Cooking tools for kids
Who doesn’t need some help in the kitchen when it comes time to prepare dinner for the entire family? Sandra K. Nissenberg of “The Everything Kids Cookbook” says, “helping out at an early age, means helping out at a later age.” Encouraging kids to get in the kitchen at a young age means they will also enjoy the process at a later age. Let’s take a look at 5 kid-friendly gadgets that will lure your kids in to the kitchen, giving you your own culinary crew.
5 gadgets all kid chefs need
A knife
You heard right. Why not present your little chef with their very own knife, or set of knives, for that matter. Curious Chef makes a set of blunt, serrated, nylon knives, perfect for the little hands of children. These knives are ergonomically designed to fit their hands and are rounded on the ends so skin is protected. The kids will learn how to wield these tools while helping you with the prep work. Let them have a go at soft foods, like boiled potatoes, tomatoes, avocados and even cooked chicken breasts.
Vegetable choppers
Plastic, enclosed multi choppers are tons of fun for kids. Because the vegetables are safely enclosed in the bucket, kids can chop away without worrying about their hands. Kim Rushing of the Kids Cooking Company refers to the dicers as ‘alligator choppers,’ because who doesn’t love to feed hungry alligators?
Vegetable peelers
Remember making carrot and cucumber ribbons as a child? By age 4, kids should be able to properly use a vegetable peeler to clean up those pesky veggies. If you need to make a decision, the traditional straight peelers are easier for kids to hold and use rather than the Y-shaped ones. Also, check out Chef’n; they make a tunnel peeler, which lets kids roll the vegetables in the palm of their hands and peels them using a covered blade.
Measuring devices
Kids love to count and measure things out, which is why a great set of measuring cups and spoons are a must-have. Any child old enough to grip a cup can do learning to measure properly. Plus, there are plenty of fun models out there that are easy to use, some that even pop open and fold flat for storage.
Pasta machine
What kid wouldn’t love to roll out and cut their own spaghetti? While it doesn’t make for a quick dinner night, a simple session before hand will get your kids ready to dish up some fresh pasta. It is also fun to add different foods to color your pasta like beets or spinach to give it a wild red or green color.
Every chef loves playing with their gadgets, so why not let the little chefs, who love to play, have their own gadgets? Try out different tools and even visit your local kitchen store and let the kids pick out the gadgets they want to try. Cooking can be fun; if you have the right tools.