Would you let a 9.5 year old use the oven?

[Dancergirl]

My oldest dd may be taking part in a youth ballet company from next term. This would mean Friday evening rehearsals. The venue is a little way from home so unless I can find someone to bring her home, I would have to wait until she's finished.

We always have a roast dinner on Fridays and normally around 5-6pm I am busy cooking. Do you think it would be ok if I let my dd2 put everything in the oven at the right time? This would involve putting the par-boiled potatoes in the hot roasting tin and then in the oven and putting the chicken in the oven (I would prepare everything in advance so it's all ready).

This isn't starting until September and runs till next March so dd2 would be nearly 10 by then (Jan birthday). And I would obviously do it with her time and time again over the summer until she's confident and I'm happy that she's safe.

ds (8yo) makes roast dinner by himself. We buy those oven bags that you just stick everything inside and seal up, chicken, seasoning and veg together. The oven is hot, but the roasting tray is cold when he puts it in, so far he hasn't burnt himself on the oven shelf. He does the green veg and gravy on the stove, but I definitely wouldn't let him do that without an adult around.

The potatoes are not as nice and crispy as when you do them separately in hot fat, but they're ok. Totally edible. I wouldn't let him near hot fat unless I was in the house, probably hovering anxiously in the kitchen.

I used to run a pub, including all the cooking, much of it stuff with chips or carvery.

I have quite a lot of tiny scars from being splashed with hot fat & it blooming well HURTS - I wouldn't trust a 10 year old not to drop the lot over herself if she once splashed herself, tbh. She could be really badly hurt.

You could do boulangere potatoes maybe? No reason why she couldn't put those, & the chicken, in the oven, but would eliminate being spat at by hot fat...