Involving your kids when cooking

[allisonwinters]

Hi everyone, new member here.

I have a daughter (Age 7). I have fond memories of helping my parents cook when I was younger, but they were both professional chefs so cooking and teaching came natural to them. I wasn't blessed with the cooking skill, and while I can cook well enough to feed my family, we aren't talking really exotic or elaborate meals here (part of why I joined this forum...to try to change that!)

Anyway, I guess my question is do you guys have any tips for how in involve my daughter when I cook? How do I spark an interest in cooking in her? When I do things like make brownies or something, I'll have her help me get the ingredients, help me stir, etc. but she gets bored in a few minutes and leaves. I don't want to force it on her of course, but I think it's a little important for her to learn about food. Plus, we home school,and I thought that this would be a fun way to talk about food science, how different ingredients react, where our food comes from, etc.

Any tips? I know this is kind of a broad and weird question.

Thanks everyone

 

[GadgetGuy]

Usually, kids will automatically offer to help with the cooking, or at least the preparation of the food before it goes on the stove or in the oven. They usually ask to help.

My 11-year-old grand nephew (whose pic appears in my avatar) became interested in cooking & baking when he was your daughter's age. When his parents first told me that he wanted to follow in my footsteps and become a cook or a chef when he grows up, I was so thrilled!

Two years later at 9 years old, he began working with food, helping his mom make breakfast, lunch & supper. Now at age 11, he often does an entire meal of his own accord!! All by himself! He's done this so many times, at home in Georgia, and here last summer at my house! He was given a whole slew of cooking equipment for his 11th birthday!! I sent him some stuff as well!

I taught him how to do the Magic Cookie Bars. It is one of his favorite treats!! Now, he throws me out of the kitchen!! Hah!! He says; "Uncle Shermie, I can do this alone now. But if I need you, I'll let you know." I STILL have to be in the kitchen with him, to help him avoid any possible accidents.

The rest is history. He never passes up the opportunity to cook! It is so amazing that he caught on and does it so well!

Just keep offering your daughter the golden opportunity to help you. She is eventually going to be cooking anyway, because she'll be maturing into a young woman when she reaches her teen years. I think she'll come around in maybe a couple of years and will want to make something.

 

[ReadWriteLearnLove]

The kitchen has always been the focal point of our homes so when we cook, generally it somehow involves the whole family. My 2 kids have been helping in the kitchen from the time they could walk and talk. Sometimes, when they were smaller, it was as simple as licking the spoon, but my son was expert egg cracker by the time he turned three. We've just always been the type to involve everyone in the house in what we do, so they sort of became drawn in because they were exposed to both the activity and the conversations that evolved during the cooking/baking process. My son is now 13 and has his own set of pots and pans; he prefers cooking more than baking. My daughter, who is 11, has several baking supplies to call her own because she prefers baking to cooking.

A funny thing we did when they were little: if we were making something they might not recognize, like a new recipe or something they *thought* would be "yucky," we would tell them they could name the recipe if they ate it and decided they liked it. We now have several meals that go by kind of strange names: I make an empanada pie dish that my son named "Cat in the Hat Pie" and my daughter named ribs "Ooga Booga Sticks." Even though these dishes received their names nearly a decade ago, we still refer to them as such, and everyone in the house knows what we are talking about!

 

[Berties]

Any help and input from kids is great,if they can recognise raw foods it's a start ,some kids in the uk know nothing,getting kids to try different foods ,starts the passion for food off,develops their tastes and less ignorance to food ,tStes textures and varieties all helps them develop and encourages good diets,if you are bought up thinking fried chicken and fries is a staple diet then you will carry it on

 

[Elementalmage]

What can also help is if you ask her what she would like to make. Let it be anything, even if you have never done it. If she want to make fudge then check back here for recipes! But maybe that's how you'll get her to stay from the start right through to the end without her getting bored. It is her recipe you guys are trying to form into a dish, so I really think that will keep her interested.

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yeah, you can say something like; "I'm making your favorite dish, meal or dessert today. Would you like to help?" .

 

[tlspiegel]

As a child, I was not permitted to help out in the kitchen, even though I wanted to! My grandmother lived with my Mom, Dad, brother, and me and she was the one made the rules for kitchen helpers. She and my Mom prepared every meal. I was allowed to watch, but hands off! I wanted to learn how to make a certain kind of bread, and when Mom and grandma were preparing it, I would ask "how much salt did you put in?" Or, "how many eggs are in the recipe?" The reply was "oh, I don't know, a little of this and a little of that". So, I never learned.

When I grew up and was on my own, I did not know how to boil water! Well, that's an exaggeration, but you get the picture. I gradually taught myself everything there was to cooking all kinds of different foods.

I went back to college in my 40's and my ex-husband and son told me all I would have to do, is get up, go to school, come home, eat, study, and go to sleep. Nothing more. To prepare for this, I taught my young son how to cook and bake. My ex-husband and my son made sure we all ate very well! He enjoyed it. I also taught him to clean, do laundry, iron, and manage a household while I taught him the art of cooking and baking. I figured it was good training, because if and when he got married, he would not have to depend on his wife to take care of him... he could manage quite well. This made him great marriage material!

 

[sidevalve]

As above really - you can also say "if you would like some ------- we'll make some if you will help" but don't push the science bit yet until she shows a real interest. Only then begin to add the 'science' of the process but do it on her level don't try to turn it into a school project unless she wants to.

 

[Corzhens]

When we were young, it is taboo to join in the kitchen work because children are prone to accidents. There was an incident when a neighbor's son got scalded by a stew which he was stirring - the pot wobbled and in effect the stew was poured on his feet. Even in cutting vegetables, all we were allowed to was to watch and nothing more. But yes, we were allowed to taste the food under the supervision of my mother. Only 15 years old and above are allowed, my mother would say although I remember being in the kitchen cleaning the vegetables at age 13.

 

[L_B]

Where you wanted to include it as a part of her home schooling then I would treat it almost as a home economics class. The day before you could ask her what she would like to make or you could suggest something. If you need ingredients then you could go out shopping together to pick up what you need. The next day you can get the kitchen ready and she can help you get everything together. Allow her to help out as much as you can. You can enjoy whatever you cooked together. You could do a tea party kind of thing. At then end of it all you can clean up together. It is great quality time spent together and something she will forever remember.

 

[sunny]

My daughter (who is 3) loves to mix things up in a bowl if I have something to mix. I'll let her do that or pour things. But other than that, you can just show them how you're making something.

 

[winterybella]

I'd say do whatever you can at that early age. I regret not doing more. Today, my 24 year old helped me out with an over baked chicken and all he had to do was monitor it while I was out. One of his grandparents used to joke that he pulled out all of her pots and pans and played with them as a child. The only thing I have seen him rush to prepare is ramen and I found out recently how 'difficult' that is to prepare. Save your little one, I'd say.

 

[Pat]

One of my grandson's says he is learning to cook not only to feed his self but to attract girls. He says girls like guys that can cook. He makes his breakfast of fried eggs or scrambled eggs. He has been learning to cook pork chops and has done a good job. Now all he needs to learn is to clean as he cooks, so that there is no mess left behind to clean up.

 

[winterybella]

One of my grandson's says he is learning to cook not only to feed his self but to attract girls. He says girls like guys that can cook. He makes his breakfast of fried eggs or scrambled eggs. He has been learning to cook pork chops and has done a good job. Now all he needs to learn is to clean as he cooks, so that there is no mess left behind to clean up.

That's a thought. Maybe I should tell my son this. Yet I stop and think...........not such a great idea. Attracting more girls than he already does could spell an 'army' of problems.

 

[Pat]

I am sure when my grandson really gets interested in girls the ability to cook will not be the first thing that attracts the girls. He will be 16 this coming spring and a straight A student, he says the girls talk to him and he has no idea what they are talking about so. When he really gets a clue we are going to have a problem I am sure.