Learning to cook..

We all remember countless occasions where we watched our parents cook, and were told how to create meals (but never really took in the information and just hovered until the food was ready), but it's the early experiences of children cooking themselves that helps to establish if they enjoy the creation or just the consumption.


I remember using my big Dorling Kindersley 'Kid's First Cook Book' often as a child, the whole book was so colourful and it made the recipes so much fun. Have managed to find it in the loft, and here are some of my favourite recipes:

The first ever meal I created and cooked all by myself is a dish that infamously became known as my '10 Hour Stew'. My Dad gave me some chicken and a few vegetables and allowed me to cook them on my own, but for some reason, it never really cooked. I seemed to be in the kitchen for a whole night. Despite this beginners setback, I realised I enjoyed the process of cooking and the end result (when it finally arrived) of seeing my family enjoy the fruits of my labour. For the purpose of this blog, I decided to attempt to re-create my 10 Hour Stew (which is actually really a casserole from my faint memory of ingredients), and see if I could fathom where my 10 year old self went wrong..

Ingredients:

-2 Chicken thighs
-1 large red onion
-2 carrots
-1 red pepper
-Stock cube
-Tinned chopped tomatoes
-Lots of random herbs and spices with no real correlation or measurement.

Season the chicken legs with herbs (I only had corriander and thyme at hand, but they seemed to work) and fry until both sides are golden. Set the chicken aside and fry the vegetables until soft. Now add both together in a stewing pot along with chopped tomatoes, a stock cube, salt and pepper. Simmer for 60 minutes, or until the chicken looks cooked through. It can be baked in the oven but I wanted to keep an eye on it on the hob!

Well the casserole turned out to be very tasty, and easy to make. It's quite a simple recipe but the flavours of the vegtables and the juices/seasoning from the chicken create a lovely taste, and it was perfect for a rainy afternoon dinner. The boyfriend enjoyed it very much -much more than my dad did! I realized that my downfall as a child must've been not frying the vegetables and chicken first. I must've literally put it in a pot and left it to stew. Well, practice makes perfect...


When I was a child the internet wasn't really accessible in my house, and was not nearly as endless and evolved as it is now, so recipe and idea hunting was out of the question. However, there are now thousands of websites devoted to making cooking fun for children.

http://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/ was created by a mother who discovered her children loved to cook from scratch, and shares her ideas for making cooking fun for children. She provides 10 reasons why children cooking is imperative, and here are just a few which I really agreed with:  

Here are 10 reasons why you should do cooking activities with your children.

1. Learning to cook helps kids to learn about nutrition and healthy eating. They are growing up with fast food and junk food at their fingertips, which is part of the reason why child obesity is on the rise! Teaching kids to cook will help instill skills to last them a lifetime.


2. Boost their self esteem. If your child needs a boost of self confidence, (and who doesn't!) cooking in the kitchen will do just that. They are accomplishing a task, learning something important and contributing to the family.


3. Create family time and bonding. Take time to cook with your kids and they will have memories that they, in turn, can pass on to their families. It may take a longer time to get the meal or snack done but the moments with your children will be priceless. (Just remember to have patience. Don't worry about flour on the floor or spilled milk).


4. Kids will be more apt to eat what they make. Perhaps, it is the enthusiasm of creating something themselves, but they will be more likely to eat whatever they had a hand in making.


5. Kids learn real lessons in science, language, math and creativity. Cooking will help reinforce all these subjects! Visit What do Kids Learn While Cooking page for more information.