Kids And Cooking?

[jyl]

My daughter (13 y/o) has started a cooking thing. One night a week she'll cook a family meal and earn $5. Goal is for her to learn safe knife handling, cooking techniques, food prep and seasoning, and how to feed herself. So when she goes off to college she won't have to live on Top Ramen and canned soup like I did. Her first "meal" was tofu and spinach soup (we're not being too demanding in the initial phase). Last night she made a sesame beef and garlic stirfry. Good progress here.

My son (8 y/o) will start doing this later. Right now he makes pancakes.

Any other kids and cooking going on here?

[Tishabet]

I don't have kids, but cooked quite a bit for my family growing up... makes me shake my head when I find that some of my adult friends can barely make toast.

[GH85Carrera]

At my house we dust out the inside of the oven around Thanksgiving. We might make some Christmas cookies during the holidays. We both know how to cook but the thrill is gone. If it can't be nuked in a microwave or eaten raw forget it. We just try to keep the restaurants in business. Keep the economy growing. It is real easy to keep the new granite countertops clean that way.

[myamoto1]

My 3 yr old can make cookies, pancakes or cupcakes pretty much on her own. She's been in the kitchen helping my wife for nearly half her life She also helps my wife in the veggie garden. My wife did a blind taste test w/ her and she got every herb/veggie correct. I think they were sage, thyme, cilantro and radish leaf.

[URY914]

My 14 yo daughter has been taking cooking classes during the summer for the last two years. Some nights she'll cook the entire meal for us. Other nights she'll just cook her own. There is no down side to this. One of the best things we ever steered her to.

[The Gaijin]

My Mom was very Miyagi Sensei when it came to food. ("Wax on, wax off")

I spent years washing dishes before I cooked a thing!

[vash]

no kids of my own.

my mom never pushed me, but i simply gravitated to it. i got myself involved at 10 with the dirty dishes and moved up to sous chef...chopping, heating up pan/wok, stirring soups...loved it. i still call her everyday to pick her brain, and ask her, "remember that dish......?". it amazes her that i can recall a simple egg/ tomato stirfry from my childhood databank.

i wouldnt give my kid $5 to do the cooking...i got an allowance, but it was never asscociated with any chores...it was free money, the chores were mandatory, and done out of simply being a member of the family, and duty.

let me add: the worst burn i ever suffered, i was 8ish, and learning how to make flour tortillas from a lady that took care of us. she also taught me to speak spanish fluently (i totally disrespected her by forgetting everything but the cussing). she would check the "camale" flat cast iron plate, for proper heat my touching it. i followed suit, and learn that Hosofina, was a ninja in her other life, because i burned the @#$^@#^@#$ out of my palm! safety is first.

[rammstein]

I think its a good idea. I didn't realize how much I knew about cooking until I went to college. I didn't know that knowing how to make pancakes from scratch or tomato sauce from scratch wasn't cursory.

Pancakes and homemade pasta sauce are about the cheapest things on earth. In college, I'd make a huge batch of sauce, freeze most of it, and then simply defrost as needed, throw in some sausage or meatballs and have dinners for less than $3/meal.

[BRPORSCHE]

Two nights ago I baked tuna with asparagus. I regularly cook for my girlfriend and me. Everything from pork with sherry to NY strip steak with a side of shrooms.

She can't even make a grilled cheese sammich. Disturbs me knowing that most of my friends have no idea how to cook. There is always the little stuff you can do to a dish to make just that little bit better.

Ramen noodles. Plain, right? Not nutrious, right? Well, add egg whites from 1 egg and voila instant protein!

The chef must be Hungarian in me.

[fingpilot]

Originally Posted by rammstein

I think its a good idea. I didn't realize how much I knew about cooking until I went to college. I didn't know that knowing how to make pancakes from scratch or tomato sauce from scratch wasn't cursory.

Pancakes and homemade pasta sauce are about the cheapest things on earth. In college, I'd make a huge batch of sauce, freeze most of it, and then simply defrost as needed, throw in some sausage or meatballs and have dinners for less than $3/meal.

Ramm;

Same same. I went on the Newport-Honolulu sailboat race 3 times before college (yes, one was a stowaway, and the other two I lied about my age). All 3 times, the guy that was supposed to be the cook was gonna kill us all. I'd usually take over by acclaim. No real refridgeration in those days, so a 11 to 14 day trip meant everything was from scratch.

When I got to college was when I realized no one else could even do toast.

[jyl]

My standard meal in college and law school was 2 ramen, 1 egg, 1 can of tuna, 1 can of veg. Figured this gave me carbs, fat, protein, greens and took 3 min to cook. Surprisingly, I didn't get bored. When eating by myself, I have no interest in cooking.

[vash]

the best is the first day at college...go down to the laundry room and watch the moms explain the process to the kids with the blank stare. awesome.

john, kudos to giving the kids some "tools" teach a man to fish...............

[Looking_for_911]

Some of the best memories of my life are spending all those hours in my Grandmother's kitchen watching her cook. I started hanging out with her when I was about 8 or so. Through osmosis and direct instruction she taught me most everything she knew about cooking... and let me tell you, she was the epitome of the Southern Grandmother-cook! The delicacies she prepared we were in no way appreciative enough of.
This time with her falls under that " I wish I'd have...." thing. I wish I'd have taken the time to thank her for all she taught me about cooking, cleaning, laundry and life in general. Because of her I was able to pretty much raise my little sister as well as myself. And have never "needed" a woman around to do those household things.
She was the voice of reason in a family where common sense seemed fleeting at best, non-existent at worst on many occasions.
She was a rock, and in my memory she remains a "rock" and a stabilizing force when the seas get too rough, the swells too high to navigate.
I had no idea at the time the lessons I was learning.

[red-beard]

Buy them each a paperback set of "The Joy of Cooking". It is the BEST overall American cookbook around. It not only has most of the standard recipes for thousands of dishes and things, it has full explanations WHY you do and don't do things.

[austin552]

This is great! I am still amazed at how many adults don't know how to cook.
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,easy_for_teens,FF.html

[drcoastline]

I am a single father of a 9 year old girl. I am half Italian and our family revolved around the kitchen when I was growing up. My daughter began cooking with me at 3 yrs old she is now 9 and loves it. When I would cook with a recipe I would read it aloud and moved my finger across the recipe as she watched. By the time she was going into preschool she was reading and new some measures. Cup, teaspoon, tables spoon, etc. We cook from scratch every night and she helps make our meal. It is part of our family time. As we cook we talk about the day and we sit and eat together every night. Other then Sushi a few times per month I couldn't tell you the last time we had a store bought meal. She has her own pans and knives that she uses. Real knives she slices, dices, chops you name it. It also helps with understanding nutrition as they are using fresh ingredients and no preservatives.

Get your son started cooking now there is plenty he can do. With supervision there is no reason he can not help.

BTW- Her first taste of Sushi occurred at 2 yrs. old and there is no such thing as I don't like that with any food until you have consumed two mouthfuls .

[lisa_spyder]

The whole family gets in on the act in our house...the kitchen is the nucleous of our home; much like my grandparents' and parents' homes when I was a kid.

My Grandfathers were both amazing cooks and so was Dad...my most treasured memories are of these men in the kitchen...no short cuts; everything from scratch. Same goes for my Grandmothers and Mum...EVERYTHING they did looked so effortless!

The smells and sights...in Summer the tomato paste laid out in trays in the sun to reduce; the jams the same (all made from produce from their gardens). The pots bubbling away on the stoves and the sumptious smells from the ovens...OMG the every Sunday whole family gatherings with huge tables creaking under the weight of masses of dishes laden with food all prepared with love and incredible skill...food was and is a way of life for me; not just something to eat when hungry .

Our pantry is huge and stocked with every 'dry store' imaginable, two fridges are always fully laden with fresh produce and the vegie patch keeps bearing even though I never seem to get the time to give it the love and attention it needs (thankfully Mike and the kids get out there fairly often and tend to it). The freezer is always stocked with home made stocks; a basic tomato pasta sauce and bolognaise at least...

So, the kids know only one way to cook...from scratch pretty much. Billy (10) and Charlotte (12) know which knife to use for what and know when a knife needs sharpening. Mike used to do the sharpening, but now I wait for Tom (17) to sharpen my knives with a stone for me!

How important is food to us? Well Tom is a second year apprentice chef in a brilliant bistro in the city...his whole life is about the love of food - his choice (could be a lot worse couldn't it...17yo kid could be doing all sorts of idiotic things to keep himself "amused").

Billy and Charlotte can both prepare a myriad of dishes; most without a recipe to consult. They are confident enough to experiment with tastes and textures and love any excuse to drizzle black truffle oil (I have to hide it ).

When a big "cook-up for restock" is on here, it's all hands on deck...and we love it. The mess with so many of us working at once is another matter ...that's the worst of it...the best of it is when we sit down with friends to a table creaking under the weight of all those dishes of food prepared with love...just like the old days .

No child is too young to start to learn the art of cooking... a 2yo could shell peas and help stir (and lick the bowl of course!)....food isn't and shouldn't just be our fuel...it's a beautiful part of life.

[VincentVega]

Very cool. I didnt learn to cook a think until home-ec in high school and then it was really just junk food. It wasnt until I took cooking classes later on that I started to learn a little. Nothing like eating good food.

[campbellcj]

My 8 year-old son has been helping in the kitchen (and grill) a bit for the last couple years. Now he says he wants to learn how to do more, which is cool with me, since I do pretty much all the shopping and cooking around here. Otherwise, we'd starve

[aigel]

Not being able and willing to cook for themselves is a huge factor in the obesity problems the nation is facing. You owe it to your kid to show them how food is prepared. Even if they only know how to do 5 dishes, chances are they won't order out and eat out every day in college and later in life.

I know tons of people that don't know how to cook and seem to have no interest in it either. I think it is laziness. In the time they drive to pick up take out food, you can have a basic meal prepared and on the table at a fraction of the cost, additives and calories.

George