Do you cook with your kids?
Or do you dread company in the kitchen?
Perhaps you’re not keen on cooking yourself, or think your culinary skills aren’t worth sharing with your offspring..
Maybe meals at your place need to be quick and no-fuss, to fit around work commitments and the soccer-run, leaving little time to cook together.
Or it’s simply that you don’t have the patience for little helpers..
We get it. Oftentimes it’s easier to fly solo when it comes to getting food on the table.
But cooking with your kids can be oh-so rewarding! Not only do you get (well, all things going to plan..) something to eat, but you get to connect, have fun and make memories with your kids.
Here are our top reasons to get cookin’ with the kids:
-
Life skills
Connecting and having fun in the kitchen together is wonderful, but really, teaching your kids about cooking runs a lot deeper than that. Cooking is an essential skill - for life.
Just as you want them to feel confident to cross the road safely and tie their own shoelaces, you’ll want to give your kids the know-how to nourish themselves properly - for life!
Show them how to put a healthy meal or snack together and you may just spark a love and appreciation of food that will serve them well - now and in the future.
-
Love & learn LOCAL
You may not be ready for the 'where do babies come from?' conversation, so why not start with talking about where our food comes from first?! Educating our kids as to how and where food is grown, and the broader implications for our future and the planet is vital.
Start the conversation with what's on your plate and the stories behind our producers and growers.
-
Bond at the kitchen bench
With many kids preferring the company of their devices (ahem, that applies to some adults too...) it can be challenging to instigate old-school ‘face time’ at home.
Que a family cooking session! When you collaborate in the kitchen, I bet you’ll chat, laugh and learn from each other as you go. And yes, even though it sounds cheesy, no doubt you’ll create lasting memories too.
-
Cultivate creativity
Cooking is most definitely an art form. Allow them to go off-piste from the recipe and really express themselves. Throw in some different ingredients, perfect plating or go wild with decorating a dish.
-
Time to shine
Seeing a recipe through from start to finish delivers a great confidence boost for little chefs - particularly when the end result is delicious! Be sure congratulate the chef for her efforts every time.
-
Kitchen smarts
Cooking teaches maths and literacy, hygiene and safety. Cooking with a recipe requires reading, comprehension, measuring and weighing, all of which help hone essential skills in maths and literacy. And that's not to say you have to use a recipe...
Then there’s the importance of keeping hands, utensils and kitchen surfaces clean, and learning to be careful around heat, power and sharps...
Seriously, cooking caters for so much more than the taste buds - just don't tell them they might be learning something along the way!
-
Your future self will thank you..
Perhaps best of all, when they have a few signature dishes under their belt, the kids will be cooking meals on the regular for YOU!
Ready to cook up a storm together?
Go on! Carve out some time, crank the tunes and get busy in the kitchen together. Here are our 5 favourite recipes to cook with the kids:
Upside-Down Lunchbox Salad
Sweet Potato & Kale Patties
Miso & Mushroom Pasta
Gooey Chocolate Pancakes
Clever Cookie Dough Pie
