I let children play with sharp objects. I let them handle vats of boiling fluids and molten metal sheets. I am not sure how it happened. Somebody gave my name to someone who called me – I said yes. And then another person called me and so on. I still find my mind boggled by it all.
I teach kids how to cook. I work with schools and kids’ programs and facilitate cooking, food education courses and camps. Over the years, I think that I have learned more from the kids than they have from me.
I have also learned that many a picky eater will try new foods when they have had a hand in preparing them. Kids are super enthusiastic helpers in the kitchen. Sometimes too enthusiastic, so a parent may have to be prepared for a little extra mess and a bit of extra diligence in supervision. The rewards are amazing though. Zucchini, carrots, broccoli, a little tofu, ponzu sauce, boba and olives get gobbled up, or at the very least tried.
I encourage you to include your home-bound littles and teens to help in the kitchen right now. These life skills are really important. In our frantic lifestyle of always working, rushing, trying to keep up, some of the basics have been lost. With this time, we can teach them some important stuff, like how to make a nice risotto and a good dry martini. Not to mention cleaning the bathroom and folding their clothes! What a dreamer I am.
Kids can cut, wash & dry veggies, measure, and stir. With supervision, they can sauté and stir pots. They can fill muffin cups, shape and decorate cookies. I tend avoid anything deep-fried unless I’m working with my older kids who are more experienced. For very young, I let them use knife gloves and special knives for young cooks. It takes a little more time and a creates a little more mess to let them help, but the tradeoff is a worth it!
Here are a few recipes I make with some of my students that are fun. I also urge you to let your kids look through magazines and pick out recipes for dinner (they will pick out mostly sweets, just ignore that). We have had some fun experiments that way.
Recipe
Crispy Potato Tacos
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large russet potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Scant ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Corn tortillas
- Optional toppings: lettuce, tomato, avocado, salsa, onion, jalapeno, cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS
- Add chopped potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until fork tender (15-20 minutes). When done, drain potatoes well.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil, potatoes and all the spices. Stir until all the spices are evenly incorporated and then arrange in a single layer. Let potatoes cook for 3-5 minutes, until crispy, and then flip and repeat.
- Fill corn tortillas with desired amount of potatoes and top with favorite toppings.
Recipe
Wholey Guacamole
INGREDIENTS
- 3 avocados – peeled, pitted, and mashed
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- Dash of Cumin
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt.
- Mix in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic. Stir in cayenne pepper.
- Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately.
Recipe
Kid’s Chow Mein
You can leave the chicken out to make veggie chow mein. Or, scramble an egg and add to pan and cook before adding sauce to pan. Feel free to try other veggies! Serves 6-8 kids
INGREDIENTS
- 8 oz chicken thighs, chopped into 1½ inch pieces. (Optional)
- 2 tbsp oil (veggie or canola)
- 17 oz of fresh chow mein or Yaki Soba noodles (no sauce packets! Throw them away!) rinsed and softened according to directions
- 4 cups finely-shredded green cabbage or Bok Choi
- ½ cup broccoli, chopped bite-size
- 5 oz mushrooms, chopped (optional)
- 2 carrots cut into matchsticks, or pretty small
- 1 cup snow peas, trimmed & cut into thirds
- 2 cups bean sprouts (optional, but so fun)
- 1 bunch scallions, trimmed & thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
SAUCE
- 6 tsp corn starch
- 4½ tbsp soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- 4½ tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 ½ tbsp chicken broth
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- White pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix together sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Marinade chicken for 5-10 minutes in a couple tablespoons of sauce.
- Over high-heat, add oil in a big wok or large frying pan. Add garlic for 30 seconds, then add chicken (or tofu, beef etc.) and mushrooms and stir-fry until browned, but not cooked all the way.
- Add cabbage, carrots, snow peas, and sauté for 2 minutes till cabbage is wilted. Add noodles, sauce and ½ cup water or broth. Cook 2 more minutes, add bean sprouts and scallions, remove from heat. Tossing till bean sprouts are cooked.
- Eat yummy noodles.
Beautifully written! I have been following you for a long time and I love your library of recipes! You are a breath of fresh air and I wish I had you as my teacher! Thank you so much!
Thank you Kelly! Wow, what a compliment. Keep following and let me know how you do. Happy cooking and stay safe!
We’re “big” kids and made the Kid’s Chow Mein and it was delicious. Thank you for this yummy dinner recipe. Since we are over 21 we paired it with a bottle of Kung Fu Girl Reisling. Had enough for leftovers and they were good too. xo
I am always happy to get fun wine pairings for any of our recipes! Hope you had fun!
I love this! Are there any particular kid-safe knives you’d recommend? And at what age do let kiddos start using knives?