Teaching kids to cook

SallyUK

My son is 14 and my daughter is 10.

Now, I know I should be doing a search, but I'm at work at the moment, so don't really have the time to be searching through lots of threads.

Can someone recommend nice nice easy things for them to do in the kitchen - either savoury or baking things like tray bakes, flapjacks, that sort of thing please?

Thanks

Sal
x

angchris

it`s great to get them cooking, it gets them used to being able to stand on their own two feet for when they fly the nest :j i have made sure my 14 year old lad has the basic skills, he can make bread dough that he has turned into pizza/bread rolls/a loaf and some sticky buns and he also knows how to make pastry and has made a simple quiche and a beef n mushroom in ale pie and also chicken n mushroom pie :j i think a pasta bake is the next on my hit list, he can cook pasta in a saucepan as i often come home and he`s eating a mountain of it where he has overestimated :rolleyes: :rotfl: also i intend to get him to cook a roast chicken dinner soon. i`d be most upset if he left home and lived off of micro meals :eek:
fairy cakes, flapjacks, jam tarts, banana bread,scones, bacon butties, sausage rolls, homemade choccy truffles, rice crispie/cornflake cakes are all good things to start with just make sure you get them to help with the clean up afterwards as some days it looks like a flour bag exploded in the kitchen and he uses every utensil going :rotfl:

Tashja

Tonight my 2 (aged 5 and 4) are going to be helping e make HM Pizza and Potato Wedges.

Yesterday 4 year old helped me to make jelly (really easy I know but I like to do easy things with them that give them a sense of achievement)

We are shopping tonight so I am going to pick up loads of cake ingredients and strat teaching them how to do cakes and bits.

HTH

T xx

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there SallyUK

pizza chicken melts - 5-10 mins

4 small skinless boneless chicken breasts
2tbs olive oil
100g grated cheese
8 cherry tomatoes. quartered
4 tbs pesto sauce
Heat a grill.... sandwich the chicken between clingfilm and hit with a rolling pin to flatten by 1/3
heat oil in a pan, add chicken -cook 2 mins each side
wipe oil from pan
spread chicken with pesto, add toms and sprinkle over cheese and grill until melted
You could also swap the chicken for pork...and the pesto for bbq sauce, tom puree...or wholegrain mustard.

MUESLI FRUIT N NUT BARS -MAKES 12 BARS 10-15 MIN PREP 20-25 MIN COOK
HEAT OVEN 180C FAN/160C/GAS 4
BUTTER AND LINE THE BASE OF A TIN 18X28CM 7X11" APPROX

100G BUTTER
100G LIGHT MUSCAVADO
4TBS GOLDEN SYRUP
100G PECANS -CHOP HALF
350G UNSWEETENED MUESLI
1 MEDIUM RIPE BANANA - MASHED
MELT BUTTER, SUGAR AND SYRUP IN A MEDIUM PAN OVER A LOW HEAT UNTIL SUGAR HAS DISSOLVED, COOL SLIGHTLY
ADD CHOPPED NUTS, MUESLI AND BANANA..STIR UNTIL WELL MIXED
PUT INTO TIP AND PRESS DOWN WITH A SPOON
PRESS WHOLE NUTS INTO TOP AND BAKE
WILL KEEP IN A TIN FOR 5 DAYS...AS IF :-)

HI THERE HOPE THOSE 2 GET YOU OFF TO A START...

If you want to list your 2s favourite ingredients and stuff they wont eat...i can put you some more recipe up if you like...............any excuse to sit trawling through my mountain of cook books n mags LOL

SallyUK

Thanks everyone!

MRSMCWBER, thanks to you to for those recipes!

My son won't touch these items: tuna, beans, eggs, brown bread, nuts or cheese!

my daughter won't touch anything hot and spicy!

WoW! Angchris, you're really brave letting them do all those things! My son can only just turn on the microwave, I'd be too scared to let him near the cooker if I wasn't at home! Although I agree with you that it's good for them to do it and it gets them standing on their own two feet.

I'm a scardy cat when it comes to letting them loose in the kitchen!

Sal
xxx

mrs_metal

One of the first things my Mum taught me to make as a child was rice crispy cakes
melt chocolate, mix in rice crispies, raisins (or any other coice of dried fruit), put into cake cases and refridgerate

Absolutely delicious, I still make them now (many years later) but not too often as I find I eat them all in one evening

fairy cakes and other basics cakes were other favourites to make as child,and I used to have lots of fun decorating them.

For savoury items pizza's are great and they can have their choice of topping.

My friend has recently bought the river cottage family cookbook to cook with her kids and everything in the book was made by the children with very clear simple instructions so might be worth you having a look for it in the library for inspiration.

SallyUK

Thanks for that Mrs Metal, I'll take a look at that one too

Sal
x

MRSMCAWBER

Hi sallyuk
I used to get goodfood/delicious/fresh and olive mags...i know..not exactly penny saving..but im moving to Germany at the end of the month so im going to subscribe to just goodfood..but have it go to my mums as when you have it abroad it costs a lot more and you dont get the free gifts :-(..then mum can read it and forward it to me :-)
anyway enough waffling...quite often i get free small books with about 40 recipes in...to hand i have:-
comfort foods
chocolate cakes n bakes
fresh family food
great food for kids
easy summer entertaining
50 brilliant bbq ides
and looking at them many of them take very few ingredients and should be simple enough for your 2 to make..even if mum has to sit with a mug of tea near by :-)
if you want to send me a private message with your address i will happily send them you....trust me i wont miss them i have enough cook books n mags to sink a battle ship....it really is an addiction :-)
and if you can use them...you may as well have them (if i come across anymore whilst im packing up i can add them too)...
I have used similar with my nieces...got them to look through and write a shopping list (sneaky way of practicing their writting)and then let them cook
jill

SallyUK

Hi Jill

That would be ever so kind of you!

I've sent you a PM.

I think I'd be safe enough if I was having that cup of tea nearby! lol

Good luck with the move too!

Sal
xx

Penelope_Penguin

Hi, Sally. Is this the thread you're looking for - Teaching kids to cook?
My children are similar ages to yours. They like to cook pasta sauces, pancakes, cakes and biscuits. They also like to bake bread rolls and pastry.

We cook things that we like to eat, and also a range of basics for when they leave home in the next few years.

My list of basic recipes would include:

• Onion/mince/vegetable base - for bolognaise, chilli, shepherd's pie, casserole, etc
• Roast dinner
• Bread
• Pastry
• Cake
• Biscuit
• Vegetable, salad and potato preparation
• Rice and pasta cooking

HTH, Penny. x