Cooking With The Kids: Tips For Fun And Safety
Inspire the little chefs in your children by teaching them how to cook. Since cooking can be hazardous if not carefully done, it’s a must to make your kids understand the importance of safety as well.
With this said, there is no need to make the process boring and tedious unless you want the kids to lose interest. Don’t be too strict or technical in imparting knowledge. When children have a better grasp of the dangers in the kitchen and how to prevent these from inflicting pain and injury, they will learn better.
Here is a rundown of some tips and tricks to make cooking fun as well as safe for children.
- Never leave children alone in the kitchen. Give “supervised freedom” to first-time chefs.
- Have the kids do simple but enjoyable tasks such as squirting the cream into the bowl or designing the bread with lettuce leaves.
- Take time to explain the proper handling of kitchen products to your children.
- Make sure that your kids are wearing appropriate clothes when working in the kitchen. Since long-sleeved shirts may easily catch fire, have them wear short-sleeves. Also, teach them how to wear the apron properly.
- Have them use oven mitts, potholders and other protective kitchen materials when cooking.
- Explain how to use the fire extinguisher, how to put out fire, and when to call the authorities in case of emergency. To make it easier for them to remember the procedure of operating the fire extinguisher, teach them the acronym PASS which stands for Pull the pin, Aim at the base of the fire, Squeeze the lever gently, and Sweep from side to side.
- Have them wash their hands before handling and preparing food. Let them sing Happy Birthday with you while they wash their hands. This is how long kids should spend in the sink washing their hands thoroughly.
- Always remind them to watch the food while it is cooking to avoid spills and other kitchen mishaps. Create a simple game of “who has zero spills” so that the one with no or fewest spills wins the game.
- Don’t forget to clean up spills on the floor or on the stove top.
- It would be helpful to teach your children how to clean while they are waiting for the next stage in food preparation.
- Talk to them about the bacteria in raw foods. Always wash surfaces touched by raw foods to avoid contamination of other food items.
- Teach them how to separate raw from cooked food.
- Finally, make your children cook their favorite dishes in order to spark their interest and maintain their enthusiasm in cooking. Colorful salads are best options. They’re bright and colorful so they’re visually appealing plus it’s a cinch to prepare them. Just put everything in and mix and mix!
Teaching kids how to cook isn’t that difficult. Just remember to teach and observe safety precautions to prevent any injury or accidents inside the kitchen. Have fun!
