Kids are no longer just mixing up sweet treats with mommy in the kitchen. A recent New York Times article reported that modern tots are taking a more culinary approach to cooking.
According to the article:
"In the last few years, the children’s cookbook market has moved beyond all-encompassing tomes from Betty Crocker or Better Homes and Gardens. Increasingly customized by age, books now teach toddlers to make lettuce wraps and older children to make entire meals. Some predict that cookbooks for teenagers will be the next break-out category."
To see a few new children’s cookbooks and to learn about this trend, read more.
The popularity of bringing up babe as a sous chef is evidenced by the expanding line of goods for wee ones at Williams-Sonoma and Sur La Table, where mini spatulas, safe peelers and attire can be purchased. It seems each seasonal catalog also highlights a pricey product for the under ten set.
We discussed the importance of inviting your children in the kitchen from educational and cultural standpoints. But, do you think it's worth the extra effort when it comes to your family? Check out a few of the newer cookbooks and let us know if you like sharing your chef's hat with your children.
Fred Perry
My 8 year old daughter loves to cook and has been begging to take cooking classes. She starts in the fall.
1My kids love to help out with cooking.
2At this point they are too young to participate much, but just stirring a pot fills them with a sense of accomplishment.
As they grow older I plan to include them more and more in meal prep.
my middle daughter likes it. she took a class in kindergarten and brought home samples
think that was a bit early to learn, lol. everything had too much salt. she can make scrambled eggs a few different ways. the kitchen is such a huge mess when she's done that i don't do it
with her as often as she'd like. maybe i'll do it with her again this weekend. she says "it always taste better when you make it yourself".
3Teenagers don't need their own genre of "teen cookbooks" because they can just use regular cookbooks. I learned to cook as a kid from reading cookbooks and watching cooking shows on TV. They also tried to teach us in middle school, but the recipes were terrible!!! At the time, I was already cooking dinner for my family several times a week.
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