogs, including when cooked or dried. They can also be present in a sauce or ready-made dish: removing the visible pieces does not make the rest suitable for your dog to eat. These risks are explained in the PDSA veterinary guide to onion and garlic poisoning.

After slicing an onion, clear away the scraps and pick up anything that has fallen before continuing. Apply this routine to other ingredients and leftovers too: onion and garlic are not the only foods that are dangerous for a dog. Do not leave floor-cleaning duties to your dog.

Keep separate utensils for the dog’s food

Set aside a scoop or spoon for serving the dog’s food. Wash and dry the serving utensils and food bowl after every use, as the FDA recommends for storing and serving pet food.

If you stroke the dog, prepare its bowl or handle its belongings, wash your hands with soap and water before returning to your recipe. The CDC recommends washing after contact with animals and their equipment, and before preparing food.

Make one last check before serving

Before moving the dishes, check these four points:

  • The dog is away from your route and hot cookware.
  • Ingredients, leftovers and waste are out of reach.
  • The area where you will set down the dishes is clear.
  • The dog’s resting spot remains accessible and quiet during the meal.

If you think your dog has swallowed a dangerous food or object, contact a vet immediately, even if there are no symptoms. Keep the packaging or ingredient list, and give the time and estimated amount swallowed. Do not try to induce vomiting without veterinary instructions. The PDSA explains what to do after a potentially harmful ingestion.

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Guide

Cooking with a dog at home: a safer kitchen

Cooking with a dog takes a little planning: keep walkways clear, put food and waste out of reach, and prepare a quiet place where your dog can rest.

Guide

3D-printed kitchen storage: measure before printing

Plan 3D-printed kitchen storage to fit your drawer and its contents: check internal dimensions, room for your hands and a mock-up before you start printing.

Guide

Measuring flour: why the weight of a cup varies

A cup of flour can have different weights. Compare the references of 120 g, 125 g and up to 160 g, along with their methods and limits.

Recipe

Carrot and red lentil soup: choose your texture

Make carrot and red lentil soup for four with a gentle simmer, tender vegetables and water added at the end to give the soup the texture you prefer.

Recipe

Tomato and chickpea pasta: coat every piece

Make tomato and chickpea pasta for four, coordinate the cooking and loosen the sauce with a little pasta water just before bringing it to the table.

Recipe

Roast potatoes: even pieces and a golden finish

For oven-roasted potatoes, cut even-sized pieces, leave room on the tray and check the centre as well as the colour before serving this side dish.

Recipe

Apple crumble: tender fruit and golden crumbs

Make apple crumble for four with small pieces of fruit, a topping kept in loose crumbs and a planned resting time before bringing dessert to the table.

Ingredient

Carrot: match the cut to the dish

Prepare carrots to suit the dish: rounds for soup, dice for sauce or sticks as a side, with practical pointers for checking their texture during cooking.

Ingredient

Red lentils: cook for a soft, thick soup

Learn to cook red lentils in soup: rinse them, keep an eye on the liquid, adjust the final texture and understand why other pulses are not a direct swap.

Ingredient

Chickpeas: dried weight and drained weight differ

When cooking chickpeas, distinguish dried, net and drained weights, then prepare the right product for your sauce and the amount the recipe calls for.

Ingredient

Apple: choose the cut and texture for dessert

Prepare apples for dessert by weighing at the right stage, choosing the size of the pieces and watching how the variety and baking dish affect texture.

Utensil

Chef’s knife: set up a steady board and controlled cut

Use a chef’s knife with a steady board and a controlled grip, then learn about careful cleaning and storage, without a commercial product comparison.

Utensil

Saucepan: leave room to cook and stir

Choose a saucepan with room to stir, a base suited to the hob and heating and cleaning instructions specific to your model before starting the recipe.

Guide

Soften an onion: cook gently without burning

To soften an onion, prepare what comes next before heating, watch the colour and adjust the heat before adding garlic, tomatoes or the recipe’s liquid.

Guide

Plan your preparation: cook in a useful order

Plan your cooking by reading the recipe, weighing and cutting before heating, then preparing a clean workspace and containers for managing leftovers.

Ingredient

Onion: choose, slice and prepare for the hob

Choose a storage onion, distinguish slices from small dice and prepare the required amount and the next ingredients before heating your saucepan.

Ingredient

Potato: sort and cut before roasting

Before roasting potatoes, sort the tubers, check the weight before peeling and cut similar-sized pieces on a steady board, ready for the oven tray.

Utensil

Frying pan: choose the useful base and cooking surface

When choosing a frying pan, check the usable base, side height and food-contact surface, then follow the model’s instructions for cooking and care.

Material

Stainless steel: understand the pan before use

Understand stainless steel cookware: the food-contact surface, base construction, hob compatibility and maintenance need checking for each utensil.

Material

Enamelled cast iron: identify and protect the surface

With enamelled cast iron, distinguish enamel from seasoning, heat according to the instructions and protect the inner surface during cooking and cleaning.

Material

PTFE non-stick: prevent overheating and surface wear

Identify a PTFE non-stick coating, avoid heating an empty pan and use suitable cooking and cleaning methods while keeping the different risks in perspective.

Guide

Slice an onion: make even half-moon slices

To slice an onion, rest each half flat, work at your own pace and prepare the next ingredients before heating, without trying to match a demonstration’s speed.

Tools

Kitchen converter: grams, ml and US cups

Convert grams, ml and US cups for six ingredients. Check the quarter-cup reference values and choose the right units before measuring your ingredients.

Tools

Adjust the proportions of your own recipe

Adjust your recipe for the servings you want or an ingredient you have: enter a base, then calculate the quantities while keeping their original units.

Tools

Switch between Celsius and Fahrenheit for the oven

Convert an oven temperature between Celsius and Fahrenheit, from 0 to 350 °C, using the exact formula and without automatic adjustments for fan cooking.

Tools

Scale a recipe for a round or square baking pan

Compare the base areas of two pans and adjust the ingredient amounts to keep the batter about the same depth.