Kids for kids - 10 year old's favorite recipes and kitchen gadgets

It is worth sharing household chores with children in order to teach them to be more independent. If we let them, they may pleasantly surprise us. 

When should I let my child work independently in the kitchen?

The age at which a child can hold a knife or fry pancakes is largely determined by the parents' confidence in their children's abilities. I know three-year-olds who are very good at cutting fruits and vegetables while keeping their fingers stuffed. I also know ten-year-olds who have difficulty grating apples. This is not due to the child's shortcomings, but due to lack of practice. It is worth giving some of your responsibilities to children and just showing them how to peel vegetables, cut and chop. Cooking waffles, pies, pancakes, simple pasta with sauce is not difficult. All you have to do is read the recipe with your child, give them a chance to show off (there's nothing worse than a parent looking at their hands and commenting on every step), and the courage to clean up after everything. Although the latter can also be a lot of fun. If you have a place for joint kitchen activities, it is worth starting as early as possible.

What does the child need to prepare?

Among his favorite kitchen utensils, our ten-year-old child mentions in one breath: a pancake pan, a porridge pan, an egg cutter, a wooden cutting board, a monster-shaped ladle, a waffle iron, an egg whisk and pancake batter, and a silicone spatula, thanks to which everything is possible. pull out of the back streets of the bowl. In addition, a knife and a vegetable peeler, which belong only to him. This shows what our child likes to cook - morning porridge, pies, pancakes, tomato sauce, waffles and immortal meatballs. Recently, the pasta machine has been very popular, as it allows you to cook noodles and tagliatelle yourself.

Now, probably, most parents either shake their heads in disbelief or begin to list dishes that their own children can cook, and for which Magda Gessler herself would not be ashamed. Regardless of which group you are in, it is worth supporting the independence of the child, including in terms of nutrition. It may turn out that in the morning, instead of a bunch of crumbs, coffee and freshly baked waffles or pancakes will be waiting for us.

It is also worth giving your child the first cookbook, for example, Cecilia Knedelek, or a notebook in which he can write down his recipes and paste photos of ready-made dishes prepared with a Polaroid (this is, of course, a luxury option for big fans of culinary tasks).  

Simple recipes from 10 years old

• Pancakes for breakfast

Composition:

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cardamom
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk/buttermilk/plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons butter

Mix 1 ½ cups wheat flour with 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and cardamom. I add 2 eggs, 1½ cups of milk/buttermilk/plain yogurt and 3 tablespoons of butter. I mix everything with a whisk until the ingredients are combined. I heat up a pancake pan. With a monster spoon, I scoop up some of the dough, trying not to spill it on the countertop, and pour the pancakes into the pan. Fry over medium heat until bubbles appear on the surface. I'm turning over. Flipping is difficult when there are too many pancakes in the pan, so I only pour three or four batches of batter at a time. Fry the inverted pancakes for 1,5 minutes and put on a plate. I fry until the dough runs out. I serve them with natural yogurt, blueberries, sliced ​​banana and peanut butter.

• Pasta with tomato sauce

Composition:

• 300 g flour grade 00
• 3 eggs
• 5 tablespoons cold water
• 500 ml tomato passata
• 1 carrots
• 1 parsley
• piece of celery
• 1 bulb
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt
• pepper
• thyme

Making homemade pasta is not difficult, but it takes a lot of time. First, mix 300 g pasta flour (marked "00" on the package) with 3 eggs and 5 tablespoons of cold water. I start kneading the dough. If the ingredients do not come together, add a little water and continue to mix with both hands. After 10 minutes, the dough becomes a soft, beautiful ball. Sprinkle it with flour, cover with a cloth and leave for 20 minutes. Then I open the pieces of dough, sprinkle them with flour and roll out with a pasta machine. Rolled out, cut into strips or squares. I boil them in boiling water with salt until they come out.

Now it's time for the tomato sauce. Finely chop the onion. Peel carrots, parsley and celery and cut into small pieces. Squeeze the garlic through a press onto a plate. Heat oil in a large saucepan and add onion. I cover the pan with a lid and leave it on low heat for 2 minutes. Then mix, add garlic and chopped vegetables. Pour ¼ cup of water into a saucepan and cover with a lid. I cook 5 minutes. I add tomato passata, a teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Cook covered for 20 minutes. Let the sauce cool slightly before serving and stir until smooth. Tomato sauce pairs well with pasta and parmesan cheese. It can be spread on pizza dough before baking.

What are your kids cooking? How are they doing in the kitchen?

You can find more tips in the passion I cook.