School Holidays are here, so it’s the perfect time to rally the troops and have a little kitchen fun! Cooking with kids, including baking or even just simple prep-work gives them vital skills. Plus, who doesn’t love a little good, old-fashioned family time at home when the weather starts to turn?
We’ve run many children’s workshops in the Market, and have come up with a few handy tips.
Our top tips for cooking with kids:
- Make it fun – do not get the kids in the kitchen when you’re pressed for time or feeling stressed. And if they’re new to it, things will move slower and you’re likely to make a bit of a mess. This is all part of the process, and the more fun it is, the more they will learn.
- Embrace the chaos – Cooking with kids is messy; accept it. If you’re constantly cleaning up and fussing about the mess while you’re cooking together, this will taint the experience. You can clean it up when you’re done.
- Sneak in the fruit and veggies – the more interaction children have with fruit and veg, the more likely they are to accept them as part of their diet. Let them chop (if safe to do so), grate, handle and taste test. Find recipes they are most likely to enjoy and use the freshest ingredients you can find to ensure maximum taste.
- Focus on favourites – if there’s something your child enjoys eating, then teach them how to make it. Whether it be a risotto, pancakes or mac’n’cheese, now is the perfect time to make it without all those preservatives. And they’ll be more likely to get excited about the activity too!
- Venture from sweets – kids love to bake and, let’s face it, baking is generally preferable over making the weekday meal. But by getting children to help with everyday dishes, they’ll also feel a sense of reward from feeding the family. And they’ll have a new appreciation for what you do every day.
Pro tip:
For something super simple and quick that’s also ready to eat in no time, buy some in-season fruit (2-3 varieties). Simply cut into chunks, dip in orange juice and then in desiccated coconut – sweet and healthy. You can even make them into skewers!
Or, decorate something simple like a pancake with chopped pieces of fruit, cheese, berries to make animal faces (or human faces :))!.
Cooking with kids recipes to try:
Need a little food-spo? We’ve selected 10 recipes that are great for you to try with the kids, and to expand their ingredient repertoire.
If you make any dishes with our delicious Prahran Market produce, feel free to share it on socials. Don’t forget to tag @prahranmarket or #prahranmarket – we love seeing you get creative in the kitchen!
