My four year old loves to help me in the kitchen. She’s the only four year old I know who can explain what a meringue is or the difference between folding something in and stirring it in. She is an expert utensil chooser. . .knowing that a wooden spoon is best for stirring something over the stove, while a spatula is good for mixing so you can use it to scrape the sides. So when my husband and I discussed what to get each of our kids, it was only natural to choose something for her that involved cooking.
Getting kids involved in the kitchen seems to be a new trend. . .either that or maybe I’m just noticing it more. Toy stores are selling real, kid sized bake ware and cooking accessories, pint sized aprons and oven mitts, and various kits and cookbooks that appeal to the pint sized crowd. It makes sense though, because kids who have a hand in preparing their meals tend to be more willing to try them.
In any case, we have scoured a variety of specialty shops, looked high and low for the best cookbooks and kiddie cooking kits, and have come up with a short list of possibilities. If your kids really like to cook, check this out.
1. Subscribe to the Kids Cooking Club
This is like a book of the month club, except for kids. Each month, subscribers receive a project complete with instructions, additional recipes, non-perishable foods, and a reusable cooking gift. (Like a cookie cutter for example.) Even if you’re not this ambitious, their site also sells simple kits that you can buy as well.
2. Lil Chef Aprons and Oven Mitts
If you have a child who really gets into cooking, you know that having oven mitts and other properly fitting protective gear is a big help. I am partial to the Lil Chef brand because it comes in a variety of sizes and colors.
Children’s cookbooks that have a certain appeal or niche are my favorite. You can pick any recipe out of Fannie Farmer and have your child help you with it. There’s no need to buy a special cookbook. However a cookbook that’s connected to children’s literature–that’s a real gem!