Happy 2023! For my first post of the year thought I'd talk a bit about how you can make cooking and meal prep into family time. I know some of you may be thinking, "The more people in the kitchen the messier it will be, and they will just be in the way". Now, this may be true to an extent, but I can say this about it, there will be laughter, conversations, memories, and skills learned as well. We love having our kids in the kitchen helping with dinner (for one, everyone is eating dinner, so everyone should contribute), we get to teach them how to cook, proper knife skills when chopping or slicing something, we teach them math when baking, and they get to see just how much work goes into preparing and cooking a meal for a whole family. We especially have them help make a dish that they request for the weekly menu. For our older children we are teaching them how to cook tasty meals for when they are out on their own, this way they don't have to depend (and waste money on) fast food. While yes, it is convenient at time to grab something from the drive thru, the cost adds up quickly and most of the time it's not a filling meal. For example, our 20-year-old works full time but still lives at home, he has begun to see just how expensive going out is compared to groceries. Not that groceries aren't getting expensive (thanks inflation) but that when he does "pick something up" really quick, he is often annoyed that it didn't taste that good and it was expensive. Another example with him is when he accompanies me to the grocery store to do his shopping. He will pick up a package of two chicken breast to meal prep his lunches at almost $10 for the small package as opposed to getting a whole chicken that's only $1.29 a pound to cook and have more meals. So, when I get the opportunity to show him how to comparison shop, I do in the end I tell him that it's his money and to think about what's the better buy. But let's get back to the topic at hand, having more family time in the kitchen.
At first the kids only wanted to help with baking, because let's be honest, who doesn't like a sweet treat. With them wanting to be in the kitchen while baking, we get the opportunity to teach or reinforce simple math. Measuring cups and spoons are a great way to teach fractions (we regularly quiz the kids when making a double or triple batch of something) for example. Baking is also great for learning about science too. We talk about the different reactions between baking powder/baking soda for instance, or how the liquid to dry ratio is important factor in the recipe coming out right. When the pandemic first hit, and everyone was home for school, we would celebrate holidays by making a meal represent of it. For instance, on St. Patrick's Day we made Irish Soda Bread, while the eldest kid did the math to divide the recipe into 4 the other kids had to get all the ingredients out. Then they each made their own bread to bake, and even though they all had the same ingredients and measurements, each loaf came out different. When we were enjoying them for snack, we discussed why they all came out different and what each kid did differently than the other. That day they learned that even when someone has the same ingredients and instructions as you, it doesn't mean that the outcome will be the same.
One of the main things I try to instill (try being the key word), is to clean up as you go. I tell them that for starters, doing this will lessen the mess that will be needed to clean up in the end. Another reason for cleaning up as you go, is to make sure you don't use an ingredient twice on accident. Yes, I have told them stories of how I had messed something up that I was cooking due to having a "messy workstation" (like putting extra baking powder in, instead of salt). When I have them in the kitchen helping, I show them that I use an ingredient, then put it off to the side, that way I know I already used it, and it can be put away. Just like if you rinse and stack the dishes you used while cooking after you're done with them, it will create less of a mess for when the dishes have to be done. We always tell them that a few extra seconds of effort can save them a lot of time later.
When it comes to helping with a dinner, we delegate the tasks that need to be done by skill/age appropriateness. Our older children get to do more chopping or help with frying (when called for), our youngest gets to help more with mixing and measuring (although we have been starting to teach how to cut properly) or grating cheese (since he can have dairy). We talk about or day, if we saw or heard something funny, the boys usually end up talking sports or work out routines all while spending time with us preparing the family dinner. The kids start asking questions about why we prepare things a certain way or about a cooking technique (like asking why we dry the meat before searing it). Yes, Adam and I tell them what and why we are doing a certain step, but most of the time the kids ask questions on their own about the task at hand, and we are happy to answer them. Not only are we spending time with them, but we are also teaching them what we have learned over the years, and life skills to take them into adulthood. When trying out a new recipe, I often tell them that it might not turn out the first time, it might get messy, but we will definitely have some fun. This year try and make being in the kitchen more of a family event, and if it already is, then keep it up!
Kim