Kids are definitely cooking capable.
Dear Adults,
Let your kids cook! I propped mine up on a step stool at age 3, and he's still the best egg cracker I know. As a culinary arts educator for elementary-middle school students, the biggest complaints I hear from children are ..."My parents won't let me cook, they tell me to get out of the kitchen, they don't trust me to cook, or they say I'm not old enough." Kids are definitely cooking capable, but you have to allow them a chance to stir things up. All I'm saying is...give kids a chance.
Let your kids cook! I propped mine up on a step stool at age 3, and he's still the best egg cracker I know. As a culinary arts educator for elementary-middle school students, the biggest complaints I hear from children are ..."My parents won't let me cook, they tell me to get out of the kitchen, they don't trust me to cook, or they say I'm not old enough." Kids are definitely cooking capable, but you have to allow them a chance to stir things up. All I'm saying is...give kids a chance.
Your kid is ready to cook, but are you?
Face it, most of us have been raised in the "Pop Tart" generation, where the art of cooking has been replaced by driveby dining, minute-microwaving, and ordering in/out. 28% of Americans can't cook -- that's nearly a third! As a result, we are losing family traditional dishes, bonding times and more importantly, health. So ask yourself, "Am I equipping my child to take on the world without the ability to feed themselves?" Cooking is a vital part of being self-sufficient. It use to be a right of passage. Now is the time to unplug and connect the kids to the kitchen. The best part is, you get uninterrupted quality family time and a freshly prepared meal that will be eagerly eaten.
We live in an age when pizza gets to your home before the police. ~Jeff Mander
My tenacious second grader (pictured below) said one of his New Year's Resolutions was to cook more and help me in the kitchen. Awesome. Right? So we pulled out his kid-friendly cookbooks and a stack of Post Its, and I let him mark what he wanted to cook. Aleko is dedicated to cooking one or two meals a week, and we're giving him the opportunity. It's a delicious payoff for the entire family as we convene in the kitchen while sharing our day over a simmering sauce.
 My 7-yr old sous chef putting the squeeze on some ground venison for meatballs. |  Rolling up golf-sized uniform meatballs so they cook evenly is a great life lesson in uniformity. |  "Secret's in the sauce." Making a good versatile red sauce from scratch is feather in any chef's toque. |  A deliciously nutritious homemade meal that your kid will devour is always a thumbs up. |
Where to begin? You start by tackling tools and hitting the books! You would't send your child to school without supplies because they are the tools that aide success. Same line of thinking, take a quick inventory of utensils in your kitchen and then add a few from the "Tackle Tools" list. Have a family date night at a bookstore or neighborhood/school library, and search for colorful kid-friendly cookbooks -- ones kids can navigate without much input from you are key.
Tackle the toolsYou can use kitchen tools on hand, shop online, or hit a good discount store. In my experience, having a few tools designated for your budding chef makes all the difference in attitude and success in the kitchen. Here are some of my tried and true kitchen tools for kids:
 | Book itI'm a HUGE advocate of a good old, page-turning cookbooks for children of all ages. Kids like to be independent in the kitchen. Here are a few of my favorites encouraging reading skills, culinary curiosity, as well as meal planning: Pre K-Elementary
Middle-High school
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Make a cooking plan of attack!
All hands on deck with Post Its, highlighters, and pencils in hand. Tab those cookbooks, open those online bookmarked recipes on the computer, and designate cooking days with a specific meal. Make it simple. Don't forget some quick sides like a good loaf of bread or dinner rolls, green leafy salad (boxed lettuce and a good bottled salad dressing is fine), applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon, or fresh cut fruit.
Make a grocery list and have the kids write down the ingredients they need for their dish. Scavenger hunt your refrigerator and pantry to make sure you don't double up on ingredients you may already have. There are some great apps and FREE online menu/grocery planners you
can use. My favorite, a pen and a notebook (old school).
Get to cooking!
Take a deep breath, don an apron and get yourself, the rug rats, and big kids in the kitchen. Ease on into it. Commit to two meals a week, and once you and your kitchen crew gain confidence, add another day. Before you know it, you'll be whipping up meals four to five days a week. Leave one or two days for field trips to new neighborhood restaurants or leftover night. Embarking on a culinary family adventure will set your kids up for a healthy lifestyle for years to come.
Deliciously yours,
Kellie Karavias
Make a grocery list and have the kids write down the ingredients they need for their dish. Scavenger hunt your refrigerator and pantry to make sure you don't double up on ingredients you may already have. There are some great apps and FREE online menu/grocery planners you
can use. My favorite, a pen and a notebook (old school).
Get to cooking!
Take a deep breath, don an apron and get yourself, the rug rats, and big kids in the kitchen. Ease on into it. Commit to two meals a week, and once you and your kitchen crew gain confidence, add another day. Before you know it, you'll be whipping up meals four to five days a week. Leave one or two days for field trips to new neighborhood restaurants or leftover night. Embarking on a culinary family adventure will set your kids up for a healthy lifestyle for years to come.
Deliciously yours,
Kellie Karavias
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