Cooking w/ a toddler

[Anonymous]

I have a 2.5 year old who is an ok eater, but I would like to expand his horizons and start involving him more in the cooking process. I work FT and feel like I'm relegated to the kitchen while preparing dinner because he can't really help me saute things on the stove, handle raw meat, use a knife, etc. What meals - particularly dinner things - do you cook with your toddler?

[Anonymous]

so far we have let our 2.5 yo scramble eggs and pour them in the pan, and put grated cheese on pizza.
She helps with stirring cookie mix too but thats not dinner.

[Anonymous]

I find that I sometimes have to make work for her--i.e., I'll ask her to put the pasta into the measuring cup, which takes her much longer than it takes me. She can put vegetables into the salad, but I'll also ask her to just put cherry tomatoes into a bowl. She can sprinkle cheese or nuts onto things. She can shake spices, as long as precise measurement isn't important. She likes to feel involved, so I'll make stuff up if I have to.

[Anonymous]

She always helps me stir food, even on the stove (as long as the burner is medium or below). I absolutely love to cook, cook all the time, and take the time to go over all safety with her (including standing right next to her child she stirs the risotto). Zero injuries to date, and she's been helping around a year (she's also 2.5). She has a metal toddler knife that she also will use to cut up fruits and soft veggies, but when I put her on one of those tasks she normally ends up eating it all.

[Anonymous]

He sits on the counter while I cook and his level of "assistance" varies but I always let him feel like he's doing something (even if its just taking out all the k-cups from the stand and putting them all back in while I'm actually cooking). "Dumping" stuff is usually an easy way to help, i.e., dumping pre-measured ingredients into bowls or pots. I let him stir things that aren't on the stove. He watches me chop or cook saute things and that's a good time to talk about why only grown ups are allowed to do it. Sometimes I'll fill a bowl with a bit of water and let him use teaspoons to dump it into another bowl to keep him occupied.

[Anonymous]

Mine gets mad at me if I don't let him roll out any sort of dough. He also feeds things into the food processor. Lots of measuring and cracking eggs.

[Anonymous]

We let our 2.5 year old grate cheese (I'm ok if he scrapes a knuckle) and cut things with a butter knife. He also likes measuring, scooping, stirring, and shaking spices (with close supervision and only if you don't care how much you get). He also "helps" me use the garlic press. Just keep in mind "helping" will make cooking dinner take 2-3 times as long and create 2-3 times the mess!

[Anonymous]

Homemade pizza is the best for helping -- DS smears the olive oil on, then uses a spoon to spread tomato sauce, uses mortar and pestle to help crush the garlic then sprinkle it on, then sprinkles the fresh mozzarella and basil on top.

[Anonymous]

My DD is 2.75 and it surprised me that she really liked helping bring ingredients from pantry to the table. And then cleaning it up.

Measuring, stirring.

[Anonymous]

I let my daughter mix things-- just use a really big mixing bowl. I also let her break stuff up with her hands. She likes to snap green beans, take onion slices apart, break up apple slices into little bits, etc. And I let her dump stuff in the pot/bowl.

A minor burn or nick isn't that big a deal, it's how they learn to be careful. Don't sweat it too much.

[Anonymous]

Wash/dry fruits and vegetables, help with measuring/pouring/mixing, shuck corn, snap peas, etc.

With young children, you can also involve them by talking about what you're doing and asking questions: Does this banana look ripe? Are all the lumps gone? How does this taste?

[Anonymous]

I agree with it taking much longer with a toddler helping, but I'm cool with that. Happy he's engaged. He helps with measuring and dumping things into the bowl/pot. He gets me things. He'll hold onto the teaspoon while I pour something into it. He mixes. I take an item out of the pantry and he puts it on the counter. He will put stuff away if it goes into a low cabinet. Some things we do together - like we both hold the utensil so I can control but he's involved. He knows how to flip down the head of the mixer and turn it on one click. I explain everything to him.

[Anonymous]

My little chef is 4 now, so I'm trying to remember what he was doing a year and a half ago . He would stir things in a bowl. He would stand on a stepstool in front of me and we'd chop things together (both of our hands on the knife handle, mine covering his) - this has paid off in that he has learned how to handle a knife and is now starting to do it on his own. Same thing with peeling carrots with a vegetable peeler.

He'd "make" the salads by dumping handfuls of prechopped veggies in a giant bowl or on individual salad plates. He would turn the oven on, and turn on the light to watch whatever was in it. He'd measure rice and water into the rice cooker, then press the button to start it - he was always proud of making the rice all by himself . He also liked to start the kitchen timer (after I entered the time), and let me know when it went off ("Mommy, it's time!!").

It was about that time that I started teaching him to crack eggs in a bowl, although he didn't do it consistently until he was 3. He could also dip chicken breast cutlets in scrambled egg or milk, and then in breadcrumbs - perfect messy job for a toddler! I didn't worry about him touching raw eggs or meat, just made sure to wash his hands carefully afterward.

Nowadays, he does more chopping himself. He uses a kid-sized butter knife to butter bread or toast. He cracks all of my eggs, and can separate the white from the yolk (I have him crack the whole thing into a bowl, then use his fingers to lift out the yolk, or use an egg separator). He loves the KitchenAid, can lock the bowl and turn it on to a specific number. He's also good with a potato masher, a whisk and an egg beater (good for more than just scrambling eggs, btw!). Best of all, he actually LIKES to set the table!!

My next goal is to teach him to use an ulu in a wooden bowl, which is nice because you don't have to have your other hand near the food that's being cut - it stays in place at the bottom of the bowl, while the left hand holds the bowl in place.

It does take quite a bit longer to use a 2.5 yr old's "help", but I thought of it as an investment of time now so that they could really learn how to do it and be an actual help later. No different from teaching him to tie his own shoes (much faster to do it for him) or anything else. At 4, he loves to cook with me, and is actually very helpful at some things! So stick with it, even if it's frustrating at times.

[Anonymous]

Hold the button on the food processor.

I scoop or measure, he dumps into the bowl and mixes

Cut with a plastic knife (bananas, avocados....)

If I, for example, peel a cucumber, he puts the peels in a bowl from the cutting board and dumps them in the garbage. Then I slice the veggie and he puts it in the serving bowl.

Worse comes to worse, let him make his own - I waste lot of dishes this way, but take a big plate or something and put a small amount of each ingredient on it or in tiny bowls. Give him a big mixing bowl and let him add what he wants and mix. We once got a "salad" of carrot peels, raw noodles, halloween candy, flour, and mustard. Tasty.

[Anonymous]

OP here, thanks for the ideas! I'm not stressed about it taking longer to make dinner, I am a crazy slow cook and would be happy with some company. And he loves to help me do other chorse. Based on the responses, I think I have been too cautious in letting him try things in the kitchen. Thanks!