How do you handle au pair cooking for kids?

[Echobelly]

So I've had 3 au pairs so far and it turned out none of them could really cook at all, and I ended up just cooking myself and having them stick on fishfingers if they were babysitting all evening... we have a new AP starting this weekend and it does sound like he actually can cook a bit so I want finally this time establish a proper routine for it.

So I was wondering what other people do? Have a weekly schedule with the same things on the same days? Leave AP to it? Do you take a week or so to show them things each night before letting them get on with it?

So basically where do I start and how do I establish? Sorry, I know this sounds really basic, and I know I probably could have got the other APs doing it if I tried, but I'm not one of those host mums who feels totally comfortable telling people what to do and I'm trying to avoid missing the window where I can establish AP doing the cooking this time around!

Draw up a meal planner you can agree on that she feels able to cook?

Eg you batch cook the bolognaise sauce leaving her just to heat it and boil the pasta?

Yeah, batch cooking some stuff might help. I might also just ask him if he can do a basic tom sauce, he's said he can cook stuff like sauces. I showed my recipe to one AP but the kids didn't like the way he made it!

Mine have really only ever managed pasta and heating a sauce or putting a pizza in the oven.

DS10 is usually a better cook now, so he makes what he wants.

None of my au pairs have been able to cook decent meals and all of my au pairs have been aged mid 20's.

Normally I cook dinner and the au pair heats it up for the kids the next day. If I need them to cook then it will be something really basic like frittata (they all know how to cook this!) or pasta.

We have a 4 weekly meal planner and I reckon that most of my au pairs have been able cook about 50% of it. Some if it is really easy stuff like chicken wraps and fish fingers. I have little pictures of some of the dishes that they like in special ways.

I also show them how to cook certain things (new potatoes are something that springs to mind). Other stuff I just pre-prepare and she heats up.

Thanks, those are all helpful. I might prep my tomato sauce, as half does for kids' pasta and the other half to put on a pizza base with cheese later in the week. We usually cook or eat with family on Fridays, so it's only four days and weekend babysitting to worry about.

DD (10) is also cooks for herself sometimes. In fact once she starts secondary school I expect AP just to cook for DS and DD to cook for herself or eat with us.

Your kids have to get less fussy. Thry can't say no to pasta and sauce that isn't your recipe if someone else is feeding them 4 nights a week.

We used to give the nanny a free rein and also suggest some stuff. She preferred to make what I would call typical English food so I encouraged shep pie etc and had ingredients in for her.

APs are supposed to live as family members. If you need a family member to cook for the family, and they don't know how, you take the time to teach them

Part of the deal that Au Pairs get is that YOU train them. They are not fully trained, that's a nanny.

Just an update to say thanks - I put a dinner schedule up with the week plan with this AP and have established cooking this time, it's so nice not to have to do it when I get in from work!