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Get your kids excited about cooking with Chefs Plate. Discover essential tips and recipes for making kitchen time fun and educational for the whole family.

How to Get Kids Cooking I Children's Cooking Ideas I Chefs Plate 

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<h1 id="how-to-get-kids-cooking">How to Get Kids Cooking</h1>

Children are full of energy, so why not channel it into cooking together? This activity not only teaches essential life skills but also strengthens family bonds. With practice, your child might even cook meals on their own one day.
 
Choose cooking tasks that suit their abilities and focus on praising their efforts rather than expecting perfection. Positive reinforcement will encourage them to participate more. 
 
Our guide offers tips, tricks, and recipes to help parents get started cooking with their kids.

Cooking with Kids

Kitchens are home to our knives, stoves, kettles and other appliances that can be unsafe for children. However, there are many steps within a recipe where kids can help, that don’t require them to use these items. 
Here are some cooking activities younger kids can get involved in:
 
<ul>
<li>Washing fruit and vegetables: Let them prepare the food by rinsing it under cold water before cooking.</li>
<li>Stirring, pouring and mashing: Simple tasks like mixing ingredients, mashing softer foods like potatoes or pouring ingredients into a bowl.</li>
<li>Seasoning: Cooking with kids might take a bit longer than usual so if you’re in a rush but still want them to feel like they’ve helped, get them to add seasoning to the meal at the end. It may seem small but to them will mean a lot.</li>
<li>Setting the table: They can help by laying out the plates, cutlery, and napkins ahead of dinner. 
If your child is a bit older and more confident in the kitchen, consider asking them to help with: </li>
<li>Chopping vegetables: Under guidance and with a child safe knife, they can cut vegetables such as onions, peppers or tomatoes.</li>
<li>Measuring ingredients: They can help by measuring both dry and liquid ingredients using measuring cups and spoons.</li>
<li>Preparing simple meals: Let them read and follow easy recipes to prepare dishes from start to finish all by themselves.</li>
<li>Using all kitchen appliances: Teach them how to use appliances like the oven and stove safely.</li>
<li>Meal planning: Include them in planning weekly meals and creating grocery lists.</li>
</ul>

How to Involve Kids in the Kitchen

We understand that safety is a top priority for all parents so we've put together a list of essential health and safety tips for kids cooking in the kitchen. 
<ul>
<li>Supervision: Supervising kids while they’re cooking is key to ensuring the safe use of equipment and ingredients.</li>
<li>Training: Show kids how to use kitchen tools before letting them use them on their own.</li>
<li>Equipment: Use knives designed for children or those with safety features to avoid injury. It’s important to emphasise that they must keep their fingers away from the blade at all times.</li>
<li>Hot surfaces: Keep kids away from hot surfaces and make sure they use oven mitts for hot pots and pans.</li>
<li>Handwashing: Encourage them to wash their hands well before and after handling food, especially raw ingredients.</li>
<li>Cross contamination: Use different utensils and cutting boards for raw meat and other foods to prevent this from happening.</li>
<li>Spills and mess: Encourage immediate cleaning of spills and mess to prevent accidents. </li>
<li>Encourage honesty: Encourage your child to always ask for help when they're unsure or need your support with a task.</li>
</ul>

Health and Safety Tips for Cooking with Kids 

Our collection of <a href="https://www.chefsplate.com/food-box/family-meal-plan">family friendly meals</a> is crafted to make cooking fun, educational and nutritious. Featuring tasty dishes like <a href="https://www.chefsplate.com/recipes/easy-breaded-chicken-bites-646387a3cdc7adfd710f4622?week=2023-W26">breaded chicken bites</a>, <a href="https://www.chefsplate.com/recipes/classic-beef-bolognese-646387f8c158ef96aa0bbeb7?week=2023-W26">classic beef bolognese</a>, and <a href="https://www.chefsplate.com/recipes/turkey-meatballs-in-lemon-butter-sauce-645a01229fe71de44c0c20fc?week=2023-W25">turkey meatballs</a>, these recipes offer parents the chance to bond with their children while encouraging a love for cooking and healthy eating.

Children’s Cooking Ideas

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