Teach Your Kids to Cook

Teaching your kids to cook is like teaching them to drive, only harder. There's no imaginary brake, for one thing, and you'll go through more eggs.

By Cheryl Sternman Rule

As parents, many of us take great pleasure in feeding our children -- in watching them enjoy the fruits of our labor and nourishing their bodies with rib-sticking fare. But at some point, as our kids get older and more responsible, we need to provide them with the knowledge and tools to begin feeding themselves.

Here are five simple tips to get you started.

1. Keep the mood light.

Kitchens brim with potentially dangerous equipment. From hot stoves to sharp knives, there's plenty around to make you nervous -- but steel yourself. Kids can read anxiety, and if you're not relaxed, they won't be either. Supervise them closely and be aware of hazards, but proceed anyway, with an upbeat voice and smiling eyes.

2. Strike a deal.

Kids take to new learning opportunities best when they have a stake in the outcome, so make them part of the process. If they want to make cookies, let them. But the next lesson is yours to choose. Alternate between treats and more healthful, everyday fare, from cookies and pies to salads and smoothies.

3. Don't neglect terminology.

Kids are blank slates, and words like fold, sear, and sauté are meaningless until properly defined. You can use easier words if you like, but why bother? Mastering a new lexicon is part of skill-building; plus, kids are sponges when it comes to language acquisition. Soon they'll be bandying about new words like natives. ("Mom, can I go sauté up and down on your bed?")

4. Dig deeper.

Teaching kids to cook also presents opportunities to talk about culture, family history, nutrition, food politics, and hunger. Depending on your child's age, consider sprinkling your lessons with gentle forays into these deeper waters, avoiding heavy-handed moralizing but introducing your kids to some of the broader issues surrounding food. You're not just educating a future cook; you're influencing a lifelong eater.

5. Keep your eye on the prize.

Your ultimate goal is not the creation of restaurant-quality dishes, but boosting your child's self-esteem and encouraging their burgeoning independence. If, at the end of your lessons, you've got a happy kid who's excited to spend time in the kitchen, you've done your job, and done it well.

Cheryl Sternman Rule is a food writer in San Jose, California. Her first cookbook, Ripe, will be published by Running Press is 2012. She is currently teaching her sons to cook.

Do your kids enjoy cooking? Tell Us.

Related Links

Adventurous Eating from A to Z

We've compiled a list of off-the-beaten-path foods...

Topics in Hints & Tips

Food Safety

Comments

Comments (3)

anonymous wrote:

Last weekend my grandson Drew made peanut butter blossoms with me.He put flour mixture in bowl while I used the beaters to mix it. I then had him take the foil off the hershey kisses and he counted them out. We then rolled the cookie dough into balls and I had him dip them in sugar before he put them on the baking pan. He then had to press the hershey kiss onto the cookie. He did an excellant job and I was amazed that he did all this and he is only 4. I think a chef is in our future.

12/12/2011 09:24:31 PM Report Abuse

tamula3127567 wrote:

my 10yr old son loves to cook. we often go to the library and borrow cook books there . we recently borrowed rachael rays look and cook cook book. its very easy to follow and my son enjoys eating what he's cook and i have to say i enjoy spending the time with him. we pretend he's the chef and im the prepper. i get it ready for and he does the work. this not only gives us quaility time together but it helps him read and follow directins. its a win win .

9/30/2011 08:41:08 PM Report Abuse

avanti.pradhan wrote:

I love cooking with my kids. It even gets then to eat healthier. I use A Beary Balanced Belly to help me... You need to check it out. It's so much fun www.bearybalanced.com

9/23/2011 10:05:37 AM Report Abuse