cooking with kids

This is our disclaimer. Cooking with kids is not for everyone. It is not for every child and, in as much, it is not for every adult. Also, it is important to note that the purpose of this blog is to inform people of our cooking and recipe experiences. Will’s Kitchen is for informational purposes and is not intended to provide medical advice or political views.

Will strives to see results and loves to work. He also has a tremendous amount of patience but does occasionally grab at things that he shouldn’t. Therefore, we keep him busy with spice shakers, mixing bowls, brushes and ingredients that will not hurt him. It has been our experience, thus far, that by including him in the process, he is most likely to eat  – or at least try the results. Here are a few hints and suggestions if you are thinking about doing this with your son or daughter.

• make sure they are not overly tired and make sure that they really want to do this… some kids just want to play with their toys
• keep them away from the obvious – sharp tools; heat or extreme cold; glass; raw meats; ingredients, such as onions or pepper, that may cause unwanted reactions
• make sure you are making something that they can eat (stating the obvious) — no alcohol, hot spices or things that you don’t like yourself
• sometimes, chopping and prep work needs to be done while the child is not around
• make sure they have a safe stool to stand on so that they are at counter level with you AND that they are skilled at climbing off and on
• encourage tasting during the process — and I am not suggesting that you eat all the cookie dough
• have empty salt; spice and pepper shakers on hand so that they can mimic you
• give them a set of their own plastic or metal mixing bowls and spoons
• allow them to play with the flour– even if the recipe does not call for it
• when possible, encourage them to stir ingredients
• when oiling a pan, give them the plastic brush to paint it on
• having a snack and juice at the same time (depending on the time of day) is always fun too
• get really excited when the dish is done and try to taste right away when cooled
• be prepared to clean up a mess — and make it okay to make the mess
• include the child in the clean-up process
• clean after cooking or putting baked goods into the oven
• patience, patience, patience
• remember that all of this is a learning experience and scolding will only lead to tears

This all being said, remember that the goal of cooking and baking with your child/children is to interact, teach, enhance and in-short, spend time with them.