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7 Ideas To Get Your Reluctant Cook
In The Kitchen And Cooking
Kid in Control is a perennial favorite. This is an evening where the
kid is in charge. You basically change places with them. They pick the dinner and do the bulk of the work, but they get to boss you around. They can tell you to chop the carrots,
peel the potatoes, set the table, or feed the dog. They're in charge. My kids love bossing me around and I love that they're showing a little confidence in their budding cooking skills.
If you try this I'm guessing they'll also tell you to do the dishes after dinner!
One Ingredient Turned Into a Meal
Challenge your children to come up with a recipe they'd like to try using any one ingredient
that you name. They can pull out the cookbooks or go to the Internet for help. There are many cooking websites that display recipes when given just one ingredient. Depending on
the age of your cook, you can make it an easy ingredient like poultry or pineapple, or a real challenge with curry or hoisin sauce. This might be a good time to use what's in season –
cabbage, grapes, broccoli, basil, etc. Not only will they make a dish they've never made before, but they may actually learn a little about the chosen ingredient.
Loud Music and Personal Choice
My daughter is more willing to cook if she gets to pick what she wants to cook. She's also
more willing to cook if she's a little bit hungry. :) I tell her no tacos or spaghetti, as those are the old stand-bys. She likes to look through the cookbooks and usually decides on the
recipe with the most appetizing picture. That's fine with me, as long as she's cooking. She also gets to put on her music and play it louder than I'd like. She claims this helps her be a
happy cook and that, in turn, makes me a happy mom.
Kids Café
Remember when your children were little and they liked to play restaurant? "Mommy, you
sit here and tell me what you want to eat!" Then they give you a banana, hamburger, spaghetti, and milk carton, all in plastic. Now that they're older, why not recreate the fun?
With your help, have them make a very limited menu with maybe one entrée, 2 side choices, and 2 vegetable/fruit choices ahead of time. You are the customer at The Kids Café and
they get to set your table, be your waiter, and also cook and serve your food. Not only do they get to practice their cooking skills, but they get to work on organizing their time,
following instructions, and learning to please a customer. So sit back and have some fun at your own Kids Café, and don't forget to leave a tip!
Kids + Friends + Kitchen = Party!
How about a Bring-Your-Own-Ingredient Party? Pizza works well with this concept. You
supply the crusts and every child brings a different topping. This leads to some really crazy pizzas and some (gasp) food experimenting by the kids. Besides pizza, the menu headliner
can be a taco or fajita bar. For dessert start with big sugar cookie crusts and use all sorts of toppings. They're only limited by their imaginations. Can't you just picture their proud creations?
Invent a Recipe
Let your kids play Invent a Recipe. They use any ingredients they want, which will usually
lead to discussions of what normally goes together. Sometimes you might get to discuss the definition of "gross", and sometimes you might get into science and whether something will
remain goo or become solid after baking.
Pick a Theme
It's simple – your kids pick a theme, and every family member prepares a dish. The theme
can be a meal from a different country or from a different time in history, or the theme can have something in common like all the food needs to be green or all the dishes have to have
apples in them. Heck, make it a party!
I hope these tips help get your children into the kitchen with you, cooking up some good food, good fun, and good memories!
Cookin' Kids is a website with easy kid friendly recipes, kids cookbooks, kids jokes,
cooking definitions, safety tips, kids cooking articles, Cookin' Kids ebook and more! Visit http://cookinkids.com with your kids.
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