cooking with kids - when did you start

[BlueChampagne]

DS is 18mo and I'm really looking forward to getting him in the kitchen. What age did you start cooking with your DC and what sort of things did you start with? Am thinking of fairy cakes, jam tarts etc but open to suggestions.

let my ds lick the bowl/spoon from cakes around 2 years. i suppose if they are keen then do it at any age. my ds is now 2.9 and loves helping, but that has more to do with doing things on his own / showing his independence.

I've been cooking with DS since he was 2. I like to involve him in cooking dinner, rather than doing sweet stuff. So he chops veg (either with a table knife or hand over hand with a sharp knife), washes potatos etc.

He also stands up to the cooker to stir pasta etc with hand on hand supervision.

He like microwaving things and doing toast too

I started very young with DD purely because she joined in when I was cooking with DS, her elder brother. My two are now 7(DS) and 3(DD) and are both quite proficient at slicing vegetables and fruit, mixing, cracking an egg, weighing things etc. Go for it. Just be prepared for mess . BTW, I got a children's safety knife from Pampered Chef to start off with.

my 2yo loves 'helping' in the kitchen. She has done since about 18mo.

When I say help, it's more a case of watch the dial on the "tick-tock" (scales) go round, pinch the scales when I'm tipping ingredients into the bowl, vanish while all the ingredients are being mixed until she realises I have the electric hand whisk out, spend a second mixing with me & then instruct me to put the bowl in the "coooooker" before I have chance to get mixture into a tin or fairy cake cases. But she enjoys what she does & then plonks herself on her bum in front of the cooker to watch the cake rise until I kick her out of the kitchen to get it out of the cooker.

She likes to help chop ingredients as well, passing them to me, telling me what they are & eating bits of carrott/cheese that's going spare.

I think he'd enjoy anything you make with him tbh, it's a bit of one-on-one time for you both to enjoy

mckenzie, do Pampered Chef have a website?

Under 2. Muffins are great as it's more or less just bung the ingredients in and mix (then lots of spoon-licking ).

I cook pizzas with DS (he's 2.11).

We put the bases in front of us and he likes smearing on the tomato sauce then putting on toppings (chopped up peppers, mushrooms, onions, ham) and then cheese on top and into the oven.

DD has helped me in the kitchen from very young, se always wanted to be involved. So I'd say start now.

I cooked just normal every day fun. I don't bake so would just be helping get dinner rady, etc.

ds is 20 months - he stands on a chair next to me and picks up bits of cheese and eats them. He has been known to vaguely stir the occasional bowl of cake mix and scatter toppings on the floor pizza.

I think with dd she was over 2 when we started cooking - muffins are good. Now she's very helpful with sandwiches, cakes etc.

since the age of 2, dd has sat on the counter next to the stove and stirred things for me (obv with the heat LOW). i like that it's not just about sweet things, tbh. she just helps with whatever we're doing.

my DDs love it, start young and start small
stirring
spreading butter
mixing things
grating (with help!)
bashing biscuits for base of cheesecake/traybake etc is a good one
mashing potatoes

but she mainly loves the sink full of bubbles and getting wet doing the washing up

With dd1 we have been doing bits of cooking since around 2.5 years. She is now 5 and really understands about putting meals together. Yesterday she made a cheese sauce (with supervision) and the look on her little face was fantastic. "so it's just cold milk and flour and cheese and then in 5 minutes it turns into hot cheese sauce!!" She thinks I am some sort of magician.

Also she likes to make very simple meals for her and her little sister, e.g. cheesy mash with veggies on the side.

I've cooked with both my dcs since about 18 months. Cakes are always good - spoon licking and egg breaking both v enjoyable for littlies. Very messy though. My dd has been helping to cut up veg with a knife from just before she was 4.

There was this article in The Grauniad today saying that it's never too early to start.

since about 18 months

spooning out stuff to be weighed
making mummy's tea/coffee(bar hot water!)
stirring
adding 'igglies' (dd1's word for raisins, just about everything we cook has igglies in it)
cracking eggs
spreading butter

agree about trying to make other stuff as well as cakes, we cook alot so would end up with tons, but stuff like cheesy straws, pizzas, etc good too

yes Lucysmam. www.pamperedchef.com

i start about 18months depending on the child

initially just doing some stirring and licking the spoon

my charge is 3 years and has so far independantly made us choc custard (melt choc into custard over the hob) and cheesey beans (stir grated cheese into beans over hob)

I mean i havnt helped him at all... just given him the pan, turned on the gas and told him to stir carefully (one had on spoon other on pan handle) and let him get on with it while i faff around preparing other stuff (close by in kitchen, but not next to him etc)

He LOVES helping me cooking and i think its important that they learn

all my charges (which i have always keft as they start school) have a few recipies they could easily make without any adult help when i leave!

We also like to grow our own ingrediants, help buy from shops etc and UNDERSTAND... where food comes from / factory / field / oorchard /animal etc

my last 2 could also explain the ins and out of organic farming and new they had to look for organic on the label and why

biscuits that require cookie cutters are the best - DD sees it as edible playdoh making

Thanks for the great advice folks, we will get cracking just as soon as I have armed us with some protective clothing!

cheers mckenzie, will have a look on there this afternoon once my cake is done

Hi there,

I'm a Pampered Chef consultant and my website is world wide web
pamperedchef.biz/georgina.

We do lots of great cooking stuff for kids, a great little knife that is perfect for children, and a mini muffin tin and tart shaper that is good fun for cake making. There are some recipes on my website for the muffin tin so have a nose.

Happy cooking!

Georgina