Cooking with Kids

Cooking is a great way to get kids invested early in healthy eating. With proper supervision, there’s usually a step in any recipe that little hands can handle. And if the sweet or savoury result is delicious, there’s a big incentive to help.

Tips for getting kids involved

• Food fun: Rename foods—Squish Squash Burgers are more exciting than Squash Patties with Beans, Corn and Pickled Cabbage.
• To market, to market: Involve kids in menu planning and shopping. Let them help choose a healthy recipe. Then let them pick the best tomatoes, basil, strawberries or mint.
• Give due praise: With a sincere “Great job!” you’re more likely to have a repeat occurrence.

Recipes

• Squish Squash Burgers / Sweet Maple Carrot and Cabbage Slaw / Quick Homemade Sauce
• Freckled Vanilla Ghost Icy Poles
  
• Mile-High Mission-Style Chicken Burrito / Salsa Fresca / Guacamole
• Pistachio Mousse-Tachios

Safety tips for children helping in the kitchen

Playing with pots and pans

Keep pot handles turned in towards the middle or back of the stove to make them more difficult to reach or knock over.

Hygiene

Wash your hands before starting any recipe, and wash your cutting board and knife immediately after working with raw meat or fish to avoid contamination.

Knife skills

Place your knife on the opposite side of the cutting board from you when not in use. It should be as far from the counter edge as possible—away from small, reaching hands.

Once kids are old enough to use knives, avoid nicks by demonstrating proper technique. Hold the knife in one hand and curl the fingers (including the thumb) of your opposite hand under, holding the food in place on the cutting board. The flat side of the knife should line up with the flat part of your opposite hand between the vertically aligned knuckle and first finger joint. Keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board as you chop.