Top 10 Reasons Parents Should Cook With Kids

When is dinner ready? Wouldn’t it be nice to ask your kids that? Parents should cook with kids from an early age.

Cooking is a great way to bond with your kids while teaching them life skills. It is a way to teach essential lessons while you get chores done. Kids can start learning some basic cooking skills as early as 3 or 4 years old – ripping lettuce into pieces; kneading dough, dropping spoonfuls of cookie dough onto sheets, folding napkins, etc. As children get older, they can take on more complex duties and ease the burden on the parent doing the cooking.

There are so many reasons why it is important to cook with kids, but here are my top 10.

 

1. You will teach them life skills: how to feed themselves.
2. You will have quality / bonding time together. Kitchen chats while you are preparing food are a great way to catch up with hectic lives.
3. You can teach your kids kitchen safety under your supervision – to avoid accidents later.
4. You can teach your kids about health/science: how stuff grows, what organic is, what is local & imported, etc.
5. Teach your kids how to choose fresh produce and meats: what to look for, what different cuts mean, what to do with older produce (soups, quiche, stews, etc.)
6. You can teach your kids about nutrition: why it is important to get many different vitamins; the basics of fats, carbs, and protein; portion control, etc.
7. Teach your kids how to read recipes & plan menus. They can learn to write shopping lists based on the menus. Planning a dinner involves timing- a way to teach about time management.
8. Kids will learn math lessons: measuring, fractions, costs per items/servings & how to save money preparing their own food.
9. You can spark kid’s imagination and creativity. Let them make platters or dishes with nice garnishes or fancy presentations. Have them make beautiful appetizers or desserts they can serve at parties to boost self esteem. Let them have fun mixing cookie dough with their bare hands and experimenting with color and texture.
10. You will benefit from having a helper in the kitchen to help you cook, set the table and clean. Now which busy parent doesn’t need that?

 

Cooking lessons do not need to be limited to the kitchen. The next time you go grocery shopping, bring your child along. Show them how to pick out the best meat and produce. Teach them to read labels and look for bargains. Discuss food combinations and menu ideas while making a shopping list. At restaurant meals, discuss the presentation, food combinations, seasonings, etc.

There is a big world of food beyond the fast food take out window. Teach your kid to enjoy making their own healthy and tasty meals so they can enjoy better, and less expensive, food.

There are free recipes and sites on the internet geared to teaching kids to cook. Your kids can do some extra learning on their own or you can both learn together.

Online Food Safety in the Kitchen

The Main Thing to avoiding illness from improper food preparation is:

Keep Things Clean!

• Washing your hands is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food borne illness.  Always wash for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after handling food.  Wash again when you switch from one food to another.
• Keep your utensils and countertops clean and sanitized.
• Make sure you clean everything that comes in contact with your hands or your food.  Remember to keep the following things clean:  kitchen cloths, faucet handles, sink drains, garbage disposals, can opener blades, small appliances, utensils…just about everything!
• Wet kitchen sponges and rags can be a breeding ground for bacteria.  Buy disposable cloths and change them every day, or change reusable ones every day.

 

Wash Hands frequently when handling food

Helpful

Food Preparation and Storage Tips

 

1. Keep separate cutting boards for raw meat, poultry and seafood and a different one for ready-to-eat and cooked foods.  Clean and sanitize cutting boards after each use.  Plastic ones can be put in the dishwasher.
2. Wash the lids of canned foods before opening them and clean the blade after each use.  Wash the tops of soda cans before drinking – they have collected a lot of germs along the way to your mouth.
3. Take small appliances apart (food processors, meat grinders and blenders) right after you use them, and clean and sanitize them.
4. Air dry dishes and utensils or use a clean kitchen towel.  Wash and sanitize sponges, cloths and towels regularly to prevent bacteria from growing.
5. Clean the pantry regularly and keep food off the floor and stored in sealed containers.  Use the FIFO system in your pantry – first in – first out.  Bring goods that need to be used first to the front of the cupboard.
6. Thoroughly wash and sanitize any utensils that were in contact with raw food before you reuse them.
7. Use disposable gloves if you have a cut or infection in your hand, and make sure it is covered with a bandage.  Wash gloved hands as often as bare hands.
8. Don’t overload your fridge and freezer.  Cool air must be able to circulate freely to keep food properly chilled.
9. Bacteria can be carried in raw meat juices so make sure raw meat, poultry and seafood are placed in containers on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
10. Use a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of your food.  Cook foods to the following internal cooking temperatures;

 Enjoying your meal is easier when you know the hands that prepared it were clean!