Before you start cooking with kids, review kitchen safety rules and make sure all children involved in cooking are ready and fully understand basics.
1. Wash hands before cooking and after handling raw meat, fish, poultry, eggs etc.
2. Roll up sleeves and never cook in loose clothes to reduce risk of fire.
3. Keep long hair tied back to prevent hair ending up in the food and to reduce risk of fire.
4. Wear apron to protect your clothing.
5. Keep oven mitts and hot pads handy at all times. Be careful not to leave them near an open flame.
6. Store knives in a drawer or wooden block and make sure they are out of the reach of children.
7. When cooking on the stove, turn pot or pan handles away from the front of the stove to keep them out of the way and to prevent accidents. That way children cant grab them, and adults cant bump into them.
8. Put masking tape on the floor to section off an area around the oven so children will know they need to be behind the line whenever the oven door is open.
9. Keep a sturdy stool nearby so your kid can easy reach counters.
10. Always use separate utensils and cutting boards for raw and cooked meat to prevent cross contamination.
11. Use clean fork, spoon, or unused disposable wooden sticks each time you taste a dish.
12. Never stick your fingers in the food you plan to serve to others.
13. If somebody does get burned, run it under cold water immediately. Never use oil or butter on a burn.
14. Make sure your children know how to operate kitchen appliances and utensils.
15. Teach your children proper cutting skills (away from their bodies). You can start with a plastic knife.
16. Wipe up all spills immediately.
17. Keep the kitchen floor dry so that no one slips and falls.
18. The kitchen should be thoroughly cleaned after each session, so when you are finished, make sure your helpers wash cooking tools and put everything away.
19. Make sure kitchen cloths are clean and dry. Explain that up to one billion micro-organisms can live on a moist cloth that has been used and left on a kitchen counter too long. And if we use dirty kitchen cloths on clean dishes, micro organisms can be transferred back to the dishes.
20. Dishes and utensils should never be put in the cupboards until perfectly clean and dry.
HELPFUL TIPS:
It is good idea to make a poster with the kitchen safety rules on it so the children can read them at all times.
After kitchen safety rules are finished, review the recipe you plan to prepare for that day and explain procedure.
In connection with a recipe, the children should be taught to look for three parts:
1. The name.
2. The list and amount of ingredients.
3. The method.
In carrying out a recipe, they should, from the first, be taught to work in the following systematic order:
1. To collect the necessary utensils.
2. To collect the necessary ingredients.
3. To obey the method.
If you have more than one child, have the children take turns reading the recipe out loud.
The key to easy cooking with kids is preparation and practice. After a number of cooking practice lessons have developed in the children a certain ability and self-confidence in working, more formal cooking lessons may be introduced.