Cooking With Kids

Teaching Kids How to Cook
By Bill Long

Kids love to cook, and cooking with them can be a lot of fun, albeit sometimes a bit messy. In addition to having fun, there are some really good reasons to teach your children how to cook, such as:

You're spending time doing something with them, bonding and giving them the parental attention they need.

You're making memories - and memories that involve food are nurturing memories. What kinds of food memories do you have?

Decorating holiday cookies with your Mom? Helping Dad make his special barbeque sauce? You can be intentional about creating food memories with your children.

You're teaching and reinforcing learning, and they don't even know it. They are reading, doing chemistry and physics and practicing math.

You can pass along your family heritage to your children - and cooking with them gives you another opportunity to be intentional about it.

You are teaching them the skills they need to be successful adults. You have about 18 years to teach your children the life skills they need - and cooking is one of those skills.

Over the course of those 18 years, your children need to learn:

1. Kitchen and food safety


2. Cleanliness


3. How to choose ingredients


4. How to use utensils, knives and equipment


5. How to measure liquid and dry ingredients accurately


6. Cooking techniques


7. Nutrition


8. Meal planning


9. Menu planning


10. How to shop for food


11. How to budget for food and stay within the budget


12. Proper table setting and serving


13. Good table manners

It's really easy and fun to teach your kids to cook if you remember a few simple rules:

1. Safety first.


2. Adult supervision as needed.


3. Make it fun for everybody.


4. Give lots of positive reinforcement.


5. Keep it age-appropriate.

When you're teaching young children how to cook, it's important to establish firm safety rules and to enforce them. Children shouldn't use the stove or electric appliances until they are tall enough to reach them safely without standing on anything. They shouldn't use kitchen knives until they have sufficient fine motor coordination to use them safely - usually somewhere around age 10. Make sure your children understand the safety rules and why they are important.

Adult supervision is necessary whenever your child is learning a new kitchen skill. As the child becomes proficient in the skill, you can back off a bit and just check in periodically to see how he or she is doing. Later, you can be available if they need help. Eventually, the child will be able to perform the skill independently.

Children can begin to help in the kitchen at a very young age. Infants want to be wherever you are, but they can get underfoot and the kitchen can be a dangerous place. You can sit the baby out of the way and give him or her some plastic bowls and wooden spoons and he will usually play happily pretending to cook with Daddy or Mommy.

At two or three, the child can stand on a chair and pour ingredients that you've measured into a bowl. He or she can also help clear the table by removing placemats and napkins.

Preschoolers can spread peanut butter on bread with a dull knife, tear up lettuce for a salad, mash soft fruit, wash fruits and vegetables and stir things together (unless they are hot). Your preschooler can learn to set the table and can begin to learn basic table manners.

School age children can use the whisk, can opener and hand egg beater. They can measure ingredients and mix them in the right order. This is a good time to invest in a child-friendly cook book with recipes the child can make with minimal supervision. School age children are usually ready for restaurant manners.

By age 10 or so, your child can begin to use the stove, knives and mixer with supervision. He or she can prepare simple recipes and will take a lot of pride in making a dish for dinner. This is a wonderful age to start baking - they will enjoy making cakes and cookies. Preteens can set the table, including crystal and extra forks, and can learn how to serve meals. They are usually ready to participate in formal dinner parties, using correct manners.

Young teens can usually plan and prepare a meal with minimal supervision. They will enjoy planning the menu for a party, shopping for it and helping with the preparation. They can understand about nutrition and food safety and are able to make sure the kitchen is cleaned up when they are done cooking.

Older teens are on the cusp of adulthood, and are ready to learn about budgeting, menu planning and shopping. They will soon be on their own, using the cooking skills you've been teaching them for the past 18 years.

Teaching your kids how to cook is fun and rewarding. Watching your child acquire essential life skills and feel good about himself or herself is your first reward. Later, you'll enjoy the rewards of having your teenager surprise you with a birthday cake she made by herself, having your married daughter show up for Thanksgiving dinner with Dad's favorite casserole, or having your son call and ask for Grandma's chocolate chip cookie recipe-because he wants to make them with his kids.

Bill Long is the administrator of GatewayGourmet.com, a website with culinary how to's, resources and recipes for anyone interested in cooking by focusing on sauces and culinary schools.
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Christmas Treats Kids Can Make
By Joanne Greco

Most children enjoy creating, whether it's art, stories or cooking. Christmas is a great time of the year for children to create treats and snacks for guests or even to give as gifts. Here are a few simple recipes your child can start with.

1. Peanut Butter Crunch

1 stick of butter
1 cup of peanut butter
1 pound box of powdered sugar
1 large box of crispy corn cereal squares
12 oz package of milk chocolate chips

Melt the butter, peanut butter, & chocolate chips in large microwaveable bowl on medium until melted and stir. Empty the box of cereal in a large bowl and pour the chocolate mixture over the top and coat thoroughly. Pour the powdered sugar over the top and stir until all pieces are coated with sugar. Store in 2 large zipper bag in the refrigerator.

S'more Balls

16 ounce bag of large marshmallows
16 ounce bag of chocolate chips
16 ounce package of graham crackers
toothpicks

Crush the graham crackers until they are almost like powder and put them in a big bowl. Melt chocolate and stir often until smooth. Stick a toothpick in one of the marshmallows and dip it in the chocolate all the way. Then dip it in the graham cracker crumbs half way. Set on the wax paper to dry.

White Chocolate Mix

10 oz of mini twist pretzels
5 cups of toasted oat cereal
5 cups of crispy corn cereal squares
2 cups of salted peanuts
14 oz of candy-coated milk chocolate pieces
11 oz of white chocolate chips
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Line 3 baking sheets with waxed paper or parchment. In a large bowl, combine mini pretzels, toasted oat cereal, crispy corn cereal squares, salted peanuts, and candy-coated chocolate pieces. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chips and oil on medium-high for 2 minutes, stirring once. Microwave on high for 10 seconds; stir until smooth. Pour over cereal mixture and mix well. Spread onto prepared baking sheets. Break apart when it's cooled. Store in an airtight container.

For more information on Fun Recipes For Kids please go to: http://funeasyrecipesforkids.com/
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Pancake Clown:

1 Large Pancake
3 Orange Slices
2 Poached or fried Eggs
1/2 Cherry Tomato

To assemble the faces, place the pancakes on a plate, with eggs for eyes, orange slices for ears and mouth, and a tomato half for the nose

Apple Daisy:

2 Tbs. raisins
2 Tbs. crunchy or creamy peanut butter
1 Mcintosh apple

Set aside a few raisins for face. Stir remaining raisins into peanut butter. With apple corer or paring knife, remove core and seeds from apple. Using a small knife, push peanut butter mixture into center of apple. Make a happy face on top of peanut butter using reserved raisins. Arrange peanut halves around edge of peanut butter forming a circle. Chill before serving.

Dirt:

2 cups of milk
1 package of instant Chocolate Pudding
3 1/2 cups Cool Whip
16 oz Oreos
8 Gummy Worms (opt)
8 Plastic flowers (opt)
Pour milk into medium bowl, add pudding mix. Beat until well blended, 1 -2 minutes. Crush Oreos and set aside. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cool whip and half of cookies. To assemble: place 1 Tb crushed cookies in bottom of 8 oz cup. Fill cups about 3/4 full with pudding mixture. Top with remaining crumbs. Optional garnish: place flower in middle and put gummy worm halfway out o "dirt".