Yeah, well my kid can cook!

Get your kids in  the kitchen early, get them cooking often, and by 10 you’ll not have to fix lunches ever again. That is really my ulterior motive for teaching the boys how to cook (just like Dad’s when he begins introducing C to the fun of pushing the lawn mower). It’s working for me buwhahahahahahaha (picture me wringing my hands together maniacally).

Actually, the boys LOVE coming into the kitchen to help me cook, and ask often if they can cook lunch or breakfast. I’ve had them in the kitchen helping scoop, stir, taste, sort and plan since they were small. It also helps reinforce motor skills, teaches math, science, social studies, health, botany, and everyday home ec. skills. I hope that their future wives will love me for it!

 

 

Yumm..Alton Brown's Turbo Hummus - a staple in our house. Recipe follows!

 

Here are some tips to creating young chefs in your house!

* SAFETY FIRST – can’t stress this enough. Until your children are mature enough to understand….no sharp points and no heat. Don’t give them knives until they have practiced the skills, keep them away from all heat sources (ovens, boiling water, heat sources). Use kid friendly wooden or metal spoons, non-glass measuring implements and bowls, etc.

* START WITH THE TONGUE – I can’t stress enough how important it is to have your baby / toddler tasting a wide variety of food long before you have them whipping up Baked Alaska in the kitchen for your dinner parties by the age of 8. Giving our children a mature palette (that doesn’t rely on carbs and peanut butter – not that I have one of those children) helps create good eaters who are interested in food and more likely to want to be in the kitchen helping out for more than just the cookie bakes.

* LICKING THE SPOON – This is where my kids first wanted to help. Stirring. Tasting. Stirring some more. Tasting some more. As soon as I could, I had a chair or stool pulled up to the table and counter, letting the boys stir. They felt empowered that they were doing something big. And they got to taste the results of all that stirring by licking the spoon! It develops fine and gross motor skills and cause and effect. Some kitchen chemistry happens in there somewhere, too!

* MEASURE ONCE THEN DUMP – Not only are you developing the beginning math skills with real world examples (fractions, addition, multiplication, sorting, etc.), you’re creating a skill of learning HOW to measure correctly for optimum baking, getting them familiar with what goes into their food, and helping them want to learn more. This was the next big step for both of my guys – getting to do the actual dumping. You’re also reinforcing READING! Who knew recipe cards could be the key to reading success!

* THERE’S GONNA BE A MESS COMIN’ – Yep, for many of us, this is a cringe-worthy reason to not have our kids in the kitchen. I get it. The mess that results seems to overwhelm the fun and learning. But trust me…really trust me (ask me about the 5lb bag of flour on the kitchen floor, the sticky pancake mix on the ceiling, the blueberry stains in my favorite shirt) it’s absolutely worth it. It takes a little time for the little ones to get control and move about the kitchen like June Allison, but it will come, even with a few spills along the way.

* MENU PLANNING – Getting to have input on meals for the family allows our children to really think about their food, what they like, why they like it, and how often they can get it on the menu (yes, if we allowed A to plan our meals, we’d have peanut butter and jelly, pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches every meal for the rest of our lives and he would be happy).  They get to  help guide what happens in the family, which is a big power thing. Usually, our children are given food..and they have to eat it. I remember the day A could first begin reading the menu planner on the kitchen door, and was so excited to know what was for dinner on his own (and HALLELUJAH..he wasn’t asking me 15 times a day what was for dinner). It also helped him prepare for those meals that weren’t his favorite (sometimes that meant spending the day whining about it, but most days, it means he can be prepared and we don’t have as much dinnertime drama).  You can also use menu planning to help have meals that your children will want to help prepare to get them into the kitchen for more than the cookie baking sessions.

* TEACH THOSE SKILLS - before handing your chef’s knife to your 8 year old (you know, that 15 inch long blade that can cut paper and slice a tomato after sawing through a cinder block that you break out whenever you just know the weird neighbor kid is trying to break into your house), teach them the proper knife skills. Generally, it’s encouraged that you don’t hand a knife over to a child until they’re 10-12. But we practice with a small knife with soft veggies early on to give some confidence in handling knives. We teach proper finger placement (curl those fingers UNDER !), proper knife grip, and gentle motions. I’m still not ready to hand over my chef’s knife, but we do occasionally practice with it and build confidence.  The same goes with how to handle stove top cooking, getting in and out of the oven, microwave niceties, etc.

* LET THEM EAT LUNCH – after they’ve prepared it themselves! Help your child develop a good, healthy lunch, and then walk away! Let them do it themselves. You can control the type of food that they’ll be preparing – sandwiches are usually a really great first meal. You’re helping reinforce good healthy food choices, as well as giving them confidence that they can do it!

* KID’S COOKBOOKS – When they’re young, children’s cookbooks can be first great starts in teaching kids how to read recipes and make food that is enjoyable to them. Be sure that you’re using one that provides healthy versions of food. Your local library will have a ton to choose from.

* PINT SIZED UTENSILS & CLOTHES – It can be helpful, in those early years, to have some utensils that fit the grasp of a young child better than adult versions. It will allow them to better gain the skills than being overwhelmed by a huge spoon they can’t control. Same goes for kitchen ware – pint-sized aprons are a must! Daddy’s shirts are good, as well as using an apron you’ve decorated just for them!

If nothing else, just having  your children by your side while you’re preparing meals is a great way to get them introduced to cooking. Letting them see how you bake bread, prepare the meals, shop, plan, and eat healthy gives them good guidelines for their lives.

And, as promised, one of the boys’ favorite recipes – they can pretty much prepare this themselves..with just a little guidance from Mom.

ALTON BROWN ‘s Turbo Hummus link here

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic
• 1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained and liquid reserved
• 2 to 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
• A handful fresh parsley leaves
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Chop the garlic finely in a food processor. Add the beans and 1/2 of the reserved liquid and process finely or to desired consistency. Add the peanut butter, parsley, lemon zest and juice, black pepper, and salt. Process until it forms a paste. Drizzle in the olive oil and process until it reaches the consistency of mayonnaise.

Serve this with pita bread, pita chips, tortillas, tortilla chips, vegetables, and dare I say…fingers ! We even use it as spread for sandwiches.

Do you have any great tips for helping your kids learn to love the kitchen?

Advertisement