The Importance of Cooking with Children

A few years ago, I met a food pantry client who changed my outlook on the types of food a food pantry should stock. This woman was in need of emergency groceries, "Hadn't eaten in several days" she told me, yet walked past our bins of dried beans, legumes, and rice, ignored the oatmeal and powdered milk, and even turned up her nose at the commodity foods, the fresh onions and potatoes. I almost blurted out, "Your family must not be that hungry" when she shamed me by exclaiming in frustration, "I just don't know how to cook any of this stuff."

Every month, I meet hundreds of people who never learned how to cook. They understand all about dumping a can of stew and heating it up on the stove, but never learned the basics of cooking with dried rice, making soup, preparing a pot roast or even whipping up a tray of cornbread.

Cooking is an important life skill that should be taught to every child. It's really not that difficult, all my children have been cooking since they were in kindergarten.

reading recipes and measuring

How do you start? Teaching cooking skills begins with learning about measurements. Children can be introduced to cooking by reading recipes and learning how to measure flour, shortening, and other dry ingredients into a bowl. This not only teaches them about weights and measures, but also fractions, addition & subtraction which will help them visualize math equations as they get older.

simple utensils and cooking terms

After mastering how to measure ingredients, the next step is to learn how to use utensils. For those of us who are used to scratch cooking, knowing how to use a pasty cutter or whisk, or the difference between whip and puree is second nature. However for those who never learned how to cook, these terms and utensils may as well be a foreign language. Show your children how to use these basic tools, and let them practice folding, stirring, whipping, and beating. Yes, they probably won't do it as well as you, but what's important is that they learn how.

use of kitchen equipment, cookware and bake ware

As children get older, they should be introduced to other types of kitchen equipment. Parents should demonstrate how to safely turn on and use the oven, range top and microwave. Children should also be taught how to use a hand mixer, blender or a Kitchen Aid, safely cut vegetables with a knife, pare potatoes, or saute vegetables on the stove top. Your children should also have an understanding of casserole sizes and the difference between the different types of cook and bake ware. Learning the distinction between these various types of cook ware is important since recipes often call for a specific type of baking pan or casserole size.

beginning cookbooks

By second grade, most children are ready to have their first cookbook, and have the skills necessary to prepare basic recipes. There are many great cookbooks out there for children; our favorites are the Better Homes and Garden Junior Cookbook and the Betty Crocker Cookbook for Boys and Girls. Both these cookbooks are filled with kid friendly recipes that are easy and fun to make. Your children can begin with the easier recipes and work their way up to the more difficult ones. By fourth grade, they should be able to prepare an entire meal for your family on a regular basis.

Cooking is not always easy with children, and there are times when we parents really would rather just do it ourselves. However, by taking the time to mentor your children in the kitchen, you are teaching them valuable life skills that can be taken into adulthood. No one should ever have to go hungry for lack of knowing how to follow a simple recipe.