Children Wanting To Cook

[cat lover]

:confused: What did you do to get your child first interested in cooking? Did you buy them special child size baking pans or did you give them a drawer or cabinet that was all their own for storing their cooking utensils?;)

[ajrsmom]

My son just started asking me if he could help me cook. He seems to like to help with desserts more. ;)


I'm working on a weekly menu now. During summer vacation, he is going to cook one day a week for our family. I will sit down with him and plan what he is going to cook and then he can shop for the food when we go shopping. He is starting to realize the value of money so I'm really hoping that this will be a good experience for him. :)

[cat lover]

I think that is so great that he is going to cook for the family one day a week. It will sure make him interested for a lifetime in healthy eating! And also the shopping part of it will defintely let him see how much it cost for a meal. Will start him being frugal young and will last of lifetime; something he will thank you for sure!

[cat lover]

One way of getting your child interested in recipes and cooking is to give them a basic recipe and ask them to add or substitiute an ingredient that they think would make the basic recipe better. Then they will want to test their new creation!:cool:

[cat lover]

Sometimes just giving the kids their own apron and maybe even a chef hat will spark their interest! Do you have any ideas that have helped your child want to cook?

[ajrsmom]

After my son started showing an interest, I gave him his own day out of the week to cook.

I am working on a weekly menu for us. I'm going to give it my best shot at sticking to it. (fingers crossed!)

We are having to cut back on going out to eat in order to save money. I came up with the idea of having a "restaurant" night on Fridays. As a family, we will pick which restaurant that we would like to eat at and then create a meal from it at home. For example, We love to go to Olive Garden. When we do, they usually get spaghetti and meatballs, salad and breadsticks. This is what we will be cooking for that night. I'll hunt up some appropriate music on the cable channels on tv and we can even eat by candle light. :)

My kids love this idea and are more than happy to chip in to help with this night! They both love coming up with other places and menus too.

[cat lover]

I love the restaurant night idea, that is so cool! Sounds like lots of recipes to share too!

[rhi]

My dd's and I came up with a night they get to cook and we've yet to get it done because of things that came up. But since then they have done things here and there. My oldest dd made a quiche with a little of my help just last week, she did a great job and it tasted great. I taught my other dd how to make b.b.q sauce and it turned out good too, she was a little surprised at what went in b.b.q sauce.

[ajrsmom]

My dd's and I came up with a night they get to cook and we've yet to get it done because of things that came up. But since then they have done things here and there. My oldest dd made a quiche with a little of my help just last week, she did a great job and it tasted great. I taught my other dd how to make b.b.q sauce and it turned out good too, she was a little surprised at what went in b.b.q sauce.

YAY for your girls!!! :D Great Job!!

[cat lover]

I taught my other dd how to make b.b.q sauce and it turned out good too, she was a little surprised at what went in b.b.q sauce.

Sometimes though that is a good thing as it makes them want to cook more things just to see what goes in them! Sounds like they are on their way to being little chefs!:)

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I let me kids help set the table or plan what we were having when they were little. At some point, I allowed each child to have special "mom" time by helping me cook. It was always such a big deal for them to do special things with me. We would also make dinner and place a sheet on the floor in front of the TV where we would all watch out favorite televison show (Unsolved Mysteries then). They still have fond memories of those evenings. As they got older, they were able to plan, help shop for, and cook the entire meals. At the time, when they were teens, they thought I was horrible to make them do that work on a rotating basis. Now, they are so grateful because now they both have to do this all the time. lol

[cat lover]

Another thing to spark their interest is to give them access to your cookbooks and some pencil & paper or the computer and let them plan a menu and then look for the recipes that for what they want to cook. They may change their menu, but they are reading and writing and usually just having some fun learning what goes into cooking without realizing they are actually learning something!

[DeBora4BobbyL]

If the kids are old enough, you could use blank paper to put together a blank book. Have each child use colored pencils, crayolas, or markers to make their own cookbook of recipes that they like to make.

[cat lover]

That sounds like a cute idea! When my DS were in school they made a cookbook and I just recently came across them. They are such a tresure~ And would make a good gift for next year's mother's day and father's day

[DeBora4BobbyL]

I never thought about giving them as gifts, but it is ane excellant idea.

[melstar]

MY dd is almost 4, but she helps me pick out dinner. I let her look through any of my recipe books, cooking magazines, she sits on my lap to look on the computer, or we watch the food network and she picks things out from the tv. At her age she is into the visual appeal of recipes. Once we've decided on recipes she helps me prepare them. They can do all kinds of things at her age. She does anything she wants (except the dangerous stuff), but I do let her cut soft things (usually with a plastic knife) and I hold her to stir things on the stove ( I just use long handled spoons)

[cat lover]

That is so cool! Have you ever thought of putting together her own cookbook with the recipes she has helped with; it could become her first cookbook when the day comes she leaves home!

[melstar]

That's a good idea. I'll have to start asking her to come up with her own ideas for meals. Maybe she'd eat more. She is not a big eater... she's almost 4 and only weighs 31 lbs. she is quite petite. lol

[cat lover]

Maybe she'll be lucky and won't have a weight problem later! I bet she'll like her "own" cookbook! Good luck!

[cat lover]

Kids' First Mac and Cheese


Try this quick and delicious variation on an old favorite when time is short.


1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups milk or half-and-half
12 to 18 slices American or Cheddar cheese
12 Ritz crackers
salt, pepper, and paprika to taste



Cook and drain elbow macaroni and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13- by 9-inch baking pan or a large casserole dish with butter.
Now have your child spoon a third of the pasta into the pan, then pour in 1 cup of the half-and-half and cover it all with 4 to 6 slices of American cheese. Add two more layers of pasta, half-and-half, and cheese in the same manner.
Next, crush a dozen Ritz crackers in a ziplock plastic bag. Add the salt, pepper, and paprika, shake to mix, then sprinkle the crumbs over the top layer of pasta and cheese.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Serves 6 to 8.


This recipe is from FamilyFun magazine

[cat lover]

Even in the winter when my DS's were small they enjoyed a popsicle; these are easy for the kids to make!


Banana Popsicles


1 3.4 oz package instant banana pudding mix
2 cups skim milk
1 banana, cut into pieces


Mix pudding mix and milk together. Add cut up banana to pudding
and blend evenly. Spoon enough pudding/bananas into popsicle cups to cover bottom.Freeze till set

[cat lover]

The kids can do most of this recipe with some help and they will have made a main dish for the entire family!

Stuffed Shells
One half of a 12 oz box of jumbo pasta shells (about 18 shells)
1 tsp salt
1 15 oz ctn ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 26 oz jar Italian pasta sauce


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and the pasta shells to the water. Boil the pasta shells till they are tender, but still a little firm (al dente), about 10 minutes. M<ake the filling. When pasta is done, drain the shells, run under cold water to stop the cooking process and set aside. In a large bowl stir together: the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and parsley . Pour about 1 cup of pasta sauce into a 9 x 12 casserole dish. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the ricotta filling into each cooked pasta shell. Place the filled shells, side by side, (three lengthwise rows of 6 shells per row), into the casserole dish. At this point, the dish can be made and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Spoon the remaining pasta sauce on top of the shells and bake uncovered till bubbly, about 30 minutes. If using refrigerated shells, allow 40 minutes baking time.

[katharina]

I'm working on a weekly menu now. During summer vacation, he is going to cook one day a week for our family. I will sit down with him and plan what he is going to cook and then he can shop for the food when we go shopping. He is starting to realize the value of money so I'm really hoping that this will be a good experience for him. :)

This is what we did, too. My daughter always enjoys looking through cookbooks and my recipe cards. She chooses a menu she wants to make and then writes down the ingredients. On shopping day, she picks up the things she'll need and then does the cooking. The whole process is fun for her, but for me, too. :)

[cat lover]

Katharina, do you have any recipes that you daughter enjoyed cooking that would be some nice ones for others to share with their kids? Would love to see you post some here if you do!

[cat lover]

Even kids that don't get excited with cooking will usually really get excited with cooking if you let them help with making cookies.

You can start teaching them with some health and safety basics. Always wash hands before starting to cook, don't lick the spoon till done with it and if your child has long hair tie it back.

When a child is just learning to cook they will sometimes loose patience quickly so maybe have all the ingredients set out before you get them to start helping.

If you have several children that will be helping make sure they all get a turn or if you have a large age gap have the older children do the measuring (good time to sneak in math skills). Have the younger children level off the cups of ingredients and put them into the mixing bowl.

You can keep the smallest children busy by mixing ingredients in their own bowl even if it's not part of the recipe others are working on. You can put some dry oatmeal and a little flour into a bowl and let them stir away (and it won't hurt if they eat some of it! LOL)

[cat lover]

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup margarine, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 egg
2 1/4 all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
36 (1/2") gumdrops, halved

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl combine the sugar and margarine till well blended. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and egg and blend well. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Add to margarine mixture and mix till well blended. Shape dough into 3/4" balls. Place 2" apart on sprayed cookie sheets. Press gumdrop half firmly in the center of each cookie. Bake at 350 degrees 6 to 9 minutes or till cookies are set and bottoms are golden brown. Immediately remove to wire racks to cool. Store in a tightly covered container. Makes 6 dozen cookies