Cooking With Kids: How to Make it Safe & Fun
From the archive. This post was first published on the original Green Eggs and Moms blog and is kept here as it was.
We’re thrilled to have today’s guest post by a fellow Voice Boks member, Joanne. We’re equally grateful that she said yes to providing tips on safety and fun when cooking with kids.
In the kitchen, we want to make wonderful lasting memories with the little (or big) ones minus any unwanted accidents. Shall we begin with the kitchen games as the lovely Joanne calls ‘em?
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Let the kitchen games begin!
I’m honored to have the opportunity to guest post on Green Eggs & Moms.
I enjoy cooking and baking though I don’t have extra hours to spend much time in the kitchen. So my modus operandi is to make easy recipes that don’t take too long and the family will like.
Sometimes it’s not so easy but I keep trying and I’ve been successful – though it did take many years to get here.
When I was growing up the kitchen was the center of our lives and it still continues to be the heart of the home in our family today.
Now I have 3 very terrific tech savvy grandsons, 8, 10, and 17 and we enjoy spending time together in the kitchen. They are learning to cook and whenever I have a chance to cook or bake cookies with them we always have a good time.
When they were toddlers I would bring the step stool to the counter so they could make cookies with me.
4 safety tips before the kitchen games begin
- Everyone must wash hands before chores begin.
- Use step stools or a step-ladder instead of standing on chairs.
- Keep knives and other sharp objects out of reach.
- Adults only should remove the hot items from microwave.
If you want to have fun with the kids in the kitchen here is what I found
- Whenever we bake things can get a little messy, but the kids enjoy making a flour cloud over-head which always bring lots of giggles and laughter. So be prepared for clean-up when all is done.
- Give them a large bowl and wooden spoon and they are thrilled to mix their enthusiasm into the batter. They love to eat the raw dough, but I always try to keep them occupied and take the bowl away sooner rather than later – that way they eat less dough.
- Put the step-ladder in front of the mixer so they can turn it on and off when you give the “Go” and “Stop” signals. If you have more than one helper, have them take turns at the switch.
- Let the older kids do the measuring. They will never realize you are teaching them measurements and a little math along the way.
The 5 BIG safety tips reminder
- Keep boiling liquids on the back burners
- Keep the pot handles to the side, not facing the front of the stove
- Keep all sharp kitchen tools out of reach (peeler, graters, microplanes)
- Keep the knives behind the cutting board, not on the cutting board. If the kids grab the cutting board you don’t want them to grab the knife with it.
- Again – don’t let the kids remove hot food from the microwave.
It’s fun to have the kids help in the kitchen but you want them to be safe. These few tips can be the game changer and you will score points when the cookies turn out delicious and they want to make another batch.
Mangia!
Winelady Cooks
Photo: Creative Commons from from. drawingAuthor bio:
Easy and Versatile Recipes are my passion — along with dessert. Winelady Cooks is all about cooking with ease. I like easy recipes, that are no-fuss and are ready in a flash for the family when they are hungry and I am over-scheduled. Stress free in the kitchen is key to the happy meal!