Kids in the Kitchen: Tools & Skills

Web Moms Menu

Kids in the Kitchen: Tools & Skills

Special thanks goes to Anne Sterling, founder of the Kids in the Kitchen Network, a division of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.

A Message For Parents

It was my daughter Elizabeth who inspired my ideas for a kid friendly kitchen. Being a clever mother, I had assembled cookie cutters, a pizza wheel and an egg slicer for her to use with her play dough so she could play at cooking while I made dinner.

From Our Cookbook: Graham Cracker Sandwiches | Cool Watermelon Slushes | Bite-Size Pizzas | Potato O's | More Recipes For Kids

One evening, I had steamed a pound of whole carrots. To my surprise, two year-old Elizabeth went to her play kitchen, retrieved her tools and offered to help. She proceeded to cut the carrots in chunks with her pizza wheel then sliced the chunks with the egg slicer.

Here's a list of her "batterie de cuisine" and the many helpful tasks that can be performed with each tool.

Kitchen Tools For Kids

Great for chopping ham, cutting up fruit, slicing peppers (skin side down so the blade doesn't slip)

Styrofoam trays (from vegetables): Use as a disposable cutting tray under the pizza wheel. The edges of the tray contain the mess.

Egg slicer: Slicing eggs, bananas, strawberries, etc.

Brushes: Brushing marinades on pork chops and kabobs.

Apple slicer: Cutting apples, pears or melon wedges.

Blunt scissors: Cutting ham, cutting bacon bits, snipping green onions.

Rolling pin: (kid size made by Ekco), Use to make cracker or cookie crumbs in a plastic bag and to roll out dough.

Ice cream scoop: For portioning cookie dough or scooping mashed potatoes.

Plastic scrub pads: For portioning cookie dough or scooping mashed potatoes.

Hand held grater: (available in plastic), Use for grating cheese.

Butter pat slicer: For butter, bananas, cooked fruit and vegetables.

Bouncy whisk: (made by Ekco), Great for mixing marinades, beating eggs.

Safety tip: To reduce mess, set up the ?project? on a baking sheet. To reduce noise and prevent slipping, place a dampened dishtowel under bowls and baking sheets. For safety, be sure that stools are sturdy and if possible have rubber pads to grip the floor so little ones don?t slip while working on a high surface.

Cooking Skills For Kids

Supervision is the key to cooking with kids. Children develop cooking skills at different rates, so it?s important to have an adult introduce children to skills that match their ability level.

Refer to the list below to see how your children can help with meal preparation.

Ages 3-6 years
stir ingredients in a bowl
scrub and wash fruits/vegetables
tear lettuce to make a salad

Ages 6-8 years
fill and level measuring cups and spoons
set the table
beat ingredients with a wire whisk

Ages 8-10 years
use a can opener
use a microwave oven
prepare simple recipes with few ingredients

Ages 10-12 years
use an oven
use a knife with supervision
use a grater to shred ingredients

About the Author:
Otherwhitemeat.com is a National Pork Board sponsored Website to promote pork products by providing delicious recipes and answering health and other questions. These features for kids were provided by pork4kids.com

From Our Cookbook:
Graham Cracker Sandwiches | Cool Watermelon Slushes | Bite-Size Pizzas | Potato O's | More Recipes For Kids

kids-image Let's Get Cooking!

While there are many reasons for teaching kids to cook -- less expensive than eating out, preserves family heritage, etc, the most important reason is that by teaching your child to cook, you're giving him a better chance to be a healthy grown-up. Enabling your child with the ability to appreciate freshness and to transform ingredients into tasty foods opens their eyes to making wiser choices about what to eat...

::Click here to start the experience!

Our Cookbook Giveaway!

One lucky winner will receive a copy of The Essential Best Foods Cookbook.

Enter today!

Home || Newsletters || Advertising || Services || Submissions || Contact Us || Media Opportunities || Link To Us || Staff