ProudGrandma Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I wanted to have my daughter (age 10) to start cooking simple meals or dishes (as much on her own) as possible...but I need some ideas...and I don't want chicken nugget kind of meals either. Any suggestions? thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Get a cookbook that has simple recipes. That's worked for us. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 What does your family like to eat? You have to start there, LOL! You can look at this as a bunch of techniques. Toasting, sauteeing, frying, baking, mixing baking powder doughs, making yeast doughs, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 Get a cookbook that has simple recipes. That's worked for us. :) do you have one to recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I wanted to have my daughter (age 10) to start cooking simple meals or dishes (as much on her own) as possible...but I need some ideas...and I don't want chicken nugget kind of meals either. Any suggestions? thanks. Fried eggs French toast Pancakes Scrambled eggs Omlettes Tomato Soup Grilled Cheese Casserole dishes that are mostly assembly (I have a chicken dish, for example, that even my 8 yo can make with a little help) Pasta Macaroni and cheese Plus cookies, brownies and cakes. I have all sons, but the older two can pretty much make anything on the above list. The Emeril Lagasse cookbooks for kids are good and are in most libraries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I start with frying eggs, making pancakes, oatmeal & cream of wheat, and baking cookies, cakes & other sweets. I actually can't stand sharing my kitchen. So I will go through the recipe with them once and then I ask the last child I taught to coach them on their 2nd time making their choice of recipe (coach sits and answers questions and offers suggestions but sits on their hands). I'm in another room hyperventilating because I can't help but jump in even though I know I shouldn't. Right now I can ask any of my three older kids to make pancakes for dinner, walk away, and come back for dinner and it's done. :D It's a great feeling. My oldest daughter likes to bake and she will come with a recipe and ask to do it. Of course, if/when your school work is done! I teach. One of the others will coach. And then it's a solo run through. So far this has worked for us. Cooking is usually the first lesson after learning to read. They all looked forward to finishing OPTGR so they could read a recipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I agree with Carol. I teach basic skills rather than recipes per se: how to boil pasta, season meat, bake a potato, steam vegs. Those are skills that can be used to cook many different foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabella Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 I wanted my kids doing the same, but it never worked because I think I went around it the wrong way - expecting them to follow a recipe for a meal (with me to help if needed, of course), and leaving the kitchen to them. They didn't want it any other way, but I think it was a little overwhelming for them, and I also wasn't consistent in requiring their cooking night of them. So my suggestion...for what it's worth!...and probably what I would do if I had my time again....is aim for her to take 1 or 2 nights per week to be 'sous chef' in the kitchen with you. She would be with you the whole time of meal prep & serving, including setting the table etc...make it a fun time, by brainstorming together what you could cook, trying new recipes, cutting veges in 'fancy' shapes, adding jazzy garnishes, adding flowers or other decorations to the table, doing candlelight dinners, and any other fun things you can think of. Plan to do this for the next year, and set a date when she can begin doing it on her own. Make this date a 'celebration' of the end of her 'apprenticeship'! Help her (or not, if she rathers) plan a lovely (still simple as she's young) meal as a culmination of the learning time, and the beginning of her time as 'head chef'. From that date on, she can take her day or two a week on her own (with Mama still handy for questions or last minute help). This way she has an apprenticeship time, where she's basically learning from you just by helping. Make a point of making all your usual family dishes, as well as a some new ones to give her confidence with both. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 My DD made a homemade pizza from Veggie Kids by Roz Denny for lunch. She did use the pasta sauce I had on hand in my freezer but the crust and the toppings she prepared herself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Dd12 can cook simple meals like casseroles, spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf, quiche, pancakes and sausage, scrambled eggs, tacos and beef or chicken stir fry. I started her out by teaching her how to cook, not just how to cook specific recipes. She also does most of our baking. Cakes, cookies, muffins, bread, pies... Dd8 is starting to learn now too. So far she has made chocolate chip cookies, 2 layered chocolate cake, cupcakes, muffins, scrambled eggs and spaghetti with meat sauce by herself. (With me sitting at the counter on the computer or reading.) Scrambled eggs was the first thing either of them cooked completely on their own then I went on to teach them how to turn those into a complete meal by adding diced ham, veges and cheese. I figure that way they could at least provide the family with a nutritional meal in an emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 Let her shadow you and then let her go. My 9yo son made b'fast for our family of 8 regularly! :) He is now 11yo and cooking all kinds of things! Keep in mind, people learn from mistakes. There *will* be mistakes, don't freak out. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keptwoman Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 http://www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-ministry-of-food-australia The recipes section has a bunch of recipes aimed at teaching a certain type of dish. My kids have made heaps from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happypamama Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 My 9yo can boil, fry, and scramble eggs. She can also make oatmeal and pancakes, and she can bake a cake from scratch (not a mix). She's done a bit of meat-frying and helps stir sauces and such sometimes, so that she's getting a feel for how things should look. (She can also prepare a balanced lunch, but that's not really cooking, just preparing sandwiches, pouring milk, washing and cutting fruits/veggies, slicing cheese.) I should probably have her do more dinner prep with me, though, but tbh, that's not the most helpful thing to me; it's been far more helpful that she can make breakfast and lunch when I'm busy with a baby or pregnant, which I've been for most of the past several years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 All of my kids cook. I start them young then "certify" them on particular pieces of kitchen gadgetry. My oldest dd can make pizza starting with homemade crust and sauce, but she can only do it because we've been working steadily at adding to her kitchen skills. My youngest has just recently graduated to "pancake flipper," but she's been certified on our simplest sharp knike, the vegetable peeler, and she knows to make cookies from scratch although she isn't allowed to put them in the oven yet (not oven certified). I suggest a book like the Kitchen Basics. Pick out some beginner recipes and teach her the techniques she will need to make them. Then don't look. Seriously, it is so much easier for my kids to cook if I'm not micro-managing them. I teach them what they need to know then give them the power to use what they've learned. I answer and ask lots of questions, but let them try new things within what they already know and branch out when they are ready. My ds is already a better cook than I am, but he still asks for advice when he's trying a new technique or style of recipe. Enjoy. It can be fun and terrible, but coming home from running errands to a lovely meal you didn't cook is a great reward for your patience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 do you have one to recommend? I recently got The Usborne Healthy Cookbook for just this reason. It's got step-by-step instructions with lots of pictures, and it actually uses healthy ingredients. Most kids' cookbooks I've seen have food I wouldn't want them (or me) to eat. This one's got yummy stuff. My 10yo dd just made me up a shopping list for some of the recipes she'd like to try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted May 11, 2011 Share Posted May 11, 2011 We try to include DD in cooking at a young age. Even little kids can stir or whisk or dump in bowl ingredients that mom has measured out. Then simple no bake cookies can be fun to start with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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