................... Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 My dd loves to cook and me, her nervous controlling mother ruins it for her. So this is NOT the thread where you say, "Just include her when you are cooking!" because I cannot. I have tried for about 5 years and I just become very grumpy and miserable and nervous. Her projects need to be her own, not part of mine.... Nearby we have a Cooking school for kids, where they make a real dinner and home made bread, etc. every week and have a small meal while they are there. The kids learn safe handling with knives, cook tops, stoves, etc. But it's expensive! 125.00 for four classes. You have to sign up after your first class, and she would have to go straight from swimming to cooking class on thursday nights from 6-7:30. It seems like that would be tiring. But, maybe it would be fun? In the meantime, while I think about that, I bought her her own Kids Cookbook which has real recipes that are slightly safer than what she was making. They include sauteeing, using a burner, and oven as well as mixing and cutting, but they do NOT include boiling, deep frying or anything that would be very high heat. I also am making her a GF flour mix that she can sub into all the recipes, so that I can kind of "get out of the way" and let her do her thing. So, those of you whose kids like to cook do you have any other ideas and suggestions? Favorite Kids Cookbooks? Favorite safety devices? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 My suggestion would be to find a good nanny who would want to come cook with her for a couple of hours every week or two. I found a great retired grandmother on care.com to babysit for my kids occasionally and the bonus was her love of cooking with the kids. I would come home to homemade chocolate cake with homemade chocolate frosting, lasagna, etc. I paid $10 an hour and made sure we had ingredients on hand, plus it was on my schedule and I got a break when I needed one as a bonus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Hmm, safety in what way? It sounds like she knows her way around the kitchen? To be honest, I'm not a fan of "kid" cooking (or specific kid-only anything, really, in the sense of being simplified or dumbed down). We learn to cook by watching, experimenting, following directions and trying it out independently (ideally with supervision, either direct or indirect). Regular adult cookbooks have simple recipes she can work with; there doesn't need to be boiling oil involved. :). Unless she's averse to regular food, I don't see the benefit of using anything else. At 11, my son makes pancakes and waffles (from scratch), cornbread, the very best pumpkin pie, and a mean mushroom cheese omelette. He can make lasagna, enchiladas, and cookies. He's getting more confident using the oven on his own and dealing with boiling water (like draining Mac and cheese). He's risk-adverse; I could cook whole meals with no issues much younger. I think teaching her basic kitchen skills and then letting her go will pay off in spades. The cooking class sounds amazing--maybe you could justify the cost by making it a Christmas present? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 ME Mama, I hear ya. And as a good foodie, she also spurns "kid food." She and my husband go out on foodie dates where she eats everything from Lobster to raw sushi and Roe to Liver Pate, to Ethiopian food to Curry Goat...their last stop was a Russian Deli where they sampled every UN-AMerican thing on the menu. My problem is that if I hand her my cookbooks, she will pick out the hardest, most interesting, unusual recipes. She will never choose omelettes or pancakes. She will choose all kinds of unusual things. A few days ago she came telling me she wanted to make a recipe with squid and wine, and it involved some kind of flambe.... So that's where we are at. If I keep reaching for the ideal (No Kids Cookbooks, and Cook with Me) it won't happen or t will and we will both be miserable. If only I had a nanny! Or my mom nearby. When my mom retires my dd can go stay there for a month and they can cook all they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Well, is there a basis for your fear? History of injuries or calls to the fire department? If she is interested in the cooking class in spite of the potential schedule-induced fatigue, I say do it. You will get some of that money back in the food she brings home, and the things you will be comfortable with her cooking on her own going forward (right?) It isn't a long-term commitment if it doesn't work out. Why not let her peruse the library's collection of cookbooks? Or the Fannie Farmer "cooking with kids" book? I've probably messed up both the author and the title on that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I'd figure out a way to let her cook. It sounds like it needs to be without you. Options include enrolling her in the cooking class, hiring someone to come mentor her cooking at home, sending her to someone else's home for cooking, etc. I would encourage her to try any type of recipes she wants. This requires some planning as you need the ingredients and supervision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Are you sure those expensive cooking classes are going to cover the cooking she WANTS? I'd be shocked if they were. Some people go to advanced things and work backwards, rather than learning sequentially forward the way you expect. She's pretty typical for a very bright child. I guess I don't see what your concern is. Why are you trying to hold back??? Squid and wine costs less than those classes. She needs to pick her recipes, make a grocery list for the day you go shopping together, buy her things (doing her own research to know she got the right type of wine, etc.), and she needs to have some ground rules for safety and expense. But again, I don't see how expense is an issue if you're willing to pay $125 for 4 classes. Ground rules? Well when my dd was that age (is yours 10 or 12?) we had gone through the knife thing so she was already on a Santoku, as in a full size adult knife. You give them the knife, teach them to use it safely, and pull back on supervision when they demonstrate they are using it correctly. So that's like age 10 I'm right there every second hawking you, age 11 I might turn my back for a second, age 12 I might walk out of the room. Kwim? Supervision, demonstrated proficiency. But flames, yeah flames are in the call the parent. If she gets her recipes approved and buys the groceries, then that gives you the chance to tell her what the rules are for that recipe and make sure she understands all the techniques. And it's not rocket science. When she gets to the flames, she calls you. If she doesn't want to play by your rules, then no dice, wait till cooking school at 18. She'll play. And yeah, she's gonna be a great cook. Stop holding her back. :) And yes, that's how I work with my dd, very hands-off. We don't really work well together. Sometimes she really messes up and sometimes she's great. It's all fine. It's how they learn. PS. If you have something sacred you don't want ruined, identify it and tell her it's off-limits. Like your $100 Le Cruset or whatever. Ask me how I know... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 If you live in the Knovxille, Tn area by any chance, bring her over and we would happily teach her! Lol I have an aspiring chef (14) and quite honestly she has learned the most by being turned loose in the kitchen. I taught her basic kitchen safety (how to use a knife, keeping clothes and hair out of the Flames of the gas stove, how to get hot items out of the oven, etc.) and then she had free reign. The rules are 1. She has to ask before using any ingredients I don't keep in bulk (just because I may have plans for them) 2. No wasting food (in other words don't mix lemon juice and half my bottle of mint extract just to see what happens) 3. Share what you make. 4. If you DO want to flambé something, I have to at least supervise the flaming part. She has been cooking by herself in the kitchen since she was 10. The worst things that have happened are a few minor burns and a lot of messes that she had to clean up. She has never been fond of children's cookbooks or kids classes, since she wants to know how to really cook, not just assemble ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 If you live in the Knoxville, Tn area by any chance, bring her over and we would happily teach her! Lol I have an aspiring chef (14) and quite honestly she has learned the most by being turned loose in the kitchen. I taught her basic kitchen safety (how to use a knife, keeping clothes and hair out of the Flames of the gas stove, how to get hot items out of the oven, etc.) and then she had free reign. The rules are 1. She has to ask before using any ingredients I don't keep in bulk (just because I may have plans for them) 2. No wasting food (in other words don't mix lemon juice and half my bottle of mint extract just to see what happens) 3. Share what you make. 4. If you DO want to flambé something, I have to at least supervise the flaming part. She has been cooking by herself in the kitchen since she was 10. The worst things that have happened are a few minor burns and a lot of messes that she had to clean up. She has never been fond of children's cookbooks or kids classes, since she wants to know how to really cook, not just assemble ingredients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 If you don't want to let her loose, and don't want to pay for a class, you could plan/teach/control by including cooking in your academic day. I have a daughter who proudly insisted she would never cook and will live her entire adult life on top ramen and take out. I decided she needed cooking lessons. We've done a few of the cle light units on home ec and they have a lot of worksheets and assigned simple recipes. We pair it with Alton Browns good eats. I just plan units on different foods - cakes, pies, meats, bread, vegetables, etc... She hates it. Sort of. Actually I think she secretly loves it. Anyway... You could put together your own cooking class for her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 If you don't want to let her loose, and don't want to pay for a class, you could plan/teach/control by including cooking in your academic day. I have a daughter who proudly insisted she would never cook and will live her entire adult life on top ramen and take out. I decided she needed cooking lessons. We've done a few of the cle light units on home ec and they have a lot of worksheets and assigned simple recipes. We pair it with Alton Browns good eats. I just plan units on different foods - cakes, pies, meats, bread, vegetables, etc... She hates it. Sort of. Actually I think she secretly loves it. Anyway... You could put together your own cooking class for her. Are the CLE Light units on home Ec well done? DD14 has kind of done her own thing in the kitchen a some but she wants to learn more. I am a lousy cook. I even took a cooking class. I am still a lousy cook. DS10 does well with baking but he would like to cook more, too. We use CLE for math. Maybe the home ec units would work, too? Hmmmm..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idnib Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Can you choose a recipe that's between kid food and squid with wine and leave her in the kitchen while remaining in the house? I basically learned to cook at about her age due to my desire to have a hot meal waiting for my parents when they came home from work. Over time I've developed my skills and maintained my interest in cooking. It might also be good to let her pick a difficult and unusual recipe. Success would be wonderful and failure would teach her many things too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Teach her budgeting at the same time. If she uses expensive stuff for one meal she needs to do a cheap edible meal for balance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Are the CLE Light units on home Ec well done? DD14 has kind of done her own thing in the kitchen a some but she wants to learn more. I am a lousy cook. I even took a cooking class. I am still a lousy cook. DS10 does well with baking but he would like to cook more, too. We use CLE for math. Maybe the home ec units would work, too? Hmmmm..... OneStep, what she might like is a cookbook with pictures for the steps. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047050059X/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/Anyone-Cook-Edition-Step-Step/dp/0470500670/ref=pd_sim_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1MZH0KEA03A9XE0BW27P My dd isn't a squid and wine kind of cook, hehe, just normal stuff, and she has LOVED these. I bought them for my cousin when she married. She came from a foodie family (multiple restaurants, etc.) but somehow everyone ELSE was always doing the cooking, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 If you live in the Knovxille, Tn area by any chance, bring her over and we would happily teach her! Lol I have an aspiring chef (14) and quite honestly she has learned the most by being turned loose in the kitchen. I taught her basic kitchen safety (how to use a knife, keeping clothes and hair out of the Flames of the gas stove, how to get hot items out of the oven, etc.) and then she had free reign. The rules are 1. She has to ask before using any ingredients I don't keep in bulk (just because I may have plans for them) 2. No wasting food (in other words don't mix lemon juice and half my bottle of mint extract just to see what happens) 3. Share what you make. 4. If you DO want to flambé something, I have to at least supervise the flaming part. She has been cooking by herself in the kitchen since she was 10. The worst things that have happened are a few minor burns and a lot of messes that she had to clean up. She has never been fond of children's cookbooks or kids classes, since she wants to know how to really cook, not just assemble ingredients. I love these basic rules. They are great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lilaclady Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 If you have a wholefoods with salud cooking school nearby you may want to look at some of their classes. They have some great hands on classes not just demonstrations for about $25 for 2 hrs and they will cook whole meals. They also have like winter and spring break classes for 4 hrs and they will make multiple meals. I like that you can just pick and choose which ones you do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aras Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 What about America's Test Kitchen online cooking school? A friend of mine also has a budding chef and she signed up for these online lessons. He really enjoys them. She is also quite the chef, but I think he wanted something he can do on his own. http://www.onlinecookingschool.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamanthaCarter Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Based on your description of her foodie tendencies, I second the motion for getting her the classes as a Christmas present. I can say that at 10, I'd have died of happiness at a gift like that. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in the UP of MI Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Has she been able to spend any time watching you or anyone else cook? My oldest dd (age 10) basically just jumped right in this year. She doesn't cook a whole meal by herself yet, but she is chopping/peeling/shredding fruit and veggies, browning beef, cooking scrambled eggs, oatmeal, grits, and quesadillas, mixing up batters for cookies, dumplings etc. We are just using regular gf recipes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Ds did some of the cooking school type things when he was on a cooking kick. They were not all that. Cool food product at the end, but so supervised. I second that kids mostly just need to be turned loose. I was glad I never sprung for a series of them. Some of the kid cookbooks are good though because they break down the recipe more clearly and, as you pointed out, don't have things like deep frying. And there are some that are not "kid food" but instead have some more sophisticated tastes. Yes, simplified a little, but still "real" food and not hot dogs or funny face salads or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Are the CLE Light units on home Ec well done? DD14 has kind of done her own thing in the kitchen a some but she wants to learn more. I am a lousy cook. I even took a cooking class. I am still a lousy cook. DS10 does well with baking but he would like to cook more, too. We use CLE for math. Maybe the home ec units would work, too? Hmmmm..... Take a look at them on the cle website. You have to sort through the home ec 1 and 2 courses to pick out which are cooking oriented. I got some snarky comments at the start regarding the pictures of Mennonite girls and "Gods light in electives" on the front cover, but the instructions are specific and the worksheets and quizzes allow me to assign things easily. Having a curriculum rather than just handing a recipe to a sarcastic 7th grader shifts the burden off of me (As in, "It isn't *mom* reminding me to wash my hands and telling me to bake fluffy biscuits and clean up after myself, it's those ladies who wrote the textbook.") Also, there is some gender/religious/cultural stuff, but it's subtle in the cooking units. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 Momling- what is the minimum age that you would say the CLE Home Ec Light Units could be used for? I am thinking 7th? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 17, 2014 Author Share Posted November 17, 2014 OH, and this is the funny thing...I am so extremely sick and my son is so extremely sick my dd has had to take care of us and the house for two days straight. I have done laundry and vacuuming and nursing in between my fever and sleeping and hospital visit, but my dd has finally had more time in the kitchen! So far, she made a breakfast omelette egg cassarole bowl, a bean and roast beef soup, (with many seasoning and veggies), as well as snacks, and the roast chicken that's in there now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I have started teaching the boys more domestic skills--primarily how to cook meals and clean up in the kitchen. And my main motive was so that one of them can make dinner when my hands are full. My youngest, Pal, really loves to cook so we might have a real win-win in the making. Personally I don't have any major qualms about kids cooking if they can 1) safely reach the sink and stove, 2) keep their hands and utensils clean 3) follow the safety rules and 4) help clean up their mess. Hopefully, by this time next year, each of us will be cooking for the family 2x a week. The boys will be 7 and 8 next year. I say start them young and let them have as much independence as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Take a look at them on the cle website. You have to sort through the home ec 1 and 2 courses to pick out which are cooking oriented. I got some snarky comments at the start regarding the pictures of Mennonite girls and "Gods light in electives" on the front cover, but the instructions are specific and the worksheets and quizzes allow me to assign things easily. Having a curriculum rather than just handing a recipe to a sarcastic 7th grader shifts the burden off of me (As in, "It isn't *mom* reminding me to wash my hands and telling me to bake fluffy biscuits and clean up after myself, it's those ladies who wrote the textbook.") Also, there is some gender/religious/cultural stuff, but it's subtle in the cooking units. Thanks for the additional info! I appreciate it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 My girls watch Alton Brown video clips to find recipes and instructions. I stay mostly out of the kitchen. With practice, they're getting better. I help with assigned tasks and make sure they're being careful with cross-contamination and germs. It is hard, but I is the only way it can work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 Dd and I decided long ago that the best way for her to cook was for me to be out of the kitchen. I was just too controlling and annoying to her. We were fine when she was little and could be my helper, but not once she was old enough to start really having things she could do. She was never interested in kids food or kids recipes either. By 10 she was cooking meals on her own though and I don't mean pancakes, but full meals, meat veggies, bread, you name it. She gets most of her recipes from alrecipes.com. She did have to use things on hand, which has never included squid. She can make requests by putting things on my shopping list. She can also choose her own flavor palette and be as creative as she wants within the range of what I already have. By the time she was 12 she cooked dinner once a week. Last year, when she was 14, I was out twice a week from 4-6:00 and she made dinner those nights. It was great for everyone. She is far more competent in the kitchen than most adults. If I'm sick or gone, she can run the house as well as I can. It is pretty terrific from my perspective. So - give her space and let her cook! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsH Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 My kids have really enjoyed Honest Pretzels by Mollie Katzen. It's real stuff but explains more details than you'd find in some adult books. Another option is to let her loose in the Joy of Cooking, which explains things clearly. Using the ground rules discussed above would be valuable. I learned all my cooking from watching the food network throughout high school and college, while attempting any recipes I wanted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsH Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I just opened my new Taproot magazine, which has a great article on exactly this topic. Maybe you can get your hands on a copy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I just found this: http://kidstir.com/join/ It looks like a great option to give kids some autonomy in the kitchen (plus they get mail, mine love mail). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justified Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Youtube really is an excellent source. There are so many great channels with cooks teaching basic knife skills to basic cooking tips to full recipes. I like Laura Vitali, Jacob Burton, Gordon Ramsey, and Chef Tips. Well, there are an endless amount of channels. A cookbook can only take you so far, and I find a video helps to grasp techniques and skills with better understanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I'd use YouTube and the Cooking Channel for safety instruction and basic techniques and then just let her go. I let the kids cook with me today and showed them how not to slice an apple. Luckily I still have the tip of my finger. :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted November 27, 2014 Author Share Posted November 27, 2014 So why is this a problem? If it's the expense of the ingredients, talk to her about budgeting. If it's the fact that no one in the family will eat it, talk to her about considering the tastes of the people you're cooking for. If it's just that it's complicated, stand back and let her figure that out for herself. One of the first things I made when mom turned me loose in the kitchen at age 10 or so was ham and swiss croissants. From scratch. As in, I spent all day rolling out dough, spreading it with butter, folding it over, letting it chill, rolling it out, spreading it with butter, folding it over, letting it chill . . . I'm glad I did it. I will probably never do it again. But I still gravitate toward the complicated recipes. And flambes. I never had a "kids" cookbook. I started with the 1960s Joy of Cooking and went on from there. I need to get off the computer now, because it's almost time for step 2 of the 11 step mashed potato recipe I'm making for tomorrow . . . She spent the last two weeks since I was very sick, cooking. She made all kinds of new recipes, and some were very difficult. I think part of the reason God allowed me to be so sick was so that she could get in the kitchen. She made all our dinners for 5 days too. Also, I just bought her a beautiful hardback brand new Joy of Cooking for Christmas!! So EXCITED about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 :hurray: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourisenough Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Just get out of her way! My DD16 has made most of our Thanksgiving dinner, including pies from scratch. I've never explicitly taught her to cook; I just turned the kitchen over to her slowly over the last 4-5 years. When she has a question, she turns to YouTube or skypes Grandma who is both a more experienced/motivated cook than me AND, perhaps more importantly, is out-of-town so she can't hover! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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