Keys to Cooking with Your Kids? Simplicity, Patience, and a Big Dash of Humor

My grandmother taught me to cook when I was ten years old. "Double digits means kitchen duty!" she declared, giving me a flowery apron and a set of measuring spoons on my tenth birthday. I wasn't thrilled with the gifts (I wanted a sketching pad and a set of felt-tipped pens), and I remember my mother scolded me for not acting properly delighted.

In retrospect, however, those afternoons after-school with my grandmother are treasured memories. She patiently instructed me on the art of measuring ("Lightly, lightly," she said, when teaching me to measure flour into a cup), stirring ("Watch closely, and make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly combined," Grandma lectured, checking my cake batter mixture), and baking ("Don't open the oven door too many times, or you'll get a pancake instead of a cake!" Grandma insisted, preventing me from peeking at my cake's progress every five minutes).

Grandma knew how to teach children. She kept lessons short, simple, and fun. "And now our reward: we taste!" she would always say when our cooking lesson had resulted in a finished product. Whether I had produced a batch of basic sugar cookies or a plain loaf of banana bread, Grandma always complimented me on the results. "Good job - the chef is commended!" was her favorite compliment, and I cherished it each time.

Beyond the Basics
By spending time with your children on simple cooking projects, you can turn an ordinary snack or meal into something special. Make time to discuss nutrition, for example. You might explain the difference between using fruit to sweeten a dessert versus sugar, or focus on making vegetables into a tasty treat, discussing the benefits of veggies for growing bodies.

In addition, by measuring ingredients, children can practice their math skills. Keep lessons simple, short, and - as my grandmother did - sweetened with plenty of praise.

Talking with an Expert
Author of the nationally acclaimed "Fix-It and Forget-It" slow cooker cookbooks, Phyllis Pellman Good is a New York Times bestselling author whose books also include the "Fix-It and Enjoy-It" series. She says that the biggest challenging in cooking with children is maintaining patience and "not minding if things get a little wildly chaotic!"

Phyllis recommends that parents who want to encourage their kids to learn to cook pay attention to their child's pace. "Answer their questions and follow what interests them. In other words, be patient (that again!) and don't worry about keeping things tidy nor how long it might take to finish the operation."

In addition, Phyllis recommends that parents "make sure you have enough time to devote to the project before you begin, so you aren't getting snappy if things stretch out a little longer than you had expected."

For simple dishes that make good starting points for teaching children to cook, Phyllis suggests "burgers, veggies that don't need a lot of chopping, and anything that requires stirring," such as cakes.

The following recipe is reprinted with permission by the author and is from her "Fix It and Forget It" slow cooker cookbook devoted to kids:

Gooey Chocolate Pudding Cake
Makes 8 servings. Prep Time: 15 minutes. Cooking Time: 2-3 hours.

Ingredients:
1 cup dry all-purpose baking mix
1 cup sugar, divided
3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder, plus one-third cup, divided
one-half cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 and 2/3 cups hot water

Equipment:
3 and 1/2-qt. slow cooker
Cooking spray
Medium-sized mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Potholder
Toothpick

1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with cooking spray.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the baking mix, one-half cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla. Spoon the batter into your slow cooker and spread it out evenly.

3. In a small mixing bowl, mix the remaining one-half cup sugar, one-third cup cocoa powder, and the hot water together. Carefully pour this mixture over the batter. Do not stir.

4. Cover your slow cooker. Cook the cake on High for 2-3 hours.

5. After 2 hours, use a potholder to remove the lid. Carefully stick a toothpick into the center of the cake and pull it out. If the toothpick looks wet, the cake needs to keep cooking. If it has some dry crumbs on it, it's time to eat.

6. If the cake needs to cook longer, continue to test it with a toothpick every 15 minutes until it's done.

Serving Suggestion: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Top with powdered sugar and whipped cream if you wish.

Note: The batter will rise to the top and turn into the cake. Underneath will be a rich chocolate pudding. Make sure you scoop down to get some of the gooey chocolate when you serve the cake.

Source:
First-person interview by Joanne Eglash with cookbook author Phyllis Pellman Good. Recipe republished with the permission of Ms. Good.