Get Ready, Get Set, Cook!
By Rachel Bucci, Mid Valley Moms (Gannett News), February 2008
Kids love to eat cookies and brownies – this is one of life’s undisputed truths. But if you whip up these tasty treats together, the rewards will be more than just something sweet to eat – the educational benefits your children will reap are almost limitless. Cooking with kids is a foolproof way to inject quality time into your family life, open doors to new tastes and pass down skills and traditions that will last a lifetime.
Working with food and turning it into something good to eat can foster a child’s sense of curiosity, creativity, and self-confidence. Few activities stimulate as many of our senses as cooking. The obvious ones are taste, touch and smell, which are all put to good use preparing and eating food. But think of how our ears perk up at the sound of sizzling bacon or sautéing onions, or how fresh fruits and vegetables appear as a veritable rainbow before our eyes. Children are especially responsive to these stimuli and to the joys of creating something with their own hands.
Measuring ingredients helps kids develop math and small motor skills, while following a recipe can improve reading skills. Even the simple act of watching ingredients interact and morph into something delectable can sharpen your child’s powers of observation and bring to life the concepts of cause and effect.
Another benefit of spending time together in the kitchen, and one that most parents will appreciate, is developing what cookbook author Mollie Katzen refers to as “food literacy”—an interest in different types of food, a willingness to try new foods, and an understanding of where food comes from.
Aimee Varnon, Eugene, Oregon mother of Callia, 5, and Delah, 3, says her girls are much more open to trying something new at the dinner table when they have helped prepare it.
“I like to say things like ‘remember how you cut up the carrots for this or that’ when we are eating. They connect and have a sense of pride in what they’ve helped make. And that spills over into trying new things at the table.”
So if cooking can do all these great things, when is the right time to start? According to chef Debra Ponzek, author of The Family Kitchen, “Every child is different, but even a young one can pick an herb, pluck leaves from a mint sprig or crush olives with the bottom of a cup!”
Toddlers will get immense satisfaction from adding pre-measured ingredients into a bowl, while preschoolers and kindergarten age children can play a more active role preparing a meal. While Ponzek’s book is designed for grown-ups and kids working together, Katzen’s cookbooks Pretend Soup and Salad People both feature adult instructions and pictorial recipes intended for older kids to follow step-by-step.
But regardless of whether you are cooking with toddlers or teenagers, Ponzek suggests starting small. In other words, don’t expect little Joey to concoct (or have the patience to concoct) a four-course meal the first time out of the gate.
“Start with the basics – cookies and brownies – few kids will shy away from the sweet stuff! The younger children are, the more quickly they like to see results from start to finish. As they get older you can do more complicated dishes with more steps,” says Ponzek.
“Breakfast and snacks are a great place to start. I love making bismarck’s or Dutch babies with kids. Those pancakes are so fun and dramatic coming out of the oven all puffed up,” she says. Some of Ponzek’s other favorites include “pasta dishes, smoothies and cold soups or tropical chicken skewers for the grill.”
Cooking with a child requires flexibility and a willingness to adjust your usual expectations around neatness and perfection. So what if a little batter gets on the counter or floor? Choose a time when you aren’t in a hurry and get ready to take the phrase “no use crying over spilt milk” to heart!
Ponzek also reminds parents not to forget the most important ingredient of all: fun. “It has to work with what you can handle. The experience has to be enjoyable for you too,” she says. “If it’s a forced issue it isn’t fun. Take any opportunity that arises -- whether you are at the farm stand or the grocery store, you can look at and smell ingredients, or you can plan dinner and shop together.”
In fact, there are so many “teachable moments” in preparing food that the lessons need not be complicated and are only limited by your own imagination. For example, a trip to a local u-pick farm is a great way for kids to learn about where food comes from. Bring home your bounty and summer’s fresh berries can be turned into tarts or jam to savor during another season. In the fall, a trip to an apple or pear orchard can be the catalyst for homemade pie or apples baked with brown sugar, nuts and raisins. In the winter months, when cool weather keeps everyone inside, invent creative cocoa recipes or make a day-long project of creating a batch of hearty soup.
During the holiday season, kids can revel in the feel-good vibe of preparing a treat for someone they love. Preparing holiday cookies and breads for gift-giving is a great place to start. Varnon and her two daughters have made an annual tradition of making sweet breads for teachers and other loved ones. “We spend an afternoon measuring ingredients and making several batches of bread,” she says. “Of course, we always make an extra one or two to eat together.”
For Ponzek, the important thing is doing it. “Cooking is about time spent together doing something creative. It gets kids involved with something that will be important for their whole life. Parents provide an education to their children – cooking together is just another way we pass on knowledge about the way we live.”
Helpful Tips for Cooking With Kids
:: Safety is paramount when cooking with children. Some basic safety precautions include making sure everyone is wearing short sleeves, using knives only with adult supervision (a serrated dinner knife, used in a sawing motion is a good starter knife for a child), and letting adults handle the chore of taking pans in and out of a hot oven.
:: Let go of perfection and practice patience. Factor in extra time to make something and remember that spills can and will happen. Recipes may not turn out just as planned. Relax, have fun and chalk it all up to the learning process.
:: Kids will relish in setting the table for the feast they’ve prepared, but make sure that clean up is part of the program too. Even small children can help clear up by putting scraps in the garbage can or carrying dirty dishes back to the kitchen.
:: Working together in the kitchen is the perfect time to talk about the importance of handling food safely (no tasting off the stirring spoon!) and cleanliness (make sure to wash hands!).
:: Provide a work surface that is at the right height for smaller chefs. A step stool at the countertop or prepping food at a kitchen table are both good options. Using a jelly roll pan as a work surface for measuring ingredients can make for quick clean up.
By Rachel Bucci, Mid Valley Moms (Gannett News), February 2008
Kids love to eat cookies and brownies – this is one of life’s undisputed truths. But if you whip up these tasty treats together, the rewards will be more than just something sweet to eat – the educational benefits your children will reap are almost limitless. Cooking with kids is a foolproof way to inject quality time into your family life, open doors to new tastes and pass down skills and traditions that will last a lifetime.
Working with food and turning it into something good to eat can foster a child’s sense of curiosity, creativity, and self-confidence. Few activities stimulate as many of our senses as cooking. The obvious ones are taste, touch and smell, which are all put to good use preparing and eating food. But think of how our ears perk up at the sound of sizzling bacon or sautéing onions, or how fresh fruits and vegetables appear as a veritable rainbow before our eyes. Children are especially responsive to these stimuli and to the joys of creating something with their own hands.
Measuring ingredients helps kids develop math and small motor skills, while following a recipe can improve reading skills. Even the simple act of watching ingredients interact and morph into something delectable can sharpen your child’s powers of observation and bring to life the concepts of cause and effect.
Another benefit of spending time together in the kitchen, and one that most parents will appreciate, is developing what cookbook author Mollie Katzen refers to as “food literacy”—an interest in different types of food, a willingness to try new foods, and an understanding of where food comes from.
Aimee Varnon, Eugene, Oregon mother of Callia, 5, and Delah, 3, says her girls are much more open to trying something new at the dinner table when they have helped prepare it.
“I like to say things like ‘remember how you cut up the carrots for this or that’ when we are eating. They connect and have a sense of pride in what they’ve helped make. And that spills over into trying new things at the table.”
So if cooking can do all these great things, when is the right time to start? According to chef Debra Ponzek, author of The Family Kitchen, “Every child is different, but even a young one can pick an herb, pluck leaves from a mint sprig or crush olives with the bottom of a cup!”
Toddlers will get immense satisfaction from adding pre-measured ingredients into a bowl, while preschoolers and kindergarten age children can play a more active role preparing a meal. While Ponzek’s book is designed for grown-ups and kids working together, Katzen’s cookbooks Pretend Soup and Salad People both feature adult instructions and pictorial recipes intended for older kids to follow step-by-step.
But regardless of whether you are cooking with toddlers or teenagers, Ponzek suggests starting small. In other words, don’t expect little Joey to concoct (or have the patience to concoct) a four-course meal the first time out of the gate.
“Start with the basics – cookies and brownies – few kids will shy away from the sweet stuff! The younger children are, the more quickly they like to see results from start to finish. As they get older you can do more complicated dishes with more steps,” says Ponzek.
“Breakfast and snacks are a great place to start. I love making bismarck’s or Dutch babies with kids. Those pancakes are so fun and dramatic coming out of the oven all puffed up,” she says. Some of Ponzek’s other favorites include “pasta dishes, smoothies and cold soups or tropical chicken skewers for the grill.”
Cooking with a child requires flexibility and a willingness to adjust your usual expectations around neatness and perfection. So what if a little batter gets on the counter or floor? Choose a time when you aren’t in a hurry and get ready to take the phrase “no use crying over spilt milk” to heart!
Ponzek also reminds parents not to forget the most important ingredient of all: fun. “It has to work with what you can handle. The experience has to be enjoyable for you too,” she says. “If it’s a forced issue it isn’t fun. Take any opportunity that arises -- whether you are at the farm stand or the grocery store, you can look at and smell ingredients, or you can plan dinner and shop together.”
In fact, there are so many “teachable moments” in preparing food that the lessons need not be complicated and are only limited by your own imagination. For example, a trip to a local u-pick farm is a great way for kids to learn about where food comes from. Bring home your bounty and summer’s fresh berries can be turned into tarts or jam to savor during another season. In the fall, a trip to an apple or pear orchard can be the catalyst for homemade pie or apples baked with brown sugar, nuts and raisins. In the winter months, when cool weather keeps everyone inside, invent creative cocoa recipes or make a day-long project of creating a batch of hearty soup.
During the holiday season, kids can revel in the feel-good vibe of preparing a treat for someone they love. Preparing holiday cookies and breads for gift-giving is a great place to start. Varnon and her two daughters have made an annual tradition of making sweet breads for teachers and other loved ones. “We spend an afternoon measuring ingredients and making several batches of bread,” she says. “Of course, we always make an extra one or two to eat together.”
For Ponzek, the important thing is doing it. “Cooking is about time spent together doing something creative. It gets kids involved with something that will be important for their whole life. Parents provide an education to their children – cooking together is just another way we pass on knowledge about the way we live.”
Helpful Tips for Cooking With Kids
:: Safety is paramount when cooking with children. Some basic safety precautions include making sure everyone is wearing short sleeves, using knives only with adult supervision (a serrated dinner knife, used in a sawing motion is a good starter knife for a child), and letting adults handle the chore of taking pans in and out of a hot oven.
:: Let go of perfection and practice patience. Factor in extra time to make something and remember that spills can and will happen. Recipes may not turn out just as planned. Relax, have fun and chalk it all up to the learning process.
:: Kids will relish in setting the table for the feast they’ve prepared, but make sure that clean up is part of the program too. Even small children can help clear up by putting scraps in the garbage can or carrying dirty dishes back to the kitchen.
:: Working together in the kitchen is the perfect time to talk about the importance of handling food safely (no tasting off the stirring spoon!) and cleanliness (make sure to wash hands!).
:: Provide a work surface that is at the right height for smaller chefs. A step stool at the countertop or prepping food at a kitchen table are both good options. Using a jelly roll pan as a work surface for measuring ingredients can make for quick clean up.