Why Invite Your Kids Into the Kitchen?

For those of you who believe (like me) that May is Mother’s month, you’ll be inspired by this Kids in the Kitchen star, British mom Annabel Karmel, who managed to pen two dozen books on cooking for and with kids—all while raising three children.

Her path to cookbook fame began with her infant son Nicholas, who was an enfant terrible when it came to food. “He just wouldn’t eat!” she says.

Having always loved to cook, Karmel frantically tested recipes to find something he’d like. Soon she had amassed so many dishes and so much interest from fellow mothers that creating the seminal Baby and Toddler Meal Planner in 1991 was a no-brainer. It sold three million copies and she never looked back.

At home, her growing brood got in on the act. “They saw how passionate I was about cooking and naturally wanted to join in,” says Annabel. So each child (now age 17, 19 and 20) would choose a recipe and cook once per week, the same dish for a month.

“At the end of the month they could do it blindfolded,” she laughs.

The Benefits of Kids in the Kitchen
Thanks to this family tradition, Annabel witnessed first-hand all the advantages of giving small people an apron:

1. When kids learn how to cook, when they become independent adults they need not rely on processed food.

2. Kids learn math, time, weighing and measuring in a subliminal way which is the best way to learn.

3. It creates great bonding with mummy and daddy.

4. By learning to cook they create something they can be really proud of. It’s a big confidence builder.

5. You can teach them the dangers of the cooking. Avoiding steam from kettle, food right out of oven, and the stove, and how to put knife in face down in the dishwasher.

6. If they are fussy eaters, you can break that pattern by getting them into the kitchen. Making their own food will make them more likely to try it.

Tips on Getting Kids into the Kitchen
Karmel has 6 basic ways to lure your children into cooking adventures.

1. Have all the ingredients ready on the table.
We all know kids have a short attention span, and nothing will stop their enthusiasm like searching for baking soda.

2. Make it fun.
Let the children choose the recipes, and make it a party. Tell them to invite their friends over.