Cooking with
s d i K
WRITTEN BY DIANE WHITTEN, CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSION
Cooking shows on TV or the internet are peaking interest in cooking, including among children. You might be surprised to find you have a budding chef in your family. Invite your children into the kitchen to help make meals or snacks to learn and develop the important life skill of cooking. When kids are encouraged to help in the kitchen it can also increase their self-confidence. OTHER BENEFITS Kids are experiential learners, and cooking uses all five of their senses. It’s fun and can be quality time spent with parents or loved ones. Children are more likely to try new foods, if they’ve helped to make it, so you can expose them to a variety of foods leading to a lifetime of healthy eating. Cooking with Kids is a perfect opportunity to teach basic food safety, such as Clean/Separate/Cook/Chill. • Clean: Wash hands, utensils and surfaces often • Separate: Don’t cross contaminate • Cook: Cook to the right temperature • Chill: Refrigerate and freeze food properly AGE-APPROPRIATE KITCHEN ACTIVITIES Depending on your child’s age and developmental stage they can do certain kitchen tasks. 2-4 YEARS • Develop fine motor skills • Wash produce
• Mix ingredients with spoon or hands • Spread butter or icing • Roll, shape and cut dough • Pour liquids 5-7 YEARS • Introduce more difficult cooking skills • Measure dry ingredients • Clean and sanitize counters • Cut with butter knife • Mash soft foods, like fruit, hard-boiled egg • Crack egg 8-11 YEARS • Can complete simple recipes independently • Whisk with a handheld mixer or whisk • Boil eggs and pasta • Use vegetable peeler • Grate cheese • Open cans 12+ YEARS • Challenge them with more complex recipes • Understand the basic science of cooking • Use oven and stove safely • Whip egg whites • Handle raw meat safely • Use chef knife
The following recipes are from Nutrition.gov under the Recipe tab. There you can search for kid friendly recipes.
No-Cook Peanut Butter Balls This is a great recipe that 2-4-year-old children can help with by mixing and rolling. Makes 12 servings. • 1/4 cup peanut butter (or another nut butter) • 1/4 cup honey • 1/2 cup instant dry milk powder (nonfat) • 1/2 cup whole grain cereal (crushed flakes) 1. Mix peanut butter, honey and dry milk in a bowl. 2. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in cereal. 3. Chill until form for 30 minutes or longer. Source: www.nutrition.gov/recipes/peanut-butter-balls 46 | SARATOGA FAMILY | FALL 2021
saratogaTODAYnewspaper.com
