Here is my Birthday Wish and my Christmas wish. In fact my Everything Wish.
Teach a child how to cook.
One child, one meal.
This Christmas it is possible that you may have some children to spend time with. Maybe you are even growing some children yourself! Maybe you are related to a few. You might have a couple living upstairs. Get permission from his mama or her papa and give that child cooking lessons. Because the lack of knowledge of basic cooking skills in many homes now is making me want to launch a crusade. But I won’t. Crusades can be destructive and I don’t have a horse. Instead lets start a grass roots movement. Lets quietly teach our kids how to cook real food.
Teach him to cook one meal from start to finish. Not a cake, or cookies. Teach him how to make a real dinner. Just the main course. With a protein taking up a small corner of the plate and vegetables and a tiny carbohydrate taking up the rest. Practise that meal. The first meal I learnt to cook by myself was bangers and mash. Sausages, mashed potatoes and frozen peas. Simple. NO, I had to practise. Timing was the hardest bit.
Make a plan. Draw up a shopping list. Show her how to shop for good food and freshness, teach him how to read labels and look for used-by dates. Then bring it into the kitchen and turn it into dinner.
There are many children growing up who do not know how to wash potatoes, cut up the brocolli, glaze the carrots, make a simple stew or curry and serve it all hot. There are even many grown-ups who do not know how to make a real hearty pie, or a pizza base or gravy or boiled eggs or scalloped potatoes. Or how to cook rice. Or boil an egg. Make a quick nutritious soup. It is terrifying to me. Less and less information is trickling down.
I believe the right to cook is as paramount as the right to eat. In fact you would think they would go together. I am really shocked at the number of people who cannot cook fresh food. This is a universal problem. They buy frozen food and heat it up, eat it in front of the tele on a paper plate and call it dinner. Food in a sanitised wrapper is just not right! We are all losing an essential ingredient of our cultures. Food. The kitchen. Cooking together. Talking.
But you and I know how to cook and we should share this knowledge. Start with one simple course. Made from scratch. Teach him how to make a sauce for a simple Pasta. An omellette. Chilli. Help her make Fried Rice. Or Tortillas. Nachos. Or teach him how to make a big tasty salad and an oil and vinegar dressing. Or a basic curry. Roast chicken stuffed with lemons served with roast potatoes and peas. Spaghetti. Stay simple. But make a meal. Then practice that one meal.
And serve it. Teach him about warm plates, and draining potatoes of their boiling water. Carving the meat. Tasting. Butter in the peas. Keeping everything hot. Setting a table. Knives and forks. Plating. Eating with your eyes. Smelling the scented steam. Teach her about the timing of getting it all on the table simultaneously – Hot.
Teach them about waiting for the cook to sit down before starting to eat. And saying, God Bless the Cook and Thank you, before all tucking in. Teach them about eating together each night and talking. Talking! Teach them how to eat with a knife and a fork. Please teach them how to eat with a knife and fork!
Teach a Child How to Cook.
Keep good food alive! A busy kitchen is such a lovely happy place to be.
This is my wish. This is my challenge to myself. I have a couple of kids in mind. They live down the road in a country house and both parents are working very hard to support them. So I shall offer to have the kids one day after school a week, during the winter, and we will cook and eat. After we have worked in the barn, the barn is my carrot, they love being in the barn. They love Daisy.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
99 responses to “Teach a Child How to Cook!”
You know we love to teach our kids to cook. 🙂
In fact it was you and your family that made me think more about this. That shot of your son stirring the pot. It is brilliant. Most of us do teach our own kids already. I am worried about the other kids though! c
So true. I am thankful my husband came in with cooking knowledge, because I was seriously lacking (like making an omelet!).
LIES! I’ve gotten at least one fabulous recipe for the site from CW! 🙂
This is something I have noticed too, how many men are teaching the women to cook! so all is not lost.. excellent and it seems you are sharing your cooking too!! ha ha ha! well done daily dish!! c
haha! When you marry into the ag lifestyle, 20+ miles from the nearest store, a girl has got to learn FAST! 🙂
Cecilia, as much as I normally love your posts, this one I adore! Cannot agree more; doing my best w/ my 2 daughters, who hopefully will pass skills on later in life too. The grassroots home cooking movement could not be more needed or timely.
PS: (shameless promotion) did you know I’ve finished my book?? still need to blog about it – you can see the link on my recipe site. http://thedailydish.us/from-the-kitchen/kick-the-can-homemade-low-sodium-soups-that-rock/
fantastic christin, My kids actually thanked me for teaching them to cook and run a house (i was a single mum with two jobs so i needed the help), and it is great to be able to call a 14 year old and say’ i am going to be late can you start dinner!’.. Good for you teaching your girls. AND I love shameless promotions. I will pop over and have a look.. that is pretty exciting stuff! c
Yes! I totally agree. In fact, our 4 year old grandon is here now, and he’s about to cook some bangers and mash. He’s asked for cabbage to go with it! It’ll be fun.
The great thing about teaching grandkids is that you get to have tons of follow up and they grow such lovely memories along with it.. Bangers and mash is still one of my absolute comfort meals! Four is a perfect age to start really cooking and learning about safety in the kitchen! c
We are having lots of fun right now eating the things my 7 1/2 year old is making…it is nice to see that when the cooking inspiration hits, the ideas he has are all healthy whole food centered dishes since that is what he is used to eating when we cook. And he totally rocks smoothies…he thinks it is pretty great to use *way* more fruit in them than I ever would 😉
It makes me very sad to think of homes different from ours in that regard..I know I grew up on boxed meals and canned veggies, there is just no joy in making that food and of course, no nutrients either…blech!
Cheers,
Sheila
Very very right Sheila, and good for your son getting messy in the kitchen, it is fantastic training for him in all kinds of ways! c
That is really an inspiring post. I am very lazy about cooking (though I do it). But this has made me think – I should be serious about it at least for the sake of my kids.
Yes Bindu John, we are in a very important position and just think.. after you have taught them to cook a few meals they can cook for you and you can be lazy again!! win win.. c
Nice post. No kids in our house this holiday season, and our friends kids are all still toddlers. Hmm, what about my 24-year-old brother? I could have him down.
24 is not too old to learn! Though you may have to bribe him! c
Cecilia, I couldn’t agree more! I used to cook with my students in my classroom. Not only did they love they were more inclined to try new and different foods. Might I add, that a natural to go along with teaching cooking skills to children is to garden with them? It always amazed me what they would try, eat, and LIKE just because they had grown and cooked it themselves. 🙂
~ Lynda
The garden is a fantastic place for kids to learn about food. And then they get the very best of veges too. Very good point, Lynda, from the garden to the kitchen to the table. So good.. c
The girl child ran off with the pound cake recipe that was handed down to me from my mom and has been baking it as her own (sheesh!) for a few years now. And if 7 year old was with me now we would be up to our elbows in making cupcakes – something I started doing with him when he was 5. It is good to teach younguns how to cook even if the recipes aren’t handed down.
It is good. and learning how to make a whole meal is great. Next time you get that 7 year old, teach him to make bangers and mash and get it to the table.. DH will be grateful!.. fancy that child running off with your pound cake recipe! (laughter) c
What a great idea! Children have a wonderful sense of adventure, and allowing them to make important decisions, such as what the family should eat would be a morale booster. A lot more education than how to cook goes into this project, like lessons on nutrition and how to prepare a balanced meal.
Ronnie
This is a good point too Ronnie. Serving the family his choice of a meal and having them all smile and say Thank you is great for a kid. And nutrition is very important knowledge and it starts at home.. c
Oh, my beautiful friend dear Cecilia, Can I come too 🙂 What a nice thought! This is so admirable, once again I love you. I have a son and he is almost a young man, but I am so glad that I taught everything about kitchen and foods… Especially what he likes so much (from my cookery) I taught him when he was a little child… He always can cook his meal… You are doing great job here dear Cecilia and this is what should be done. We should teach our children how to cook… and also about foods too… Thank you, but I am serious to be your youngest student, can I come?
with my love, nia
Your son is a lucky fellow to have you teaching him the good food.. ! that is great nia, and nice to have someone feed YOU too! c
You know I actually felt quite emotional reading this post as I so totally agree with what you say. Whenever my niece, nephew or god daughters come to stay we always cook together – sharp knives (safer than blunt), pinnies, unusual ingredients and all. And you know what (well, you won´t be surprised) they EAT IT ALL!! This is because they cooked it with love and laughter. And the part where you mentioned about teaching children to eat together as a family and with a knife and fork – so true. I have seen too many families eat separately (and each with a different meal) perched in fron of the tv on the sofa, not a piece of cutlery in sight. Which is fine as a special treat once in a blue moon – but that´s not a family meal. I hope your wish comes true, I sincerely do.
Sharp knives are safer than blunt ones too, you are more careful. Isn’t that sad how they will eat separately and a different meal, i have seen that too. We are the ones who can change this. c
Wonderful idea. You are right– this is important in so many ways. Thank you.
We are all in it together Bella.. teaching is not always a paid position!! c c
A great wish C, and one that is so true. I’m sure the reason I cook now, and always have is because I cooked with my mum, (I gardened with her too 🙂 )
MM, the gardening is such a natural companion to cooking, we are lucky that we learnt these things, now we have to make sure we pass it on, one way or the other.. c