Cooking with Kids
First plan a day when you don’t have to be anywhere in a hurry. Also Plan to make a mess. It’s perfectly ok if the kitchen gets messy in the name of fun. What’s wrong with a little flour or batter on the floor? It will clean up and the kids will remember that sometimes it’s ok to make a mess as long as you help with the clean up afterwards. Use the opportunity to teach kitchen safety and organization in a hands on sort of way. Be sure to dress in play clothes as no one wants to worry about a spot on their new dress or pants in the middle of stirring up a batter or kneading dough…
What do kids want to cook? Cookies and cakes are good but anything they can get their hands into is great. Send them to the library or online to look for a recipe that sounds good to them. Maybe they like Aunt Martha’s famous chocolate pudding or Grandma’s biscuits. Whatever strikes their fancy give it a try. Some recipes will require more intervention by you such as bringing candy to a hard ball stage, but they can measure the sugar syrup and other ingredients, and be involved in taffy pulling or the making of popcorn balls. Try recipes with optional ingredients and let the kids choose which sound best. Also try recipes that have interesting ingredients and encourage trying things that are new and different. I’m not saying feed them caviar unless you happen to have some on hand but maybe let them try an artichoke or cumquat. Who knows they may like it and trying new things is something we all need to do.
Weather you are making a full dinner such as meatloaf mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits, or dipping candy into chocolate the important thing here is involvement. It doesn’t matter what the result looks like, all that matters is that you have fun. If a child suggests that it would be neat to have green mashed potatoes, then by all means drag out the food coloring and have green spuds. Let them be creative, if they want to make candy that looks like mice then go for it. Maybe it will work out and maybe the mouse’s tail will drop off while he’s taking a chocolate bath either way a lesson has been learned.
Let kids experiment with flavors and spices such as cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg ginger, maple, lemon and chocolate are great for experimenting. Try adding a bit of these to either a basic cookie or candy recipe. Have fun guessing which flavor is which.
Let the kids come up with their own ideas and see if they work maybe a cookie filled with Goldfish crackers will be good , and if not you tried something new and listened to his/her ideas..
Rolling cookie dough, filling muffin tins and frosting a cake are things kids love to do. And can do if given the chance. So what if some of the cookies are thicker then others or if the cake is a little crooked. The fact is you had fun doing it and Little Susie or Johnny can say I made those cookies or I made that cake.
Although my daughter is now 23 and cooking on her own I did take the time for kitchen playtime with her as a child. She enjoyed making cookies and helping with the yearly Christmas candy. Lately, I’ve borrowed my Friend’s kids to fill my urge for kitchen fun.
Their Mother gets an afternoon free and I get to spend the day acting like a kid. What could be better?
