Meals that can be cooked by kids!

Working_Mum · 17 October 2019 at 12:33PM

My children shadowed me from a very early age - helped cutting up onions, veggies etc for family meals I was making. I asked them what they wanted to eat/ learn to cook and we did it! I didn't do anything special just because they were young - we just did it together and then they picked it up.

They were kitchen rules and they obeyed them - maybe not so much now as they're grotty teens!!

My daughter has dyslexia and following a recipe is a good exercise to undertake - great food and helps with brain sequencing too! There have been times we removed cakes from ovens because she has forgotten something!

Both my kids now feed themselves fresh healthy food everyday.

It's been a joy to see them progress to cooking for us to cooking for friends.

I feel cooking and eating meals properly is such an underrated skill - we fall in love over food, do business deals over food, get to know pals and commiserate over food. We still sit at our battered kitchen table and make food together and eat meals together. I love it and treasure it right now as they're on the cusp of flying the nest :-(

buildersdaughter · 18 October 2019 at 9:32AM

Such wonderful ideas, I echo them all.I have produced 3 excellent cooks and one decent 'sous-chef'! O agree about bread: when my grandchildren stay, we make bread dough, use some for pizza for lunch and then maybe chilli in the evening.
Something else we have done is to make chicken kebabs - experiment with tasting marinades, then cook the kebabs and notice how the taste changes.
Risotto is quite good as well (apologies to purists) but tasting the bits to go in and stirring all together is fun.

Prinzessilein · 18 October 2019 at 9:56AM

Cooking has to be a TOP skill to learn!...and how much did I learn by scrambling onto a stool and watching Mum!

I am a great believer in learning 'proper' cooking....tasty food for the whole family!

Using a slow-cooker is a good start...you learn useful knife skills whilst prepping the veg - and then once the cooker is filled it is pretty much job-done!....and you can then add 'extras'....learn how to make dumplings for a slow-cooked stew...learn how to cook rice for a slow cooked curry...learn how to make creamy mash for slow cooked beef....learn how to bake a simple loaf of bread for mopping up all those yummy juices.

Never underestimate a well cooked family pud!...A crumble is easy enough for a start...and perfect for these colder nights....and face it, who doesn't love crumble and custard!(instant custard made with hot water will do if the pud is home made!)

And with Christmas coming up soon, the newly acquired skills can be used in making sweets and cake and biscuits and mince pies!

Make sure any 'help' is acknowledged ...letting the family know that she made the dumplings to night is a great confidence boost (and might even encourage others to have a go!)

And also...a vital lesson ….cooking dinner includes clearing up!!!!

Former_MSE_Tine · 18 October 2019 at 10:44AM

I'm pleased to say she can make toast (and basic sarnies) as well as make a passable cup of tea

They did some food classes after school a few years ago, but in all honesty it's a tiny school and the facilities were so limited that I really think other than learning about the basics such as cleaning and washing up she didn't take much away with her...

I think I may start with something like the chicken skewers - possibly with some veg snuck on there too :rotfl:
She loves fajitas so making fajita skewers and home made salsa might be on the menu this sunday!

(I'd say tonight but it's Secondary Transfer test results day where we are and I don't think it's the right time to try and enthuse her about cooking

)

Some spiffing ideas though - will definitely give some of them a go in the next few weeks and let you know how she does!

GreenQueen · 18 October 2019 at 10:51AM

Another good rule, "Only cook when there is an adult in the house" - to be reviewed as they get older. This comes in when they are old enough to be in the house for an hour or so on their own and they get peckish or decide to do some baking.

Had a couple of near-disasters with my DD and after-school cheese on toast! At early secondary age, they can cope pretty well with anything while it is going well, but not so good with handling accidents/unforeseen situations.

Oh, just thought as well "let somebody know which ingredients you have used" - the number of times I've gone to the cupboard and found an empty box that used to have icing sugar, no eggs, etc

sooty&sweep · 18 October 2019 at 8:09PM

Hi

Ask her what she'd like to cook ! It's got to be something that she wants to make & eat.
My daughter is nearly 14 now and she enjoys cooking but is a bit sporadic.
She loves making cookies & cakes but she also makes a great paella ! Pancakes are another favourite.
Encourage her to help menu plan & then help you in the kitchen.
For me it's about giving them the confidence in the kitchen to say use a sharp knife or fry an egg ! But also how to do it safely !
Jen

ChasingButterflies · 21 October 2019 at 4:23AM

If your DD likes Mexican food how about potato wedges from scratch? Washing and chopping potatoes, then combining oil and seasoning to coat chopped potatoes, then onto a baking tray and into oven?

Same goes for nachos can all be “assembled” with cold ingredients and then popped in and out of oven by an adult (and they get the satisfaction of contributing to part of dinner!)

Also making meatballs and a tomato pasta sauce is relatively simple (I brown them at that age) but they can assemble the meatballs and then make the sauce before they go into a dish in the oven.

DigForVictory · 21 October 2019 at 6:37AM

Please teach knife skills, but please make sure they are seriously sharp first. The most avoidable kitchen accident is a bad cut from a blunt knife.

In the summer holidays, mum set up a rota for who “cooked” the evening meal. My 4 year old sister instructed dad on which breads & charcuterie she wanted (& we all happily made our own open sandwiches) followed by “pud” of mars bars. My slightly older sister could do more & within 3 years it was getting competitive - menus, flowers on the table, a choice of drinks & baby sis still played a winning hand of sandwiches & mars bars as she’d figured the Signature Dish...
The rota included washing up usually by the cook the previous night. We all flinched from washing up after dad cooked - it was delicious but he managed to use Every Pan in the kitchen!

bouicca21 · 21 October 2019 at 9:34AM

Mine were cooking with me from about the age of 5, maybe a bit earlier. Quite apart from cooking skills, it’s excellent for literacy and numeracy. I cooked with mum too, and my first cookery lesson at school at the age of 11 in the dim and distant past was making a beef stew. OH’s family made it a rule that they cooked their own supper on Saturdays.

Ask her what she wants to make, and then just get on with it!

Lizbetty · 21 October 2019 at 9:40AM

Oh I remember the stage when mine starting asking to do more and I was so on edge! Now they go into the kitchen and they're fine. I can't watch because of the mess they make on the way but they know to tidy it before in go back in, haha!

The most useful thing I found was to show them how to search online for recipes they fancied trying, and to check the reviews. They've made some seriously impressive things, it's amazing how quickly they progressed from cooking soup in a frying pan (yes one did do that) to making fancy salad dressings and pizzas and things.

I might get shot down for it, but I have appalling anxiety and so I got them a serrated knife and told them to leave the big kitchen knives. As they both have really long hair I made sure we got an induction hob on our oven when we had to replace our old one, so that they can cook without me having to check they hadn't set their heads on fire. So I can pretty much go into the other room and they prefer to be left to it, I'm there for just in case.

I also have told them to tie their hair up, especially when they use a whisk because of my long haired friend's unfortunate incident where her brother attacked her with one when they were kids.

Good luck! It's great when they can fend for themselves, that amazing independence does their confidence the world of good. (Plus it helps when I cba to cook! Haha!)

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Meals that can be cooked by kids!

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