Cooking is a life skill you'll use every day, at home, in camp, and on the trail. This badge teaches you to plan healthy meals, cook safely, and feed your patrol well. You'll gain confidence and probably some new favorite recipes.
Why it's worth it
Being able to cook means you can take care of yourself and the people around you, whether it's a family dinner, a patrol breakfast in the rain, or a hot meal at the end of a long trail day. On this badge you'll plan menus, shop on a budget, and cook in a kitchen, at camp, and on the trail. You'll come out of it with recipes you're proud of and the confidence to feed a crowd.
Start this week
- Pick one meal you'd like to learn to cook this week and ask someone at home to cook it with you.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Cooking counselor, and contact them with a parent copied.
- Ask your family and patrol about food allergies and dislikes, and write them down. You'll need them for every menu.
- Look at the troop calendar and find the next campout where you could plan or cook a patrol meal.
Plan ahead: Requirements 5 and 6 need campouts and a trail outing, which depend on the troop calendar. Plan those meals around upcoming trips early, and do the home cooking in between.
Stay safe
- Cook with an adult nearby, turn pot handles inward, and keep a lid handy to smother a grease fire. Never use water on a grease fire.
- Wash hands, keep raw meat separate, cook it to a safe temperature, and keep cold food cold in camp coolers.
Requirements · 7
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
Note: Meals cooked for requirements 4, 5, and 6 count only toward this badge (not rank or other badges), and their menus can't be repeated.
- Requirement 1
Health and safety
Tips for this section: Learn how to treat burns and cuts, and how to keep food safe. Ask your family about any food allergies.
- Requirement 1a
Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face while cooking and how to anticipate, prevent, mitigate, and respond to them
- Requirement 1b
Show how to prevent and give first aid for injuries and illnesses that can happen while cooking or eating, including allergic reactions, choking, cuts, and burns and scalds
- Requirement 1c
Describe how to store, transport, and properly prepare meat, fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, and fresh vegetables for cooking, and explain how to prevent cross-contamination
- Requirement 1d
Discuss with your counselor food-related illnesses and diseases, food intolerances, and food allergies, and explain why anyone who handles or prepares food must know about them
- Requirement 1e
Tell your counselor why it's important to read food labels, and explain how to find common allergens such as shellfish, soy, wheat, eggs, milk, tree nuts, and peanuts
- Requirement 2
Nutrition
Tips for this section: Use simple guidelines to plan balanced meals. Keep a food and activity log and look for healthy changes.
Example for this section: Keep a food and activity log and compare it with MyPlate. You might notice: "I hardly eat vegetables at lunch, and I'm most active on practice days." Plan one change, like adding fruit to breakfast.
- Requirement 2a
Food groups
- Requirement 2a1
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, give five examples of fruits, plus the recommended daily servings and serving size
- Requirement 2a2
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, give five examples of vegetables, plus the recommended daily servings and serving size
- Requirement 2a3
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, give five examples of grains, plus the recommended daily servings and serving size
- Requirement 2a4
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, give five examples of proteins, plus the recommended daily servings and serving size
- Requirement 2a5
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, give five examples of dairy foods, plus the recommended daily servings and serving size
- Requirement 2b
Explain why you should limit the oils and sugars you eat
- Requirement 2c
For five days, track your daily activity level and the calories you need based on it; then discuss with your counselor a one-day meal plan for yourself based on MyPlate
- Requirement 2d
Talk with your counselor about how you eat now and what you could change to eat healthier, based on MyPlate
- Requirement 2e
Discuss these food label terms: protein, sugar, dietary fiber, carbohydrate, sodium, cholesterol, trans fat, saturated fat, fat, and calorie; explain how to work out total carbohydrates and nutrition values for two servings from the label's serving size
- Requirement 3
Cooking basics
Tips for this section: Try different methods like baking, boiling, and frying. Plan so all parts of a meal are ready at the same time.
Example for this section: Explain timing with a real meal: start rice first because it takes 20 minutes, cut vegetables while it cooks, then stir-fry chicken last so everything is hot together. Compare how baking, boiling, and frying change taste and texture.
- Requirement 3a
Discuss these cooking methods, giving for each the equipment needed, how temperature is controlled, and at least one food it suits: Dutch oven, foil cooking, grilling, air frying, microwaving, simmering, pan frying, broiling, boiling, and baking
- Requirement 3b
Discuss the advantages of cooking on a camp stove on an outing compared with a charcoal or wood fire
- Requirement 3c
Describe to your counselor how you'd manage your time while cooking so every part of each course is ready to serve at the right moment
- Requirement 3d
Explain, with examples, how taste, texture, and smell affect what we eat
- Requirement 4
Cooking at home
Tips for this section: Plan your home meals with your family. Cook with an adult nearby and ask for honest feedback.
Example for this section: A home meal plan might be pancakes with fruit for breakfast, turkey wraps and soup for lunch, and baked chicken, roasted potatoes, and green beans for dinner. Write a shopping list with prices and ask your family for honest feedback.
- Requirement 4a
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, plan menus for three full days (three breakfasts, three lunches, three dinners) plus one dessert, enough for you and at least one adult, allowing for special needs like allergies and keeping food safe from cross-contamination; also list the utensils and equipment you'll need
- Requirement 4b
Find a recipe for each meal, make a shopping list with the amounts needed for the number of people you'll serve, and figure out what each meal costs
- Requirement 4c
Review your meal plan and shopping list together with your counselor
- Requirement 4d
Choose five or more of the 10 methods from requirement 3 and use them to cook and serve a breakfast, a lunch, a dinner, and a dessert from your plan to yourself and one or more adults, such as a parent, guardian, relative, or other responsible adult (meals can be on different days, and the adults served can differ)
- Requirement 4e
Time your cooking so each meal is ready to serve on schedule, and have an adult confirm to your counselor that you prepared it
- Requirement 4f
After each meal, have someone you served rate its presentation and taste, then rate it yourself; discuss with your counselor what you learned, what changes could have made it better, and how planning and preparation lead to a successful meal
- Requirement 5
Camp cooking
Tips for this section: Plan menus your patrol will enjoy. Practice your camp recipes at home first if you can.
Example for this section: Plan a patrol camp menu like foil-pack dinners, Dutch oven cobbler, and scrambled egg burritos. Include a cost per Scout, a cooler plan for cold food, and a cleanup plan with three wash tubs.
- Requirement 5a
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, plan a camping menu for your patrol or a similar group of up to 8 youth (including you): two breakfasts, a lunch, a dinner, a snack, and a dessert, with enough for everyone, allowing for special needs and preventing cross-contamination; also list the utensils and equipment you'll need
- Requirement 5b
Find or create recipes for the four meals, snack, and dessert, adjust them for the number of people, and make a shopping list and budget showing the cost per person
- Requirement 5c
Review your menu plans and shopping list together with your counselor
- Requirement 5d
Outdoors, following your menus and recipes, cook two of the four meals on a camp stove or backpacking stove, the third in a Dutch oven or skillet over campfire coals, and the fourth on a skewer or in a foil pack; serve every meal to your patrol or another group of youth
- Requirement 5e
Outdoors, following your menus and recipes, make the snack and dessert and serve both to your patrol or another group of youth
- Requirement 5f
After each meal, have those you served rate its presentation and taste, then rate it yourself; discuss with your counselor what you learned, changes that could have improved it, and how planning and preparation lead to successful outdoor cooking
- Requirement 5g
Lead a thorough cleanup of the equipment, utensils, and cooking site after each meal, and properly store or dispose of unused ingredients, leftovers, dishwater, and garbage
- Requirement 5h
Discuss how you practiced the Outdoor Code and Leave No Trace's Seven Principles while making your meals
- Requirement 6
Trail and backpacking meals
Tips for this section: Choose lightweight meals that are easy to cook and clean up on the trail. Test them before your trip.
Example for this section: Trail meals can be lightweight and simple: instant oatmeal with dried fruit, tortillas with peanut butter, and a one-pot pasta with dried vegetables. Repackage at home to save weight and trash.
- Requirement 6a
Using MyPlate or the current USDA model, plan a day of trail or backpacking meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack) for 3 to 5 people including you; the food must be light and need no refrigeration; list the equipment and utensils needed
- Requirement 6b
Make a shopping list showing the amount of food needed for each meal and what each meal costs
- Requirement 6c
Review your menu and shopping list together with your counselor, including how you'll repackage food to cut as much bulk, weight, and trash as possible
- Requirement 6d
During a trail hike or backpacking trip, make and serve a snack and two meals from your plan; cook at least one meal over a fire or on an approved trail stove, with proper supervision
- Requirement 6e
After each meal, have those you served rate its presentation and taste, then rate it yourself; discuss with your counselor what you learned, changes that could have improved it, and how planning and preparation lead to successful trail meals
- Requirement 6f
Explain to your counselor how to split the food and cooking gear among the patrol to share the load, and discuss how to clean the cooking area and store food so animals can't get it
- Requirement 7
Careers and hobbies. Choose 1 of 2
Tips for this section: Look into jobs like chef, dietitian, or food scientist, or keep cooking as a fun hobby.
- Requirement 7a
Name three careers that use cooking skills and knowledge; pick one and research its training, education, certification, experience, costs, job outlook, starting pay, and advancement, then discuss with your counselor what you learned and whether it interests you
- Requirement 7b
Identify how you could use cooking skills for a hobby or a healthy lifestyle; research extra training, costs, and organizations that could help, then discuss with your counselor what you learned and your short- and long-term goals
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A restaurant or institutional kitchen
See how cooks plan, prep, and keep food safe when they serve hundreds of meals a day.
How: Have an adult call during a quiet time of day and ask the manager or chef if your patrol could see the kitchen for 15 minutes.
A farmers market or community garden
Talk to growers about what's in season and how to pick good produce, then plan a meal around it.
How: Go with a parent or your patrol. Bring a short list of questions and a small budget for one ingredient.
Where it can lead
- Chef or line cookRuns a kitchen station or the whole menu; many start as prep cooks or through culinary programs.
- Registered dietitianPlans meals for hospitals, schools, and athletes based on nutrition science.
- Food scientistDevelops and tests new foods and keeps them safe on the way to the store.
- Military culinary specialistCooks for troops on bases, ships, and in the field.
- Food safety inspectorChecks restaurants and plants to make sure food is handled safely.
Ask yourself
- What's a dish you're proud you can make now that you couldn't before?
- What went wrong in the kitchen or at camp, and how did you fix it?
- How did it feel to cook for other people instead of only yourself?
- What did your food log tell you about your own habits?
- Which food or recipe from someone else's culture or family would you like to learn next?
Good questions to ask your counselor or a cook you admire
- What's the first meal you remember cooking, and how did it turn out?
- How do you plan a meal so everything is ready at the same time?
- How do you keep food safe when cooking for a big group?
- What are three things I should always have in a camp kitchen box?
- How do you change a recipe when someone has an allergy?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Let scouts plan and cook patrol meals on campouts, with adult guidance on food safety.
- Host a cooking contest where patrols try new recipes.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- MyPlate (opens in a new tab) — Guidance on balanced eating.
- FoodSafety.gov (opens in a new tab) — Tips for safe food handling.
- Family cooks and troop's older Scouts — Great for recipes and camp cooking tips.
- Dietary Guidelines for Americans (opens in a new tab) — The national nutrition guidelines that MyPlate is built on.
- Food Allergy Research & Education (opens in a new tab) — How food allergies work and how to cook safely for friends who have them.
Pairs well with
Helps you earn
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.