3 tips for cooking with kids

FamilyFun Magazine offered three ways to get kids cooking in the kitchen. Credit: FamilyFun
Kids are heading to the kitchen more, and it's not to grab a snack. FamilyFun Magazine found 96 percent of moms agree that it's important to prepare meals with their children because it brings them closer together. About two-thirds of moms spend more time cooking with their children than their own parents did with them.
Encouraging your kids to cook will help them explore new foods, learn about nutrition and develop math and reading skills as they measure and read directions. Here are three ways to nurture your young chef, as well as fun ideas to do together in the kitchen, from the October issue of FamilyFun.
The novice chef: Introduce your kids to washing, slicing, simple chopping and even improvising. Create a DIY dressing station for salads. For kids who are ready to take things further, making croutons from scratch will not only add crunch, but introduce them to working with heat.
The apprentice chef: Those who have graduated from the basics are ready to make a real meal. Kid-friendly quesadillas can teach your cook-in-training how to grate cheese, assemble ingredients, work a stove-top and develop spatula skills.
The master chef: Reward your sous chef with dessert. Baking cupcakes builds on the measuring and mixing techniques they’ve already learned and introduces them to new skills like cracking eggs and creaming. Kids can even try their hand at decorating their miniature masterpieces.