In teaching my kids to cook and bake there are a few things that I have realized are important to teach our kids in order for them to be confident in the kitchen. A few things I hadn’t thought about before, and only realized once letting them loose in the kitchen.
5 Tips for Teaching Kids to be Confident in the Kitchen
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Read through the whole recipe.
This is one I am still guilty of not doing but it definitely makes all the difference in the world when cooking or baking. There is often very important information left out of the beginning of a recipe, and is at the end, information that could change the whole recipe.
Timing is everything.
There are three different times listed on most recipes: prep-time, cook-time, and total-time. Supper is in one hour, but that doesn’t mean you can cook something that takes one hour to cook, you need to take in account how long it takes you to put everything together.
Also teaching them about timing to get everything to finish at about the same time to have the potatoes finished at the same time as the meatloaf.
Know your kitchen.
Make sure you know where everything is in the kitchen you are cooking in. It will make it easier for your child to cook something without problems if they know where to find a measuring spoon every time. It also makes it easier for them to clean up later.
They need the height.
There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to reach things, and your kids aren’t going to be able to cook or bake if they can’t reach the counter or stovetop. Buy a sturdy stool (we have this one) that they can move around easily to reach where they need to.
For younger children, you may want to get this one, something to help prevent them from falling when helping you in the kitchen.
Cooking experience.
Some recipes expect you to have a certain level of experience when cooking or baking. Make sure to take that into account when your child is trying out a new recipe.
Some cookbooks might specifically say softened butter or all ingredients at room temperature, not all of them will. Which is one of the reasons it’s so important to read through the whole recipe.