Teaching kids to cook

sammy_kaye18

This is a good thread - I was determined for my little boy to be able to cook and look after himself (ok a bit premature becasue hes only 3 and a half!) but still its invaluable lessons for later in life.

My bf at the age of 28 still has no idea how to use the washing machine and unless a meal involves heating a tin of beans, cooking pasta or bunging a pizza in thats about his limit for cooking.I cant even get bf to take his plate/bowl to the kitchen when hes finished, he puts it on the floor then walks past it and goes int eh kitchen comes back adn does the same again. yet my 3 year old knows when hes finished to do it straight away.

My little boy however i was determined that he'd know how to cook but never made it into a lesson but let him help. Nearly knocked me bloody over two nights ago, i asked him what he wanted for dinner and he said pancakes, so i said 'ok then you go get the butter' and he replies 'yeah and milk and egg and you get the flour'............:eek: ive never been so gobsmacked. We made cakes yesterday too and i weighed out the flour, butter and had the eggs ready and said 'oh hang on i forgot something' and he said 'wheres the sugar?'...................not as daft as they look are they?

I'll be following this thread with interest on things I can make with him, we are half way there if hes learnign basic recipes and able to take his bowl/plate to the sink when hes done i think ill tackle putting washign in the machine next.

dianadors

I have tried to show mine how you can make different meals from 1 basic technique ie basic mince beef made into SHepherds Pie, Lasagne, Spag bol, Pie etc. It all seems very simple to them then.

purpleivy

Warning!Teach him how to sort into dark things and light things! LOL

ladymarmalade

if he likes unhealthy takeaways why not show him how to make healthier versions of all of them teaching him about why they are helthier for him.

you could do homemade burgers made from lean mince beef and then griddle or bake them

pizza made with low fat cheese and homemade bases

fish and chips but do the fish with breadcrumbs rather than batter and do it in just 2tbsp of oil in a pan rather than deep fried.....its yummy and serve with roasted chips rather than fried.

roast dinner, shepherds pie, omelettes, tacos are fun, a simple curry

moo2moo

The school holidays start today so I thought I would use them wisely to expand my daughters cooking repatoire. I'm going to start with "Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" but wondered what else I could do with them. DD1 is 8 and allowed to stir things on the hob but not use the oven (unless its very light things) and doesn't like it when things spit. DD2 is 5 so is only allowed to prep as shes not tall enough to reach the hob. Just wondering what things to start them off with that won't cost a fortune but will challenge them a bit.

The littlest is very adept at de-scaling fish and likes to gather herbs (although she often mistakes grass for chives, mostly when daddys helping her!) to stuff the body cavity before steaming, she also likes chopping fish to make fish pie. The eldest likes to cook mussels. They both love making sausage rolls and messy things, they make a mean fruit crumble. We've exhausted the recipes in the childrens cookery books they have and the local library only has 3 childrens books which are mostly cakes and sweet desserts.

They weren't very impressed with the slow cooker because it doesn't take very long to throw everything together and thats the part they enjoy.

ubamother

a friend has a 4 year old DD who particularly enjoys getting her hands in the bowl and making mini-meatballs, my 8 year old DS loves making smoked fish risotto. with your children's specific areas of expertise DD1 could cut up some chicken, marinate and grill for kebabs /wraps while DD2 did the salad prep and stuff the pitta breads/wraps?

loved the grass/chives confusion!!

Penelope_Penguin

Hi there :beer: It's early and I can't lay my hands on an existing thread to cover your needs (but I'm sure there is one if I keep looking )

Take a look at this one - cooking with toddlers - there are loads of ideas that I'm sure you can use.

Penny. x

kal25

moo2moo wrote: »

The school holidays start today so I thought I would use them wisely to expand my daughters cooking repatoire. I'm going to start with "Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" but wondered what else I could do with them. DD1 is 8 and allowed to stir things on the hob but not use the oven (unless its very light things) and doesn't like it when things spit. DD2 is 5 so is only allowed to prep as shes not tall enough to reach the hob. Just wondering what things to start them off with that won't cost a fortune but will challenge them a bit.

The littlest is very adept at de-scaling fish and likes to gather herbs (although she often mistakes grass for chives, mostly when daddys helping her!) to stuff the body cavity before steaming, she also likes chopping fish to make fish pie. The eldest likes to cook mussels. They both love making sausage rolls and messy things, they make a mean fruit crumble. We've exhausted the recipes in the childrens cookery books they have and the local library only has 3 childrens books which are mostly cakes and sweet desserts.

They weren't very impressed with the slow cooker because it doesn't take very long to throw everything together and thats the part they enjoy.

Wow, I've never been that adventurous with my kids we mostly bake cakes and cookies probably as they r quick and easy to do. Saying that my DS who's 8 help make cheese whirls a couple of weeks ago and he thought that was great. You could always try them.

phizzimum

forgive me if this comment is obvious - it's just it didn't dawn on me for years!

instead of having the girls standing precariously on chairs so they can reach the worktop we sit at the table to do jobs like making cakes, peeling veg etc. its much easier for us all to concentrate when they're not wobbling if you know what I mean!

Penelope_Penguin

Penelope_Penguin wrote: »

Hi there :beer: It's early and I can't lay my hands on an existing thread to cover your needs (but I'm sure there is one if I keep looking )

Found it :dance: _party_ :idea: I'll merge this thread in.

You might also want to look at cookery books for children.

Penny. x