Food for kids to cook

frbillie

frbillie

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I've seen the discussion here about whether or not it is appropriate to teach kids to cook at an early age. I personally think that it is okay to start teaching them young. But my question to those of you who do is what are some of the foods that you started off teaching them to cook. I'm sure you didn't get them in the kitchen at 5 or 8 years old and go through the steps and wranglings of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner. :D

I always started mine off with cookies and other baked goods from scratch so that they can have the fun of mixing the ingredients, making a mess and eating the residual batter. I started them with such things when they were around 4 or 5 years old. It's usually not until they get a few years older that I teach them to actually cook at the stove, at which time we typically start with scrambled or fried eggs and maybe some pancakes or a cheeseburger.

Do you think that there is a limit on what a child should learn how to cook before they reach a certain age?
 
That's a great question. Personally I hate baking from scratch with kids because it is a huge mess and I don't need any added cleaning responsibilities.

My son was drawn to cooking even at a really young age. I let him play with some mixing bowls, fake apples, cooing racks, muffin tins, etc. and when he was 2 still in diapers he would sit on the kitchen floor mixing up his apples, pouring them to other bowls, lining them his cooling rack, and using the oven mitts to carry everything around. He was so cute:)

Anyways then he always started moving a chair over so he could get up and see what I was doing, at 2 he just grabbed an egg and cracked it perfectly into an omelette pan and said I did it! Then I had him cutting eggs and mixing egg salad, cutting pieces of red peppers, adding spices to things, etc. With the exception of the stove, electronics, and raw meat, I let him do about everything he wants supervised.
 
My 23yr old kid is in the kitchen making breakfast and for me that's a big thing. I regret I did not get him in the kitchen when he was 5 or 8 to tell you the truth. That said, if I had to do it all over again I would get them in there as early as possible, boy or girl. Breakfast dishes, mac and cheese and ramen type things I would introduce them to early.
 
Food for kids to cook:

Breakfast and all related items ( Frenchtoast, Eggs, Sausage, Pancakes) - there always is a call for this, most times. It's very simple and easy to teach. Each one of these meals takes ~10 mins or under.

Burger patties (making the raw meat into patties by rolling in eggs, bread crumbs, and various seasonings already put out in a bowl) or just let them make them into burger patties and just do em up like that. Either way, this goes good with Hotdogs, another easy-to-follow directional cookmeal.
 
I think getting kids in the kitchen and teaching them to cook at an early age is a fantastic idea! I would start mine off with the simplest of things, like some of the posters have said on things like breakfast (eggs, hot dogs, pancakes and simple sandwiches). I love baking with my little ones, getting them to mix up the ingredients and have fun with them.
 
My oldest grandson is a picky eater, my daughter was concerned that he was not eating enough. At 4-5 I taught him how to make his own scrambled egg which he had no problem eating as he had made it. I think eggs are always a safe bet to start the kids off with. My youngest grandson is 13 and with help he makes the deviled eggs for family dinners and get togethers. He makes a mess but he is very proud to tell whoever will listen that he made the devil eggs.
 
elles-belles said:
I think getting kids in the kitchen and teaching them to cook at an early age is a fantastic idea! I would start mine off with the simplest of things, like some of the posters have said on things like breakfast (eggs, hot dogs, pancakes and simple sandwiches). I love baking with my little ones, getting them to mix up the ingredients and have fun with them.
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I'll tell you this: they might not love you for it now, but when they're on their own they will thank the fact you took them in and taught them how to make certain things. Along with how everything comes inside of a box these days, they'll have an understanding about how to spice pre-made meals to make them better, or how to cook some nice muffins from scratch.

I know I thanked my parents.

Now for the original topic here are three recipes that qualify as kid friendly, and they happen to involve cheese a lot of time:

Toasted or Grilled Cheese sandwiches (Everyone generally likes these. They can made to order or just simple cheese with nothing else.)
Baked Mozzarella bits (make your own breadcrumb mixtures and bake chunks of mozarella cheese (or deep fry them) for some good quick snacks.
Dips (french onion, etc) for chips, celery, and greens. Dips are easy to make, and easier to clean if they spill it.
 
Pat said:
My oldest grandson is a picky eater, my daughter was concerned that he was not eating enough. At 4-5 I taught him how to make his own scrambled egg which he had no problem eating as he had made it. I think eggs are always a safe bet to start the kids off with. My youngest grandson is 13 and with help he makes the deviled eggs for family dinners and get togethers. He makes a mess but he is very proud to tell whoever will listen that he made the devil eggs.
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My 11-year-old grand nephew is becoming quite the cook!

He devotes practically his entire time at home to cooking & baking, after doing his school homework, when most of the meals are being prepared by his mom. But still, he's a picky eater. He has even done the entire meal of his own accord, at times. I let HIM run the show when I'm there, so that he can feel comfy doing what he likes to do best!

He got a lot of cooking equipment for his birthday, and so, now, he's also the King of Kitchen Toys!!. I taught him some things, but now when I'm visiting him & his family and I want him to do a favorite dish that everyone likes, he wants to do it himself. So he boots me out of the kitchen!! "You can help ME."; he says. He likes to make what has now become his favorite dessert - Magic Cookie Bars! I taught him how to do that, and now HE wants to do it on his own! He's remembering how to do it now. Hah!! :wink:
 
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Haha, at least you were training him good from a young age. He'll make quite the cook and his ladies will be happy that their man cooks for them, too. It's a win win!

For more kid-friendly dishes, I find anything with dough is good. From rolls to baking, it's easy to teach them how long to wait and watch.
 
Shimus said:
Haha, at least you were training him good from a young age. He'll make quite the cook and his ladies will be happy that their man cooks for them, too. It's a win win!

For more kid-friendly dishes, I find anything with dough is good. From rolls to baking, it's easy to teach them how long to wait and watch.
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Thanks. He hasn't gotten into working with dough yet that I know of, but I'm sure that he will when he gets a little older. I'd first start him off with making pie crust and eventually move up from there.

He'll need me again for some things, trust me.
He still has a ton of stuff to learn. There are a lot of things that he has to know. I want to help & convince him to get away from using spaghetti sauce in the jar to making his own sauce from scratch. He needs to eventually become independent, put those premade foods to bed and learn how to do things from scratch.

He has asked me; "Uncle Shermie, why won't you use spaghetti sauce in the jar?" I said to him; "Because a true authentic cook who knows how to make his own sauce is the mark of a very well-seasoned cook." He wanted to know what well-seasoned means. I told him that well-seasoned means that a person is very well knowleged at doing something good and is able to cook most things from scratch. He then asks; "Was your mom a good cook?" I said: "Yes, she was a very good cook."

Then I said to him; "You still have a lot to learn about cooking, and you'll pick up on things as you go along. But for now, you're using what makes you happy. I started out the same way. But you'll want to be able to make stuff from the knowledge & experience that you'll gain along the way." "What does gain mean?", he asked. Told him that to gain means the knowledge & experience that he learns and acquires along the way.

He is very curious & inquisitive, and that's good, because as I said, he picks up on a lot of stuff and learns quite fast. I think that is the true beauty of him wanting to cook! He does very well, and the things that he does not quite understand, he'll become very good at as he goes along & gets a little older!

I just can't say enough about him!! He spends the bulk of his time working in the kitchen with food & cooking! Most kids, like his brother, are into videos games, his sister is into dolls & hair styling and other things, but THIS boy just loves to cook & bake! It is his sole desire & passion for the gifted talent that he has, as well as his drive to become a great cook or chef when he gets a little older! :wink:
 
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This meal was done yesterday by the master chef - my 11-year-old grand nephew at his house!!
Check out his chef's hat. Hah!! :wink:
 
Most breakfast foods are pretty easy to make, so stuff like crepes, waffles, bacon, etc. If you're REALLY worried that they'll burn themselves or something then they could help make salads and cold foods (sandwiches for example)
 
if you saw your kids always in the kitchen watching you and asking you many things while you are cooking it only means they have interest to what you are doing. It is just okay if you will teach them at a young age but only the simple basics in cooking that a child can do and the ones that will not do harm to them. I remembered I had a nephew when he was still a child 8 years old he was always in the kitchen watching her grandmother which is my mom. He always like to help like peeling the garlic, chopping the onions and sometimes do the sauteing at that young age. He was very observant whoever cooks in the kitchen and we are not surprised anymore at the age of 10 years old he can cook spaghetti pasta already, knew how to cook pancakes and makes dessert too. Now he was a high school student already and he knows how to cook some main dish already which is a big help to my sister because he always want to help her in her cooking. My nephew want to become a chef that is why in College he will take up a course in Culinary Arts. Cooking is really in his passion even at a young age and I do hope his dream will come true in the future.
 
frbillie said:
I've seen the discussion here about whether or not it is appropriate to teach kids to cook at an early age. I personally think that it is okay to start teaching them young. But my question to those of you who do is what are some of the foods that you started off teaching them to cook. I'm sure you didn't get them in the kitchen at 5 or 8 years old and go through the steps and wranglings of cooking a Thanksgiving dinner. :D

I always started mine off with cookies and other baked goods from scratch so that they can have the fun of mixing the ingredients, making a mess and eating the residual batter. I started them with such things when they were around 4 or 5 years old. It's usually not until they get a few years older that I teach them to actually cook at the stove, at which time we typically start with scrambled or fried eggs and maybe some pancakes or a cheeseburger.

Do you think that there is a limit on what a child should learn how to cook before they reach a certain age?
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Bake goods are a good way to start the children out, I have a bread maker which does most of the work, my boys can just add in the ingredients and push the start button. What is even more important, before a parent teaches a child how to cook is to teach them what proper nutrition is about. The parent should set a good example by having healthy choices in the home. This will go along way in keeping the whole family healthy.
 
My 11-year-old grand nephew mainly likes to bake cookies, cakes & easy deserts when he DOES bake!
When he heard about the Magic Cookies Bars, not only did he begin liking them. He wanted to try doing it himself!! After a few tries, he began mastering the art of how to layer the ingredients in the baking pan. Now, he won't let me do it for him any more. He does it on his own!! Hah!!

He's comfy with what he likes to do. As he gets a little bit older, I'm sure that he will broaden his culinary skills & gain more knowlledge with things. :wink:
 
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