Kids cooking when mom doesn't

[plain jane]

Well, that's not quite true- I can cook, but I don't really have much technique.  The more episodes of MasterChef the kids and I watched, the more apparent that became.  :lol:

 

My girls love to be involved in the kitchen and were really inspired after watching MasterChef junior.  It would also be a great help to me if they started cooking because I am always busy with something else.  However, I don't have a lot of technique so perhaps the best thing would be for the kids to start "fresh" with their cooking and perhaps get them a book or two.  They are good about following step by step directions.

 

We have quite a number of food allergies, which has also sucked the life out of cooking for me so having them take over would be fabulous.  I've ordered this book for them:

 

 

 

 

I would also like to get them a few more books that kids can follow but that would allow for interesting meal ideas while teaching them technique.  I think I will also splurge a bit and purchase a food processor to help with the chopping and that will hopefully cut down on how much they have to wield a giant knife.  :001_tt2:   (If nothing else, I have to have garlic in every dish  :D )  Currently my 9yo loves to cut the onions/garlic/vegetables by hand but it's a time consuming process and with our family size it takes a looooooooong time to cut everything necessary.

 

I thought of maybe getting them this one:

 

 

 

but I'm wondering if perhaps it's too "cutesy"? What does the Hive think of this one?  I'm sure they would love it if Gordon Ramsay had a cookbook for kids but since that doesn't exist... what does the Hive recommend?

 

FWIW- I don't own any cookbooks.  :eek:   I usually throw stuff together, make things my parents taught me, google recipes off the web if I know precisely what I want to make, or simply let dh take over and do all the cooking  :p .

 

The kids are wanting to learn not only how to cook but also more ideas of what to cook.

 

Any book recommendation or things I should have in the kitchen for them would be great.  I already have a KA mixer and a Vitamix.   :unsure:

[gingersmom]

I started cooking for myself when I was 16 (just baking before then, or simple stuff like pancakes) because my mother was the worlds worst cook and hated cooking. 

 

My son loves cooking. When he was younger we used to hang out at the bookstore and check out all the cookbooks. Your library may also have some for you to look at. And sometimes amazon.com has where you can look inside the book. 

 

I wouldn't buy any special tools until they start cooking and see what they want/need. 

 

I have a 25 year old cuisinart that I adore but found a brand spanking new one at Goodwill for $5 I just had to have also (just in case). 

 

Other than my immersion blender (I make soup all year round), there is nothing I would have to have asap (maybe a crockpot). 

 

I think its great your kids want to cook. 

 

Enjoy!

[Carrie12345]

Alton Brown's books are great. Specifically the "I'm Just Here for the Food" books.

[PeterPan]

Instead of getting a food processor (which absolutely is NOT safe for a 9 yo to operate alone, mercy), how about getting kid-appropriate cooking tools?  My dd was able to cook full meals at that age.  It's not hard.  She could put a chicken in the oven and roast it, make a salad, warm up some wild rice with spaghetti sauce, voila complete meal (for us).  Most of our meals are salad plus meat (meat decorated in a variety of forms), so it's not rocket science.

 

Dd has a cookbook with pictures her grandma gave her, and it has been helpful.  I can go look for it.  

 

What tools?  Well think small.  Our Krogers has a kitchen section, and that's a nice place to go in and find things.  They need a small colander, 10X10 cutting board, small knives (serated, not expensive fancy ones but something more like oxo with easy handles), a lettuce knife, that sort of thing.  

 

I would give them some structure to work within.  Tell them what the meat is (ground turkey, shrimp, whatever) and let them decide how they'd like to prepare it and search for a recipe.  Kids that age can use google, absolutely.  

 

There are some workarounds you can do too to keep cooking safe.  For instance don't have a 9 yo *fry* the ground meat.  You do the Taco Bell technique and add some water, stir it into the ground meat along with the spices, and then turn on the heat and cook the whole thing down, stirring.  No splatters or hot grease that way, and still makes nice taco meat.  

 

A kid that age will enjoy the immersion blender.  We make refried beans, split pea soup, deviled eggs, smoothies, etc. with our immersion blender.  These are all more about process than stove time, so they're great with young children.  Then can learn to boil eggs, peel them, etc. etc.  

[Farrar]

I'm not sure why most 9 yos can't use the food processor?  That seems like a weird one.  Throw it in, put the lid on, press a button.  That's one of the tasks my boys have done before - process the nuts for the cookies or whatever.  But we're also not a huge food processor family.  Maybe I'm missing something?

 

We have a number of the DK kids cookbooks, but not the one mentioned.  My boys liked the Annabel Karmel ones a lot - especially You Can Cook.  They've both made a number of things from there.

 

When I was 11 yo, I was put in charge of cooking for myself and my brother.  Frying with splatter, knife skills and all.  My mother took a weekend to show me what to do and then set me to it.  Really, I think we underestimate kids in the kitchen these days.  I never blew anything up or lost a finger.

[Amy in NH]

Our food processor bowl won't even attach to the motor-base if the cover is not locked in place.  Totally safe for a 9 yo.

[Alte Veste Academy]

My kids (almost 11, 9, and 7.5) all cook. They chop with real knives. They each pick one meal a week and help me make it. The longer they do this, the more work they do and the more I just become a supervisor. All three of them together make tacos (my desert island food!) while I sit around just chatting with them. Yay! I was also cooking family meals all by myself around age 10ish.

 

I agree that the food processor is safe. In fact, ours is probably the safest appliance they use because it has to be locked in to turn on. I still prefer plain old regular tools though. Sharp knives are much safer than dull ones.

 

For allergies, Cooking for Isaiah is good. http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Isaiah-Gluten-Free-Dairy-Free-Delicious/dp/1606525654

 

How to Cook Everything and other such books do a great job of teaching techniques but are pretty boring for kids. I just teach them myself but if you don't feel comfortable doing so, I would just let them regularly watch a technique focused show on FoodTV.

[milovany]

Let 'er rip!  Let them do the cooking and love it.  My almost-16yo daughter has been doing 95% of the cooking in our home now for about three years.  Wow.  I have to say I love it although it's going to be a challenge when she moves out!  ;)   I still do pretty much all the shopping. 

 

I think she'd say the most important things to have on hand are a good variety of ingredients (including not running out of the staples that are used a lot) and free access to safe recipe websites.  Also, a willingness from me to let her try a wide variety of things.  Our daughter is a really good cook now.  She even makes falafel taste good, LOL! 

[SKL]

Cooking is a talent that some of our kids will possess and some won't, regardless of how well their parent(s) cook.

 

My mom was not a great cook, but she learned a few good recipes from my dad's mom and could use a cookbook.  She let us help.  Her 2nd, 4th, and 6th children were born to be great cooks.  The rest of us - let's just say we won't starve.  ;)  Probably.

 

The great cooks in my family had the guts to experiment with new ideas and somehow just have a certain touch.  This was not learned, except by plain old experience.

 

So I say, let the kids help in the kitchen and experiment while they are young.  By doing this, my mom was able to delegate nearly all of the cooking by the time her 2nd kid was 10yo.

[OneStepAtATime]

I am not a good cook, but I am getting better.  My 9 year old son is forcing me to.  He loves cooking.  He went to play at his cousin's house recently and when the other kids ran out to play with neighbors in the yard, he stayed behind for a bit to watch 2 episodes in a row of the Pioneer Woman (homeschooler who has a cooking show) with my SIL.  

 

It is teaching him great organizational skills.  It is also helping him to focus on his body movements for safety reasons.  He has coordination issues.  It gives him a great confidence boost, too.  For Thanksgiving, he had a lot of requests this year for his pumpkin pie he made last year and to keep up with demand he had to make 9 in one day.  He did everything assembly line style, used a checklist and made 9 pies by himself.  I only helped him get the pies in and out of the oven because he tends to get burned (still working on the coordination).

 

I WISH my parents had encouraged me to cook.  I think it is great that you are encouraging it with your kids while they are still young enough to find the whole process fun.  Yeah, Mom!

[Momling]

My 9 yr old loves to cook independently. She started with cookies last year and now makes dinner weekly. I looked at kids cookbooks for her, but found they weren't what I was looking for because the recipes are too frivolous and not hearty enough for our family (pinwheel sandwiches? Fairy cakes?). Instead I got her the 'Can't cook book" aimed at a novice adult cook. It's perfect because it presumes no prior knowledge and offers lots of pictures.

 

Also, I disagree with the idea that kids shouldn't operate kitchen equipment independently - though they absolutely do need instruction first. By 9, my kids have been totally capable of using knives, ovens, blenders, food processors, stoves, even pans of hot oil for doughnuts, etc... In fact, I taught those skills to them at around 5 and 6 and supervised them until I had confidence in their ability to use equipment safely.

 

Anyway, I wholeheartedly approve of unsupervised kids in the kitchen! They feel so proud to set dinner on the table or bring a cake to a potluck. It's empowering and a skill they need to be competent adults.

[Momling]

I should add that the very best cooking lessons come from making terrible cooking mistakes. My daughter's sugar cookies made with 1 1/2 cups of salt instead of 1 1/2 tsp of salt taught her to notice units better than me hovering nearby reminding her about measurements. She *needed* to make that mistake for herself and has always been meticulous about measurements since.

[dancingmama]

I can't cook.  Literally I'm not allowed in the kitchen.  My hubby was the stay at home dad until the kids were 3 and 5.  He literally taught them how to cook before he transitioned back to the workforce.  All I do is supervise.  They are now 9 and 11 and do everything.  Chop, bake, boil, fry, everything.  My daughter was making her own spaghetti sauce and spaghetti at 3.  They are no geniuses in the kitchen or anything.  all they cook is the basics but they have been able to cook since toddlerhood.  *shrug*  

 

The book that was the most useful to them was the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook.  It has pictures. It has directions.  It has recipes.  It has it all.  In detail.  Even I can follow it with supervision.  ;)  

 

We did not get our kids any special gadgets or whatnot.  They used what we have.  

[dancingmama]

Ok.  I can cook.  I just have this awful habit of burning things.  Like pots full of water and heating stones in the oven.  I'll leave it to others.  I can microwave though.  :)

 

[OneStepAtATime]

My short answer is that cooking is not rocket science.  Anyone can do it if they want to.  I realize some do not want to.  That's not the same as not being able to.

 

If they are looking for specific techniques, I bet there is a youtube video for every technique out there. 

 

Cook's Illustrated is a nice magazine for learning technique. 

I really wish that were true.  I usually need at least three runs on something before it comes out o.k.  I have no idea why.  I try following the directions.  I guess because I started so late learning how to cook?  Or just terrible cooking instincts?  My parents did not encourage us to go in the kitchen to cook.  They did not see this as a skill we needed to acquire.  That was Mom's job.  We worked on academics.  Love my parents but seriously, it would have helped if I could cook when I left home.  When my husband and I married we didn't even know how to boil an egg.  We had to call his brother in another state to ask (figuring he would be the least likely to bring up our failure in polite company).  

 

Love that so many here are so encouraging of this skill!  More power to you!  :)

[dancingmama]

Yeah, but it's so much fun to say I can't cook and let the kids and hubby do it.  ;)

[dancingmama]

I really wish that were true.  I usually need at least three runs on something before it comes out o.k.  I have no idea why.  I try following the directions.  I guess because I started so late learning how to cook?  Or just terrible cooking instincts?  My parents did not encourage us to go in the kitchen to cook.  They did not see this as a skill we needed to acquire.  That was Mom's job.  We worked on academics.  Love my parents but seriously, it would have helped if I could cook when I left home.  When my husband and I married we didn't even know how to boil an egg.  We had to call his brother in another state to ask (figuring he would be the least likely to bring up our failure in polite company).  

 

Love that so many here are so encouraging of this skill!  More power to you!   :)

  This is it for me as well.  My learning curve is very steep.  And in the meantime, I'm buying new pots and pans, stinking up the kitchen and starving.  :)

 

I have gotten better.  I can do a few specific things like stick a pizza in the oven (with the oven timer set) but I still need help boiling a pot of water.  I get bored and forget and walk away and then it's hours later.  Haha.  

 

I'm so glad my kids can cook.  Occasionally they will supervise me.  :)

[OneStepAtATime]

Although some foods are easy to kill even if you do know how to cook.

Actually, the day my boyfriend tried to heat a tortilla in the microwave was noted for years afterwards by our neighbors (he nearly set the house on fire).  I should have dated only chefs....

 

And to the OP and others, If you haven't checked out the Pioneer Woman cooking series, it is interesting, and my SIL, nephew and son love it.  She has a website, too, and posts about their homeschooling day, too.

[OneStepAtATime]

  This is it for me as well.  My learning curve is very steep.  And in the meantime, I'm buying new pots and pans, stinking up the kitchen and starving.   :)

 

I have gotten better.  I can do a few specific things like stick a pizza in the oven (with the oven timer set) but I still need help boiling a pot of water.  I get bored and forget and walk away and then it's hours later.  Haha.  

 

I'm so glad my kids can cook.  Occasionally they will supervise me.   :)

The night before my husband and I were going to show our house (selling to move to another state), we started boiling eggs (what is it with us and eggs?) and forgot and let the eggs boil into sludge.  Stunk up the whole house.  The next night we put a pizza in the oven but accidentally started the automatic oven cleaning cycle so it got turned into a charcoal briquet (doors automatically locked when it was in that setting).  Filled the whole house with smoke.  Until we moved, we did PB & Js, ham sandwiches, cereal, or ate out after that....

 

Oh, one thing my son loves is that his cooking utensils are different from mine.  He has his own set and a drawer to put them in, along with his cooking apron.  He makes requests at birthdays and Christmas, specifies what he wants, even provides pictures where necessary and loves that he is building his own set of cooking utensils....

[OneStepAtATime]

I did something so incredibly stupid that involved a microwave.  Well, actually 2 stupid things.  Lets just say the result of one was an explosive mess that sounded like a bomb going off, and the other involved a glass pie plate smashing to pieces and catching on fire.

 

Let it be known, I am not afraid to experiment!  LOL

I am truly fascinated by your pie plate fire reference...I have been trying to visualize the circumstances.  It seems it might be a great scene in a sit-com!  :)

[Soror]

Hmm, well, my kids cook but it is generally by my teaching them. I like cooking though. They use the food processor and real knives. Dd 6.5 cooked me scrambled eggs on the stove by herself, using my small cast iron skillet, just a few weeks ago. They've helped me w/ a ton of things and done a lot on their own as well, although we are not to the MC Jr. level!

[OneStepAtATime]

Hmm, well, my kids cook but it is generally by my teaching them. I like cooking though. They use the food processor and real knives. Dd 6.5 cooked me scrambled eggs on the stove by herself, using my small cast iron skillet, just a few weeks ago. They've helped me w/ a ton of things and done a lot on their own as well, although we are not to the MC Jr. level!

Oh my goodness, I really wish I had learned cooking in your household!  I don't even remember making toast as a teenager....(not to disparage my mom because I love her dearly, and she is an awesome human being...just wish she had given me some sort of cooking skills and encouragement along those lines).

[Soror]

OneStepAtATime- If I knew you irl you'd be welcome to come learn w/ us :) I love having people over for dinner and when I do I try to get them in the kitchen w/ me, I feel in my element there.

 

I didn't learn much cooking growing up either, just SAD kind of stuff, but I guess that is better than some. I had someone over for dinner once and she didn't know how to make a basic green salad, couldn't even chop the lettuce, she was in her 20s. 

 

I really enjoy cooking and I want to make sure my kids at least have basic skills. My kids seem to enjoy cooking as well, dd is more bent towards baking though, which I don't care for at all- especially being gf and paleo-leaning.  I'm working on it for her though.

 

I will have to say that I don't find restrictive diets so much of an issue w/ cooking. Good cooking focuses on real foods and although there are sometimes we cannot make there are still plenty of wonderful things to eat. 

 

I'm getting a bunch of technique cookbooks for Christmas so we can learn more technique together. Most things I've learned just by doing and random searching and reading and I'd like to be more methodical about it.

[littlebug42]

While not geared to kids, I think the Pioneer woman cookbooks are awesome and my daughters find them very approachable.  She has great pictures of each step, so if you aren't really sure, you can see what it is supposed to look like.  She does the same on her website

 

 

[milovany]

Yep, my girls love the Pioneer Woman cookbooks and website for cooking.  Not everyone loves her overall style, but her step by step instructions and photos do make trying a new recipe quite easy.