My wife has instilled a love of the culinary arts in all of our children. Starting from a very early age she has welcomed them into the kitchen to lend a “helping” hand. She doesn’t mind if the kids make a mess as they cook, but then she doesn’t mind if she makes a mess herself, either. She comes from the school of culinary thought where you get an idea from a recipe, and then you customize it, personalize it, and (this is the part that kills me) estimate it. When she is explaining how to make a dish, she uses phrases like:
“You bake it until it looks done.”
“I don’t know how much of that ingredient you add, just put more in until it tastes right.”
“I know the recipe calls for this ingredient, but you could substitute this other one instead.”
She is a real artist in the kitchen.
I am the exact culinary opposite. I try to keep the kitchen clean and organized while I cook. I measure all of the ingredients precisely according to the recipe. I time baking times to the hundredth of a second. Most of all, I don’t like other people, especially kids, in the kitchen when I am cooking.
I am basically a first rate type “A” food preparation robot.
Even though it goes against every fiber of my being, I’ve come to enjoy cooking with my kids, albeit with one restriction: while the kids are young and still not very helpful in the kitchen, then the food that we make together can’t be for a meal. I get really frustrated if they hold up dinner for everyone. So instead, we make snacks or special treats for other people during non-meal times. That’s just my rule, but if you are anything like my personality type, then you’ll need a carefully considered set of rules before you embark on cooking with young kids.
As the kids get older and more experienced in the kitchen, it can be fun to make a simple menu and have a ‘family restaurant’ night. After the other family members have looked at the menu they can give their order to their waitress. Your daughter can then serve the food later after you two have cooked it up.
Just remember to always watch your little ones carefully when you are in the kitchen. Young children need constant supervision.
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