Cooking with Kids

Cooking with Kids

When my kids were little, I'm not going to lie, I found it a bit tricky (stressful) to cook or bake with my kids.  I got all uptight when the flour spilled over the edge of the bowl or they didn't do it like I would!  I did a lot of huffing and puffing and generally wasn't very patient.  I've taken a giant chill pill since then (in the form of daily meditation) and so I have learned to let go a little.  Also, cooking with teenagers or bigger kids is undoubtedly easier!  I still have to take a big old deep breath before we start and remind myself that it's meant to be fun.   We are here, together, interacting and that is good enough.  And they also might learn how to feed themselves which is a total bonus. 

If, like me, you struggle to be chilled when cooking with teenagers, then you can fall back on our cooking course (or suggest this as a gift from grand parents) which will teach them all the basics in the kitchen and before you know it, they will be cooking you a curry once a week!

We have a had a little look at some of our recipes and split them into 2 categories - recipes for younger kids with an adult helper and recipes for older kids and teenagers who may be able to do it all themselves.  We are focussing on cooking rather than baking here but there are of course lots of recipes for cakes and biscuits on our site.   We have included a granola recipe though.

Recipes for Younger Kids

When they see what they have helped to create, they might even want to eat it!  Get them involved in laying the table and proudly putting out their creations in pretty bowls or wooden boards on the table.  I used to love setting the table and it got very fancy, with proper napkins and lots of unnecessary cutlery and plates.  My Mum just let me do it.  And that became my job in the house (along with topping up the toilet rolls in the bathroom)!

Homemade Granola
Kids: Measure out and mix all the ingredients.
Adult: Heat the oil and remove from the oven (or operate the air fryer)

Vegetable Pakoras
Kids: Grate the veggies, measure out all the other ingredients.  Mix and form the pakoras.
Adult: Peel the vegetables and help with anything the little hands can't manage. Cook the pakoras in the oven or on the hob

Flatbreads
Kids: Weigh and mix all the ingredients.  Form into a dough and knead.
Adult: Help with kneading. Cooking the flatbreads.

Carrot Salad
Kids: Grate the carrots and mix.
Adult: Heat the oil, cook the spices and pour over the grated carrots

Raita
Kids: Measure out the yogurt, salt, sugar, lime juice and mix
Adult: Chop the herbs

Satay Sauce
Kids: Measure out all the ingredients into the pan. 
Adult: Open the coconut milk and heat the ingredients

 

Cooking with Teenagers or Bigger Kids

These healthy meals for teenagers will set the foundations for them learning to cook.  Once they can chop an onion, chicken and vegetables, they can cook a Spice Pots curry.  We have chosen the one-pot dishes for starters but as they gain confidence, there are no Spice Pots recipes that are out of bounds - they are all easy recipes and there are no complicated processes in any of our recipes. 

Chicken Bhuna

This is a very basic curry recipe.   Chopping the onions finely and cooking them well makes all the difference here. 

Potential issue: Make sure that the chicken is cooked all the way through!

Lentil Daal

Again, this is a one pot recipe.  Rinsing the lentils is easy but possibly not something they have done before.  For a complete meal, roast some vegetables to go a long side or make some flatbreads to scoop up this delicious dahl.

Potential issue: under or over cooking the lentils and not adding enough seasoning

 

Curry Puffs

Use the leftover curry to make these easy and delicious snacks.  Handling the pastry can be a little fiddly, but they will nail it with practice.  Making use of leftovers is also a great skill to learn.

Potential issue: over-filling the pasty so that the filling spills out

Marinated Chicken Skewers

Learning about marinades will help them with many other recipes and they will learn to chop the chicken into similar size pieces to ensure even cooking. Make a side of Satay Sauce or Raita too.  You could also try our alternative marinade with drumsticks, great for the BBQ.

Potential issue: under or over cooking the chicken! 

Spiced Lamb Burger

This easy burger recipe will teach them the basics of how to make any type of burger.  They can learn to change up the meat or herbs or seasoning and how to form these patties for the BBQ or oven.  Freshly made burgers with a brioche bun and simple salad is a winner dinner in our house and they can learn all about cooking on a BBQ.

Alternatively, our cooking course, designed for those learning to cook and beginners, will teach them all the basics and ensure that they will learn to cook healthy meals and gain confidence in the kitchen.  It will keep them busy over the holidays and you might even be able to hang up your apron for at least one meal a week! Score!

These blog posts may help teens interested in cooking:

How to Cook Onions for the Perfect Curry

Slow Cooker Curry Tips

Which oil is best when making a curry?

Or for more ideas on how to enjoy (survive) the summer holidays with kids, check out our Top Tips.

And for easier self-catering holidays, read the blog with recipe ideas, packing tips and more!