FUN - Cooking
Cooking at Home
Most children love to help in the kitchen, and this is a good thing, as by doing so they learn many more skills than basic cookery. They improve their manual dexterity, it helps with their adding up and calculating skills, it helps with communication and language and probably most important of all, it's really good fun.
As children all develop differently they will want to get involved in the kitchen at home at different ages, some very young, while with others it can take a lot longer for the interest in food and helping with cooking to start.
To help your child develop their culinary skills, we sought out some very basic recipes which a child can either complete under adult supervision or take an active part in all the stages of preparation.
We know you know this already, but legislation and litigation now means we must add the following words of caution to this section.
Health & Safety
If your child is working in a kitchen, then please be aware and remain vigilant of the hazards such an environment can contain. Young children should never be left alone in a kitchen and should always be supervised if they are working with, or near, mechanical and electrical devices, hot surfaces, hot liquids and sharp objects. Depending on their age and experience, the parts of the cooking process which require the use of such things should be undertaken by an adult, but if that is the case, please explain to your child why this is necessary so they become aware of the dangers.
You know better than anyone the competency level of your child, but a fun afternoon working together in a kitchen can be easily spoiled by a cut, burn or other accident.
Copyright
Secondly, some of the recipes used in this and other sections of BEST Advice have come from a variety of sources. It has been impossible for us to trace the original source of many of them as they are passed between family members, Mums to Mums, and in some cases children to children.
If there is a recipe on this site which has been taken from a source which is subject to copyright then BEST Advice offers its apologies and asks that the holder of the copyright contacts us without delay. We will be more than happy to either remove the recipe immediately or give full accreditation to its source.
Before you start cooking or handling food:
- If you have long hair, tie it back so it won't get in your way or in the food
- Take off any jewellery such as rings and bracelets
- Wear an apron if you can to make sure your clothes don't get splashed or spoilt
- Don't cook wearing sandals, flip flops or bare feet
- Always wash your hands, and make sure the area you will be working in is clean and clear of things you might knock over or which might get in your way
- Give yourself plenty of room to work
- If you cough, sneeze, or touch the family pet, then wash your hands again
- If you are preparing raw meat then wash your hands before you handle any other food stuff
NB - Raw meat contains bacteria which is destroyed when you cook it. If you handle meat and don't wash your hands then when you touch something else, that bacteria can be passed on. Some of the bacteria found in raw meat can cause bad tummy upsets, so it's an important tip to remember.
The Recipes
So let's start with some simple things your child can make. (These are written as if your child is reading the recipe, and therefore the tips are aimed at children. We realise most adults would not, for example, use a toaster to make cheese on toast.)
None of the recipes have recommended ages as a skilful 8 year old can do more than a 13 year old beginner. So the idea is that you look through the recipe selection and choose one you think your child could manage. You can download and print the individual recipes on to a separate sheet of paper and give it to your child to work from.
Encourage your child to read the recipe for themselves and measure and prepare the ingredients.