Teaching Children to Cook
TIPical Mary Ellen : Episode TIP-316 -- More Projects »
Family expert Dr. Bra Vada Garrett-Akinsanya offers ideas for getting children to help out in the kitchen.
- Give the young ones simple tasks such as tearing lettuce, measuring water and stirring the batter.
Bring in a step stool if necessary so smaller family members can help rinse vegetables or roll meatballs (figure A).Harp-style vegetable peelers are easy for children to use if they aren't quite old enough to handle a knife (figure B). Other kitchen tools children may be able to handle (depending on their age) include cheese graters and melon ballers. Melon ballers can be used to remove the pithy membrane from the inside of a bell pepper, among other things.Plastic blunt-tipped scissors, the kinds used in preschool, also have their place in the kitchen for snipping herbs and cutting slices of cheese into smaller bits. Make meal planning fun by allowing each family member to choose a meal at for family dinner night. Look through an illustrated recipe book for ideas. Be sure to create a list for items needed before heading to the grocery store.Establish some ground rules. Those not present for the family dinner forfeit their chance to choose a meal that week.Put each family member's name into a hat and draw a name at breakfast, then serve that person's meal choice for dinner. That person also gets to assist in preparing their meal.Are you making something that requires frequent stirring, such as a cream-based sauce? Young chefs can take turns with "stirring duty" while you tend to other chores.Setting the table and clearing the table are daily tasks in which each family member should participate. Setting the table also teaches children the proper placement of knives, forks and spoons, as well as other etiquette rules.
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