ds seriously into cooking...ideas for supporting this?

[Teresa Hope]

My 9 yr ds loves to cook. I don't. Which has worked to his advantage, I think, because I would just as soon the kids figure out how to feed themselves. So I let him do a lot for himself, and we have we have an old, yucky house, so I'm not fussy about my kitchen, i.e. countertops, stains on floors, etc. I know how to cook -- bake, particularly -- so I can guide him. I just don't like it much.

 

So he cooks quite a bit and regularly makes cookies for a kids ministry group that meets mid-week. Basically, I casually offer what guidance I can, but he picks stuff up very quickly.

 

I honestly think he may have a future in the culinary arts, he's so obsessed. I want to come up with a plan for summer/fall to help him learn how to cook a little more systemicatically -- or is that me just getting in the way of his learning? I'm awkward at unschooling.

 

But I was thinking of having him tackle some basic recipes from every food group, or things that would expose him to different techniques. Can I have some suggestions about what some good basic dishes to focus on? Also, I am really bad at cooking meat. Can anyone point me to an easy resource that explains how to cook meat? I overcook everything, and meat cuts are like a foreign language to me.

 

If you have any other websites or recipe sources or blogs that you think would be good for a novice cook, could you suggest them? Please don't send me to those kid cookbooks that make all the food look like funny faces or action figures. We want real food, not play food.

 

Also, we don't have cable TV. Is there a way I can get foodie shows on video?

 

As he gets older, are there apprenticeship or mentoring relationships I should pursue? We have a good community college with a culinary arts program, so he could probably head there in his upper high school years. But I want to avoid the fast food industry or late-night restaurant stuff.

 

Any thoughts, ideas?

 

I'm just looking for good ideas. Maybe some of

[Teresa Hope]

Anyway, shoot your ideas my way.

 

Thanks!

 

Teresa

[Hoggirl]

This might be a fun thing to do. I know it has *real* food recipes and he could learn about how different regions of the country cook. I think this could easily be incorporated into "regular" schooling. You can learn about the ethnicity of different regions and how emigrants influenced the cooking there.

Learn also about foods that grow in particular places and how that influences recipes for that region.

 

Do you have a local butcher shop or bakery? Maybe he could shadow a day in each of those places (not sure about safety/legal issues, but it is a thought). Or what about shadowing at a local catering business for a day?

 

I would have him focus on meal planning. This would incorporate recipes, budgeting, and nutritional analysis. Make him responsible for dinner one night a week. This would include making a grocery list and doing the shopping with you.

 

He could probably find out about many of the current chefs on Wikipedia. Learn about their lives and how they got interested in food.

 

Not sure about your meat issue???? :confused:

[blessed2fosteradopt]

 

I would have him focus on meal planning. This would incorporate recipes, budgeting, and nutritional analysis. Make him responsible for dinner one night a week. This would include making a grocery list and doing the shopping with you.

 

:iagree:This would be a win-win all the way around.

[PeterPan]

Better Homes & Gardens has a fabulous cookbook Anyone Can Cook that shows how to do everything, has notes on what to ask mom, cross references to other pages where necessary techniques are explained, etc. My 9 yo LOVES it! She's like yours, very into cooking, and she pours over it picking new recipes and things to try.

 

PBS on Saturdays has tons of cooking shows, but they're not necessarily the things he wants to cook. You could try that, but it might be more fun to let him go to Grandma's. My dd cooks things with grandma that I don't get around to, like pie. :)

[PeterPan]

If you want him to cook meals, don't make it drudgery and hard. That's why *you* don't like it. You probably already have a plan (tonight is chicken night), so ask him how he'd like to cook the chicken (baked whole, parmesan, chicken fingers, stir fry, I'm sure he has opinions), and then let him find recipes. My dd does all the grocery shopping, but we don't make it arduous. I keep a running grocery list when we run out of things, and on Saturdays, before she goes (she shops with her grandma and gets our groceries, no joke!), I complete the list with anything extra I need from my food plan for the week. So I already know MWF we'll eat chicken, Tues and Thurs will be fish, that sort of thing, and I just make sure we have enough on hand for us to be flexible and pick a recipe when we get there. That way we can be spontaneously creative. :)

[dhudson]

We really enjoy the line of Williams and Sonoma cookbooks for kids. They teach how to do things, what different tools are used for and food terminology. I've even learned a ton from it. My 10 yr old is asking for the Teen Cookbook for his birthday because he enjoys it so much. We have other kid cookbook as well but the Williams and Sonoma teaches HOW to cook, which is helpful.

 

My kids cook with a grandmother and then a grandfather on the other side who are fantastic cooks and they teach them a ton. The upshot of this is that I get to eat without cooking it myself. :001_smile:

[Psm73]

You've received some great ideas so far. The only thing I would add is to get him lots of recipe books (either from the library or you can purchase some) and let him "play" and create. Classes might be a great idea but if you don't have the money, this might be just as good. I love Rachael Ray's style & she has lots of photos in her books. Plus she uses fairly simple every day ingredients.

 

Also, you could obviously get him into the allrecipes website. He could either type in what he feels like making or he could do an ingredient search based on what you have in the house.

 

You could have him search that site once a week for a certain night of the week and he could rotate through different kinds of cooking. For example, you make a plan that he makes dinner on Monday night. The first week, he could search Italian recipes and make something. The following week, he could search Mexican recipes, and so on. This way he is experiencing lots of different textures, tastes, and styles of cooking.

 

How fun for you both! Send him my way if it ever gets to be too much for you. :D

[Teresa Hope]

About the meat....I just meant that I have no ability to teach him how to cook meat dishes well. Baking I can usually not screw up horribly. But sauting, broiling...? Somehow even my crockpot meat entrees go bad. My Mom can't do meat, either. So I need extra help if I'm going to be any guidance with that food group.

 

Teresa

[Shannon C]

You can watch shows and tutorials on www.foodnetwork.com or www.familyfun.com . You can also buy dvds at their store. I agree with the meal planning. My son has been obsessed with cooking since he was 1(starting with play food). It hasn't gone away--he's only 5 now, but I see him being like your son. I look forward to any other great ideas.

[Shannon C]

Direct link to food network full episodes index: http://www.foodnetwork.com/video-library/index.html

[daisychics]

About the meat....I just meant that I have no ability to teach him how to cook meat dishes well. Baking I can usually not screw up horribly. But sauting, broiling...? Somehow even my crockpot meat entrees go bad. My Mom can't do meat, either. So I need extra help if I'm going to be any guidance with that food group.

 

Teresa

 

I love Alton Brown because he explains everything! It's science.

 

I found some of his dvds at blockbuster, don't have netfilx, but I'm sure they have his dvds too.

 

here's a link for his stuff:

http://www.foodnetworkstore.com/HostShow.aspx?hid=61&CCAID=FNGOOGAW100001&KW=alton+brown+dvd

 

I hope my son will be like that.... how did he get started? or how did you know, what age did he start cooking?

 

Sounds like you've got a cool kid.

[Tami]

I would highly, highly recommend "Saving Dinner Basics" by Leanne Ely. Not only will your ds learn basic cooking skills, but they will get dinner on the table for the family! Saving Dinner also has a printable grocery list for the week, which is extremely convenient for whoever happens to do the shopping in your family. Leanne's recipes will teach all the basic skills, and she does it with humor and in a conversational way.

 

At SavingDinner.com, you can download what sample week looks like, including the grocery list and six recipes.

 

Blessings!

[Guest]

I love Alton Brown because he explains everything! It's science.

 

 

 

Yes! We love Alton Brown because he explains the WHY's of everything. I have 3 of his books and they aren't your normal cookbook. They explain why to do or not to do something.

 

I just have to laugh b/c I read this post this morning, jumped in the shower and when I came out again, my ds had "found" the food network on TV. He loves cooking shows.

 

And don't worry, "cook-y" kids can be produced from "non-cooky" moms! ;)

[yslek]

I was going to suggest Alton Brown DVDs as well. Our library carries a number of them. I have a cookbook called "How to Cook Without a Book" which has some basic recipes (including easy ways to fix meat) with variations (different sauces). He might enjoy that.

 

When he's a bit older (in his teens), if he's still into cooking, you could check out your local community colleges for culinary arts programs. I know of several in my area that offer degrees/certificates in culinary arts; I think you have to be at least 16 to enroll, though.

[Reya]

Try a subscription to Cook's Illustrated. Also, the Culinary Institute of America has various recipe/instructional books.

[unsinkable]

If he is following his passion you could try "How to Cook Without a Book...recipes and techniques every cook should know by heart" by Pam Anderson. It gives basic recipes and formulas to vary it.

 

Chapters:

 

Whack & Toss Salads

Paired Salads

Vinaigrette

One Easy Formula, Many Supper Soups

Quick in a Cup, Pureed Vegetable Soups

The Big Fat Omelet

The Big and Bigger Frittata

Simple TOmato Sauce

Pasta w/Vegetable

Weeknight Ravioli & Lasagne

Weeknight Stir-fries

More Asain Fast Food

If You've Made One Saute, You've Made them All (different meats w/ diff. pan sauces)

If You Can Saute, You Can Sear

No Hassle ROast Chicken

Steam/Sauteed Vegetables

1 Potato, 2 Potato, 3 Potato, 4

Simple Ways with SImple Sides

Spur of the moment Appetizers

Just Desserts

 

It is a wonderful book and I think it'd encourage him to experiment and be intuitive.

HTH

[Spy Car]

Don't systematize his culinary efforts. The real joy of cooking comes in finding an outlet for creative expression. Most of those impulses are innate, they just need to be nurtured. What's critical is developing confidence and what I call the "soul of a chef".

 

This happens though looking at food, and asking yourself "what does this want to become"? And through actually cooking with ones senses engaged.

 

Smelling foods. Feeling foods. Learning what ingredients are good and what is fresh (and what is not). Experimenting with how different seasoning affect a dish. Looking to how different colors brought together can delight the eye as well as the palate. Paying attention to "texture" and how different cooking methods (and duration) affect foods.

 

I'd urge you to stay away from kids cooking books, and most "recipe" oriented cook-books and websites for that matter. Inspired food creation does not flow from being a recipe follower. Rather it comes from trusting your own creative impulse.

 

A child does need to learn techniques. So have them be mindful of such things as how say chicken might taste differently if it were oven-roasted, pan-fryed, deep-fried, sauteed in strips, or poached (to name a few).

 

And do find inspiring cookbooks (and here I mean books with lots of beautiful photographs and/or generous descriptions of cultural aspects of the cuisine and books which talk more about "techniques" for handling ingredients rather than just giving directions in a recipe. Cooking by "rote" (all the time) is not inspiring. There's nothing wrong with reading an inspiring cookbook about a far-away land (or on the regional cooking of own locale) and wanted to "reproduce" the recipe. I'm not saying disallow recipe following, let the child follow their bliss. Just try to create and environment where they feel free to adapt "recipes" to their own tastes and to the availability of ingredients.

 

The great thing about cooking is "directions" are rarely sacrosanct. When they are it's usually called "baking". Bakers and cooks [expecting master bakers who "feel" how the change of weather will affect the yeast, how the humidly may affect the crumb] tend to approach food very differently.

 

For my case I love being an instinctive cook. I feel like I can cook "anything" and make it my own. I was like your son, my mom didn't really like to cook, and I loved good food and found I had a passion for delicious cuisine. The key is to be open. Go to an "ethnic" market, look what people are buying. Pester old ladies about what they do with "that".

 

The James Beard Foundation gives prizes for the best cookbooks of the year. While not exhaustive, any JBF winner can be counted on to be an outstanding work. This will help if you are doing inter-library loans. "Saveur Magazine" is by-far-and-a-way the best culinary magazine for inspiring creative and adventurous young chefs.

 

Keep it fun.

 

Bill

Edited March 4, 2009 by Spy Car

[Teresa Hope]

Thanks to everyone who replied...these were really strong responses and you've helped me out tremendously -- both with the advice and resource suggestions.

 

Teresa

[tristangrace]

Check out this "techniques-oriented" cookbook, Cooking with Children: 15 Lessons for Children, Age 7 and Up, Who Really Want to Learn to Cook

 

by Marion Cunningham.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Children-Lessons-Really-Learn/dp/0679422978/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236203565&sr=8-1

 

[Rosie_0801]

Pester old ladies about what they do with "that".

 

Absolutely! You can learn a lot that way! Or not. I'm always asking questions in our local whole foods shop and I inevitably know more about it than they do :(

 

I think the best way to encourage his cooking efforts is to buy him good quality cookbooks, eat whatever he cooks and encourage him to make pencilled notations in the books for recipe improvements. Adding more or less chilli, baking longer, using the muffin trays instead of the loaf tin, fresh rather than frozen veggies, suggested accompaniments, etc.

 

I won't recommend meat specific cookbooks since we're converting to veganism, but do have some I can recommend. Be picky about what books you buy. Don't buy books containing seriously Westernised versions of ethnic cuisines or the "make a meal in 30 seconds flat" books either. He'll get bored of them very quickly. Books about specific ingredients, like culinary lavender or miso can be good fun and provide quite a bit of nutritional and historical info. Or you can buy "weird stuff" to bring home for him, and let him figure out what to do with it!

 

Here's my pre-vegan favourites:

Taste of Africa

Latin American Cooking

Taste of California (I still use this quite a bit)

The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook (This one too)

 

Good food information including recipes:

The Miso Book

Sea Weed: Nature's Secrets

The Sprouting Book

 

Some people are instinctive cooks, others like me have a gene for recipe collecting.

 

:)

Rosie

Edited March 4, 2009 by Rosie_0801

[Stacia]

I don't know much about cooking (I'm a horrible cook), but my dh is a great cook. His dad is too. And, now my ds (7yo) is becoming a good cook who loves cooking.

 

My fil, especially, not only makes wonderful food, but plates it beautifully. Eating over there is like having a seat at a gourmet restaurant. The food is delicious & is served in a beautiful manner.

 

So, don't forget the 'visual' aspect of how the foods are presented. He could be very creative w/ that. My ds loves to 'plate' food & make it a really special presentation.

 

And, I'd say to support his efforts by setting him a nice table on which to serve his food. Use tablecloths, the nice china, candles or flowers, etc....

 

The food network has some awesome shows that I bet he would love. Looking at the list of shows that someone else posted, I would definitely recommend the Iron Chef shows. He'd probably love the ingenuity they show. And, my ds enjoys Throwdown w/ Bobby Flay too.

 

How nice to have a chef in the family! :001_smile: