Kids Cuisine

“I want to help!” How many times have you heard that while cooking? Kids’ kitchen work can go well beyond licking the frosting spatula or decorating cookies at holiday time to lay the groundwork for a lifelong enjoyment of cooking. Before I had children I worked in a Montessori school and learned — to my surprise — that kids as young as two years old can have a real role in the kitchen. All you need is the right equipment, some creativity and a little extra time and patience.

Kitchens are built for adults. Remember how excited you were as a kid when you were finally tall enough to see into the kitchen sink? Young children don’t want to wait that long to play chef.

To help them do it now, fix up a sturdy workspace the right height for your child. An older child may just need a stool to reach the counter. A low wooden table or shelf works well for younger kids. Once your child has a work station, he’ll need something to do. Favorite activities among my former students and my own children are

• cleaning fruits and vegetables with a little water and a soft veggie brush
• slicing bananas, cheese chunks, and other soft foods with a small spreader
• adding and stirring dry ingredients for things like muffins
• pouring liquids
• mashing garlic
• making cutouts from sliced cheese with cookie cutters
• whisking yogurt to a drinkable consistency

Of course, small hands need small tools to get the job done with minimal frustration and mess. With a little imagination, you can re-purpose items you already own for your kid’s kitchen space: a small steamer pitcher is perfect for pouring small quantities of water or juice, for instance, while spreaders and butter knives make safe chopping tools for soft foods.

Restaurant supply houses are a great source for durable small tools. My 9-year-old still uses the professional-quality mini-whisk he got when he was two years old. You can also find ramekins, juice glasses, and other “mini” tableware there. For specialized items, I turn to Montessori catalogs like For Small Hands that specialize in sturdy, child-size items.

Cooking with kids usually gets messy, and children can help with that, too. Small sponges and rags plus a small container of soapy water help your child clean up his own spills, while a small hand-held broom and mini-dustpan let him round up crumbs. A small bowl with water and a little bar of soap provide an easy way to wash hands. You may find that your child is more interested in washing her hands or sweeping than in actual cooking, at least for a while.

The payoff for making your kitchen kid-friendly is watching your child get excited about preparing family meals, learning new skills and maybe — just maybe — trying some new foods along the way. My nine-year old still uses that small whisk, but now he also has his own chopping knife, makes great buckwheat pancakes, and likes to fry eggs. I figure he’ll taste asparagus eventually.