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Cooking skills for kids are essential. We often make a lot of assumptions about our kids’ understanding of cooking. As moms, we often do things automatically and forget they may not be so clear to the inexperienced cook.
I have found that there are many things in cooking and baking we know through experience that someone just learning would not know.
For example, my daughter wanted to surprise me with a birthday cake. She did really well. She followed the recipe and did what it said.
HOWEVER, she didn’t know you let the cake cool before taking it out of the pan. She also didn’t realize you can’t rush things and frost a cake before it is cooled all the way. I ended up with chocolate crumble cake with drippy orange frosting.
She had seen me make cakes a million times, so why didn’t she get it right?!
The recipe didn’t say to let the cake cool in the pan or cool completely before frosting. The person writing the recipe assumed some basic cooking skills. I also had never explicitly stated I was letting the cake cool in the pan when it first came out or before frosting. She could have easily assumed I was busy and left the cake there to do other things.
Since my kids and I do a lot of cooking together, I have found terms and cooking skills that may confuse kids. I am sharing with you some tips to help teach basic cooking skills to kids.
Basic Cooking Skills Kids Should Learn
My kids are getting older. They are almost 11 and 13 and prefer to do things for themselves. Often, they think they already know it all, so I sit back and observe them in the kitchen.
-Check out: A Perfect Activity to See if Your KidsCan Really Cook.
I’ve learned a lot by watching my kids cook. Here are some lessons learned.
Cooking Skill #1- HOW TO READ A RECIPE
Make sure kids understand recipes are divided into two parts: ingredients and directions.
The Ingredients:
Teach your children to read through the ingredients list first. They need to understand what they need, the quantities, and the measuring units.
- Now is the time to explain abbreviations used for measurements. They need to understand the different ways in which measuring tools like teaspoons and tablespoons are abbreviated. Sometimes it is t and T. Other times, they are tsp and TBS. Kids need to be taught this.
- Explain the difference between utensils used for measuring dry ingredients and those used to measure wet ingredients. This would include measuring cups (nested cups and liquid measuring cups) and measuring spoons.
- Teach kids how to properly measure out the ingredients. They can’t have an overflowing measuring cup of flour and call it one cup. Kids need to learn how to carefully measure things out.
The Directions:
Kids need to learn to read through the directions before they get started. It helps them:
- Understand the steps.
- Plan ahead.
- See where they may need help.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been cooking and forgot to lower the rack in the oven BEFORE I started preheating it. This would have been avoided if I had taken the time to read ahead.
Reading through the directions also helps you see if you understand everything you need to do. Do your kids know what it means by simmer or broil? I will get more into the terminology below.
Do they know they can make buttermilk (which needs to sit for a few minutes before use) if they don’t have any at home? By looking ahead, they can plan for this.
Looking through the directions also helps you plan out when things need to be done. It also helps with timing when your food will be cooked.
If you and your child read a recipe together, you will begin to see the things that are confusing or not clear to them. You can then explain what the directions mean.
Cooking Skill #2- EXPLAIN ALL COOKING TERMS IN A RECIPE
Don’t assume they know what something means.
Kids can often follow a recipe if they’ve done cooking with you before. That usually isn’t the issue. Often, the problem is they don’t know cooking terminology OR the little cooking tips we learn over time.
The only way kids will learn the kitchen skills they need is through being taught it or by reading/watching videos of others explaining it to them. My daughter’s cake mess, I mentioned above, was a clear example of this.
If I had EXPLAINED that I let the cakes cool in the pan for a few minutes before putting it on the cake plate, my daughter would have known how to prevent the cake from falling apart. The recipe said to cool the cake, which she tried to do, though not in the pan first. Plus, I really did assume she knew to cool a cake completely before frosting. Clearly, she did not.
There are a few ways to teach kids to cook.
- Cook with them and explain terms and tips as you go.
- Find cookbooks geared for kids that teach the skills.
- Show kids different places to look up cooking terms and tips on the internet.
When you make cooking a family activity, you give your kiddos the one-on-one teaching and discussion they need. You can see where they need help and discuss with them the little tips you’ve learned over the years.
If you have older kids that don’t want to listen to mom since they know it all, here is where books and the internet are helpful. I found two books that teach cooking (and baking) to kids. One is called Cooking Class, and the other is Baking Class. You can get them at Amazon or some libraries.
The internet is also a good resource to use to look up cooking terms. Older kids tend to gravitate toward technology. Help them find YouTube videos or sites that will help them when they need help. Honestly, it’s what I do.
Click below to download your own Cooking and Baking Checklist. It gives you a list of basic terms and skills your kids should know.
Cooking Skill #3- Safety
Cooking is a basic life skill for kids. Part of cooking is learning kitchen safety.
Kitchen safety includes:
- Knife safety
- Safely using appliances
- Fire safety
- First Aid
Knives
Many moms I’ve spoken with are afraid to let their kids use knives. When I think back to my preschool, many of the Montessori books recommended teaching kids to use knives at a fairly young age. The key is TEACHING kids to use them safely.
Things to consider when teaching children to use knives:
- The correct knife to use depends on what you are cutting.
- How to use the knife.
- How to cut food properly with a knife.
Appliances
I can remember learning very quickly you don’t put mom’s silver-rimmed plates in the microwave. Others learned a valuable lesson about putting the blender lid on tightly.
Kids need to learn how to use appliances safely so they don’t get hurt or damage things.
Consider the following:
- Teach them when to use certain appliances.
- Teach them how to use an appliance safely.
- Explain how an appliance can be dangerous. (ex. fork in a toaster that is plugged in, metal in the microwave)
Food Safety
There is a lot to consider when it comes to food safety.
You need to teach your kids:
- Washing their hands before handling food.
- Washing their hands after handling eggs and raw meat.
- Cross-contamination is caused by food surfaces and using cooking utensils.
- Proper cooking temperatures. (ex. internal temperatures for cooked meats)
Fire Safety
As kids get older, you will want them to understand how to deal with fires in the kitchen. They need to learn the safest way to handle them.
Teach them such things as:
- How to use a fire extinguisher
- How a lid of a pan/pot can contain a fire
- How to deal with a grease fire
First Aid
First aid is important to learn. It is especially helpful in the kitchen. Let’s face it, accidents will happen while cooking. Even adults hurt themselves. We need to teach our kids HOW to use first aid, so they don’t panic when something happens.
The two basic injuries we deal with in the kitchen are cuts and burns. It is important kids know how to deal with a bleeding cut and how to tend to it. They also need to know how to take care of a burn.
It is important to teach basic cooking skills to our kids. They need to understand how to cook and how to do so safely. Use this checklist to make sure you are covering the skills your kids need to learn how to cook.
If you want to learn more on family kitchen safety, take a look at this Guide to Safe Kitchen Design for the Family. You will find great information from Inspection Support Network on how to keep your family safe while in the kitchen.
Also, take a look at these articles:
- 5 Easy Treats to Make with Your Kids
- Fantastic Soft Baked Pretzels
- Get Your Kids in the Kitchen: Yummy Homemade Yogurt
So get out your cooking and baking checklist and teach your kids to cook.
Don’t forget to click the download button below for your cooking checklist.
Want to have even more cooking fun with your kids? Check out Kitchen Adventures from Little Passports. It’s a subscription box that helps kids learn about cooking around the world. Doesn’t that sound fun?!
Happy Homeschooling!
