Cooking - Give Your Kids Early Lessons

Posted by Darcy Watkins

We all want our kids to be independent and at the same time help us with the chores at home. But before the kids start helping us around in the kitchen and learn a thing or two about cooking, they should be aware of all the basic precautions so that they stay healthy even if they are living and cooking alone.

The first lesson that they should receive is in cleanliness. It is imperative to good health and good cooking. They should be taught to wash the vegetables and fruits properly and not to mix the raw and the cooked food. They should also understand that overheating food may lead to loss of nutrients and undercooking may cause indigestion.

Discuss the entire recipe with the kids before you all start cooking. This will ensure that you don’t miss out on anything and that all the ingredients are in place and the entire cooking process goes on smoothly. Try to stick to the exact procedure for the best results.

While discussing the recipe or while cooking, explain to the kids how and why a particular appliance is used. Also teach them the importance of saving electricity and also how to protect themselves from getting an electric shock while operating the electrical appliances.

Teach the kids why hot pads are important in the kitchen. It is also important for them to understand why they should not taste food from a hot spoon or put a finger in hot food. Kids must understand that at all times they should take maximum precaution so as to protect themselves from any kind of burn injury. Kids should also be taught how to remove hot trays in from the oven and also what to do in case of a burn injury in the kitchen.

Keep the knives in the kitchen sharp so that you get maximum effect in the least time. The kids must know how to properly handle a knife without cutting themselves. They should also be taught never to put the knives in soapy water to keep anyone from getting hurt while doing the dishes.

The kids should be taught never to throw water on hot stove and also to call the adults or the neighbors or 911 in case of an emergency.

Most of us taste the food even when it is not fully cooked to see if everything’s perfect. But this is a wrong habit and should be discouraged so that you or the kids don’t spoil your stomach. Tell the kids that if you have to taste the food, then use a clean and fresh spoon and use it only once. Use another spoon if you wish to taste the food again so that you don’t pass on any contamination to the food.

While the food gets cooked, use that time to clean up the kitchen of any leftovers or spillovers or anything left on the kitchen counter from the cooking ingredients. If the cooking time is more, wash the utensils. After the food gets cooked or while it is on the stove, turn off any electrical appliance that you are not using.

The kids should learn as early as possible about the basic cooking so that they don’t have to rely on junk food for filling their stomach when they grow up.

Share This

Tags: Food

Under Food Tags: Food